Batman: The Killing Joke Movie Review. Share. This adaptation should be a slam dunk for DC. It's adapted from the seminal graphic novel from writer Alan Moore and artist Brian Bolland. The race for the presidency is heating up as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both try to dismantle each other’s credibility. This time it is a rumor from the 90s. It features several key actors from Batman: The Animated Series reprising their iconic roles. And it's only the second Batman film (after the extended cut of Batman v Superman) to earn an R- rating, suggesting a darker, more visceral Batman story in line with the source material. The screen shot of a Bolton shield wall: looks like the Wildlings are about to be on the receiving end of those spears; they’re on foot, some of their coats are in.
Unfortunately, the movie is brought down by its attempts to veer away from that source material. For much of its 7. The Killing Joke serves as a very straightforward adaptation of the graphic novel. The movie explores the twisted bond between Batman (Kevin Conroy) and Joker (Mark Hamill) as the Clown Prince of Crime embarks on one of his most terrible crime sprees yet. As Joker puts it, his goal is . And to do so, he sets his sights on two of Batman's closest allies, Commissioner Gordon (Ray Wise) and his daughter, Barbara (Tara Strong). So far, so good, right? The rub is that The Killing Joke is a fairly short book and not really great fodder for a full- length film (even one with such a modest run time). That requires director Sam Liu and writer Brian Azzarello to expand the original story and embellish the conflict a little. To do so, Azzarello's script basically adds on an entirely new opening act, one that fleshes out the relationship between Batman and Batgirl in this particular universe. Theoretically, this should be exactly what The Killing Joke needs. The Killing Joke is perhaps the quintessential Batman/Joker tale, but it's a terrible Batgirl story. She's less a character than a plot device, one who's maimed and degraded by the villain in order to provide motivation for the hero. It's one of the more notable examples of a dark trend that plagued superhero comics in the '8. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill return to Gotham City once more. The idea of an adaptation that expands Batgirl's role and makes her a more active participant in the story seems like the perfect way to make amends. Instead, that's exactly where the movie stumbles. It takes the already troubling depiction of Batgirl and makes it much, much worse. And the movie accomplishes that feat through the misguided decision to portray Batman and Batgirl as lovers as well as crime- fighting partners. Maybe there are some incarnations of the DCU where that relationship makes sense, but this isn't one of them. It's not even an age thing. Regardless of whatever age gap might exist between Bruce Wayne and Barbara Gordon in this animated continuity, it's clear they're both consenting adults. The creep factor comes from the fact that Batgirl has such a clearly subordinate relationship to Batman. He's the seasoned veteran and mentor. She's the newbie pupil. That Batman would take advantage of that relationship reflects very poorly on him as a superhero. That's to say nothing of the fact that he's essentially fooling around with his best friend's daughter on the sly. Between this movie and last year's Arkham Knight video game, it's enough to wonder what happened to the classic Dick Grayson/Barbara Gordon romance. The Batman/Batgirl romance is weird and skeevy, but it would be one thing if it actually added something to the story. Instead, it results in a dull, meandering storyline involving Batgirl chasing after a suave, misogynistic gangster named Paris Franz (Maury Sterling) while simultaneously butting heads with Batman at every turn. Her greatest concern in life is not battling evil, but that her costumed boyfriend doesn't pay enough attention to her. Like the lead in a bad romantic comedy, she pouts and makes boneheaded decisions in the heat of battle because she's too distracted by her lousy love life to focus on superhero- ing. That's not the Batgirl fans know and love. She's a bad joke. Worst of all, none of this opening act has any real bearing on the remainder of the film. Batgirl still comes across as a sacrificial lamb in the end. Her insipid romantic drama adds no weight to her eventual trauma. Franz himself is an utterly pointless addition to the conflict. Nor does this material do anything to flesh out the elder Gordon's role in the story or explore why Batman