Wa-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaaaaaaa!

Finally got my unedited copy…definitely much cooler than the “official” version that’s been released by WHV, although I’d advise you all to go out there and buy the edited version, anyhow. Not only to support the show, but because it is still a totally awesome film, and you *DO* *NOT* want to miss out on it.

Words cannot describe Mark Hamill’s performance. In the old B:TAS eps, he made us laugh and gave us goosebumps simultaneously. In this film, he’s so twisted, so sick…and yet somehow, so darned charismatic…just fabulous. This is one of the most demanding parts in the history of all animation, and he rises to the part fabulously. There are tons of cuts in the official version (you’ve all seen the list), but the two that are absolutely unforgivable are two of Hamill’s greatest moments: the “Batfart” line, and his death scene. The latter is the bit where Tim Drake shoots his new surrogate “Dad,” not with a bullet, but with a little flag that reads “Bang.” Joker falls over, and delivers the punchline of his life: “That’s…not…funny.” The line is delivered with just the right amount of comedy and pathos. Great, great stuff.

The flashback scene was definitely the highlight of the film for me. What Joker does is just rotten. He’s decided that it’s time to bring about the end of the Batman, and he’s got his heart set not on killing him physically, so much as cold-bloodedly murdering him mentally. He takes everything that matters to Bruce, everything that he values, and makes one, big, sick joke out of it all. His corruption of Robin is one of the most twisted, evil things he could do. And one of the most effective shots in the whole film for me was the pan on Batman, as he’s standing before the screen, and the Joker slowly, cruelly, peels away every layer that Bruce has built up over the years, until his final, taunting remark, that behind it all, he’s nothing but “a big kid in a costume, crying for mommy.” Brrr.

Not to dismiss that scenes in the “present” (that is to say, the future). This film did something that I didn’t think possible—I liked Terry. I didn’t care for him much in the beginning of the series…I’ve grown to tolerate him…but this was the first time I really, really liked him. His first big moment comes in the Batcave, when Bruce asks him to return the suit—to stop being Batman. Terry’s speech about redeeming himself was wonderful. I could finally see where Terry was coming from—why the wants to be Batman (something I never thought was terribly clear on the show). What they didn’t get across in 40-something episodes of the show, they did in a monologue that probably didn’t last more than a minute. Will Friedle’s vocal performance really sells, it too. And Friedle gets another huge moment near the end of the film, during his final confrontation with the Joker. His distinctly un-Batmanish methods of dealing with the villain not only help to distinguish him from Bruce, but show that the kid really has some smarts. Seeing the Joker have his own game turned on him was one of the most memorable moments in ‘Batman’ animation canon. Awesome, awesome stuff.

As for original characters: The new Jokerz are pretty good…a few notches above the regular Jokerz on the show, at any rate. Notable are the overweight-guy-in-a-mask Bonk, the adorable-and-scantily-clad Dee Dees, and the spoooooky Ghoul (vocal caricature of Christopher Walken—the WBA peoples just can’t get enough of this guy! =). Price was pretty one-dimensional / nonfunctional in the plot (Dini mentioned in the vocal commentary that he was supposed to be the “red herring” to the Joker’s identity—hence, why he was voiced by Hamill—but a lot of his screentime was cut). The plot of Bruce returning to his company wasn’t really played upon much either—but what can ya do.

Animation isn’t bad—a bit subpar for TMS, I think (the drawings themselves are gorgeous, but the actual animation is a bit choppy at points). Still, quite nice. The music score isn’t my cup a’ joe, of course, but it’s pretty funky, and has some neat combinations of blues / heavy metal / etc., as some articles have reported…

The DVD features aren’t spectacular, although the producers’ commentary is interesting / amusing at times, and the pencil animations of several scenes (including two that were cut from the film before they could be animated) are interesting as well. The music video and “behind-the-scenes” special were rather corny (and I couldn’t help noticing that Kevin Conroy looked a lot older than the last photo I saw of him, circa 1992…he’s not sick or anything, is he?).

But anyhow…great flick. If you haven’t seen it, go do so.

C’mon.

What the heck are you waiting for?! GO!
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