"This reminds me of a joke"

Going mad

The mythos of Batman has gone through several changes since the Caped Crusader's inception. Originally, he did kill his enemies in the comics whereas nowadays Batman abides with his "no guns or killing" creed, a trait that many fans agree is something unique for a superhero who doesn't have super powers or abilities (think about it for a sec) and is considered Batman's greatest strength as well as his weakness. The Killing Joke uniquely demonstrates what happens when that creed is pushed to the limits, sort of a "an immovable object meets an unstoppable force" situation. Based on the 1988 graphic novel of the same name, Batman (voiced by returning vet Kevin Conroy) has come to the conclusion that his battle with Joker (voiced masterfully by the one and only Mark Hamill) will never

end. To settle things once and for all, the Dark Knight decides to confront the Clown Prince at his holding cell at Arkham Asylum, telling him that their ongoing feud won't end until one of them is killed by the other; something Batman does not want. Unfortunately, the Joker had already escaped and placed an impostor to fool everyone; with the intention of going after the Gordon family to prove that all it takes for a person to fall into madness is to have "one bad day". Having read Alan Moore's one-shot novel several years ago, I was a bit surprised at the direction they were going for but after reading the whole thing, it definitely felt quintessential with the Batman universe; perfectly presenting the moral dilemma that the Dark Knigh would have to face sooner or later. This adaptation, although a nice attempt, didn't quite project that same tone or feeling from reading the novel. The film adds a backstory to Batgirl's character at the beginning of the film but it simply serves to help fill in extra runtime for the film (otherwise, the whole movie would be over in 40 minutes) and doesn't do much to the story. That aside, the other half of the film remains faithful to the novel (which is what warranted that R-rating) and the performances of the original cast from the classic Batman animated series from the 90s is nothing short of impressive. If you've read the novel then you're not really missing out but nevertheless Batman: The Killing Joke deserves a viewing even if it's to hear Mark Hamill brilliantly cackle like the Joker once again.

-Reviewed by Razor, 8/13/16