suddenly develops such a fatalistic stance on his rivalry with Joker. The first half- hour of the film can be cut completely with no impact on the remaining 4. Frankly, that half- hour should be cut. It's poorly paced and feels like it belongs in a completely different film. The Killing Joke flounders whenever it attempts to deviate from the source material. The good news is that those final 4. Many key shots mirror panels from the comic - the encounter between Batman and the impostor Joker in Arkham, the reveal of the true Joker later on, Gordon's frantic fun- house ride, etc. It's a pity the animation isn't detailed enough to truly replicate the feel of Bolland's intricately rendered comic book art, but Liu and the animators make the most of their limited resources. Some of the Joker- related imagery is quite haunting, especially the various rictus grin- adorned corpses he leaves in his wake. The sepia- toned flashbacks also stand out, hearkening back to the noir/Art Deco flavor of Batman: The Animated Series. Much of the dialogue is lifted directly from the comic, too. Even if some of Moore's razor- sharp prose sounds a little odd spoken aloud rather than being read on the page (a problem common to slavish comic book adaptations like Watchmen and Sin City), there's a great appeal in seeing Conroy and Hamill give voice to such an iconic story. Given how much both have come to define their respective roles, it's tough to imagine anyone else reading those lines. Hamill is particularly impressive as he delivers one of his most well- rounded Joker performances ever. There's plenty of the gleeful, sadistic Joker on tap. But Hamill also has the chance to explore Joker's saner, more lucid side in a pivotal scene where the villain is forced to finally take stock of the course his life has taken. And that's to say nothing of the recurring flashbacks, which offer a glimpse (real or imagined) of the ordinary man Joker was before his . Hamill brings out the character's humanity, even as shades of the psychopath lurking within are there along the margins. There's even a brief musical number for those who didn't get enough of the singing, dancing Joker from the Arkham games. For her part, Strong's performance is decent despite the often painfully limiting material. There's a palpable shift in her line delivery as Barbara transitions from costumed avenger to ordinary, weary civilian. Wise is the one real disappointment in terms of the voice cast. His bland delivery doesn't do justice to a character who's put through a terrible psychological ordeal. It's unfortunate that Bob Hastings (the voice of Gordon in Batman: The Animated Series) passed away in 2. Conroy, Hamill and Strong. Try as it might, this movie can't diminish the fundamental appeal of the original comic. It offers a very poignant and intelligent look at the doomed relationship between Batman and Joker. It showcases the Clown Prince of Crime in a rare period of vulnerability while still reminding viewers how deadly and twisted he is. It makes use of the R- rating without being pointlessly gratuitous in terms of sex and violence. And there's that wonderfully ambiguous ending, which arguably works even better with Conroy and Hamill's voices bringing it to life. This is still a great Batman/Joker story. It's just an even more terrible Batgirl story. The Verdict. There's probably a way to expand on the events of The Killing Joke and craft a story that doesn't elevate Batman and Joker at the expense of Batgirl. Sadly, this movie doesn't find the answer. As an adaptation, The Killing Joke succeeds only when it sticks closely to the source material. Its attempts to embellish the original story end in disaster. Fans of that story or Joker in general should give it a watch, but maybe fast- forward through those first 3. Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans. One small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the invaders. And life is not easy for the Roman legionaries who garrison the fortified camps of Totorum, Aquarium, Laudanum and Compendium.. The comics are also commonly referred as Ast. Gaius Julius Caesar has all but conquered continental Europe, except for a few pockets of resistance. One of those pockets of resistance is a small but plucky village in Armorica, Gaul (Brittany, pre- medieval France), which has held back the Romans thanks to a Super Strength- granting magic potion. The village happens to be the home of our hero, a small but plucky Gaul named Ast. Along with his loveable lug partner, monolith craftsman Ob. In many of the books, Ast. These plots allow for the most