BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN (2021)
Deluxe Edition 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital
Label: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: R
Duration: 168 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 2160p UHD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Chris Palmer
Cast: Jensen Ackles, Naya Rivera, Josh Duhamel, Lilly Burke, Titus Welliver, David Dastmalchian, Troy Baker, Amy Landecker, Julie Nathanson, Jack Quaid, Fred Tatasciore, Alastair Duncan, Frances Callier, Greg Chun, Gary Leroi Gray, Jim Pirri, Katee Sackhoff, Alyssa Diaz, Robin Atkin Downes,
John DiMaggio, Laila Berzins, Zach Callison, Gary LeRoi Gray, Rick Wasserman.
Based on the iconic mid-1990s 13-issue DC run from Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, Batman: The Long Halloween takes place not too long after the events of Frank Miller's Batman: Year One story arc, with a still green under the cowl Batman (Jensen Ackles, The Boys) teaming-up with Police Captain James Gordan ( (Billy Burke, Lights Out) and upcoming District Attorney Harvey Dent(Josh Duhamel, Netflix's Jupiter's Legacy) to take down Carmine "The Roman" Falcone (Titus Welliver, TV's Bosch), the head of Gotham's notorious Falcone Crime Family. At the start of the film Falcone's nephew Johnny Viti is gunned down in his bathtub, a murder which is assumed to be a mob hit by a rival gang. However, when more Falcone connected associates end up dead each month on major holidays it becomes clear that there's a serial killer stalking the crime family, but who and to what end? The identity of the killer is difficult to suss out due to conflicting clues, leaving the World’s Greatest Detective to sleuth the identity of a serial killer who is now dubbed the Holiday Killer. Batman enlisting the help of Catwoman (the late Naya Rivera, Glee) and Arkham Asylum inmate the Calendar Man (David Dastmalchian, Ant Man and The Wasp) to get to the bottom of it all.
Adapting such a beloved work as Batman: The Long Halloween is no enviable task but this hardboiled animated thriller is up to the task. This first half lays it all out, setting up the story and characters, and doing a lot of the heavy lifting in the process, so while the first half is a bit of a slow-burn it's very well done and is just winding the spool to unravel it later. There are bits excised from the original story to streamline it and I thought it was done organically, the animated film stands on it's own but the tone, rhythm and atmosphere feels spot-on to the source material.
I really loved the animated style of it, which looks a bit like Superman: Man of Tomorrow by way of Batman: The Animated Series, it chooses does not ape the Tim Sale artwork from the comics, though images from the comics are gleaned during the opening title sequences, and the film pays plenty of respect to Sale's visual style from the comics, replicating many, but always in it's own style. The backgrounds are particularly great, the architecture of the Gotham skyline is some of the best I've seen, the scenes of pouring rain and falling snow are also quite nicely done. I dig the character designs, which are often a departure from the comics, particularly the design of Catwoman, which much more Batman: The Aminated Series than Batman: The Long Halloween comic. The story also features villains by way of a down in the sewers appearance from Solomon Grundy (Fred Tatasciore, Looney Tunes Cartoons), and the Joker, voiced by Troy Baker (Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), a talent who has been voicing the the Clown Prince of Crime in various animated films for a few years now and is pretty great. The voice cast in general is fantastic, including Jensen Ackels who turns in a fine performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The first half of the story caps off on a high-note, with Joker attempting to laughing-gas bomb a New Years Eve celebration and the Holiday Killer making an appearance on a party Yacht owned by Carmine Falcone, nicely setting-up the second half of the story.
The second half of the iconic storyline, with Batman teaming-up with Police Captain James Gordan and upcoming District Attorney Harvey Dent to take down the Holiday killer. The first half of the story was a noir-ish detective thriller while the other half seen here is more action-packed and weird. The start of the film features Bruce Wayne under the venomous thrall of Polson Ivy (Katee Sackhoff, The Mandalorian), until he is freed by Catwoman. We discover that Wayne and his crime-fighting alter-ego Batman have been under Ivy's spell for over a month, she having been recruited by Carmine "The Roman" Falcone, who facing the threat of the Holiday Killer has teamed-up with a trio of Batman's rogue's gallery, including Scarecrow (Robin Atkin Downes, The Strain) and the Mad Hatter (John DiMaggio, Futurama), both of whom get some solid screen time, with some great nightmare sequences with Scarecrow and his fear-toxin. We also get the continuing story of District Attorney Harvey Dent's crumbling marriage and his willingness to bend the law a little at a time in pursuit of the Falcone crime family, compounded by a disfiguring acid-attack that send him over the edge, creating the villainous coin-tossing alter-ego Two-Face.
