I was very happy that Fathom Events did many screenings of Batman: The Killing Joke on Monday night. My husband and I went to see it at our local theatre in Alhambra, CA and both of the 7PM screenings were packed! One was completely sold out and in the theater I was in, there were not very many open seats. The crowd was a little young and were a little more talkative than I would have liked during the first part of the movie. But I prefer a crowd that is vocal about their enjoyment of a film than one that is too quiet. Going to the cinema is supposed to be a communal experience. If I want to watch a movie in silence, I will do it at home, alone.
This was my second Fathom Events screening. I saw the Doctor Who; Husbands of River Song screening back during the Holidays of 2015. That was a fun event. This one had a great opening featurette of Mark Hamill discussing his journey as the definitive voice actor of The Joker. After the movie was a featurette about the music of the film with the films three different composers as well as covering the musical number done by Mark Hamill as The Joker during the climax of the film.
As the title of this article suggest, I will talk spoilers. Yes, the last part of the film has been in graphic novel form for 28 years or so, but the first half or more is new. The Killing Joke was never a long story. A person could read it in about 20-30 minutes. Translating that to film means it wasn't very long on its own, so Warner Bros. brought on Brian Azzarello to craft a longer narrative.
I know this movie and it's source material can be quite divisive in the fandom. I will say that it is easier to think of this movie as an extension of Batman: The Animated Series since it has most of the same voice actors playing the roles they played 20-odd years ago. I love the story and the art of the original comic and now this animated feature.
The new story starts being narrated by Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. She and Batman attempt to stop a robbery by some mobsters. During the fight, the leader of this group, Paris Francesco, becomes infatuated with Batgirl in a more than sexual manner. He escapes and begins to taunt and torment Batgirl in a twisted attempt to seduce Barbara. In one scene, while Paris is hiding on a yacht, a group of escorts leave and the red-headed escort hands a henchman a cut up pillow case the Paris made her wear during sex that had been cut to be like Batgirl's cowl. Paris at one point sprays a sleeping agent into Bab's face in an attempt to force himself on her. Batgirl is able to lock herself in a vault and avoid any rape attempts. This villain, who I believe was created for this story, is quite sick.
During all this Bruce keeps commanding Barbara to stay away from Paris, and Barbara of course disobeys, many times. Their relationship becomes very strained. Adding to the tension of all this is Barbara, at her day job as a librarian, confessing to her GBFF (ugh) that she has strong feelings for her "yoga instructor" (Batman). During the film you realize that Batman also has strong feelings for Barbara, hence his commands for her to stay away from Paris. Ultimately, Bruce and Barbara have sex on a rooftop. Bruce, of course, becomes distant afterwards, pushing Barbara's emotional state to the brink. In a final showdown with Paris, Barbara beats Paris to an inch of his life. Barbara has approached the dark edge that Bruce has been warning her about. She then decides to stop being Batgirl.
A few days later the events of The Killing Joke graphic novel begin.
I tried to be brief in my description. I know that a lot of fans are going to hate that Barbara and Bruce have sex and that her villain is such a creep. They will say that this movie glorifies violence against woman. I will only say this: Villains should be villainous and evil.
All other opinions and thoughts aside, I was amazed by the vocal performances of the three principle cast members. Tara Strong brought a layered and nuanced performance that is probably her best, as she rarely gets to do such adult material. I loved the beginning half because she was so believable; there were many moments I forgot I was watching an animation. She upstaged Kevin Conroy in every scene, but only because he is playing Batman a.k.a. Mr. Stoic Brooding-Man. Conroy does deliver on his Batman performance. This is Batman at his grimmest, but there is a level of compassion in this Batman that is rarely seen in any Batman story today. His feelings for Barbara and even his attempts to redeem The Joker. Every Batman story is about him and his rogues trying to kill each other in the names of insanity or justice. I truly believed that Batman wanted to save his greatest villain. Mark Hamill, as we all expected, gives the Joker performance of his life. The flashback scenes make you so sympathetic for his character that you just want him to accomplish his sick twisted plan at the end. Hamill also has you almost convinced by The Joker's psychotic philosophy, he almost has you ready to give up on reality and give into insanity. The Joker is oh-so human in this story and at the same time that dark, evil spectre of everything that wants to destroy civilization.
I say go check out The Killing Joke, which is available now digitally, and will be on Blu-Ray and DVD next week. This movie is not for children, but is a fun ride through to the end. There is even an uplifting mid-credits scene that helps lighten the dark oppressive mood that the movie leaves you with.
Until next time, remember:
All will be well
and
May the Force be with you.
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