satire of different cultures and nationalities. In the second type of plot, a new plan by the Romans or an unexpected threat from outside brings danger and excitement to the village. These plots allow character development of the various villagers and their relationships. Occasionally, a small (and very persistent) band of pirates (a parody of another comic series, Barbe Rouge) makes a cameo appearance; their ship was scuttled by the potion- enhanced Gauls in an early story — since that initial appearance, they are usually seen either paddling frantically away from any Gauls they encounter, or coming across the Gaulish warriors during an incidental encounter and getting scuttled again (or even scuttling their ship themselves to minimize damage). Part of the appeal of the series is probably the variety of humor, which includes slapstick fight scenes, plenty of wordplay, thinly- veiled social commentary, and Iron Age and Roman antiquity versions of just about every European (and beyond) stereotype you can imagine. The series has some of the best translations of any comic- book ever; they're smart enough to keep the basic story while making new puns in the appropriate language. After decades of solo work, Uderzo retired in 2. Jean- Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad. The latter did the character design for The Road to El Dorado, but has stuck with Uderzo's style. The latest album was released worldwide in October 2. Now with a recap page under construction and separate pages for the The Twelve Tasks of Asterix and The Mansions of the Gods animated movies. Accidental Marriage: Happens to Ob. To The Chief's Daughter, of course. The Ace: Asterix. Also Tragicomix - a much more realistically drawn 'heroic' figure who isn't even funny. Acrofatic: Ob. As a side effect of the magic potion, he's also an insanely fast runner who can do acrobatics easily, since his weight is not a big deal. One of the more hilarious examples is when he tries to teach Dogmatix how to do tricks, such as playing catch using menhirs instead of a stick. Acting Unnatural: In The Roman Agent, the villagers begin suspecting Asterix of being a friend of the Romans. Eventually, a fight breaks out over it, but everyone tries to . The villagers stop fighting, but stay in the same big pile, which confuses Asterix further, because the villagers are more likely to be seen fighting than they are relaxing. Action Insurance Gag: The pirates frequently run into the Gauls on their brand- new ships which they just paid for or had to leave some of their crew as hostages/sell into slavery for. Adjective Animal Alehouse: The Jolly Boar, from Ast. In fact, they tend to join forces every time someone tries to usurp Caesar, since they know that if anyone more ruthless than Julius was on the throne, it would completely upset the balance between them. Affectionate Parody: The pirates are a parody of different pirates from another comic series, Barbe Rouge (or Redbeard). Alcohol Hic: A drunken Roman legionary in Asterix in Britain goes not only . Both cartoon and live- action ones have used the same material, and stories sometimes get combined into one movie. Altum Videtur: Frequently. Justified, in that it is set after the Roman conquest. Several of the albums have also been translated to Latin, which is partly this, partly a subversion, and part justified as studying aids. Amusing Injuries: Sustained by all manner of Roman legionaries, bandits, pirates, etc. Anachronism Stew: A lot. And deliberate, most of the time. The Romans tend to wear segmented plate armor (called lorica segmentata by historians today) which was invented after Julius Caesar's time. However, the correct alternatives are also shown — chain mail for legionaries and Greek- style cuirasses or breastplates for officers. The Michelin Man also appears in the international version of Ast. Potatoes didn't reach Europe until the 1. Ast. This may be a reference to Asterix And The Great Crossing. Valuaddedtax also pulls some out of a cauldron in Ast. During their voyage to Palestine in Ast. The Flavian Amphitheatre, also known as the Colosseum, which features in Ast. The Gothic footsoldiers in Ast. They also wear helmets reminiscent of pickelhaubes, but this was likely deliberatestereotyping. There are several references to the . Caesar governed the Roman Republic. Pretty much everything involving Egyptians. Worship of most of their ancient gods, hieroglyphs - all of it was dead around 5. BC. While the historical conquest of Gaul took place in 5. BC, it is depicted in the stories as taking place decades earlier than the main timeframe