Movie Review: Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)
Synopsis: Batman and Batgirl are at odds when the ambitious nephew of a powerful mob boss takes interest in her and Batman fears it will put his partner in an unnecessary amount of danger. Later, Batman's nemesis, the Joker, escapes Arkham Asylum and kidnaps Commissioner Gordon forcing the masked vigilante to track down his friend and possibly fight in a duel to the death with the insane clown.
Who's in it? The animated movie uses voices from Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy, Ray Wise, Tara Strong and John DiMaggio.
Review: I took the afternoon off today and while having lunch, looked for something to watch. I have not seen any of the Batman animated movies, other than some of the crossovers with Scooby Doo and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles so, since Batman: The Killing Joke was available, I figured I'd give it a try.
It turned out not to be at all what I was expecting, and I mean that in a good way.
I had heard this and other Batman animated films described as "adult" but didn't really know that that meant until I saw this film. It was grittier, had plenty of foul language and a surprising amount of implied sex. In other words, it was nothing like the Batman cartoon I watched in the 1990s, though that one might arguably still be my favorite.
The two stories are entertaining. The first one was violent with an intriguing character in Paris Franz (Maury Sterling) who, despite not being as over-the-top as other Batman villains was both cunning and psychotic enough to be a real threat, including coming surprisingly close to killing Batman.
The second one, featuring the Joker (Hamill) was even better because it added some depth to the villain's origin story, including a surprising tragic twist on how he originally got his start as the Red Hood. The end of that story was a bit bland, even with the surprisingly funny final joke but I still was entertained throughout.
My only real complaint is I wasn't a fan of the Batman/Batgirl relationship because Bruce (Conroy) does come off as a jealous and controlling boyfriend, even if he has good intentions while there's also a bit of an "ick" factor since the movie mixes in a romantic angle when their pairing seems much more like a father/daughter relationship or, at very least, teacher/student. While Barbara (Strong) wasn't completely innocent in all of it, there's no real way explain that in a way that paints Bruce/Batman in a good light.
He might be a darker version of the superhero, but we are still supposed to like and respect him, right?
Final Opinion: As I said, the movie surprised me in a good way and while there were things I wasn't a fan of, I did enjoy the darker Batman story overall. I'm glad I finally watched this one and likely will try to watch more.
My Grade: B+
______________________________________________________________________
Here are some reviews of other superhero movies:
Movie Review: Superman (1978)
Comments
Post a Comment