Before we begin, I do want to warn you that this article will contain spoilers later on for both the graphic novel and animated adaptation of "Batman: The Killing Joke." However, I will warn you when it gets to that point so feel free to read up until then if you haven't read the graphic novel or seen the film (and I highly recommend you do both). Okay.

"Batman: The Killing Joke" is not only one of the quintessential Batman stories, not only one of the greatest Joker stories, but also a must read for any comic fan! Seriously, if you have any interest in comics whatsoever, you have to read "Killing Joke" because it truly is spectacular. The graphic novel came out in 1988 and was written by the great Alan Moore (author of both V for Vendetta and Watchmen). This story laid the groundwork for the relationship between Batman and The Joker, practically redefining everything we knew about Joker and, to a lesser extent, Batman.

After years of fan requests and anticipation, this story was adapted into an animated movie by DC in 2016. For multiple reasons, this was a big deal. Firstly, one of the greatest graphic novels of all time was going to be adapted to film by DC animation; DC has had a phenomenal track record of animated films and is easily one of the categories it trumps Marvel in, so already there was great hype. On top of that, Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy were reprising their roles as The Joker and Batman, respectively, from "Batman: The Animated Series." To many people, Hamill and Conroy are The Joker and Batman, defining the characters with their portrayal for generations. In fact, Mark Hamill once retired in voicing Joker, noting that he would only reprise the role again if DC was doing an adaptation of "The Killing Joke." This was also the first ever animated DC film to receive an R rating, completely justified due to the source material I might add. Lastly, Bruce Timm, one of the masterminds behind "Batman: TAS," and Brian Azzarello, a great comic book writer, were taking part in the production. Well, we're finally here. "Batman: The Killing Joke" was released in theaters across the nation for select screenings because of its popularity. And...reception of the film has been mixed to say the least.

Huh...well...that was unexpected. Or was it...? After all of the anticipation and hype surrounding this movie, is it really surprising that many people have come away disappointed? I don't think so. However, I must honestly say that I was not disappointed by this adaptation. Before we continue, I feel I must note that I have been a humongous fan of Batman, The Joker, and this story in particular. Batman and Joker are two of my all time favorite fictional characters and, like pretty much everyone else, I find "The Killing Joke" to be a seminal example of how great comics and graphic novels can be. That being said, I am more than capable of setting aside my mindset as a fan when approaching a movie like this.

Much criticism has been directed toward a 20 to 30 minute prologue focusing primarily on Batgirl as she and Batman attempt to track down and defeat a new crime boss. This storyline was not included in the graphic novel and was included in the film in order to provide more depth to the character of Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. To be honest, this is also my biggest gripe with the movie, though I do not dislike it as much as many others do. I admire the attempt to add more depth to Batgirl, as the graphic novel hinges heavily on readers having prior knowledge of the character in order for a certain moment to hit hard. This segment certainly did feel disconnected from "The Killing Joke" as a whole, unfortunately, in spite of its good intentions. Honestly, it felt like an episode of a television show that was building up to a season finale to some degree. And there was also that scene, which I will address later in the spoiler section. So yes, overall, the beginning of the film was rather disappointing, though not terrible in my opinion.

However, the rest of the movie, the part that is an adaptation of "The Killing Joke," is absolutely phenomenal! Truth be told, I can forgive the beginning's shortcomings because of how well this was done. It was all worth it for this golden material. Conroy and Hamill are in top form, bringing these characters to life yet again with such great depth. They nail every scene, especially when they are together. The finale scene between them was stellar and gave me chills because of how well done it turned out to be. Not only that, but there is a musical number (yes, you read that right) that is equally fun and peppy but at the same time chilling and disturbing. Any movie that is capable of pulling that off is certainly worth praising. In my opinion, the animation was great too, though not the best I've ever seen and it did take a little to get used to. But some scenes and the imagery within them are beautifully terrifying. So, to sum up, I truly enjoyed this film in spite of it's shortcomings in the beginning and will gladly revisit it for its phenomenal portrayal of the source material.

Warning: Spoilers for both the graphic novel and movie are below!

