Review by secondtechnicianrimmer

Have you ever gone to places, or attempted to do something thinking that it would really suck, only to realize that maybe, after all, things seemed to be better than expected? And then see those hopes get crushed at the finish line? Well there you go. You have The Long Halloween in a nutshell, there.

Don't get me wrong, there was a true and honest effort made and the movie has some undisputable qualities to it. The way the characters are portrayed, the general tone, the choice of colors, the voice actors... well of course, I would take Hamill over Baker anythime to voice the Joker but he had very few lines anyway. Some small but important details, often overlooked in other productions, added to the positive balance. For example, the evil left side brain of Dent using his right hand as dominant, which is anatomically pertinent. However... the story they tried to tackle here is a real monster. It's the Everest of Batman tales and certainly Jeff Loeb's masterpiece in my opinion. It couldn't be done in just two parts if it were to be done right. Very large parts of the story, some being the most important ones, were left off and the final twist was a gross oversimplification of what really went on during this long, long Halloween. The rollercoster ends with a tiny slope and squeaky wheels.

I won't spoil it. If you really want the story, though, read the comic instead. It's probably the best Batman comic ever made, even if its visual style is decidedly odd. If you're going to watch the movie version, just watch it after you have read the original work.