obsessedwithlost.com

Directed by Curt Geda
Written by Paul Dini, Glen Murakami, and Bruce Timm
Starring Will Friedle, Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Angie Harmon

"Behind all the stern and bat-o-rangs you're just a little boy in a playsuit crying for mommy and daddy. I'd be funny if it wasn't so pathetic. Oh what the heck I'll laugh anyway. HA HA HA HA HA!"

One of the best superhero movies ever made, if only for a single flashback scene during the middle of the film. Unlike the first two honorable mentions that missed getting a spot on the list because they were not comic book adaptations, this one misses the list because it never had a theatrical release, and instead was released straight to video in two versions. The original version ended up being sliced and diced by the studio to create a more kid friendly movie, and was only later released as a special un-cut version. The only way to see this film is the un-cut version. While the cuts don't change the story, they definately lessen the impact of the events.

Batman Beyond was the sequel television series to Batman: The Animated Series. Long after Bruce Wayne retired from active duty as Batman, Gotham City still struggles from the same crime and corruption that plagued it during it's earlier years. An 80-something year old Wayne reluctantly undertakes a young protege by the name of Terry McGinnis, who becomes the new "Batman" with the help of a futuristic body suit that increases his strength and even gives him the ability to fly. This new Batman wages war on crime with the help of the elderly Wayne, who despite his advanced age, is still the brains of the operation and can hold his own impressively.

Return of the Joker is the series' ultimate climax, the film where Bruce Wayne's archenemy returns from the dead to wreak havoc on Gotham once again. How will this new, "bat-fake" be able to handle the original Batman's greatest foe? The story is a good one, with good characters for the most part, particularly Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) and The Joker (Mark Hamill). But despite this, anything Batman Beyond ultimately leaves most viewers longing for the good ole days, when Bruce Wayne was the one and only Batman. It is the major fault of the series. It's nothing that it does wrong, it just leaves us missing the true Dark Knight even more.

The highlight of the film comes about halfway through, when former Batgirl and now Commissioner Barbara Gordon relates to us the story, via flashback, of the original Batman and The Joker's final battle. In chilling form, The Joker kidnaps, tortures, and mutilates young Robin into a bleach faced, green haired Joker mini-me with a hideous grin. If Robin's insanity wasn't enough, The Joker finally discovers Batman's secret identity, and uses it in glorious fashion to create the final battle between an aging superhero and villian. The ensuing clash for the fate of Robin leaves Bruce Wayne with a limp for life and each participant, Batman, Joker, Robin, Harley Quinn and Batgirl scarred irreversibly.

Return of the Joker presents a complex tale of two generations of crime fighters facing the ultimate supervillain in comic book history. If you never watch an episode of Batman Beyond, you should at least see this, if only for a conclusion to the glorious Batman: The Animated Series. The flashback portion serves as an excellent finale episode to that award winning series. If you've ever wondered how brutal The Joker can be, you'll have a good idea after this one.

Posted by astor at July 6, 2005 11:18 PM

Comments

Posted by: Wats at July 7, 2005 12:05 AM

Posted by: Anonymous at July 9, 2005 05:10 PM

Post a comment