Batman: The Killing Joke

Batman: The Killing Joke (2016) is an animated adaptation of the 1988 graphic novel by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. It argues that the Joker has an identity, that his life broke on one particular day, and that he sets out to prove it by putting Gordon through the same thing. The most contested part of the adaptation is a section that does not exist in the comic. The first thirty minutes or so are a prologue given to Barbara Gordon, Batgirl, in which a sexual relationship with Batman is established. It is not in the source. The decision drew heavy criticism from readers, and the core of it was this: adding a relationship with Batman in order to give weight to what happens to her removes her as the subject of her own story. The comic itself has been argued about for years. Alan Moore later said he was not satisfied with it, that what was done to Barbara Gordon was gratuitous, and that it had been a bad decision. Kevin Conroy voices Batman and Mark Hamill voices the Joker. They had been playing those parts since Batman: The Animated Series in 1992, and that is the strongest thing in the film. It was rated R, among the first DC animated features to receive that certificate. It runs 77 minutes. Good for: adult animation, Joker stories, and Conroy and Hamill. Less good for: the added Batgirl section wrecks the tone and is ethically troubling. The graphic design and page composition of the comic do not survive into animation. The violence and the photograph sequence are heavy.