Okay, so some spoiler talk now! I guess I should start with the aforementioned that scene. In the Batgirl-centric prologue, Batman and Batgirl are tracking down a new crime boss that becomes infatuated with Batgirl, feeling an overwhelming desire to be with her and her alone, no matter how he gets her. After a mistake in which Batgirl attempts to confront the creep on her own, Batman tells her she needs to be taken off the case as she's being driven to far and the criminal has begun to make it personal. Batgirl becomes infuriated with her mentor, as she feels thrill pretty much only when she is out fighting crime. The two fight and after Batgirl overpowers Batman, she kisses him. They then proceed to have sex. This threw many fans, including myself, off guard to varying degrees. Personally, I did not like that the two of them had sex, but I also think that's the intention. We aren't supposed to like it because the characters regret their decision afterwards and they are driven apart. This was not a healthy decision made by either of them, they got caught up in a moment of passion and released their tension. Really, the jarring aspect is that many do not view these two characters in this light, so it threw people off guard like I said before. In my opinion, it was an interesting decision, though it probably didn't land to the degree the creators were hoping for.

Cool, so that's out of the way. Now I'm just going to briefly touch on a few of my favorite scenes. We'll start with the most controversial scene of the graphic novel: The Joker shooting Barbara Gordon in the spine while her father can only watch in horror as writhes in pain on the floor. Yeah, it's really messed up and the movie gave us just that. One of the most terrifying Joker images ever, Barbara bleeding on the floor as her legs are dis configured, ominously harsh music, and Joker towering over her as he distastefully quips about her state. It was honestly as disturbing as I could have hoped, as sick as that sounds. I knew it was coming and it was still hard to watch it all unfold.

The next scene is the musical number I talked about earlier. The song is entitled "I Go Looney" and is such a blast to watch for multiple reasons. The comic had a similar musical number but obviously you can't read words and turn it into a song in your head easily so I could never fully picture the scene as it was intended...until the movie. Mark Hamill brings so much energy to the song and it's honestly just so catchy. It's been stuck in my head all week. What makes this scene truly stand out though is the imagery. As the song plays, Commissioner Gordon is going on a roller coaster of hell. The Joker didn't just shoot Barbara. After his goons took her father away, Joker stripped her and took pictures that he displays on this roller coaster. Gordon can only scream his daughter's name in horror as he looks at these grisly and disturbing images of his child. Again, not many scenes like this can be effectively pulled off so I really wanted to point out how well it was done.

Finally, we come to the climax of the story. The chilling, beautiful, ambiguous as hell climax. Joker's entire point in his vile plot is that anyone can go as mad as him because of having one bad day, just as what happened to him a long time ago. He attempted to do this to Commissioner Gordon but ended up failing. When Batman defeats him, Joker expects the typical beat-down he receives and to be returned to Arkham Asylum once again. But this time, Batman refuses to do this. Batman knows that, at some point, the fight between him and The Joker will end with one of them killing the other, even though it is the last thing he wants. In a final plea to his greatest rival, he calmly tells The Joker, "I don't know what it was that bent your life out of shape, but maybe...I've been there too." Batman offers to help and rehabilitate The Joker, in spite of everything he's done in the past. Maybe the two can help each other instead of kill each other. Joker stares up at Batman, not with anger, not with a sense of humor, not even with insanity, but with regret. He gets up and says, "I'm sorry, but no. No, it's far too late for that." In this brief moment, Joker talks to Batman as the man he was before his one bad day. But this flash of sanity leaves him as quick as a bolt of lightning and he tells a joke. Joker begins to laugh and Batman joins in. The two share this moment together and the camera pans down. Joker stops laughing, then Batman, and the film ends. Right here is my absolute favorite moment of both the movie and source material as it is truly genuine and puts both characters on equal footing. Conroy's calm voice truly made his plea to Joker genuinely heartwarming, and Hamill's delivery of the response was truly heartbreaking. To me, this scene alone makes the entire movie worth it, and why I will regard it as one of the best DC animated films, in spite of it's flaws.

I hope you enjoyed this read. Feel free to like, share, and comment your own thoughts on "Batman: The Killing Joke."