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Batman Beyond - Return of the Joker

Batman Beyond - Return of the Joker

List Price: $14.97
Your Price: $13.47
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Hmmmm.
Review: I'm not sure of what to say about this film. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I wanted to. All I'm saying is that don't let the other reviews get your hopres up iif you are both an anime and Batman fan. Its good but, it could of been better. Or maybe I just like the JOker better than batman. hehehehehehehhe >:>

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A classic Batman story
Review: If you are a fan of Batman, buy this movie. Though I only saw the edited version of this movie, I thouroughly enjoyed it. It has all the elements that make a classic Batman story. Bruce Wayne`s guilt at the danger his partners are exposed to, classic detective story twists, and an ending that put a lump in my throat. Though this story is geared towards a younger audience, it has depth and intrigue that will hold the attention of most adults. A great movie, and one that any fan of Batman should own.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Despite edits - this film is a winner for Bat fans!!
Review: It's natural that many Batman & Batman Beyond fans would be upset at the news that this film would be edited prior to being released. Having never seen the "uncut" version, I was apprehensive as well. I needn't have worried. BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER is yet another solid effort from the creators who have given new vigor to this franchise through their fine work in the original FOX & WB animated series and now in this sequel. As always, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are solid as Bruce Wayne/the original Batman & the Joker respectively. The story is dark and original enough to please the die-hard fan, while it answers questions regarding the fates of such characters as the Tim Drake Robin and Harley Quinn. If the film ever does come out in a "director's cut", I will be interested to see it. But don't let the hype about the editing prevent you from seeing this enjoyable edition to the Batman saga.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Hang On -- DVD Owners!!
Review: This review is on the DVD version of the film. I will review the Film and the DVD extras seperately.

The Film: I think people are making a big deal out of nothing about these edited scenes -- not to spoil the movie but the viewer knew exactly what was going on at every point in this animated feature -- and sometimes our imagination is more powerful and can add more to the movie experience. This movie's animation is first rate -- the action is very exciting and the film does not lull at anytime. A great film for old and new fans. This film also has quite a bit of twists -- its like an animated Sixth Sense! So sit back with a bag of popcorn turn the volume up and enjoy!

DVD Extras: The movie trailer for Return of the Joker really gets your blood pumping! The DVD also has additional movie trailers for other Warner Brothers features. This DVD has an excellant voice track with the animators, storyboard artists and produces which give you alot of trivia and ideas on the film. A deleted scene is also included but it is not cleaned up or painted. Warning do not look at the Character Bios before watching the movie or it will spoil the ending for you! The music video features an artist that looks like a cross between Batman Beyond and Gene Simmons -- maybe a little too much for someone very young. Also the DVD has a good documentary about how the film was made.

If you are a fan of Batman the Animated Series or Batman Beyond -- you will not be disappointed -- buy this DVD!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Movie minus key elements=batman beyond: return of the joker
Review: This movie is a disgrace to the mature fans of WB cartoons. It is obvious to me that two major factors have influenced the WB's decision to so improperly edit this fantastic movie.

First of all, I think the WB thought that Al Gore and his censorship committee (aka:Tipper and Lieberman) were going to win the white house and put a big hurt on media violence in youth targeted markets. I shouldn't get into it here, but they are really bent on ignoring real problems like drugs and poor schools and instead focusing on psuedo-problems like cartoon violence.

Second, (and this relates to my previous topic) it is obvious that the Batman animators and creators are really scared that Pokemon and it's bretheren from Japan are positioned to totally subdue the american cartoon industry. Parents (and politicians) reject cartoons with strong content, therefore, Batman was toned down so that it wouldn't lose money :(

Ok, and one last thing, this movie was good but I still like mask of the phantasm better, it is a modern classic. Oh yeah, and I shouldn't mention this so I'll keep it extremely general: has anyone noticed that a lot of the product review on amazon.com look professionaly written, are short and too the point, and give the product a rating of 5/5? hhmmmmmmmmm, looks fishy to me :)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Loved it
Review: I think anyone who is psyched for Batman Beyond or Batman would enjoy this movie. The action is on par with any Batman Beyond episode. Even though the detective work is not up to the original Batman style, the constant unfolding of the plot, in addition to the constant recounting of Batman history, makes up for that. There are also a lot of nice little satisfying loose ends that get tied up. Finally, the final scene involving Batman and the Joker is just plain cool. My only complaint is that the rockin tunes that made the original BB movie so good are back, but they are quite hidden in the background...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I agree, but disagree...
Review: All right, first of all I agree that the original cut of the film is superior, and yes, I do have a copy of it. However, I've also bought the edited, "official" version. Why? Two reasons. First of all, I wanted the movie on DVD. Secondly, and this is the reason why any Batman fan should buy this movie and convince all their friends to buy it as well, it's showing support. Not support of censorship, but support of the series, support of the characters, and support of Paul Dini, Bruce Timm, and Alan Burnett who worked their buns off to get this movie out. It wasn't their choice to cut the movie, they were forced to do it by Warner Bros, but why should their success have to suffer? Even edited, Return of the Joker is a powerful and exciting film. It deserves our support, as does the series (which is on the verge of cancellation from what I understand). Buy the DVD, but send Warner Bros. a letter explaining that you're disappointed that they didn't release the film the way its creators intended, and that it's out of support for the show that you bought the inferior cut.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I know this wasn't the intended vision but...
Review: It's still a classic. Yes, I realize that it was edited. Yes, I realize that it was probably even better. It still is hard to improve on such a fantasic story. There were times when I just sat slack jawed at what I had just seen. If you are a Batman fan you must see this. I'd tell you more about it but that would ruin the suprise.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: incredible uncut, mediocre and insulting in this version
Review: Some people may argue that it was justifiable to edit down the original version of this movie in order to release it for children. Those people are wrong, and there's no way they could say that if they'd seen the uncut version. The parts which were edited out are incredibly crucial to the plot of the movie, and delve beautifully into Batman as a character and the Joker as the most insane and maniacal villain of them all.

