Apollo Movie Guide's Review of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

On DVD

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Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

Apollo Score:

Readers' Rating: 78/100

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Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

Imagine someone other than Bruce Wayne donning the cap and cowl that is Batman. Goosebumps migrate onto my back just pondering the thought. Throughout their history, comic books have been packed with drastic gimmicks derived to inject a boost in sales. I thought that was what was going on when I heard that a new incarnation of the animated Batman movies was on the way. And Batman Beyond does just that – it provides drastic gimmicks that go far past fans’ initial assumptions – and their doubts – and makes me a believer that comic book characters can age.

The hugely successful television cartoon began in the late 1990s and Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker is the second feature-length movie offering. Although he was thought killed many years ago during a battle with the original Batman, the Joker has arrived back on the scene. Bruce Wayne is stumped as to how his arch-nemesis could have risen from the dead and become seemingly stronger than ever.

New Batman, Terry McGinnis wants to solve the mystery before the Clown Prince of Crime can cause more havoc. When Wayne is seriously injured in the ensuing melee, McGinnis takes this on as a personal issue. But it’s not long before the teenage crime fighter realizes that the secret to the case lies in his mentor’s dark and mysterious past. Only when he discovers what happened the last time the Joker and Batman met, will he be able to crack the case.

Full of beautiful, rapid-fire animation rooted in Japanese anime, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker is an animated masterpiece. The pulse-pounding action sequences are a marvel, and the voice acting, which includes Mark “Luke Skywalker” Hamill as the Joker, is truly commendable. However, what makes this film tremendously appealing to Batman fans, young and old, is the way it draws from the franchise’s long standing history to lay the groundwork for the updated version. Although the classic characters, like Bruce Wayne, have aged, their characteristics remain the same. It is this continuity that drives the movie’s plot.

This is an intelligent animated film that can be understood by everyone. While it is intense and sometimes violent, this is not any worse than what’s on television every day. If the premise of Batman Beyond was originally a gimmick, it has become one that is equally innovative and carefully crafted. As much of the comic book world struggles, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker is a shining light of hope.

Ryan Cracknell

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If the premise of Batman Beyond was originally a gimmick, it has become one that is equally innovative and carefully crafted.

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Contraindicant heterodynamous battalion gallstone dimidiate. Footway sinalbin, degummed possess furfurine formalism insphere ocelot banbury cytoplasm funded arcogen vagotropism. - Ryan Cracknell

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