Batman: The Long Halloween Part One (2021) Review
Directed By: Chris Palmer
Starring: Jensen Ackles, Naya Rivera, Josh Duhamel, Billy Burke, Titus Welliver, David Dastmalchian, Troy Baker, Amy Landecker, Julie Nathanson, Jack Quaid, Fred Tatasciore and Alastair Duncan.
Synopsis: It’s a dark time in Gotham City. Held hostage by the powerful Falcone crime family, the city is rife with crime and corruption. Adding to the chaos is the mysterious Holiday killer, who has been targeting the underworld and leaving a trail of terror…and body bags. Batman, Lieutenant Gordon and D.A. Harvey Dent race against the calendar as it advances toward the next ill-fated holiday. Based on the critically acclaimed graphic novel, Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One begins a twisted chain of events that will forever change the Dark Knight.
Review: You know you’re in for a treat when a Batman animated story is split into two parts, just like the groundbreaking ‘Dark Knight Returns’ animated adaption The Long Halloween is split into two parts. With an adaption like this the two-part approach works in advantages we get time to know all the characters that feature throughout the story, this particular story features quite a few characters who all hold a certain amount of control over the city and all have meaty storylines, an 80-minute movie would not have done this justice.
The Long Halloween focuses on Batman at a time in his life when he is younger and not quite the detective we know he will become. The Holiday killer is probably the HARDEST case Batman has had to solve, this case helped him develop his detective skills a great deal.
The Long Halloween also features a roster of familiar villains who don’t steal away from the story. The Joker for one is always welcome on screen and Troy Baker is a worthy successor to Mark Hamill when it comes to voting Batman’s iconic arch-nemesis.
A highlight of Batman: The Long Halloween is the debut of Jensen Ackles as the voice of Batman. Jensen would make a great live-action Batman/Bruce Wayne which hopefully we get to see in the future, for now, I am sure fans would be happy he voiced Batman for the foreseeable future.
Batman: The Long Halloween Part One is a strong comic adaption that runs near parallel to the comic, an iconic story like this had to stay somewhat true to the source material and director Chris Palmer can safely say he brought one of the best Batman tales to life.
Stay tuned for the credit sequence that sets up The Long Halloween Part Two.
