Monday, August 02, 2021

My Review of Batman: The Long Halloween Part 2 (2021)

 


Written by Tim Sheridan
Directed by Chris Palmer

Two-Face (to Batman/Commissioner Gordon): "The Long Halloween is over."

I'm genuinely surprised that unlike Batman: The Dark Knight Returns that they didn't have a wider gap between releases of both parts of this adaptation and am pleased that unlike Batman: Hush that this wasn't a massive misfire.

The cliffhanger from the previous instalment saw Bruce Wayne under the control of Poison Ivy (Katee Sackhoff) thanks to Carmine Falcone. We pick up with Bruce being forced to sign over assets until Catwoman pays a visit to Wayne Manor and managed to snap him out of Ivy's control.

Of course everyone's favourite plant lady wasn't the only rogue member under Falcone's employ. We had Batman also doing battle with both the Scarecrow (Robin Atkin Downes) and Mad Hatter (John DiMaggio), both with and without Catwoman's help for good measure.

On top of that, there was also the downfall of Harvey Dent. Falcone continued to go after Dent but it was Maroni (Jim Pirri) who brought on the arrival of Two-Face himself and once, the latter was added into the game, the Roman's days were numbered.

With Batman and Catwoman versus Two-Face and the help of Solomon Grundy, Poison Ivy, Joker, Penguin,Scarecrow and Mad Hatter, it certainly made for one hell of a final confrontation. Needless to say, Falcone died, the Long Halloween was declared over and Two-Face handed himself in for all the Holiday crimes.

However going by the actual comic itself, and unlike another adaptation that ruined the killer reveal, this one stuck a bit more to script. Except for the fact that Gilda Dent was solely the Holiday Killer and her connection to Alberto worked as a good surprising twist. Though Batman's decision to let her go was something unexpected. I'm not sure how I feel about it if I'm being honest.

- Sofia Falcone's fate seemed a bit ambiguous. Did she actually die? Catwoman also got her mother's name from a dying Carmine.
- The next animated movie will be Injustice, scheduled for later in the year.
- The post credit scene had both the Flash and Green Arrow showing up at Wayne Manor to recruit Batman.
- Chronology: Started at Valentine's Day and ended appropriately with Halloween.

Batman: The Long Halloween Part 2 was a strong second half to this adaptation. Overall the comic will always be the better version but the changes done here work well and don't ruin the overall story. Jensen Ackles also has proven to a solid take on the Dark Knight.

Rating: 8 out of 10

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