batman: the dark knight returns part 1

like every good comic book nerd, i've read the frank miller classic dark knight returns, but its been a while.  most of it had been forgotten, so it was with almost new eyes that i was able to watch this animated adaptation.  i dont remember much of the comic, which meant that most of the story was unfamiliar to me.  the basic premise is this: its been ten years since bruce wayne hung up the cowl, and since then crime has escalated.  no longer content to drink away his feelings of responsibility and justice, he decides to step up and deal with this new 'mutant' gang thats plaguing the city.  this first part of the story deals with bruce getting back into the cape, gaining a new sidekick, and confronting the mutant menace head on.  it also sets up nicely where the story is headed.
like with all of these dc comics animated movies, there is a learning curve to jumping on board.  the animation isnt always the greatest, but for a direct to dvd release, its as good as could be expected.  also, the vocal acting is a bit stilted and doesnt really flow well, but thats kind of what these things are like.  its like listening to shakespeare, it takes about 10 minutes of it sounding like a different language before you get your barrings and are able to be immersed into the world.  after about the first 15 minutes, the mediocre animation and stilted voices melt away and the story is able to take you away.  its a little weird to watch an animated batman and not hear the voice of kevin conroy coming out, but peter weller is an acceptable substitute for this aging bruce wayne.  i know this movie added some things to the original story, but almost all of it worked pretty well and blended in to give the story a little richer context.  almost all of it- the race scene at the beginning just did not feel like it belonged at all.  come on, gotham during the day time?!?  no one wants to see that!  overall though, a nice job, and now i look forward to part 2!