Ranking Every DC Original Animated Movie Worst To Best

Set in a dystopian Gotham City with street gangs and violence escalating to an all-time high. An aged Bruce Wayne puts back on the cowl and returns as an extremely pissed off Batman on a mission to put the fear back into crime.

Based on Frank Miller's iconic game changer, an adaptation was always going to be a mighty hill to climb, so DC Animated didn't mess around, staying close to the source, even breaking their 75 minute length mandate by releasing in two parts, and creating a painstakingly faithful replication of one of comics milestones.

But don't let nostalgia cloud the praise though, it's able to stand on its own two feet as an involving deconstruction of the Bat we all know and love, a heart-wrenching tale of a troubled man who needs to leave a legacy before its his time to die. It all ends with a rip-roaring showdown between Batman and Superman, the most powerful and memorable fight the two have shared.

Admittedly playing so close to a source is a gamble, and the comic was created in the mid-80s, so its neon future has dated. Yet director Jay Olivia cleverly plays up this aspect by making it feel like a lost Genre classic from the era, with a moody synth track and neon lighting galore - a possible weakness is turned into a strength.

Also Robocop himself, Peter Weller, takes on Bat's voice, in not only a great nod to a 80s Genre classic (one that ironically was inspired by Miller's material) but he brings an aged ferocity and deadpan wisdom to the role, that could've just fallen into gravelly cliche.