Batman: The Killing Joke (2016) – Movie Review

Warner Bros. release the animated adaption of arguably the most famous Batman comic ever published. But how well does it hold up?

The Killing Joke is a 2016 animated adaption of the original comic published in 1988 by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. Since its release, it has gained a reputation between fans of DC Comics as one of the most influential and best Batman stories ever written. When plans were announced for an animated adaptation, it was revealed that both Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill would be returning for their famous roles originating from the original animated series. But how well does it adapt the infamous story known by Batman fans everywhere?

The first half hour suffers from some of the worst writing and character choices ever associated with Batman and has very little to do with the actual story of the Killing Joke. As the Killing Joke is a rather short read, it can be assumed this beginning was added either to pad out the story or to develop the relationship between Batman and Barbara but there were far better ways to do so than what was used. The film opens with Barbara Gordon as Batgirl working with Batman to stop a robbery committed by villain Paris Franz, who develops a twisted obsession with her. Additionally, Barbara laments about Batman’s lack of romantic interest in her and fully admits she only became a superhero to win his love and it is shown that the two develop a romantic and sexual relationship.

Not only does this feel incredibly out of character for both Batman and Barbara, as neither of them were suggested to have any romantic feelings for each other in both the original comic or the animated series and most incarnations of their relationship show them as mentor and student (bringing the age difference between them into question as well, which many would say only makes it feel more out of place), but it also completely undermines and cheapens Barbara’s character. All of her motivations within the prologue revolve around her infatuation with Batman and none of it is written well. Instead of the altruistic crime fighter many fans are familiar with, she is instead jealous, stroppy and shown to be incompetent when fighting the villains (resulting in Batman telling her to “stay out of the action” in the most patronizing way possible).

Paris Franz also proves to be an irritating waste of screen time, as his entire characterization boils down to his creepy lust for Barbara as he monologues about events that mean nothing to the story and can’t seem to shut up about her every time he appears. It becomes even worse when the Joker (said by many to be the greatest Batman villain of all time) shows up later in the film as the real antagonist, making Franz look even more pointless by comparison. Other characters such as Barbara's friend she works with in the library (who simply consists of being nothing more than a gay stereotype) barely contribute to the story and only serve for Barbara to outlet her frustrations of how Batman doesn't want to be with her. Batman himself isn’t written much better, with many of his lines consisting of moping about how Barbara hasn’t seen “true darkness” and such, feeling more like an over-the-top parody than a genuine writing of the character.

All of this combines to give a bizarrely terrible first half hour but the strangest thing about it is how completely disconnected it is to the rest of the story. If the prologue were cut completely from the film, it would make no difference to the actual story of the Killing Joke which begins straight after the first half hour. This leaves the beginning of the film poorly-written, awkwardly paced and worst of all, completely unnecessary. Regardless of whether the intention was to add more depth to Barbara and Batman or to pad the film to an hour and fifteen minutes, there were far better ways to accomplish this than what was chosen.

However moving away from the prologue, once the actual story of the Killing Joke begins, it becomes noticeable instantly. The tone changes dramatically and all the better for it. While the animation itself can be stilted at times not involving the action scenes, the dark shadows and use of colour to convey the atmosphere as the story becomes more nightmarish works to good effect. While the art style is closer to the original animated series than the art used in the original comic, it nonetheless appropriately captures the grim atmosphere of Gotham city juxtaposed with the later more disturbing scenes with the Joker. However there are points where the editing feels either rushed or choppy, particularly the flashbacks of the Joker’s past as they simply cross-fade into the next scene.

Speaking of the Joker, the absolute shining point of this adaption has everything to do with Mark Hamill’s performance. The monologue spoken by the Joker in the original comic has become a staple for many Batman fans, headed by the infamous line “All it takes is one bad day.” Hamill more than does the writing justice and his delivery is spell-binding. Kevin Conroy reprises his role as the animated Batman and does an excellent job as always, as do the additional voice actors. But Hamill takes the performance to a whole new level and it is marvellous to hear. He delivers every line with complete conviction and his presence alone makes this adaptation worth seeing.

Once the Joker makes his appearance, the story moves with a lot more focus and from then on stays fairly close to the source material. To reveal what happens would spoil the experience for those who don’t know the story but it proves to be equally disturbing and as morally ambiguous as the original work, with the infamously dark and bittersweet ending executed fairly well. It emulates something of a twisted nightmare and the writing is fairly solid and carries it well afterwards. The pacing is much tighter and the remaining film feels as if it would’ve worked well in the forty-five minutes by itself, without the first half hour.

Were it not for the completely out-of-place and unnecessary prologue, the film would have been a lot stronger. As it is, it proves to be an extreme hit and miss. The parts done well are those that stay true to the original story and every scene with Mark Hamill as the Joker makes the experience worthwhile. However, the abysmal and pointless prologue combined with the treatment given to Barbara’s character/relationship with Batman pull it back from being anything truly spectacular.