Since it's already been brought up in this thread, my thoughts on Part 2 of The Dark Knight Returns.
I'm seriously impressed.
Emerson nailed Joker so well that I'm convinced Hamill, as much as I love his take, would have been an ill-advised choice for the material. Very creepy, and just straight up evil. Think Kevin Spacey in Seven, or maybe Emerson in general if clips of him discussing the movie are any indication (never seen any of his work, including Lost). I liked Weller a lot more this time around as well. I'm not sure if he grew into the role more, or if my opinion changed since seeing Part 1, or a combination of both, but I thought he did a better job this time around. He's still a little flat and off emotionally at times, but it's apparent that he's oh so close to being perfect. Might have needed just a little more direction or something. Things seemed to move faster and have a better pacing this time around as well, but I chalk that up to having a lot more action than Part 1. I never really made the distinction while reading the comic, but the movies really highlighted the fact that the latter half of the series is a lot heavier on the action than the first half, which was more contemplative and cerebral. The carnival, especially the Tunnel of Love sequence, was as sad and tragic as the comic; and the final confrontation might have been even more badass than the source material. It was, quite simply, fucking fun as hell to watch.
I'm quite satisfied with the adaptation on the whole. It's definitely one of my favorite DC animated pieces and is by far the best one they've done since Under the Red Hood. My only real gripe relates to the missing internal dialogues, which I missed (much more so in pt 1 than pt 2), but that wouldn't keep me from recommending it to anyone. I wouldn't recommend paying $40 for them, but they're well worth an instant video rental or a cheap purchase.
Speaking of, it is possible to get both parts on Blu-ray for under $20 right now at Best Buy. There's a manufacturer coupon on pt 2 that saves $5 on pt 1 when you buy both in the same purchase, and upgrade and save (turn in a DVD, get a $5 coupon valid on Blu-ray purchases normally $10 or more) is still running and stacks with the combo coupon. Pt. 1 rang up at $22 for me, but had a sticker price of $17 so I was able to get the price adjusted. So try to find a copy with a sticker on it just in case so that you can get the price adjusted if necessary. Walked out with both for $19.14 after tax, and it's well worth it at that price.
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