Today’s quick review: Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One. The murder of a police informant prompts Batman (Jensen Ackles), district attorney Harvey Dent (Josh Duhamel), and Captain James Gordon (Billy Burke) to redouble their investigation into Carmine Falcone (Titus Welliver), Gotham’s most powerful crime boss. But as the killings continue, the men realize that Falcone himself may be the primary target.
Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One is an animated superhero crime drama based on the comic of the same name. The Long Halloween follows Batman and his allies as they investigate a series of killings tied to holidays, all of them aimed at members of Carmine Falcone’s inner circle. The result is a convoluted mystery that spans the breadth of Gotham’s criminal underworld and pushes Batman’s deductive skills to their limits.
The Long Halloween, Part One’s most distinctive feature is its art style. The movie goes the extra mile to give Gotham a unique look. Detailed backgrounds, imposing architecture, and heavy 30s influences in the costumes and props all combine to form one of the richer incarnations of the moody metropolis. The atmosphere is a perfect fit for the mystery, and it captures the investigative side of Batman’s character quite well.
The one major drawback is that The Long Halloween, Part One is an excessively slow boil. The story takes a long time getting started, and the gimmick of holiday-themed killings stretches out the important developments even farther. The emphasis on organized crime means that there is less action than most superhero movies, and the handful of supervillain appearances are apparently just for show.
Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One is an artistically fascinating movie held back by a slow plot and a failure to use Batman to his full effect. If you are a fan of the character who enjoys more cerebral mysteries, The Long Halloween, Part One and its second part are well worth a watch. If you are mostly in it for the action, approach with caution.
For a live-action superhero movie that adapts some of the same plot points, try The Dark Knight. For an animated Batman movie with a similar emphasis on setting and atmosphere, try Batman: Gotham by Gaslight.
[7.3 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14324650/). I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for high artistry and a hit-or-miss story.