Synopsis: From the chronicles of the DC Universe comes the sweeping saga of rebirth, revenge and redemption. Now, for the first time, witness the legend of The Dark Knight Returns presented as an over two-hour unabridged and seamless animated feature. Another night falls on Gotham City and with the darkness, out crawls the crime and villainy from the shadows. The days of the Batman and other noble super heroes are but faded memories; violence and despair are now the harbingers of our time. With the roving gangs and return of villains such as Harvey “Two-Face” Dent and the Joker, an aged and weathered Bruce Wayne dons the mask and cape once more. With the brave, young Carrie Kelley at his side as Robin, the Dark Knight faces off against insurmountable odds, unforgettable battles and even the Man of Steel as he desperately fights to reclaim Gotham City. With a stellar voice cast headed by Peter Weller (RoboCop), Ariel Winter (Modern Family) and David Selby (Dark Shadows), experience the complete epic journey of the Dark Knight as never before!

Blu-ray Bonus Features
-”Masterpiece: Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns” New Documentary
-”Her Name is Carrie…Her Role is Robin” Documentary
-”Batman and Me: The Bob Kane Story” Documentary
-”Superman vs. Batman: When Heroes Collide” Featurette
-”The Joker: Laughing in the Face of Death” Featurette
-”From Sketch to Screen: Exploring the Adaptation Process with Jay Oliva” Feature
-Commentary with Bob Goodman & Jay Oliva
-From the DC Comics Vault: 5 Bonus Cartoons
-Digital Comic Excerpts from the Graphic Novels Batman: The Dark Knight Falls and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Deluxe Edition Blu-ray Review
by James Harvey

There's a fair amount of repeated bonus content here on the home video release of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Deluxe Edition, but the new featured extras are worth watching. Warner Home Video has created an excellent Blu-ray/DVD package, especially for fans who did not buy the two previous separate Part One and Part Two releases. The Blu-ray Combo Pack includes two Blu-ray discs - one for the feature and one for the extras - and a single DVD disc.

The repeated bonus material includes the "Her Name is Carrie…Her Role is Robin” documentary, the "Batman and Me: The Bob Kane Story” documentary, the "Superman vs. Batman: When Heroes Collide” featurette, the "The Joker: Laughing in the Face of Death” featurette, a robust "From Sketch to Screen: Exploring the Adaptation Process with Jay Oliva” feature," and five bonus episodes from Batman: The Animated Series and Batman: The Brave and The Bold. Reviews on these extras can be found here (Part One) and here (Part Two).

For the new bonus content, first up is the worthwhile "Masterpiece: Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns" documentary. The documentary covers Miller's career from beginning the present day, looking at its impact on Batman and the general comic industry. The documentary, narrated by Malcom McDowell, interviews a host of different comic talent and covers Miller's wealthy comic book history. Thankfully, the documentary doesn't lay it on too thick, in terms of Miller's impact, and makes sure to give credit where it's due (Neal Adam and Denny O'Neil, in particular, get a respectful nod). Still, if you're well-versed in comic book history, you'll already know plenty of what the participants and the main subject discuss. It's an enjoyable watch and pretty enlightening, especially for those who don't know much about source material.

Up next is an excellent audio commentary featuring director Jay Oliva, writer Bob Goodman, and voice director Andrea Romano. Oliva dives deep, discussing editing techniques, directing choices, revealing easter eggs and nods, and talks about the filmmaking process in general. Goodman and Romano also chime in, with Goodman discussing the script and the choices he made when writing the movies, and Romano sharing stories from the recording booth. It's definitely worth a listen.

Please note the commentary is not included on the DVD release of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Deluxe Edition.

New bonus content also features four collector cards, spotlighting promotional artwork from the Batman: The Dark Knight Returns animated feature, and assorted promotional trailers. Wrapping up the package, DVD and UltraViolet editions of the film are also included.

Overall, this package could be considered a worthwhile double-dip for most. Having both Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part One and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part Two stitched together makes for an excellent epic-length movie-going experience, even if you've seen the two installments separately. Die-hard Batman fans will want this, but the more casual viewers can probably skip this, especially those who don't care for bonus features. Fans of the original comic source material will likely get a charge out of the Frank Miller documentary, too. Ultimately, the choice comes down to how invested you are in the character and source material. Even with the low price tag, this might be a difficult release for even the most casual of Bat-fan to skip. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Deluxe Edition definitely comes Highly Recommended for Batman and comic fans alike, and the more casual readers shouldn't write it off.