JavaDevil's Full Review: Batman Beyond - Return of the Joker
How is it that Warner Brothers' live-action division continually fouls up their Batman films while their animation division so consistently makes outstanding contributions to the superhero mythos? Perhaps they've come to their senses after Batman And Robin bombed as Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem For A Dream) is said to be helming a new feature based on Frank Miller's Batman: Year One comic. Also in the wings is a live-action film version of Batman Beyond, said to be written by Paul Dini, the mastermind behind WB's excellent animated Batman & Superman films and TV series. After having seen Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker, I'm very curious to see what Dini can do with a live-action film.
The Batman Beyond animated TV series, for those who don't know, is something of an alternate future for the Batman saga. It takes place 40 years after the first Batman animated series. The original Batman, Bruce Wayne, is now a grim, elderly man. Through a twist of fate, he becomes the mentor to young Terry McGinnis, a crimefighter with a cybernetic costume who becomes a new Batman for the hi-tech age. Since I don't get the WB Network where I live, I haven't caught any episodes of the BB TV series though I've heard it's mainly an excuse to sell more toys.
In the Batman Beyond future, Barbara Gordon, the former Batgirl, is now the police commissioner. Neither she nor Wayne will talk to McGinnis about the fates of their old nemesis the Joker or their partner Tim Drake, the former Robin. Obviously, something rather unsettling occurred and these long-dormant wounds are opened when none other than the Joker himself reappears in Gotham. How did he survive all those years with hardly a wrinkle on his grinnin' mug to show for it? That's just one of the mysteries.
What exactly happened between the old trio of Batman, Batgirl, & Robin and the Joker (with his charismatic sidekick/galpal Harley Quinn in tow) is revealed in a flashback sequence, the centerpiece of Return Of The Joker. This is what propels the plot and, for a movie based on a Saturday morning cartoon, it's rather disturbing. Not that there's anything graphic like blood or guts. It's purely psychological but the twisted results are there for everyone to see.
The way the Joker is portrayed in this film is certainly a refreshing change of pace from the wonky Jack Nicholson version in Tim Burton's live-action Batman and even from the more faithful animated series rendition. In Return Of The Joker, you clearly see him for the sociopath he is. His actions here become more horrific when one realizes that, even in a world with superheroes, sometimes no one is safe. Mark Hammill (Luke Skywalker!) does a terrific job as the voice of the Joker. His final words in the flashback are so well-chosen & fitting, I find it hard to believe that the character wasn't created with them in mind from the very beginning.
As the current Batman, Terry McGinnis displays cynicism towards the idea that someone who "uses whoopee cushions and squirting flowers" could be much of a villain. He very quickly realizes that none of the menaces he's battled to date have prepared him for this. And, in true superhero fashion, he has to rise to the occasion in order to prove himself worthy of his namesake.
The animation is good for a direct-to-video release. The relatively simple & streamlined character designs are a good tradeoff for other possible cost-cutting measures like reducing the fluidity of the animation or the reuse of cells. There's still plenty of expressiveness to be found, such as in the pained grimace on Bruce Wayne's face when he first sees that the Joker is still alive and well.
There's a brief scene in which an old Bugs Bunny cartoon is playing on a TV. It depicts a dog standing over the body of an apparently dead Bugs and lamenting, "What have I done? I've killed the little rabbit. I don't deserve to live....I wish I were dead." It eerily parallels the anguish one key character has been feeling much of their life but has kept hidden from everyone. Very nice & subtle foreshadowing. There's another parallel between the flashback when the Joker taunts the Wayne Batman and the climax when the Joker is being taunted by the McGinnis Batman. This is thoughtfully constructed storytelling.
I should note that I'm reviewing the original version of this flick. Warner Brothers is said to be editing it in order to "broaden its appeal". I sincerely hope they don't mess with it too much as this is brilliant work. Early reports put a good spin on this but we'll see soon enough...
As a film, Return Of The Joker stands on it's own well enough so that a Batman Beyond newbie like me could be pulled straight into the story. As an epilogue to the earlier Batman animated series, it's superb. Would you believe me if I told you that this was one of the best films of the year? It is. I have to check out the acclaimed, Paul Dini-written Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm now because this is good stuff. Just hope that the released version isn't butchered. And listen carefully or you'll miss the surprise cameo appearance by one of Batman's famous foes in the last 2 minutes of the film!
************************************************* Update (11/28/00): I've just read some recent reports which state that the edited version has been changed rather dramatically in order to tone down the violence. From what I've read, they've blunted the impact of key scenes and even changed some of the language used in the movie. While I understand why they would do this, I'm very disappointed that they had to butcher a fine existing film AFTER it was already completed instead of simply making a kiddie-friendly one to begin with. I hope they release an uncut version officially because bootlegs of this are probably going to make a fair bit of cash now. *************************************************
It is no laughing matter when the greatest villain of all comes out of the past to threaten Batman, Bruce Wayne and all of Gotham in Batman Beyond: Re...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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