Watching Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One oddly had me thinking of the 2012 film John Carter.
Both were adaptations of acclaimed stories. The source material of both had parts of it strip mined and repurposed for adaptations of other films.
In the case of John Carter, there are concepts that clearly went on to be used in Star Wars and other science fiction. In the case of The Long Halloween, it’s clearly that parts of it inspired the Nolan Dark Knight Trilogy. By the time that the actual source material gets adapted, enjoyable as it may be, it does leave the viewer with an odd feeling of déjà vu.
As a killer is committing murders that coincides with holidays, Batman forms an alliance with Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Dent.
As each holiday arrives and another body falls, tensions within the crime families of Gotham rise.
This plays out as Dent and Gordon struggle balancing their home life with their work, and Bruce Wayne strikes a relationship with Selina Kyle. As The Joker decides to be a wild card in these events, clues start to point to one killer.
Will Batman catch the killer?
I wouldn’t want to spoil anything, just to say that the movie is labeled Part One.
The movie is faithful to the original source material while adding some action. While the source material was used in Nolan’s films, the climax in this adaptation feels inspired from the Burton films.
The animation is superb.
With a car chase scene followed by a fight scene that would rival anything in live action. The background design, with a noir Gotham, is pretty defined and fun to look at. I am sure it would be easy to skimp on that type of detail for a home video release, but credit to director Chris Palmer and the animating team for pulling off such flair.
The voice cast ranges from solid to great.
Jensen Ackles voices Batman and he’s solid, but not memorable. Troy Baker’s Joker stands on his own. David Dastmachlian, who was memorably creepy in a brief role in Nolan’s Dark Knight, steals his scene as Calendar Man. The late Naya Rivera was wonderfully stealthy as Catwoman.
As usual, DC’s animated arm has cast some great character actors and it pays dividends.
I have to say there was something special about reading The Long Halloween as it was first released, with a chapter each month coinciding with whatever holiday it fell upon.
There is no way to replicate that experience in two 85 minute features. But it certainly succeeds in delivering an exciting Batman crime drama. There is a post credits sequence to get viewers excited for Part Two which arrives on July 27, 2021.
Extras include a DC Showcase Animated Short: The Losers, a first look featurette of Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two, vintage featurettes and two holiday themed episodes from Batman: The Animated Series.
If you love crime fiction, or if you enjoyed the Nolan Batman films, Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One is right up your alley. It gets a B+ from me.
******
Produced by Jim Krieg and Kimberly S. Moreau
Written by Tim Sheridan
Based on Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
Directed by Chris Palmer
Starring Jensen Ackles, Josh Duhamel, Naya Rivera, Billy Burke, Titus Welliver,
David Dastmalchian, Troy Baker, Amy Landecker, Julie Nathanson,
Jack Quaid, Fred Tatasciore, Alastair Duncan, Jim Pirri
