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Batman: The Long Halloween 4K UHD Review

‘Batman: The Long Halloween’ gets a new edition.

Previously released in 2 parts on Blu-ray, WB has now released the complete 168 minute R-rated movie (now in 4K) just in time for the Halloween season. The story (which is based one one of the greatest Batman comic book arcs of all-time by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale) is more of a crime saga ensemble piece rather than a mere Batman tale. Gotham City has become a crime ridden city due to the Carmine Falcone family. Batman, DA Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon are attempting to clean up the streets, but that’s easier said than done as a serial killer begins terrorizing the city on holidays. Problems only worsen as Batman goes missing (due to Poison Ivy controlling Bruce Wayne), the Falcone-Moroni war breaks out, and Harvey Dent undergoes a certain transformation.

Despite being put together, director Chris Palmer and writer Tim Sheridan’s animated adaptation of ‘Batman: The Long Halloween’ still feels like 2 different movies. The first part comes across as a faithful adaptation even with the animation not quite resembling the art of the source material. Palmer and Sheridan really bring this more grounded, noir, serial killer, and mystery tale to life. It’s less of an action spectacle (although there is action) and more of a Detective story. It’s nice to see the World’s Greatest Detective in action.

With the second half though, ‘Halloween’ deviates from the source material with several changes including the absence of a key character from the comics. Much like ‘Batman: The Killing Joke,’ it’s puzzling as to why they just didn’t adapt the full story. There’s no need to mess with perfection. Another issue with Part 2 is the pacing as it couldn’t be any more different than the rather fast paced first half. When you put the 2 parts together it has a peculiar flow to say the least.

In terms of the voice casting, the casting department went all out here. Jensen Ackles of ‘Supernatural’ fame crushes it as Batman. Hopefully he’ll pop up in future animated Batman projects. David Dastmalchian is perfectly eerie as The Calendar Man. Josh Duhamel takes advantage of the very layered dual role of Harvey Dent and Two-Face. Naya Rivera (Catwoman), Julie Nathanson (Gilda), Titus Welliver (Falcone) and Billy Burke (Jim Gordon) also deserve praise for their work.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.78:1 2160p. How does it look? For those wondering how this looks in comparison to the Blu-ray releases, this is a sharper and glossier transfer.

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? Bat-tastic.
Extras:
* Blu-ray copy
* Digital copy
* ‘Batman: The Long Halloween- Evolution Of Evil’- A new 25 minute bonus feature that delves into the comic series, what influenced the story, character dynamics, and storyline breakdowns.
* 4 episodes from ‘Batman: The Animated Series’- “Two-Face” Parts 1 and 2, “Christmas With The Joker” and “It’s Never Too Late.”
* Trailers for ‘The Dark Knight Returns” Parts 1 and 2, ‘Gotham By Gaslight,’ and ‘Batman: Hush.’

September 15, 2022 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 4K UHD Review | Animated Movie, Batman, Batman: The Long Halloween, Batman: The Long Halloween 4K UHD Review, DC Animation, Jensen Ackles, Two-Face, WB