Batman: Year One & The Dark Knight Returns (Animated Movies)

Has anyone seen these DC direct-to-video animated movies of Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns? I have. I own them both on Blu-ray, although I don't own The Dark Knight Returns Parts 1 & 2, I just own The Dark Knight Returns: Deluxe Edition. (Basically it's Parts 1 & 2 edited together to form one giant movie.)

Anyway, what can I say about Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns? While I enjoyed both movies, there's just something about Dark Knight Returns that elevates it above Batman: Year One for me. I don't know if it's the voice acting or the story itself but something about Dark Knight Returns is just all around "better" than Batman: Year One. But that's not to say that Batman: Year One's a slouch because it's not, in fact, I think if they had directly translated Batman: Year One to the silver screen, and if they wanted to start an interconnected universe earlier, Batman: Year One would have been the perfect starting point.

The Batman Year One and the Dark Knight Returns movies are based off of the graphic novels of the same name by Frank Miller. They're both fantastic additions to the Batman mythos, if not two of the supporting pillars, and the movies are nothing short of amazing.

The Dark Knight Returns was directed by Bruce Timm, who was one of the helping hands that made the Batman Animated Series as awesome as it was and still is. Dude's doing comics justice with his animated features.

Year One had a great cast. Ben McKenzie, who plays Jim Gordon on Gotham, played Bruce Wayne in his first year as Batman, and Bryan Cranston plays Detective Gordon.

These movies are great, and if you are a comic book fan I suggest you watch all of the recent Justice League movies. These animated features are on par with what Marvel is doing with their cinematic universe.

I haven't seen either, yet. I remember looking up the infamous Batman besting Superman scene on YouTube and remember thinking the comic book version of the quote was better. I saw a preview for Batman Year One and didn't care for the voice of Batman all that much.

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Originally Posted by Ayen

I haven't seen either, yet. I remember looking up the infamous Batman besting Superman scene on YouTube and remember thinking the comic book version of the quote was better. I saw a preview for Batman Year One and didn't care for the voice of Batman all that much.

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I like Ben McKenzie's Batman voice in Year One, better than Roger Craig Smith's Batman voice in Batman: Arkham Origins. Roger Craig Smith sucked as Batman. And if you ever heard Craig Smith's voice in Arkham Origins you'd know what I'm talking about. :mad2:

I thought he did a good job of emulating Kevin Conroy, myself.

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Originally Posted by Ayen

I saw a preview for Batman Year One and didn't care for the voice of Batman all that much.

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Year One is mostly about James Gordon anyway, and he's a complete badass so don't let Batman's voice put you off.

After hearing people like Kevin Conroy and Peter Weller play a gruff Batman I was a little put off by Ben McKenzie, but only at first. He plays a younger Batman, he's not yet fully adopted the Batman psyche, so it makes sense to me that he'd be a little softer spoken. I dig it.

I thought Roger Craig Smith did an excellent job as Batman. I honestly thought it was Kevin Conroy manipulating his voice to sound younger. He's also playing Batman in the new Batman Unlimited movies, so obviously someone thinks he's doing a good job.

I have a difficult time accepting anybody other than Mark Hamill playing the Joker. Michael Emerson did a fantastic job in The Dark Knight Returns, but he seems to be the only exception.

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Originally Posted by Ayen

I thought he did a good job of emulating Kevin Conroy, myself.

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Yeah...Let's agree to disagree on that one.

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Originally Posted by G13

I have a difficult time accepting anybody other than Mark Hamill playing the Joker. Michael Emerson did a fantastic job in The Dark Knight Returns, but he seems to be the only exception.

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I thought John DiMaggio's Joker voice in Batman: Under The Red Hood was pretty good.

John DiMaggio sounded like Willem Dafoe playing Willem Dafoe dressed as the Joker.

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Originally Posted by G13

John DiMaggio sounded like Willem Dafoe playing Willem Dafoe dressed as the Joker.

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I liked John DiMaggio as The Joker better than Michael Emerson as The Joker. There's just something John DiMaggio's Joker that reminds me of Heath Ledger's Joker.

i thought year one was spectacular
i may have even liked the movie version more than the comic version