Review of Batman: The Killing Joke (2016) by Svengold — 17 Oct 2020

The ultimate bait and switch.

I couldn't understand all the hate when I first started watching it. Then as time dragged on, it became glaringly obvious the first 28 minutes have absolutely nothing to do with the main story. I understand DC didn't want a short movie, but adding a completely unrelated 'episode' at the beginning really turns off fans. I didn't press play to see how Batgirl ultimately quit (after getting boned by Batman). And BTW, what they do show her chasing Batman & then the sex scene is hilarious. As Batgirl straddles Batman and removes her mask & shirt, the camera pans upwards to a gargoyle with the biggest, creepiest Joker grin. Or you could call it perfect I guess.

At 28:08 the actual story begins. You can skip to this point because the beginning is easily forgettable and instantly enraging in The Killing Joke context. Now I understand and fully support the hate. But rest assured, there is more to hate. The portion of the movie actually based on the comic is shallow at best. It's like the La Croix version of The Killing Joke. This adaptation strips everything from the original and makes this a senseless cash grab. There's more to a comic story than just the words. The pictures tell a tale as well. Gone are the those moments of contrast with deeper meaning, replaced with cheap animation and bad design choices (enough of those pop out ears on Batman).

The worst part is this isn't even a Batman/Joker movie. Ultimately, it's all about Batgirl. There is a prologue at the end after the credits which brings it full circle to showcase the true point of this story. See, after she's paralyzed she will live to fight crime in another way… as the Oracle! To be clear, I like Batgirl. But The Killing Joke isn't a story about her. To make it so feels extremely forced and is ultimately insulting. This is a shame, considering DC usually knows how to make animated movies. Not this time. This should be a hard pass for anyone remotely familiar with the story or fans of good stories in general.