Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (The Original, Uncut Version) (2010)

DARKER KNIGHT ''Batman Beyond'' explores the Caped Crusader's underbelly

Fanboys, rejoice. That kid-friendly video release, an extension of the TV series, now appears, two years later, as Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (The Original, Uncut Version) -- in the mature form its filmmakers intended but previously scrapped. To be fair, the first ''Joker'' -- about the retired Batman, his sprightly successor, and the reappearance of his left-for-dead nemesis the Joker -- skillfully mixed momentum with melodrama. Now refitted with scenes that more graphically depict the prankster's vicious side, the film sheds even more light on the dark, obsessive relationship between the villain and his vigilante counterpart. It may be animated, but nothing about this saga is cartoonish.