Today’s quick review: Batman: The Killing Joke. Batgirl (Tara Strong), the vigilante alter ego of Barbara Gordon, tries to prove herself to Batman (Kevin Conroy) by throwing herself into a dangerous new case. Meanwhile, the Joker (Mark Hamill) hatches a plan to break Commissioner Gordon’s (Ray Wise) spirit by attacking the person he loves most: his daughter Barbara.
Batman: The Killing Joke is an animated superhero film adapted from the classic Batman story of the same name. Notable for its sinister tone, its exploration of the Joker’s origins, and its novel treatment of the relationship between Batman and his nemesis, The Killing Joke has Batman square off with the Joker in what is considered by some to be their definitive confrontation.
Despite decent production values, reputable source material, and a fairly direct adaptation, Batman: The Killing Joke comes across as dry, simplistic, and short. The shock value of the original is dampened by the translation to film, and the most interesting parts of the story are not given the screen time they deserve. Furthermore, the animated medium highlights just how short the story is, with no build-up and no investigation before the finale.
To combat this last issue, the movie version of The Killing Joke introduces a subplot centered around Batgril and her attempts to win Batman’s approval. While not a bad idea in theory, the Batgirl segment fits poorly with the rest of the movie, with themes that are tangential to the main story and a few flaws of its own. Overall it is a clumsy attempt at padding that only serves to delay the onset of the main plot.
Batman: The Killing Joke is a decent but overly literal adaptation of the comic that fails to pack the same punch as the original. Watch it only if you are a fan of the comic and are curious about how it would look onscreen. Casual Batman fans would be better off watching one of the many other animated Batman films that have come out recently.
6.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 for a dry adaptation of a classic storyline.