Part 2 steps it up, From brutal rendetions Batman's crushing punches, Jokers an omnisexual, truly homicidal killing nightmare to Superman's immense power yet patriotic imbecilic servitude this is the finest adult animation DC has ever produced . Be warned this is violent and bloody with the Joker scenes being painted red with chilling death scenes. The Superman Batman throw down is truly epic and cinematic with a movie quality score. Peter Weller does a fantastic job capturing the hyper intelligent, brooding, serious and pragmatic older man Batman who's burning rage cannot be quenched from his traumatic childhood scarrring.

Olivia has crafted a masterpiece with the second half of this epic. While never forgetting that he was in service to the story, Oliva clarified muddy plot points and streamlined Miller's work while remaining true to the sequence of the story STEP FOR STEP. The voice acting was superb, with Weller's weary, resonant baritone serving well in the place of iconic Kevin Conroy.

This two-part feature has become my benchmark for animated interpretation of graphic novels, and has my highest recommendation.

I wanted to like this and the previous Part 1. Really, I did. I've been re-reading the graphic novel every few years since it came out in 1986, and I hear the dialogue in my head as I get to each panel. When DC released the direct-to-video version, I had high hopes for how they'd translate it to the screen, and looked forward to seeing it animated.

It's not bad, certainly. They did a fair job, but there were two gaping holes in my opinion. First, the creators of the movies did away with the internal monologue that was the real treat. What set TDKR apart from the rest of the comics at the time was the inside look at what's going on in Bruce Wayne/Batman's head. You followed along with his thought process as he looked at the world as it had become, and it was the combination of the story being told (which was fairly well represented in the movie) with the monologue that provided the glue that held it together. His running internal commentary as he chases the Joker through the Tunnel of Love. His internal commentary as he beat the snot out of Superman. The creators have taken some of that internal monologue and turned it into dialogue, but it's just not the same. I expected to hear the monologue as part of the soundtrack to the action, and the lack of that monologue reduced the film to merely an animated version of the action on the panels, not what the story was about.

Secondly, I'm afraid I've been spoiled by other voice actors. Ever since Batman: TAS came out, I hear Kevin Conroy's voice in my head when I read something thought or said by the character. It was certainly interesting to hear Peter Weller's voice bring some Robocop-like nuances to the role, but Weller's voice fell short.Read more ›

I really enjoyed part 2. I couldn't wait to check it out when I saw the initial trailer for it. Hopefully others will enjoy this as much as I did. This will definitely have you wanting more. I will pick up the best buy release when it hit the stores for the joker figurine that comes with it. Very dark, the way batman should be seen. Loved it.

A great story like Dark Knight Returns gets a two-part treatment, and just like Part 1, Part 2 is just as great to watch, even with some parts that got cut out of the adaptation (like Joker's "kiss of death" with the Dr. Ruth Westeinheimer expy). Again Peter Weller voices the older Batman, and I'm surprised to notice Justice League's Maria Canals voicing his pursuant Commissioner Ellen Yindel, who at first sees Batman as a menace but then realizes her predecessor Jim Gordon's words, that he's just "too big". Superman comes into the picture to try reining Batman back into silent compliance with the government, but that doesn't go over too well for a man who best works in the shadows and tries to avoid being front-page news even as the press still continues to report his activities. And of course, the Joker comes out of retirement for one last go-round with the Dark Knight, seeing how far he will push his nemesis to ultimately killing him.

As with Part 1, the animation and artwork is excellent, as a sort of mix between the original comic book style and Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. It's definitely worth a purchase if you're into Batman.

I loved part one but part two is even better, I didn't think it would even be possible but this film pulled it off. I've read the source material several times and always wished I could see the biggest fight of all played out on the screen. This film doesn't disappoint in the slightest, Peter Weller once again nails it as batman. The comic book was written in the 80s and this shows in key scenes, Reagan is president and the soviets are still around terrorizing the rest of the world, so keep that in mind as you watch this. The dark knight returns is the comic book that's responsible for the batman we have today, it brings a gritty and angry batman to the forefront. The fight is actually better than I always imagined it would be, and as far as I'm concerned the question of who would win was answered with this movie. I've watched both parts multiple times now and it never stops being cool, definitely worth checking out.