I ignore most direct-to-video movies, but this one caught my attention via YouTube ads, and it turns out to be pretty popular. Having watched just a little of the Batman Beyond TV series, I had some idea of what to expect. And this wouldn't be the first time I counted a Batman animation among my Halloween season viewings.
In an unspecified future, when a cane-needing Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) publicly resumes his leadership at Wayne Enterprises, he could swear he helped bury a dead Joker (Mark Hamill) about 40 years ago. Yet the party crasher before him looks and sounds exactly the same -- not even any older. Unable to explain this, Bruce wants to dissuade his successor, Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle), from continuing to be Batman. But somehow the Clown Prince of Crime must know both secret identities, because he heads for Bruce while his minions (including one with a Halloween theme, incidentally) go after an uncostumed Terry....
Indeed, this may be the smartest version of the Joker I've ever seen. Certainly the most accomplished in science, as it turns out. I won't say the twist, which requires major suspension of disbelief, but it is in keeping with his twisted nature.
I probably ought to check out more Batman Beyond. Terry's pretty cool, without Bruce's surliness, orphanhood, or hangups about romance, his being with Dana Tan (Lauren Tom). Despite futuristic technology, he relies mostly on athletics. More importantly, he has an interesting dynamic with his mentor, who never even told him about the Joker. He's not an ascended Robin. I understand that Terry initially burglarized the Wayne estate before Bruce took him on in more ways than one; now they both feel guilty and want to make up for that day.
Want more old-school mainstays? Barbara Gordon (Angie Harmon), the former Batgirl, has taken her father's place as police commissioner; either The Killing Joke isn't part of this canon, or medicine has advanced tremendously. Tim Drake (Dean Stockwell), a former Robin, has found success in another career but remains bitter. And Ace the Bat-Hound (Frank Welker), while not superpowered this time, can still pack a mean bite.
A televised version of this feature was more censored, partly because of post-Columbine concerns about TV violence and partly because no prior Batman animation had a PG-13. Funnily enough, I found the uncut version to be the tamest I'd seen this side of The Lego Batman Movie. There's little bloodshed, a low body count, no long-term injuries, no swearing, and no implied sex or nudity, tho you may get a kick (pun intended) out of the scantily clad teen twins (both Melissa Joan Hart) in the Jokerz gang.
The gestalt makes for a fun 78 minutes, fairly intense but rarely close to scary. The Joker, while not wearing his signature purple outfit anymore, retains the wicked sense of humor that made him popular with viewers. I might just make more of a habit of following YouTube movie suggestions -- after gathering other opinions, of course.
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