Batman: The Killing Joke is an animated superhero film released in 2016. It was written by Bob Azzarello and directed by Sam Liu. Kevin Conroy voices the Dark Knight with Mark Hamill returning as the Joker. Tara Strong, Ray Wise, and Brian George are also included in the cast.
There is a fairly long prologue exploring the relationship between Batman and Batgirl, who is really the daughter of Commissioner James Gordon. A rather stressful chase of a criminal with the unlikely name of Paris Franz leads Barbara to hang up her cape and cowl.
Then, the Joker makes his escape from Arkham Asylum yet again. He kidnaps the Commissioner and subjects him to his insane brand of torture. Also, we get an origin story for the Joker courtesy of some intrusive flashback scenes.
I guess this is a very celebrated graphic novel Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. I also would presume the source material was much better than this adaptation. It isn’t that nothing worked in this film, but it just didn’t draw me in as much as I had hoped. It takes too long for the Joker to show up. It did not seem clear how he pulled off this latest escape. The performances were fine, but these actors have been playing these roles for several years now. I do enjoy Hamill’s take on the Joker. It also amuses me greatly that this is Luke Skywalker who has had such a solid career as a voice actor. Conroy is fine as Batman. I don’t know much about him, but he has voiced the Dark Knight for quite some time now. The animation was fine. I found this film experience to be an average effort. I think the hardcore fans might find more enjoyment than I did.
I didn’t exactly dislike this film, but I was a little disappointed for some reason. I guess it’s one of those that I will shrug off and let fade from my memory.
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