BATMAN character created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, but you probably already knew that.
Directed by Sam Liu
Written by Brian Azzarello, based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore & Brian Bolland
Cast: Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Tara Strong, Ray Wise, John DiMaggio, Robin Atkin Downes, Brian George, Nolan North, Maury Sterling, Fred Tatasciore
Soundtrack: Kristopher Carter. Michael McCuistion, Lolita Ritmanis
If you haven’t noticed, for nearly a decade now, DC Animation has been producing some pretty solid work in the form of ~75 minute adaptations of influential story arcs, miniseries, and one-shots. If you’re a Batman fan, I highly recommend Under the Red Hood, Year One, and the epic-length The Dark Knight Returns.
Unfortunately, I can’t recommend their latest adaptation, The Killing Joke. I give the movie two out of five stars, one each for Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill (the definitive voices of Batman and Joker, respectively), because without them there’s very little to grab onto here. Hamill’s performance in particular is quite fantastic; it’s a shame that it’s in service of so little.
I’ve never actually read the source graphic novel, but, based on its influence (and infamy), I have a hard time believing the filmmakers captured the spirit of it.
The movie begins with an addendum of a first act in order to pad out the run time, because apparently the source material wasn’t enough to produce a feature length result. Batman and Batgirl are called on to stop a robbery, and, though they get the bank truck back, a couple of bad guys get away. Particularly unfortunate for Batgirl is the fact that one of the escapees has a thing for her, which he uses to get inside her head, thus prompting Batman to force her off the case, which infuriates her to the point that she physically confronts him with some hand-to hand-combat, until [SPOILER ALERT] she lands on top of him and Batgirl and Batman do the no-pants Batusi. Controversial to say the least, although compared to the rest of the movie, it didn’t really bother me.
After the resolution of the initial story, the rest of the movie plays out more or less the same as the graphic novel.
I don’t know what happened behind the scenes, but I suspect the filmmakers didn’t really know how to handle such material as adult and as shocking as The Killing Joke. The movie is rated-R, as it technically should be, but they don’t come close to making the most of it from a thematic perspective. As much as the source material is for mature audiences only, the movie feels like it’s trying to cater to a younger audience, but worse than that, it feels like it was made by a younger audience. Compared to most other Batman adaptations, it feels like there’s an intelligence and a maturity towards the material that is missing.
I also disagree with the decision to add another story to pad out the length, because those extra minutes could’ve been used to explore The Killing Joke more, or at least linger a bit longer on certain aspects. Maybe I’m asking for blood from a stone here, but it felt like so many moments came and went abruptly and without care.
Perhaps the best and most succinct way I can sum up this Killing Joke movie is that it just falls flat. As much as the story is meant to toy with your emotions, it didn’t end up leading me much of anywhere, and, as such, it’s not worth your time or money, which is disappointing to say, but true nonetheless.
I’m so sorry.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
(★★½ if you’re really into Batman/comics)
Original Release Date: December 25, 1993
Directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm
Written by Alan Burnett (story and screenplay) & Paul Dini (screenplay) & Martin Pasko (screenplay) & Michael Reaves (screenplay)
Cast: Kevin Conroy, Dana Delany, Hart Bochner, Stacy Keach, Abe Vigoda, Dick Miller, John P. Ryan, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Bob Hastings, Robert Costanzo, Mark Hamill, Arleen Sorkin
Soundtrack: Shirley Walker
Now THIS was a treat. Apparently, there are only two known 35mm prints of Mask of the Phantasm left in existence, so to be able to see it as it was originally shown was something special.
By the time Mask of the Phantasm originally hit theaters, Tim Burton’s two Batman movies had come and gone, and The Animated Series had aired 65 episodes, so it’s easy to see how Christmas of ’93 could represent the high water mark for those Batman fans old enough to appreciate it at the time.
In fact, there’s a strong argument to be made that Mask of the Phantasm is the best Batman movie of all time. I wouldn’t go that far (although I’m fine with saying it’s definitively the best of its era), but from a screenplay perspective it might be the best Batman script ever produced.
For one thing, the movie gets a lot of Batman aspects right that other adaptations often struggle with. namely, Bruce Wayne the playboy (aka, his real mask). It only comes up in one brief scene, but it’s enough to let us know how the world at large views Bruce Wayne: he likes to party. At the same time, however, we get a romantic sub-plot that actually feels real (especially compared to the live-action films of the 80s and 90s) and that highlights the sacrifices he has to make in his personal life in order to continue to be Batman.
