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| **RECOMMENDATION: See film for yourself, before reading any further!** |
THE KILLING JOKE makes for a fantastic read but, unfortunately, makes for a pretty lacklustre film.
The graphic novel has been a favourite of mine since I was a kid, so needless to say - I was really looking forward to seeing the animated adaptation!
It's sad to say - the film falls flat in just about every department.
For starters, it suffers from an extremely unfocused plot.
Pretty much the first half of the movie revolves around Batgirl and her relationship with Batman. Now, I LOVE Batgirl! She is, without a doubt, my absolute favourite female character and she is totally deserving of her own films!
Her prologue here, however, is a complete hindrance.
I understand why it's there, but all it does is detract from the over-all experience!
You're here for THE KILLING JOKE, but first - let's watch this OTHER MOVIE!
It's filler. It's fan-service. It's not what I came to see.
Somehow, The Joker manages to take backseat in his own movie.
Structurally, this thing is all over the place and the pacing sucks.
The film is also very disappointing from a technical standpoint.
When we first saw the trailer, I think we were all kinda 'cautiously optimistic'.
The art looked kinda 'meh' but we figured everything else would make up for that, right? WRONG!
Yeah, I know there's a lot of talent behind these productions, and Warner Bros is easily my favourite animation studio. They're a studio behind some mind-blowingly cool stuff, but mind-blowingly cool this is not! In fact, it's pretty damn ugly!
The art sucks. The animation sucks. The framing and compositions suck.
Honestly, it's all rather baffling. If you've read the graphic novel, then you KNOW just how great Brian Bolland's art is! You KNOW how much gorgeous imagery there is to draw from! Dammit! You're basically being spoon fed! Why ignore the genius that is right in front of your faces!?!
The art is so important. In the book, it's the illustrations that emphasise the theme. The story is about madness and so, the art is suitably twisted! It's all there, in the book and it works wonderfully! The writing and the visuals complement one another perfectly! Visually, the film is just dull. It's boring to look at, and what a shame this is.
...
Yeah, I'll admit, I'm very passionate about this stuff. It's my bread and butter, and I DO take it seriously.
That said: please, don't write this off as just some stupid fanboy rant.
I swear, I'm not "butthurt".
I'm not saying you can't or shouldn't enjoy this film.
I'm not saying it's TERRIBLE or that it's a waste of your time.
This is purely one man's opinion.
I don't regret watching the film. It just has A LOT of glaring issues.
...
One of them being Mark Hamill...
YES! I know! I know! Now, before you kill me - just hear me out!
Mark Hamill is The Joker. His depiction of The Clown Prince of Crime is, by far, the most faithful and entertaining to date. The man is a great actor and he knows this character!
However... Someone dropped the ball.
Mark plays a great Joker. He DOESN'T, however, play a good 'pre-acid-dip' Joker.
In the graphic novel, Alan Moore depicts Joker's origin as a tragedy. He depicts this character (again, pre-dip) as an incredibly frail, almost pitiful man, down on his luck. Particular events in the book push this man to his breaking point and [wouldn't you know it] - he breaks!
Mark's performance here (as pre-dip Joker) is misguided to say the least.
I don't know what happened exactly. Ordinarily, Andrea Romano supplies the voice direction for projects such as these. She's a veteran and she knows how to get the best from her actors. This time, Wes Gleason was given the job. I'm sure by now, Mark has a solid grasp on the intricacies of this character but I'm not sure the same can be said for Gleason. So, yeah. I AM gonna blame the direction!
Pre-Joker Joker is (as mentioned before) a pretty pitiful guy, and when tragedy strikes, it shatters his whole world!
Mark's performance is less one of: "Jesus Christ! I've lost everything. My life is over..." and more one of: "Hmm... Well, that's life! Shit happens! I'll get over it!".
It's bizarre! Do you feel the tragedy? No! Not really! You don't! There is very little sense of grief in Mark's delivery, and you really get no sense that this is a pivotal moment for this character.
Obviously (Sarcastic "Spoiler Alert"), the dude loses his mind and The Joker is born, but this transformation is so spontaneous that is seems kinda silly and out of place! It's like an over-reaction - uncalled for - not really warranted, considering the character's composure moments before! It doesn't make much sense and it doesn't mean a lot! The significance is lost.
That's the problem. There is little to no weight to anything that happens in this film. It has no gravity. It's not the story's fault. It's the way the story is told HERE - this adaptation!
The book is structurally sound and carries weight. The film is not and DOES NOT.
Let's face it - the book is iconic. It's well written and gorgeously presented. It's a turning point for so many characters. It's insightful and thought-provoking. It's a fantastic, gritty drama and most importantly - it's creative.
This was an opportunity to get creative - to really make something special.
This adaptation is paint by numbers. It's based on a great story but ultimately, comes off pretty bland because it fails to think for itself or pause to let its audience ponder!
Let me just say this too: this review isn't a 'book versus film' kinda deal.
I understand that they are two totally different mediums - incomparable to certain extents.
I'll just clarify by saying: the film is a poor adaptation. It's simply missing what made THE KILLING JOKE the must-read that it is. The book is not just an origin story - it's a study of the human condition. This exploration and insight is at the heart of the story. It's what makes it meaningful. The film struggles to capture and convey this. Things just happen and then they're over. Again, there's just no weight to it.
What's happened here is: they've taken a solid template, a great script, without knowing how to translate it to screen. Plain and simple.
Man, I could go on and on!
Believe it or not - this was intended to be a BRIEF review.
So, I'll finish up by saying this: The film is entertaining for the most part. It's by no means an insult to the original material but it certainly doesn't do it the justice it deserved. There are some decent performances throughout but they alone, can't make up for what could have been.
At the end of the day, THE KILLING JOKE can be summed up in two words: Missed opportunity.
- Woody
