Batman: The Long Halloween, partie deux

I really was pumped after Part One of Batman the Long Halloween. The story was interesting, the animation stellar and the cast especially Jensen Ackles as Batman was great. But sadly the second part is not as good. Part II is disjointed, with some really poor use of Ackles as Batman. He has almost no dialog, leaving us just a drawn, lifeless character. The other characters, evolve, Dent, Gordon, Carmine, even Catwoman but not Bruce Wayne or Batman. It's ashame. I really wanted this to be iconic. I will have to read the original comic and see where they missed the mark.

Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two is an incredible conclusion that's thrilling, dark and satisfying and solidifies it as one of the stronger adaptations. Jensen Ackles, Josh Duhamel and Naya Rivera are all great once again. Chris Palmer's direction is also great and the animation is excellent. It's extremely well paced and the music by Michael Gatt is really good. However, it's brought down slightly by Batman feeling sidelined occasionally.

Following on from the recently released Part One of Chris Palmer's animated adaptation of the famed Batman graphic novel of the same name, The Long Halloween Part Two continues on the good work before it too make a case for these two part feature length efforts to be regarded as some of the best examples of DC Comics staples when it comes to the animated game.

With a more Joker-fueled first part that was at times more like a darker version of the old Adam West starring TV show with the crazy clown running rampant around the mysterious murders at the hand of the Holiday Killer, Part Two differentiates itself in a neat way as we get far more time here with the unfortunate Harvey Dent as well as additions Poison Ivy and the Mad Hatter.

While so well handled in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight masterpiece, the Josh Duhamel voiced Harvey Dent is here one of the most well-rounded representations of the aspiring political figure that is the eventual two-faced haunted soul and it's nice to see Palmer and the film allow Batman/Wayne to take a backseat at times here as Dent's journey from a bright-eyed figure to a disfigured shadow of his former self takes centerstage and adds layers to this tale that might not have existed without the confidence of the people in charge.

Coming in a brisk sub-90 minute running time, Palmer crams a lot into this second part of the Long Halloween tale and in some ways you do wish there was more time allotted to the continuation of the mystery surrounding the Holiday Killer's identity and their reasoning behind their spree of vicious murders, with it coming as somewhat of a surprise that in many instances the Holiday Killer is an afterthought, even if their killings and presence looms large over all characters involved in the story.

It's all nitpicks however as the wonderful old school animation and well-rounded bringing too life of some of the most famous figures in the Batman universe combine to treat die-hard and more casual fans alike too an entertaining and high quality Batman experience.

Final Say -

Continuing on the with the solid work of the first part, The Long Halloween Part Two is a fitting finale to this double-header that will likely be regarded as one of the best exponents of animated DC features for the years yet to come.

3 1/2 boardwalks out of 5.

Unlike the first part this one was a bit rushed so it took a little bit of time to make sense of what was going on. The twist at the end though was really nice and somewhat unexpected. Apart from the minor inconsistent continuity this holds up as a sequel or part two should be.

Batman The Long Halloween, Part Two is the second instalment and direct sequel to the new batman in DC animated universe. As the first part the animation is done well and it's tone fits effortlessly into the detective theme. It arguably is much more packed in terms of story and characters. It does get a bit overwhelming and not to mention slight inconsistencies in the story. It however at no point feels boring and will at the end of the watch leave u satisfied as it's well rounded and tight. This is yet another a solid instalment in this franchise and easily a must watch.