Mask of the Phantasm also addresses how and why Bruce Wayne became Batman (definitely some Year One influence), without taking us down “Crime Alley” once again to see Thomas and Martha Wayne get gunned-down (because God knows we’ve seen that more than enough in subsequent years), so that’s a plus.
Really though, like The Killing Joke, and in spite of all of the Hollywood names they wrangled to do voices, the stars of the show are Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, except here, as I said, they’re given a great screenplay to work from. This is not to say that anyone in the cast is lackluster, because everyone in Mask of the Phantasm does good work (Arleen Sorkin and Dana Delany later went on to voice Harley Quinn and Lois Lane, respectively), but, frankly, Mark Hamill steals the show, despite not entering the picture until the third act.
If you’ve ever wondered why so many fans refer to Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as the ultimate Batman and Joker, I’d offer Mask of the Phantasm as Exhibit A. I think my only real complaint is that the movie isn’t longer.
Definitely check it out if you haven’t yet done so.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Written and Directed by David Ayer, based on the comic book by John Ostrander
Cast: Will Smith, Ike Barinholtz, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, David Harbour, Robin Atkin Downes, Jared Leto, Jim Parrack, Common, Jai Courtney, Ezra Miller, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevingne, Joel Kinnaman, Alain Chanoine, Scott Eastwood, Adam Beach, Karen Fukuhara, Kenneth Choi, Ben Affleck
Soundtrack: Steven Price
I don’t know what it is about 2016, but there have been a number of films with uninspiring trailers this year, Suicide Squad among them.
Quite honestly, I only went to see this movie opening night so I could add another sweet Mondo pint glass to my collection. Other than that, I really had no expectations; I was mostly just hoping it would be better than FANT4STIC (after all, their release dates are nearly a year apart). To me, the only possible saving grace could’ve been that it’s written and directed by David Ayer, who has made at least one top-notch movie in Fury, and is also the sole credited writer of Training Day, so there’s definitely greatness within him.
To my surprise, the result of Suicide Squad is a bit muddled, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t entertained.
Let me plow through some things before I really get going. First of all, anyone who says this movie is as bad or worse than FANT4STIC is just trying to get their name out there. Second, The Joker isn’t in the movie all that much, so even if you hate Jared Leto’s performance (I’m still working through how I feel about it), you won’t have to suffer through it for too long. Third, Batman is in the movie even less than the Joker, which is fine, it’s not his movie by any stretch, but for those hoping for another taste of Batfleck, this is like a tiny sample spoon at your local ice cream parlor.
So, what is Suicide Squad? Well, if The Dirty Dozen and X-Men: Apocalypse had a DC baby (with some cross-pollination from Escape From New York, which I really appreciated), this would be it: a group of the world’s baddest villains get voluntold to combat a threat mere mortals cannot handle.
I may as well start with the negative, because I do have a bunch of problems with this movie. For one thing, the use of licensed music gets tiresome real fast; so much of the first half is just plastered with songs that are, as they say, a bit on the nose. And most of these songs are used in the first act when we get introduced to the main characters over and over and over again (it’s quite vexing).
Also, the establishment of the main threat and the mobilization of the Squad to deal with it feels rather brushed over. Not to say that it’s not there at all, but it might have been nice to let it breathe a bit longer. There’s also at least one flashback sequence that feels rather shoehorned.
In terms of performances, it’s a little bit of a mixed bag. I didn’t think Viola Davis or Margot Robbie were terrible by any stretch, or even wrongly cast for their parts, but there was just something slightly off with each of them. Davis does a lot of pseudo-mumbling, and Robbie’s accent is a bit too “New Yawk” for my taste.
On the other hand, I think Will Smith really shines in this movie (his natural presence really helps the tone), and Jai Courtney stands out as well. In spite of the rocky first half, one of the major aspects of the movie that wins me over in the end is the chemistry between the characters.
In addition, despite its hasty introduction, from a production design standpoint (and I guess costume design as well), the threat is pretty cool. I especially like how things look in the aftermath of its activity (Cronenberg-esque would be a fair description).
Most importantly though, Suicide Squad is a decent blend of action and humor. Not the best, but also not nearly as bad as the critical consensus would have you believe. As someone who was prepared for the worst, I was pleasantly surprised.
Much like Batman v Superman, it takes a little while to get where it’s going, but once it gets there it’s pretty good.
Oh, and in case you were wondering (I know you were), there’s a stinger in the middle of the credits, but not at the very end.
Rating: ★★★½
P.S.
Shout out to Alamo Drafthouse as usual for the opening night accouterments. The drink specials were muy delicioso.
