This story starts off some 10 years after Batman (Peter Weller, RoboCop) has retired, and for the most part, Gotham doesn’t need him anymore. While there are still gangs in the city, the supervillain community seems to be quiet.
The movie starts up with several major events happening at the same time. Jim Gordon (David Selby) is retiring and Harvey Dent (Wade Williams), formerly known as Two Face, has finished his rehabilitation and thanks to plastic surgery, he both looks and feels like one person. Unfortunately, not everything works out quite right. There is a gang known as the Mutants who have put a price on Gordon’s head and as soon as Harvey steps outside of Arkham, he seems to go on another crime spree.
After some debate, both internal and external with Alfred, Bruce Wayne decides to once again don the cape and cowl and hunt down his long time friend turned enemy. Batman’s work to bring Dent back into custody has at least one unexpected side effect, it inspires a teenage girl named Carrie (Ariel Winter) to put on a Robin costume and prowl the night and tag alongside Batman. She happens to be at the right place at the right time when Batman decides to go up against the leader of the Mutant gang and gets beaten to a pulp.
I don’t want to go too much further into Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1’s story for those that haven’t read the graphic novel, but it does end with a great setup for the second part where is seems the catatonic Joker (Michael Emerson of Lost and Persons of Interest note) wakes up just when Batman re-emerges.
The DVD’s special features includes two Sneak Peeks, one for the already released Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and another for Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 that not only talks about the Joker and Emerson, but also Superman’s role in the story and Mark Valley’s (Boston Legal, Human Target) portrayal of the Man of Steel.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 keeps the visual style of the comics and has definitely nailed the mood of the books. Any fan of Batman should find this movie worth watching, regardless of having previously read the books.
