Animation: Batman The Killing Joke

With Suicide Squad, the modern face of DC, currently strutting onto our screens with all the subtlety of a howitzer, and getting a tepid response from most, Batman: The Killing Joke stands apart as a more subdued and altogether quite different beast. When it shines, it harkens back to better times for the superhero genre, unfortunately, it doesn’t shine often enough.

Based on Alan Moore’s seminal graphic novel, Batman (Kevin Conroy) and Batgirl (Tara Strong) fight to keep Gotham’s streets clean, but are caught up in a plot by the Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker (Mark Hamill). The Joker wants to prove to Gotham that even the most upstanding citizen like Commissioner Gordon (Ray Wise) is just one bad day away from becoming like him, and is willing to do anything to prove his point.

The first thirty minutes are a separate story were so inconsistent with the wider narrative… as well have had Batman and Batgirl break out into a musical number as they beat down the bad guys.

This is a film of frustrating polarity, and feels stuck between two conflicting tones that never come together to form a cohesive whole. The first thirty minutes are a separate story which is so tonally inconsistent with the wider narrative that the writer might as well have had Batman and Batgirl break out into a musical number as they beat down the bad guys. The Joker and his plans are absent, and instead we are subjected to the inconsequential machinations of Paris Franz (Maury Sterling), a cardboard cut-out stereotype with all the cunning and gravitas of a tadpole. I understand the reasoning for padding the story – if the original comic hadn’t been expanded upon, the film wouldn’t even stretch to an hour in length – but the additions feel so unnecessary that they make a film which is barely over an hour long feel bloated.

This papier mâché opening forms the framework for an exploration of the relationship between Batman and Batgirl, an interesting idea which is handled in the wrong way: through a romance. It is fair to say that changing aspects from the comics shouldn’t be frowned upon, and a romance between the two could have worked if it had been handled with any sort of tact. It seems however, the creative team were all out of tact. This is due most glaringly to the overt sexualisation of Batgirl, an aspect that cannot be ignored as it impacts both the way she is animated and her actions on-screen, and feels out of place both for her character and in the film. Considering that the second act explores sexuality being turned on its head to become something monstrous, the inclusion of Batgirl as a sexual character purely for gratification, and with no sense of self-awareness, is insulting to the narrative as a whole.

To put it bluntly, the film kneecaps itself from the start, and has to hobble its way to the far more intriguing story at its centre.

The first and second halves are separate entities. It would be possible to watch just the latter without losing anything, in fact viewers might actually gain something. To put it bluntly, the film kneecaps itself from the start, and has to hobble its way to the far more intriguing story at its centre. Once it gets there, it becomes something which at times can be breath-taking to behold, yet still carries the dead weight of its beginning.

The final act sees a glowing performance from Conroy as Batman, but the real star of this twisted little carnival is Hamill’s Joker, who shows a much more human side to the character than we have ever seen before. The warped mind games the Joker plays out are a cathartic nightmare, and make for some of the most unsettling and enjoyable moments in the film. Also present are flashbacks to the character’s origins, which are delicately and deftly handled. This is the Joker’s show through and through, which makes it all the more upsetting that he wasn’t allowed to run riot for so much of it.

The warped mind games the Joker plays out are a cathartic nightmare

The final half is far from perfect, still suffering from the conflicting animation styles which pervade the whole film. It feels as if two animators were duelling with each other behind the scenes. For the most part a more traditional style is used, yet this is intercut with frames that mimic the original comic’s style, leading to a somewhat disjointed feeling, although thankfully one that is not too intrusive on the whole. Regardless, the film finds some redemption in its ending, culminating in one of the most chilling confrontations between the two arch-enemies in recent memory, and one which will cement itself in the mind for a long time.

It might fling itself off a cliff, but at least it nails the landing.

Batman: The Killing Joke could almost be viewed as two separate films, one flawed and one brilliant, and when put together it will leave you neither satisfied nor disappointed, merely confused. There are certainly those who will find some enjoyment in it, by the end I had managed to too, in spite of its painful first act. It might fling itself off a cliff, but at least it nails the landing.

Director: Sam Liu

Starring: Mark Hamilton, Kevin Conroy, Tara Strong

Run Time: 77 minutes

Country: USA