Batman: The Killing Joke Review

Batman: The Killing Joke Review
WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

The most admirable thing I can say about Batman: The Killing Joke is it’s ambition. Not only does it try to adapt Alan Moore’s graphic novel but it also tries to expand on the novel by giving a character arc to Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl to raise the stake of the movie and to get us to know about Barbara Gordon before she gets crippled since one of the criticisms of The Killing Joke is Barbara Gordon is only a plot device. And while this is interesting in theory Barbara’s arc does not work and it ends up ruining the story of the Killing Joke. While Batman: The Killing Joke does have some great redeeming features, it is also kind of a mess.

The story for the most part follows the graphic novel. The Joker, who escaped from Arkham Asylum, goes to Commissioner Gordon’s house to show that good people are just like him by giving Commissioner Gordon one bad day. He does this by shooting his daughter Barbara in the spine and forcing Gordon to watch pictures of his daughter after she was shot in the spine to make him go insane. At the same time we see flashbacks to the Joker’s origin or his one bad day, and we see Batman trying to hunt down the Joker. Also for more than half of the movie we see a story about Batman and Batgirl hunting down an up in coming crime boss named Paris Franz who has a thing for Batgirl before we see the Killing Joke story. That is where thing get really messy.

Ok first lets start with the good aspects of this movie. Both Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill return to play Batman and the Joker and they both perfectly encapsulate the character that they are both famous for playing. Mark Hamill actually does a really good job of playing the Joker before becoming the Joker in the flashbacks. Tara Strong (who is one of the greatest voice actors of all time) also returns to play Batgirl and I think she gives the best performance in the movie by perfectly capturing the young and strong personality of the character. The character designs are also detailed and drawn in Bruce Tim’s signature design. What I also love is how when the movie gets to the Killing Joke section it perfectly capture the graphic novel. Each scene is a shot to shot carbon copy of the panels in the novel from the frames to the dialogue. We see the Joker become the Joker and we see the Joker go to the extreme to show that people are just like him. So in that way the movie is a perfect representation of Alan Moore’s graphic novel.

However there is a section at the beginning of the movie that is not in the Killing Joke but instead is a story about Batgirl. In theory this isn't a bad idea because the story could make care more about Batgirl and make her more than a victim of the Joker’s plan. What they with Batgirl however ruins the movie. One of the problems with this section of the movie is it does not feel like a part of the Killing Joke. It feels like it’s own movie that is separate from the Killing Joke. We see Batgirl go through her arc and then it wraps up with her quitting as Batgirl. Then the screen turn dark and then Wa-Lah, we get the Killing Joke which is about the Joker’s story arc. So when I watch the movie I wonder who the movie is about. Is about Batgirl, Batman, or the Joker. I think the filmmakers want the movie to be about all of them but the movie doesn't really do a good job at that. It’s a Batgirl movie first, then a Joker movie, and Batman’s story is somewhere sprinkled throughout the film. That is why the entire film feels uneven. There are moments that sort of tie to the Killing Joke like how Paris Franz is obsessed with Batgirl which is similar to how the Joker is obsessed about Batman but it still feels like it should have been it’s own separate movie.

But that’s not the only problem. For many years the Killing Joke was accused of being sexist because it took the only female hero in Batman and made her a victim for the plot. I think the filmmakers knew this and dedicated the first part of movie so she is more than just the Joker’s victim. However what they did not only makes Batgirl kind of unlikable but it also gives more credence to the people that said the Killing Joke is sexist. In the movie, Batgirl is told by Batman that she cannot handle the Paris Franz case because it is dangerous and she continuously complains to Batman about it. Paris Franz also seems to have a crush on Batgirl which would unnecessarily bring up the fact that she is a female superhero. It doesn't help that she keeps falling for his traps. Then to make things worse, when Batman and Batgirl are argue on the roof of a building Batgirl fall on Batman and then they have sex. I am not joking. It’s as creepy as it sounds. How on earth does the audience take Batgirl seriously when she’s horny for Batman? This also makes Batman a bit unlikable. Not only has Batman always been more of a father figure for Batgirl but I would think it isn't the best idea to have sex with your best friends daughter. Then Batgirl quits because she can't handle the stress of being Batgirl and her desire to be with Batman. How inspiring. So now when we get into the Killing Joke section of the movie it’s kind of hard to look at Batman and Batgirl the same way. 

Another issue is some of the animation. Even though most of the character designs are great the character animation at times is not that fluid. The backgrounds are ok but kind of generic and sometimes the animation styles would change. The style is very straight the DVD quality which makes me think that this was originally going to be a straight to DVD movie and then they decided to put it in theaters for two days at the last minute. 

After seeing the movie I thought to myself who is this the movie for. Is it for Batman fans or non Batman fans? I don't think non Batman fan can get into this movie because of the messy structure and not knowing about the rivalry between Batman and the Joker. But I don't think the movie is for Batman fans because I think most Batman fans would be creeped out by Batman and Batgirl having sex and they would want to see the Killing Joke. Is this a bad movie. I wouldn't say that, but is a humongous disappoint considering that this is an adaptation of the Killing Joke. If you really want to see this movie, get it on DVD and skip the Batgirl story. I think it is decent movie with just the Killing Joke. I honestly think that instead of calling this movie Batman: The Killing Joke, it should called The Killing of the Killing Joke.

Grade: C