Review of Batman: The Killing Joke (2016) by Tyler R — 25 Jul 2016

I never thought I would walk away from an animated film and say that their portrayal of the Joker is the definitive take on the character thus far. Mark Hamill always said he would be back if an adaptation was done for The Killing Joke, and while he never really did hang up the smile, he definitely went all out for this one.

Batman: The Killing Joke follows Batman as he tracks down the Joker and saves Commissioner Gordon on one of the worst nights of his life. Now, the graphic novel that this is based off of is relatively short, even for a brief animated film.

So, those involved decided to add an original prologue centered around Batgirl. The prologue really seemed to divide critics, but I fell into the category of those who loved it. For me, it added great context and depth to Batgirl who, while fleshed out in the actual adaptation part of the film, is a much more complicated character than they let on.

There were also some complaints about the animation for the prologue, but I only noticed one slight inconsistency with an elevator scene featuring Batman, but it was a blink-and-you-miss-it moment. As for the main story, things move at a breakneck pace, but not in the sacrifice of action or, most importantly, story.

In fact, the film wisely follows the graphic novel almost beat for beat, which is more of a blessing than a curse, because it allows for the fantastic writing to be brought to life by the wondrous voice talents of Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy, and Tara Strong.

The three veterans of the Batman cartoon from the 1990's don't miss a beat, and their chemistry comes off as sincere. However, Mark Hamill steals the entire film in a very memorable confrontation towards the end.

The Joker may be a sick and cruel individual, but in that scene towards the end, Hamill really drives home the brokenness of his character. It is a beautiful exchange. Overall, I was very hesitant about this adaptation, but with some creative liberties taken here and there and a deep-rooted respect for this story and the characters, this film will go down as one of the more memorable Batman staples in the character's history.