Batman: The Killing Joke is the movie adaptation of the highly acclaimed 1988 graphic novel of the same name. The novel was written by Alan Moore and is the story of how The Joker became The Joker. Growing up this was always one of my favorite Batman vs The Joker story arcs. I absolutely loved this novel and couldn't wait to see this come to life on the screen.
When I saw that Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy agreed to reprise their roles as The Joker and Batman and this movie was to be directed by Sam Liu it's safe to say I was excited. I loved Sam Liu's Batman: Year One a fan on Justice League vs Teen Titans.
This movie had the recipe to be something great.
Unfortunately, it was not history in the making. I enjoyed this movie just fine. I had a lot of fun watching one of my favorite comics come to life on screen.. but it just didn't deliver in the way I expected.
Here's what I loved:
1. The Joker- The Joker (Mark Hamill) is hands down my favorite villain of all time. He is so much fun to watch- no matter what the medium. I loved all of the 1990's Batman: The Animated Series, I fell in love with each of the Arkham Games, Mask of The Phantasm. This man was born to play this role. Everything he does is as The Joker is fantastic. Every time I think of The Joker. I think Mark Hamill. He is the perfect Joker. The Joker in this movie was perfect.
2. Batman- Much like my love of Mark Hamill as The Joker I am very partial to Kevin Conroy as Batman. He is the definitive and perfect Batman. I always have a hard time when I hear that another voice actor will be taking over as Batman. It's unfair for me to automatically discount an actor because they aren't Kevin... but like I said above. I grew up on watching Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy battle it out on screen. The nostalgia of having those two back is great. I do love the character and writing of this Batman though, they really got the whole "broody and alone" feeling perfect.
What didn't work for me:
1. Batgirl- Like I said earlier, I grew up with these characters and I grew up with this novel of Batman. The Killing Joke shaped my whole view of Batman. So when I get a movie of one of my favorite novels and there is an extra 40 minutes of material that wasn't in the source... I don't really enjoy that. I didn't have a problem with Batgirl (Tara Strong) herself.. I just didn't like the forced in story and an unexpected romance with two characters.
2. Unnecessary changes- This movie was full of small changes that deviated from the original material. I don't mind changes as long as they enhance the movie. These however, did not. It added time and unnecessarily drew the movie out. I would've rather seen Sam Liu really take his time with each panel adding an expand on the story that was already there. Not create and entire new story.
3. Poor animation- Look I understand that the budget might not have been great for this movie. I also understand that I am not an animator. So I am not saying that this is anyone's fault.. But I also know that DC had a lot to gain from making this movie. It was virtually demanded from a lot of fans. The studio should have thrown a lot more money into making this movie. All other Batman animated movies have had solid animation. This one, did not.
All in all I had a good time with The Killing Joke it was exciting to see my childhood memories come onto the big screen and watch as the defining Batman graphic novel for me unraveled on screen. I absolutely loved when they stuck to the panels of the comic but it was when they added unfortunate and unnecessary scenes and stories to the movie it really ruined some moments for me. That coupled with poor and choppy animation it was hard to overlook the obvious flaws in this movie.
I give Batman: The Killing Joke a B-.
When I saw that Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy agreed to reprise their roles as The Joker and Batman and this movie was to be directed by Sam Liu it's safe to say I was excited. I loved Sam Liu's Batman: Year One a fan on Justice League vs Teen Titans.
This movie had the recipe to be something great.
Unfortunately, it was not history in the making. I enjoyed this movie just fine. I had a lot of fun watching one of my favorite comics come to life on screen.. but it just didn't deliver in the way I expected.
Here's what I loved:
1. The Joker- The Joker (Mark Hamill) is hands down my favorite villain of all time. He is so much fun to watch- no matter what the medium. I loved all of the 1990's Batman: The Animated Series, I fell in love with each of the Arkham Games, Mask of The Phantasm. This man was born to play this role. Everything he does is as The Joker is fantastic. Every time I think of The Joker. I think Mark Hamill. He is the perfect Joker. The Joker in this movie was perfect.
2. Batman- Much like my love of Mark Hamill as The Joker I am very partial to Kevin Conroy as Batman. He is the definitive and perfect Batman. I always have a hard time when I hear that another voice actor will be taking over as Batman. It's unfair for me to automatically discount an actor because they aren't Kevin... but like I said above. I grew up on watching Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy battle it out on screen. The nostalgia of having those two back is great. I do love the character and writing of this Batman though, they really got the whole "broody and alone" feeling perfect.
What didn't work for me:
1. Batgirl- Like I said earlier, I grew up with these characters and I grew up with this novel of Batman. The Killing Joke shaped my whole view of Batman. So when I get a movie of one of my favorite novels and there is an extra 40 minutes of material that wasn't in the source... I don't really enjoy that. I didn't have a problem with Batgirl (Tara Strong) herself.. I just didn't like the forced in story and an unexpected romance with two characters.
2. Unnecessary changes- This movie was full of small changes that deviated from the original material. I don't mind changes as long as they enhance the movie. These however, did not. It added time and unnecessarily drew the movie out. I would've rather seen Sam Liu really take his time with each panel adding an expand on the story that was already there. Not create and entire new story.
3. Poor animation- Look I understand that the budget might not have been great for this movie. I also understand that I am not an animator. So I am not saying that this is anyone's fault.. But I also know that DC had a lot to gain from making this movie. It was virtually demanded from a lot of fans. The studio should have thrown a lot more money into making this movie. All other Batman animated movies have had solid animation. This one, did not.
All in all I had a good time with The Killing Joke it was exciting to see my childhood memories come onto the big screen and watch as the defining Batman graphic novel for me unraveled on screen. I absolutely loved when they stuck to the panels of the comic but it was when they added unfortunate and unnecessary scenes and stories to the movie it really ruined some moments for me. That coupled with poor and choppy animation it was hard to overlook the obvious flaws in this movie.
I give Batman: The Killing Joke a B-.
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