The animated film is certainly not wanting for dramatic elements, we have Batman dealing with his family's connection to the Falcone crime syndicate, Falcone's relationship with Selina Kyle/Catwoman, feuding crime families and their own inter-family drama/traumas, and of course, Batman's pursuit to unmask and stop Holiday while trying to help his friend Dent. On top of all the dramatic elements we get some terrific looking animation, plentiful action sequences and more of Batman's iconic rogues gallery including The Penguin (also voiced by Dastmalchian), The Joker (Troy Bake, Batman: Arkham Knight), and the return of Solomon Grundy (Fred Tatasciore, Looney Tunes Cartoons).
DC have done fantastic work adapting this iconic story arc from Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, they made a few bold choices which I thought were nicely done and did not detract from what I loved about the source material, and kept things not only fresh but arguably improved the story to a degree. The one thing I will say is that while I love the animation, Superman: Man of Tomorrow by way of Batman: The Animated Series, it's tough to compete with the stylized artwork from the comics. That said, this is a thoroughly entertaining animated film, DC Animation have long been head and shoulders above any of the live-action DC films and this latest entry is one of the best yet.
Audio/Video: Batman: The Long Halloween - Deluxe Edition arrives on Ultra HD from WBHE in 2160p UHD framed in 1.78:1 widescreen. The bold-lined animated style looks great in UHD the visuals are well-defined with deep color-saturation, it has excellent contrast and looks wonderful in motion. The HDR adds depth and warmth to the colors and the deeper blacks enhance contrast levels' its an appreciable uptick in all the expected areas.
As with the previous Blu-ray editions audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 5.1, no Atmos upgrade, with optional English subtitles, and it's a lively and atmospheric presentation. There's not a ton of action in this first half but what we do get is well done, the sound design gives weight to the scenes in the sewer, the shoot-outs are piercing, and the Michael Gatt score sounds great.
The only extra on the UHD disc is a new 25-min Batman: The Long Halloween- Evolution of Evil featurette with the original writer, Jeph Loeb, and filmmakers examine the impact and legacy of the original comic. Onto disc two, the Blu-ray, we get Batman: The Long Halloween- Evolution of Evil featurette again, plus the four classic episodes of Batman: The Animated Series by way of "Two-Face, Part 1", "Two-Face, Part 2", "Christmas with the Joker", and "Its Never Too Late", which run about 22 minutes each. We also get the recycled previews for Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Part One (13 min) and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Part Two (7 min), Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (8 min), and Batman: Hush. Not carried over from the previous 2-part Blu-rays are the DC Showcase animated shorts of The Losers , Blue Beetle and the sneak peak of Injustice. All of which can be found on other DC releases.
The two-disc UHD/BD release arrives in a standard black keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring very attractive illustration, which is mirrored on the slipcover. Inside there's a redemption code for a digital copy of the film. It should be noted the artwork is new and not the same as either of the previous Blu-ray installments.
Special Features:
Disc 1: UHD
- Batman: The Long Halloween- Evolution of Evil (New Featurette) – The mystery surrounding the Holiday Killer shrouds Gotham in a sinister darkness forcing Batman to stop the villain's assault on the city. This is a comprehensive look at The Long Halloween with original writer, Jeph Loeb, and filmmakers. (25 min)
Disc 2: Blu-ray
- Batman: The Long Halloween- Evolution of Evil (New Featurette)
- From the DC Vault: Batman: The Animated Series – “Two-Face, Part 1”, (22 min) HD
- From the DC Vault: Batman: The Animated Series – “Two-Face, Part 2” (22 min) HD
- From the DC Vault – Batman: The Animated Series – “Christmas With The Joker” (22 min)
- From the DC Vault – Batman: The Animated Series – “It’s Never Too Late” (22 min)
- Preview of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Part One (13 min)
- Preview of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (7 min)
- Preview of Batman: Hush (9 min) HD
- A Preview of Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (9 min)
- Digital Code
Screenshots from the Blu-ray:
