"One Bad Day" Batman: The Killing Joke Review

Batman: The Killing Joke
1.5/5
Directed by Sam Liu

Rated: R 

There are many mediums through which someone can tell a story. One of the most gripping mediums are graphic novels, and no other series has a library of compelling stories as Batman. My personal favorite Batman stories are “A Death in the Family”, “Knight Fall”, “Under the Hood”, and the controversial and shocking “The Killing Joke”, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Brian Bolland. Published in 1988, this 42 page one shot rapidly rose on the New York Times' Best Seller list, and is heralded by fans across the globe as the greatest Joker story ever told.

            It's understandable why DC would make it into a movie, and the stars aligned for them. Bruce Timm, head animator of the show, was the producer. The voice actors from the animated series reprise their roles. Mark Hamill came out of Joker retirement just to make this movie. It seemed the universe lined up perfectly to make this the greatest Batman movie.

            For the most part, the universe was right. This film is an accurate and somewhat faithful interpretation of Moore and Bolland’s work. There are moments when the screenplay is verbatim to Moore's script, and a number of frames are reminiscent of Bolland's artwork. 

           This is not true of the entire film. Artistic liberties were taken, as is the case with most adapted films. These liberties, however, do not improve, or build upon the original story. What they do is downgrade it.

            One of these major changes is the inclusion of a prologue centered around Batgirl. Being one of the most pivotal characters in “The Killing Joke”, DC added a prologue to make her a strong-willed feminine protagonist. However, it completely backfires, and makes her a victim of her own foolish choices. In a story revolving around “life and all its random injustice”, it’s detrimental if any act of cruelty appears as poetic justice.

            When the main story finally begins, it speeds along to its ending. Even the characters rush themselves. Instead of methodical discretion, they deliver lines with overemphasized franticness. This action packed and hysteric pacing ruins the script's sinister intent. "The Killing Joke" is a slow haunting tale, filling readers with fear of what inevitably awaits on the next page. It’s not a big loud blockbuster, grabbing audience's by the ears and dragging them along at break neck speed.

            Accompanying this movie’s poor storytelling is lackluster hand drawn animation. It's simplistic, lending no passion or terror to its characters. Concerning the Joker, his appearance in previous movies is psychotic, volatile, and demented. His appearance in this is plain, unenthusiastic, and benign. It belittles the dramatic contrast between his dark and cruel mind and the human he once was.

            The mundane animation is blaring and obvious due to the average cinematography. It treats the first time Joker laughs, an integral moment, with idle callousness. The color is drained, and the Joker’s body vanishes into the background. Instead of showing the Joker from several different angles, it simply zooms in on him. This is the bare minimum of what DC can do. It’s shameful how little effort is shown in this film, especially when compared with Bolland's realism and grit.

            Batman: The Killing Joke depreciates what made the comic great. The new content is unfulfilling. The frantic pacing rips through the story's greatest moments. The animation is bland. Worse of all, it could’ve been better. "The Killing Joke" is an iconic and timeless tale readers come back to again and again. This movie is a commonplace and forgetful adaptation I have no desire to watch again.

Verdict: Batman: the Killing Joke is an uninspired paint by numbers retelling of a great Batman story, and it’s sad how it could have easily been a memorable and palpable adaptation.  

"This is probably not how you Thought the Story would Start.”

Thoughts on Batman: the Killing Joke's Prologue

SPOILERS

I was writing my review of Batman: The Killing Joke, and I realized I had a good amount of personal thoughts on this film’s prologue. I decided to post them separately.

“The Killing Joke” is a short 42 page graphic novel, so it makes sense why producer Bruce Timm would want to add on to the story. Instead of filling out the main story of the comic, he added a whole new story in the form of a prologue. Well, this prologue is boring...and weird. 

From the get go this movie let me know it will not be like the comics. Batgirl opens up the whole film saying “I realize this is probably not how you thought the story would start.” You’re darn tootin’! I thought I would begin a story about Batman and the Joker with either one of them, but the reason why the filmmakers added this new prologue is to showcase Batgirl as a strong willed and capable female protagonist. They did this by pinning Batgirl against her new archenemy, Paris Franz. Yes. That is his real name. No. He’s not in the comics.

