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Clash Of The Titans: What Batman Vs. Superman Can And Should Learn From The Dark Knight Returns

When I really sit down to think about it, I have a hard time coming up with an animated film I both enjoy and respect more than part two of the recent Batman: The Dark Knight Returns comic book adaptation. For my tastes, the film handles most-everything with class and admirable attention to detail. It’s true to its source material, characters have compelling depth without being overwrought enigmas, the pacing is expert - and though the action may not reach such wild heights as certain Nolan-helmed counterparts, said sequences remain engaging while smartly matching the film’s more cool, composed, and oft downright dispiriting mood climate. In short, it is the most smartly compiled superhero film that I am aware of perhaps outside of The Incredibles, though that is a different sort of tale entirely.

Dark, But Not Gritty

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Often referred to as “Call of Duty Syndrome,” the inability to make something visually or narratively foreboding without creating a crepuscular gray mess is a problem that has plagued mainstream blockbusters for years now. Though the Nolan films have their moments of beauty, they often come in the form of gentle heartstring tugs (Alfred in TDKR comes to mind) rather than chromatic visual flair. Man of Steel, on the other hand, had a slightly wider palette, but it certainly wasn’t very over-stimulating to the eye either.

What can be done about this for the Batman and Superman crossover? Returns is beautifully drawn, and since the artists have such direct control over the visual and its onscreen flow, the ultimate throw-down between Bruce and Clark manages to be ferocious, flashy, colorful, and just the right amount of excessive all at once. For a live action counterpart, we need this same level of visual allure and balance of nerd-gasm against appropriate story-relative behavior.

If Man of Steel was any indication, Snyder has a tendency to get a little bit over-indulgent on the action tip, and my greatest fear is the crossover resulting in two enormously overpowered gray hulks duking it out for an hour straight, taking down half a city in their wake. Like with Returns, each hero’s unique style must be considered, his disposition visible in his attacks, and his movements planned with the utmost precision and care.

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