Movie Info
Movie Name: Batman: The Long Halloween—Part Two
Studio: DC Comics/Warner Bros. Animation
Genre(s): Comic Book/Action/Adventure/Mystery/Suspense
Release Date(s): July 27, 2021
MPAA Rating: R
Poison Ivy gets what she wants
When Batman goes missing for months, Holiday’s reign of terror continues to grow along with the tension of Gotham’s underworld. Catwoman finds herself in a position to change things by freeing Bruce Wayne from Poison Ivy’s control. Catwoman and Batman have their hands full as Batman’s former ally Harvey Dent continues to become more and more unhinged…and could potentially be the killer that is terrorizing Gotham. The pages of the calendar keep turning, and the Long Halloween seems to have no end.
Directed by Chris Palmer, Batman: The Long Halloween—Part Two is a DC Comics superhero movie. Following Batman: The Long Halloween—Part One released earlier in 2021, the film is the forty-second entry in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies and adapts the story by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. It was met with positive reviews.
As a fan of Batman: The Long Halloween, I always thought that it would have made a decent feature length live-action film…but I knew it would never get one. The best part of the DC Animated Original Movie universe is that it frees up some great stories for the screen…and Batman: The Long Halloween benefits from it.
Do you believe in Harvey Dent?
While initially divided into these two parts, it really is just one long movie. If you saw Batman: The Long Halloween—Part One, it doesn’t really end and Batman: The Long Halloween—Part Two is a necessity to “get the whole story”. The movie fortunately benefits from being a mystery. While the first film built the mystery, this entry is allowed to solve the mystery. It is a bit obvious for the viewers before the reveal who Holiday is, but it still is a decent payout.
The movie does alter the storyline of the original comic and that could upset some readers since the original comic was decently crafted. I actually don’t mind some of the changes made to the story because the original ending was a bit shallow on motivation. This ending not only ups the reason for the killings but also creates a bridge between Batman’s mission and Holiday’s mission.
Who is Holiday?
Stylistically, the movie is solid. It frequently flashes back to the original Tim Sale art from the original series. I wish that the producers had decided to stick to the style of animation for the film (much like the Darwyn Cooke styled Justice League: The New Frontier film). The animated used in the movie does create a world where potentially all DC Movies exist (even if they are not tied through continuity).
Batman: The Long Halloween—Part Two is a fun ride. It is a decent mystery with some twists and turns and a good highlight for some of Batman’s classic villains. The movie is really (as the title implies) incomplete and needs to be watched with Batman: The Long Halloween—Part One. Once you’ve seen the movie, you should try to pick up the series and read it if you haven’t to see how it is translated to the screen. Batman: The Long Halloween—Part Two was followed by Injustice released in October of 2021.
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