If WB ever releases the real version of this movie, buy that. Until they do, don't bother.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Toned Down Or Not, Return Of The Joker Shines In The Dark
Review: Much has been made about how this first feature-length Batman Beynd movie was heavily edited to tone down its violence following Congressional condemnation of TV and movie violence marketed toward children. At first I feared that the film would have no power as an edited version.

Having now seen the film and also read about the scenes that were either changed or deleted, I am struck that not only does it retain tremendous power in edited form, it seems the edits have actually helped the film's power.

Much of the change in the film comes in the nightmarish flashback sequence - the Joker electrocutes Tim Drake; he stabs Batman; he himself is shot to death. Other deleted or changed scenes include the death of Bonk and a scene where Terry McGuiness as Batman is hit by a stun gun. Blood is nowhere to be found in the edited version of the film but was included in the original.

Such scenes don't seem to add much to the film's power; more to the point, they come off more as repellent than as genuinely effectful. Call it the Blair Witch Effect - what you can't see is more genuinely terrifying than what you can.

A few deleted scenes unquestionably do add power to the story. In the club fight the fat clown Chucko merely says, "Slag him!" But in a piece of dialogue that was deleted, he wonders aloud why the Joker wants Terry McGuiness killed. The change alters the whole dynamic of the story, giving the impression that the Jokerz gang is in on Terry's secret.

Also, when the Joker uses the hijacked laser cannon to blast away at the Batmobile, one building destroyed was changed from a lit movie theater (in a few frames the word cineplex can be seen) to an abandoned structure. This is a scene where indication of fatalities does add to the power of the story, conveying once and for all that the Joker is no comedic villian but a genuine terrorist.

But in the end, the controversy over the film's violence detracts from its real strength - the interaction and exploration of the characters. The action scenes are plentiful and superbly animated - I especially liked the scene where Batman/Terry McGuiness battles several Jokerz on a yacht that is promptly blasted out of the ocean by a giant spaceborne laser cannon - but these are secondary to the portrayals of the ghosts of Batman's life as well as the lives of others who were members of his crime-fighting effort. Terry first fights with a gang of Jokerz trying to steal a power generator, and later this same gang shows up when Bruce attends a dinner to officially return to control of his multinational conglomorate. The Jokerz, however, are not alone, for they have been joined by the genuine article, long thought dead (even the gangsters themselves are initially skeptical of the Clown Prince of Crime's bona fides).

Bruce then brusquely tells Terry to turn in the supercostume. Terry protests, insisting that the life of Batman is the life he wants - NEEDS - to lead. When Bruce pays no heed, Terry realizes that he needs to get the background on The Joker to figure out what is going on and why Bruce is so fearful of him. When Bruce himself is attacked in the Batcave and near-fatally gassed by The Joker, Terry gets the background he needs from Commissioner Barbara Gordon, and in the process he learns the fate of the most recent Robin - and also the frightening role he plays in The Joker's return.

This flashback sequence is superbly handled, edited or not. Not only is the return of the Joker welcome, even more welcome is that Warner Brothers has abandoned the Spy Versus Spy-influenced character design that made The Joker look thoroughly tacky and returned to the traditional look, here displaying Bruce Timm's artistic influence, that is immortal. Also returning is The Joker's love "interest" Harley Quinn, and both Mark Hamill and Arleen Sorkin steal the show completely - but then The Joker and Harley are thieves, aren't they?

The funniest scene comes at the end when the film's Jokerz versions of James Bond's Bambi and Thumper, named Dee Dee, are bailed out of jail by their grandmother, who promptly spanks them, and in the process we learn who these ladies are. This is followed by the film's best overall scene, as a hospital visit allows the final healing of old wounds.

The movie's only flaw is that it sees fit to include the useless Dana Tan character in two scenes, including the key club fight sequence between The Jokerz and Terry. Far more appropriate would have been the inclusion of Terry's other, more sympathetic and important, girlfriend Max.

With the release of the director's cut on DVD the full version can be seen, but it is still hard to see how more graphic footage could have improved what is an apex in the Batman & Batman Beyond mythos.


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