Batman Beyond - Return of the Joker review
Without question, the work Warner Brothers Animation has done with the Batman
franchise has far surpassed the standard Saturday morning fare we accepted and
enjoyed as kids. What they have been able to achieve in terms of storytelling
and visual presentation has begun to approach the respected levels of Japanese
anime. Their first feature length foray,
Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm
is the best
Batman theatrical adventure to date…until now.
Batman Beyond: Return of
the Joker
is a taut, high impact film that explores the darker side of
superheroes, often reserved only for the pages of comic books.
A little backstory for those who may be unfamiliar with the
Batman
Beyond
television series: More than 40 years have passed since we last
experienced the Dark Knight's animated exploits with cohorts Dick Grayson
(Nightwing, AKA Robin I), Tim Drake (Robin II), and Batgirl (Barbara Gordon).
Bruce Wayne is now an elderly recluse, sheltered within the confines of stately
Wayne Manor and the Batcave, having long since retired the cape and cowl. Bruce
is alone now, his only trusted friend being his Great Dane, Ace. Enter Terry
McGinnis, teenage delinquent, who accidentally stumbles upon the Batcave and
steals the most recent, tech-enhanced Batsuit to avenge the death of his father.
Bruce and Terry form a grandfather-grandson like bond and work together to bring
Batman back as the protector of Gotham City. But what happened to the rest of
the Bat-gang? Why did Bruce retire? Whatever became of his great enemies of the
past?
This mystery begins to unfold as the Jokerz Gang (voiced by Henry Rollins,
Don Harvey, Michael Rosenbaum, Frank Welker, and Melissa Joan Hart) shifts gears
from petty crime to the stealing of high tech industrial components. The last
job takes place at Wayne Enterprise and reveals the true brains behind the
operation…The Joker? How is this possible? According to Bruce, it's not.
There must be another explanation—and they need to figure it out before
things get out of hand.
The first release of this film, developed while in production on the animated
series, was released in 2000. Unfortunately, Warner executives felt the content
and tone was too dark and extreme for their target audience. As a result,
filmmakers Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, Curt Geda, and Glen Murakami
were forced to extract almost five minutes of footage from the print, to lessen
the impact. Having not seen the edited version, I cannot say how much it
affected the film.
Written by master storyteller Paul Dini, based on a concept by Dini, Timm,
and Murakami,
Return of the Joker
answers the question most frequently
asked by fans of the television series. Building off the achievements and
success of
Batman: The Animated Series
and
New Adventures of Batman
and Robin
,
Batman Beyond
puts a whole new spin on the Batman mythos.
Gotham is now a technologically advanced society and the criminals have
compensated. The Batsuit acts as a two-way communication device between Terry on
the frontlines and Bruce in the Batcave. An established relationship between
Terry and the Commissioner Barbara Gordon strengthens the new Bat-corps in their
fight against crime.
Encountering the Joker cuts deep and touches raw emotions not expressed nor
dealt with in over 40 years. Terry sees him as just another costumed freak, but
he is so much more than that. As Bruce relates, he is a psychopath who has
become even darker and more sinister than his former "Clown Prince of
Crime" persona of the past. But the question remains—What does he
want? And why?
The visual and audio presentation on this film is awesome. Principally
animated by TMS (Japan), one of the premier animation houses in the world,
Return of the Joker
is sleek and stylish, bordering on true anime
greatness. Despite the marketing claim of being Full Frame, the film is actually
shown in 1.78:1 non-anamorphic widescreen—a real treat for someone who was
expecting something less. The colors jump against the dark, fully digitally
painted backgrounds, a first for Warner Brothers animation. The soundtrack
rocks! Under the direction of Kristopher Carter, the techno themes of the series
are blended beautifully with the full orchestral themes of its predecessors,
resulting in a rich emotional tapestry, supporting each moment of action and
reflection. Dolby 5.1 Surround brings the action right to your gut. If only all
animated series were done this well.
In terms of acting, Will Friedle (
Boys Meets World
) is in full stride
as the cocky apprentice McGinnis. Angie Harmon (
Law and Order
) replaces
Stockard Channing (
West Wing
) as the one time Batgirl turned Police
Commissioner. Despite her youth, Harmon's voice captures the embattled and weary
Barbara quite effectively. Mark Hamill (
Star Wars
) returns as a darker,
twisted version of the Joker, with his maniacal laugh piercing through at
critical moments. Last but certainly not least, Kevin Conroy, the one true
Batman, captures the aged Bruce Wayne with all the intensity of a Dark Knight
forced to rely more on his intellect than his physical abilities.
The special features are nice additions, but the true power of this disc
remains the film itself. Commentary by Dini, Timm, Geda, and Murakam will be
enjoyed by fans of these gentlemen and the series. Their fanboy enthusiasm is
contagious and fun to sit in on. However, most might find the discussion a bit
dry. A 12-minute "making of" featurette is really nothing more than a
marketing teaser with little in the way of content value. Still, it's
interesting seeing an unfamiliar actor's face to match with their voice. Deleted
scenes referenced in the commentary are two unfilmed animatics (with vocals)
blended into one sequence I personally would have loved to see fully rendered.
Other included animatics are snoozers and can be passed over, along with the
seven question Bat Trivia game, and music video by Mephisto Odyssey. Rounding
out the extras are trailers for three other Batman animated DVDs (
Return of
the Joker
,
Sub-Zero
, and
Batman/Superman Movie
) along with a
promo for the Scooby-Doo DVDs and the Batman inspired teaser trailed to the
upcoming
Scooby-Doo
live action
film.
Closing Statement
Very few American animated series have achieved the quality and excitement
Warner Brothers has created with the Batman franchise.
Mask of the
Phantasm
and
Return of the Joker
should be held up as examples for
the true power of the animated art form. I highly recommend this film as a
rental to everyone and a must buy to Bat-fans and animation lovers alike. One
caveat, it may be a bit dark for children under the age of 10, so parents please
exercise appropriate caution.
The Verdict
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
is acquitted of all criminal
charges. I hereby order Warner Brothers to revisit these characters every few
years, with the same high level of quality storytelling that has been made
evident here. This court now stands in recess.
Similar Decisions
Give us your feedback!
Did we give
Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker, Uncut Version
a
fair trial
?
yes
/
no
What's "fair"? Whether positive or negative, our reviews should be unbiased, informative, and critique the material on its own merits.
Share your thoughts on this review in the
Jury Room
