Review of Batman: The Killing Joke (2016) by Martin C — 24 Jul 2016

On the positive side, the film is faithful to the book. Once you have made it past the Batgirl-related prologue (I'll get there), the film does not sacrifice the contents of the original story in order to make it any less than what you've read in the past. The animation is great, combining the best of the original Alan Moore artwork and that of the 1992 "Batman" animated series. The voice acting is as great as ever, something the current DC animated films has excelled at. Mark Hamill is always a welcome inclusion in the Batman universe. It is clear from a lot of angles, DC attempted to give this film the grandiose feel such a famous story deserves. Now, having said that...

Everything controversial about the original publication is on full display. However, I feel that instead of making a film that justifies that initial controversy, it was exploited and amplified to a level of discomfort. While the book made several grotesque implications, the film nearly solidifies those implications. A direct quote from screenwriter Brian Azzarello: "The thing about this is that it's controversial, so we added more controversy." That is a poor reason to write a story and an unfortunate way to perturb your audience.

While I complimented its faithfulness, it follows imitates it to a flaw. While the book allowed a lot of space for mental-processing and giving audiences the opportunity to explore the work to retrieve it's message, the film moves at such a pace that it allows little-to-no room for the story to breathe and give viewers the chance to absorb scenes' significance.

Its new Batgirl prologue does nothing to diminish this. Rather than being a story about having one bad day driving one to madness, it creates a viewpoint that all characters involved in the story almost deserve the misfortune they eventually face. Additionally, the choice of adding the prologue creates space for a Barbara-led narrative as opposed to a Joker-driven story, muddying the plot and disrupting the flow. It's placement in the film is nothing short of being tacked-on and fails to provide anything justifiable to the story.

Truthfully, I cannot recommend "Batman: The Killing Joke." While the infamy of the story makes the film an intriguing prospect, it is clear that the magnitude of "The Killing Joke" legacy was beyond the scope of the team approached.