Based on the wildly popular 1988 comic book one-shot by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland, the anticipation soared for Batman: The Killing Joke movie. Not only would it adapt the fan-favourite source material, but it would also bring back the voices of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as Batman and Joker in an R-rated animated film. This could only be a win, right? Wrong.
The Prologue Nobody Asked For — And Nobody Was Ready For
Producer Bruce Timm highlighted one of the biggest problems the filmmakers faced initially: The length of the original comic book story. At 64 pages, it isn’t the longest tale in the world to turn into a feature-length film, so a decision was taken to add more meat to the narrative. Renowned comic book writer Brian Azzarello wrote the script for the Batman: The Killing Joke movie (read our review of the movie here) and created an entire prologue to the story that wasn’t found in the source material.
Considering Barbara Gordon plays a pivotal role in the original story, Azzarello focused on her time as Batgirl and her complex relationship with Batman. What fans didn’t expect, though, is to see Bats and Babs getting jiggy with it on a rooftop after an argument. Barbara has always been seen as Dick Grayson’s main love interest in the comics, so this storytelling decision to change the dynamic felt odd and as if Bruce Wayne betrayed Dick – pardon the pun or don’t.
So Why Did They Go There? The Creators Explain Their Thinking
Speaking to Vulture, Timm admitted it was a bold choice to go in this direction. “There’s definitely some stuff in that first part of the movie that’s going to be controversial,” he said. “Here’s where we came down on that specific issue: It was really important to us to show that both of the characters make some pretty big mistakes. I mean, his ‘parental skills’ aren’t that great.”
It’s clear to see what the intent was for Batman and Batgirl here since it would add another layer of emotional stakes after the Joker shoots her later in the story. Even if there had been no sexual relationship between Bruce and Barbara, the Dark Knight would have been infuriated with what Joker does to her. However, if there’s now a physical relationship involved, it becomes even deeper and more personal. As a result, it makes it tougher for Batman to restrain himself when all he wants to do is throttle the clown.
Good Intentions, Wrong Execution — And Fans Haven’t Forgotten
Unfortunately, this isn’t how most fans and critics viewed it. Many people saw it as a way to further sexualize Barbara as a comic book character and to create unnecessary romantic drama in a story that never needed it. For others, it was uncomfortable because of how Batman crossed a moral line as her mentor. There’s an obvious power dynamic at play between the pair, and it feels as if Bats takes advantage of his student when he should know better.
While the second half of the Batman: The Killing Joke movie plays out largely like the comic and hits all the main beats, a lot of fans can’t look past the controversial first part of the film. As a result, it’s considered one of the worst DC animated movies and a waste of one of the best Joker stories of all time.
Batman: The Killing Joke will go down as one of the best animated Batman films of all time.
Batman: The Killing Joke |
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As Batman hunts for the escaped Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime attacks the Gordon family to prove a diabolical point mirroring his own fall into madness. |
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| Studio: DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation |
| Running Time: 77 minutes |
| Release Date: July 25, 2016 |
| Cast: Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Tara Strong, Ray Wise |
| Director: Sam Liu |
| Writers: Brian Azzarello |
| Genre: Action, Superhero, Animation |
| Box Office: $4.4 million |
