DA REVIEW:

 

BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER is one of those movies that make it great to be a Batfan. Batman is one of the few characters who is actually perceived best in the cartoon format (excluding the comic) than any other of the huge media formats that have tried their hand at him. Movies? As we got to BATMAN & ROBIN, you can just tell they didn't care about the property one bit, especially with that nipple fetish. The Cartoons got him dead on. First Batman. Then Superman. The the futuristic animated Spin-off, Batman Beyond. This movie can count as either the first Batman Beyond movie, or the third animated Batman movie, after BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM and BATMAN & MR. FREEZE: SUB-ZERO. I like to count it as a movie all on it's own, foregoing and comparisons to the two other animated movies starring the original Dark Knight. But since they threw in the flashback seqeunce, I just gotta.

 

The movie starts out with Batman foiling a Jokerz heist, but it's a new gang who have been stealing big pieces of technological equipment, not the usual cashcards and jewelry - but why? Batman is able to foil them in a spectuacular fight scene in which Batman just takes down the thugs that keep on coming. I like the fact that these Jokerz didn't fall after one punch, but kept on coming back, as well as double teaming him. One the TV show usually they fall one by one, but these guys just kept on comin', and they get away, too - but without their machines and whatnot.

 

We have a couple brief scenes in between the next action peice. There is a brief scene in the cave where it's revealed that Bruce is back as the head of Wayne Powers, after Paxton's departure in KING'S RANSOM; series newcomer Jordan Pryce isn't too happy about that either, since he was next in line. Terry then heads out to the clubs with Dana where he promptly falls asleep. When then cut back to the Jokerz gang's hideout and meet their new leader - none other than the Joker himself! It seems he's back (and tanned, rested, and ready to give this town a wedgie again) and he means business. After some resistance from Bonk (which he pays for), he is ready to head out and attempt to get that equipment he needs, and after reading a computer readout on the places that have it, he knows exactly where he wants to get it.

 

The Joker attacks the party help for Mr. Wayne by WaynePowers, but it serves only as a distraction for part of the Jokerz gang to successfully steal the peice of equipment they need. Bruce Wayne is stunned seeing the Joker alive and they meet face to face. Batman arrives on the scene to scare off the Joker and his crew.

 

What follows next is the most intense fifty minutes of just about any movie I've seen. Everything, save the fate of Nightwing, is revealed. What happened to Tim, Joker, Batman, all of them. It's nice that the flashback is done in the newest animated style; TMS animated it beautifully. Even the Joker/Robin seqeunces are done to near perfection. Another thing that is absolutely astounding about this movie is its musical score. Kristopher Carter is able to provide us with a mix of techno and classical music, so deftly intertwines that in some moments, they blend togethor with the best of ease.

 

Paul Dini has written a killer script for the movie, and the script hits every mark exactly how it should. It impacts on emotion, on action and suspense, and on drama. He also got the Terry/Dana relationship just right, I think. I think they interacted perfectly in the club scenes, and you can get a sense that they have a beautiful relationship, but it's just holding on by a thread. That one small thing can break the relationship. Throughout the series the relationship has been strained constantly, and they even split once, and inexplicably got back together.

 

The Jokerz gang is the first one that's actually scary and intimidating. Every Joker in this group have their own unique attribute which they use deaftly, and they are able to use each other's strenghts as well. The opening battle betwen Batman and the gang reflects this, although I was dissapointed how they handled themselves in the last battle. And, my god, the show off between Joker and Batman (both of them) just have to be seen to be believed. Dini made this so perfectly tense and they just keep going, never losing a step.

 

This movie is the things that dreams are made of, and you can't miss it. I'm rarely excted so much about a simple movie, but this movie is just superb. Don't miss it.
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