Rent Batman: The Long Halloween: Part 1 (2021)

Batman: The Long Halloween: Part 1 (aka Batman: The Long Halloween Part One) review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

It’s easy enough to forget with a character like Batman that he’s a detective. If he’s paired up with other members of the Justice League to take down aliens, magicians, mutants, and interdimensional warlords, it’s easy to forget this aspect. It takes a story like The Long Halloween to bring Batman back to basics, especially after the previous animated films which found Batman dabbling in other genres with mixed results. This time we get a good old-fashioned thriller with murder mystery aspects and compelling personal drama.

It’s Halloween in Gotham City and members of the Falcone crime family are being killed by a mysterious assassin. All that was left at the scene of the crime was a jack-o-lantern and Batman is puzzled who such a killer could be. The Falcone family has made a lot of enemies over the years as fought for the criminal dominance of Gotham. Even Bruce Wayne has a bone to pick with this mafia that once associated with his father, causing an organizational split that did not go well. Also, you know, there are other villains in Gotham who could benefit from the Falcones being wiped off the map.

Investigating the murders as well is Police Commissioner Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent. Both of them find themselves engaged so much in their work that it’s affecting their home lives. Gordon is just narrowly able to keep being a father and husband when dealing with the worst elements of Gotham day and night. Dent, however, is not doing well with his wife. They start drifting further apart as he continues to bury himself in his grueling work. Of course, comics lore dictates that he will become Two-Face but this villain side of him doesn’t come about as quickly as you may expect. At the risk of citing spoilers, this film doesn’t even show him make that full transformation.

The killer Batman is tracking down only strikes on holidays. There are plenty of suspects to suspect. The Joker is running about town trying to cause chaos wherever it can be had. The Penguin certainly seems like a businessman who would be capable of knocking off Falcone. Solomon Grundy seems like a bit of an enigma for residing in the sewers as a mindless brute. It could be Scarecrow or Mad Hatter as they’ve been pretty active. Helping Batman track this killer is the Hannibal Lecter-style villain of Calendar Man, sitting in his prison cell littered with calendar pages and speaking with quiet confidence.

The story is allowed to burn slowly considering this is only the first half of the comic book it draws from. Dent’s dying relationship with his wife is given plenty of breathing room where it becomes the most compelling arc of the film. There’s also plenty of time to appreciate the concerns of Gordon and how he tries to not only balance his family life but his friendship with Dent. Even Batman has some relationship interest with Catwoman being brought into the picture as a more personal romance for learning of his identity as their cowls cross in the night.

The voice cast is very strong this time around. Jensen Ackles makes for a solid Batman. Josh Duhamel managed to surprise me with his performance of Harvey Dent. Billy Burke gives Gordon the dignity he deserves. Troy Baker’s Joker has only gotten better over time and this may be his best performance with the character yet. And extra special credit needs to be paid to David Dastmalchian giving a truly chilling performance as the calm and calculative madman Calendar Man.

The Long Halloween is one of the better highlights of Batman’s animated movie legacy. It’s a solid mystery that is given enough time to expand and tell more of an epic murder mystery than a rushed thriller. It towers over the likes of Hush which tried to push out a retooled and fast adaptation by feeling more personal and emotional. Coupled with a bold animation style just distinct enough to separate from the crowd, all of this makes the film a great first half of a long story worth telling with such a length.