Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 2013

While this doesn't flinch in the face of Frank Miller's daring, classic source material, it manages to fail in other ways - some avoidable, others a helpless victim of the format. Readers concerned about potential scene-trimming or the censorship of important, risquée spots in the graphic novel can rest easy. It's all here, from Reagan in a haz-mat suit to the Joker's talk show appearance, with only two notable alterations: the identity of the TV host (whose replacement is actually a great surprise) and the crash-landing location of a disabled aircraft (it falls on a crowded city street, rather than into a skyscraper). Otherwise, it's a raw, direct translation that's especially effective during the major action sets - the final battle between Batman and his lifelong rival is downright incredible.

Where it falls short - infuriatingly, unforgivably, and universally - is in its voice acting. Never have I heard a more mundane, emotionless series of performances in a major production. It's flat from start to finish, robbing landmark scenes of their emotional power and eradicating the vigor that oozed from the printed page. Granted, much of Miller's dialog is Lucasian, in that it works far better in print than on the screen, but even a remotely talented cast should have been able to compensate for that with an appropriately passionate delivery. Instead, we get a wounded Joker asking Batman "Are you out of your mind?!” in a dull, straight monotone, rather than the shocked, manic shriek I heard in my mind upon first turning that page. Perhaps I've been spoiled by so many years of classics from Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, because, for me, there was just no looking past these performances. Which is a shame, because the animation is wonderfully fluid and appropriate, and the plot still remains startlingly timely. A painful wasted opportunity.