Paris Franz goads Batgirl on by cat calling her, and basically getting inside her head. After the third night of Paris' schmoozing, Batman suspects Batgirl might be unfit for this case. Batgirl however ignores her mentor’s words, and ends up getting cornered in Paris’ trap. Batman saves her, and then firmly tells her she is off the case. Batgirl yells at Batman for keeping a leash on her, proceeds to furiously beat him up, kisses him, and then they have sex. WHAT!!!

Where did this come from? This scene doesn't move the plot along in anyway! It makes no sense why it's in this Batman movie! First off, this “possible relationship” between Batman and Batgirl is never hinted at in the comics. It was only subtly referenced one time in “Batman Beyond”. Second, Batman and Batgirl’s actual relationship has always been similar to a father and a daughter. The only place I would even suspect they are lovers is in fan fiction. Third, this scene doesn't show Batgirl as a strong feminine protagonist. It shows her as a weak female who uses her body to get what she wants. Fourth, this has nothing to do with the Joker. It’s his movie. His name is practically in the title. Why isn’t he the Paris Franz guy? Why couldn’t he have been the one to goad on Batgirl? At least then this scene would have had some validity being in this movie, but no. Batman and Batgirl “get it on” in a licensed DC animated movie, and I was stupid enough to watch this garbage.

So after that happens, Batgirl’s ignored by Batman, eventually kicks the crap out of Paris Franz, and then quits being Batgirl, because she needs some time off to clear her head. Then the movie just goes to Batman’s perspective, as if the first 28 minutes didn't matter, and nothing could be truer.
            This prologue doesn't build up anything that happens in this movie's main story. It takes away from the main story, by making what happens to Batgirl seem more like poetic justice than random cruelty. This dramatically changes the message this palpable story could have told. The only reason this prologue is here is to make Batgirl look like a strong female protagonist, and that drastically backfires.

Batman the Killing Joke's prologue is entirely unwarranted, absolutely boring, morally degrading, detracts from the main story, and has added a new awful dimension to Batgirl's character.

"Would that it t'were so Simple." Hail, Caesar Review

Hail, Caesar
2/5 Stars

Written and Directed by: Joel and Ethan Coen

Rated: PG-13

Hollywood. 1950 AD. Capitol Pictures is shooting four new movies, and their most expensive epic to date, Hail, Caesar. The Biblical epic’s main star, Baird Whitlock (Clooney), has been kidnapped, and only one man has enough ransom money to save him, Eddie Mannix (Brolin) head executive of Capitol Pictures. He's going to have to save his new epic, keep his fellow comrades in line, and overcome all of the daily challenges of being a Hollywood executive.

I've been looking forward to this film all year. Because the Coen brothers wrote and directed one of my favorite movies, O' Brother where art Thou, a 1930's period piece, I was excited when I heard the Coen brothers were making a 1950's period piece . I'm happy to say my first impression of Hail, Caesar is it’s a stupendous movie that excels in many aspects. Unfortunately halfway through it became a decent movie by bogging itself down in these same aspects.

First off Hail, Caesar boast of having an extensive all star cast, featuring George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlet Johansson, Channing Tatum, and Jonah Hill. The biggest problem with having so many big stars in one film is each of them only has one good scene. The next time they appear they’re practically cameos. The film also wants to follow as many of their stories as possible, and it loses sight of who its main protagonist is. Instead of picking a protagonist it adopts three of them.

Another aspect that was bogged down is the look and feel of this film. It is so jilted it removed me from my viewing experience. While the cinematography gives Hail, Caesar its own personality, after an hour of watching the same off-putting shots with the same orange hue in all of them I no longer suspended my disbelief. What’s more the cinematography used in the 1950’s movies is the same as the rest of the film, so none of the movies in Hail, Caesar look like 1950’s motion pictures. This takes the film away from being a period piece, and turns it into a caricature of what the Coen brothers wish the 1950’s looked like.

Even the screenplay suffers in Hail, Caesar. At the beginning of the film it hooks the audience in with the simple concept of illustrating the day in the life of a big Hollywood executive in the 1950’s. By the end of the film it’s following half a dozen characters and becomes a philosophical noir thriller, two romantic comedies, and a cold war spy film. On top of that, the ending feels disconnected from the rest of the story and it left a bad aftertaste in my mouth. I will probably never watch this film again.

Verdict: The Coen brother’s Hail, Caesar is a lack luster film that suffers from having too many characters, an overabundance of off-putting shots, a screenplay with an identity crisis, and a tacked on ending message that spoils the rest of the film.