of the stories, notably when several middle- aged characters are depicted as being young at the time, and the villagers already fighting Romans when Ast. While the stories are not explicitly set in 5. BC, they are still set before Caesar's death in 4. BC. Animated Adaptation: Eight of them so far, of varying quality. Technically only seven are straight- up adaptations; The Twelve Tasks of Ast. Sometime in the early 2. Ast. His portrayal was based on how he appears in the Commentaries on the Gallic War, required reading for Latin students back when everyone did Latin at school. Armed Farces: The bulk of the Roman army is portrayed as a bunch of incompetent and weak losers. Art Evolution: Notably, Asterix and Obelix both started off quite crude and lumpy- looking but got more rounded, cuter features. Obelix also traded pointed helmet horns for small nubby ones, lost his body hair, and stopped carrying an axe. Cacofonix was altered from an older man to look like he was in his late twenties or so, became much skinnier and more angular, and his hair went from a smooth bob to Barbarian Longhair with a sticky- up fringe and finally to an entertainingly anachronistic '7. Fulliautomatix completely changes in both face and body from a rather plain overweight late- 4. He also stopped wearing a shirt and replaced it with a leather apron. Obelix's dog, Dogmatix, also goes from a squarer, more terrier- like look with drooping ears to a more anthropomorphised, Disney- like appearance with raised ears, within the same story. Take a look at the earliest appearance of Ast. Now pick your jaw up off the floor. Happened again with the movies — from Ast. They had shading, for Toutatis' sake! A bit of it happens even within the very first book. Take a look at Caesar in the first page of Ast. Notice some little differences? Artistic License . Also, there appears to be no language barriers between the Celtic, Iberian, Lusitanian, Breton and Belgian tribes, the Greek and the Romans. Or even Persians and Indians. This is so omnipresent that it doesn't really deserve breaking down further, but it's interesting to see historical accuracy flop back and forth depending on how seriously we are supposed to take a part. For instance, most of the times we see writing in the series, the characters carve it into tablets, even for disposable things like memos or personal letters or teaching to children - mostly because it's really funny imagining a Roman bureaucrat having to carve twelve huge slabs of rock just to induct a new legionnaire. However, in one scene where Asterix is planning a bank robbery and makes a diagram of their plan of attack, he does it on a diptych wax tablet, which is what someone in his time period would actually have used for making notes that would have to be quickly disposed of later. Historical inaccuracy in Asterix comes in a few flavours . It was extensively researched by the creators, who both visited museums to speak with expert historians and read primary sources, and then all of the research was ignored so they could do something they found funny instead. Some fudged details and dates . He goes further than any villain previous and burns the village down. Fortunately Caesar rebuilds it out of honor and gratitude. As Long as It Sounds Foreign: The Native American dialogue in Ast. Eventually turned into a Running Gag (even lampshading it, with Ob. To the point that the expression . In some of the later books, such as Ast! They Really Do Love Each Other: Non romantic example. The village hates Cacofonix's warbling and will resort to restraining him or smashing him over the head with a hammer to make him stop. However as soon as he's in danger they'll drop everything to save him. Badass in Distress: Averted in . The Britons sport mustaches Nigel Thornberry would be proud of. Virtually every Celtic tribe (Belgians, Britons, Goths, Hispanics, Lusitanians) has long moustaches. The only exceptions are the Helvetians who have moustaches and beards. The Corsicans, Egyptians and Romans are clean shaven. The Greeks are either fully bearded or clean shaven, but nothing in between. Badass Normal: The Vikings. They can go toe to toe with Ast. Belgian fries and mussels are invented in . Or hurt his canine pet, Dogmatix. While we're at it, never harm a tree in front of Dogmatix, either, or you'll be facing double jeopardy: the little canine will sink his teeth into your buttocks, after which Ob. Cacofonix's singing acts as a Universal Berserk Button for the entire village, too. Especially Fulliautomatix.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2016
Categories |