Batman: The Killing Joke

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Batman: The Killing Joke

R

Released Jul 25, 2016

1h 16m

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Animation

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Popcornmeter

35%

Tomatometer

46 Reviews

50%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Batman (Kevin Conroy) must save Commissioner Gordon (Ray Wise) from the Joker's (Mark Hamill) twisted quest to drive him insane.

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Critics Consensus

This stilted retelling of the Joker's origin adds little to its iconic source material, further diminished by some questionable story additions that will have fans demanding justice for Barbara Gordon.

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Ben Travers

IndieWire

Batman: The Killing Joke is borderline unsettling - and not in a good way.

Rated: C+

Jul 25, 2016

Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Filled with rated-R level violence and disturbing content, this is not your Saturday morning or weekday afternoon Batman story.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 16, 2024

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Fans of both the novel and “Batman: The Animated Series” will certainly appreciate what the movie eventually becomes. But getting to that point makes for a puzzling ride.

Rated: 2.5/5

Aug 19, 2022

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

While the first half feels like an extended prologue included as runtime padding, what follows isn't much better, as it deviates from the source material, and worse, emphasizes what was unwieldy about the text.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 11, 2022

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

... scriptwriter Brian Azzarello wrote a half-hour prologue that explored Batgirls retirement from crime fighting. Give the production high marks to the adaptation proper but the addition is problematic at best and misguided at best.

Mar 12, 2022

Full Review

David Gonzalez

The Cinematic Reel

The final product is nothing more than a middle of the line DC animated film that was concentrating more on controversy than giving a film that fans not only wanted, but deserved.

Rated: 2.5/4

Feb 18, 2022

Full Review

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Oaklee D

As a fan of the graphic novel this film has adapted. I can say that it deserved better. the first 25 minutes of the film had no need to be there and it cheapened the second half of the film. It does get points for casting Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill in the roles they are known for as I couldn't picture anyone else voicing them for a killing joke film BUT the movie itself was ok when it should have been great.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/26/25

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Mason T

Okay. We all know that Batgirl segment. But the whole reason is that the story is short. Regardless, I enjoyed watching it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/23/25

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D P

Okay... my teenaged son put this on for us to watch. Not the worse way to spend a weekend night. I even yelled at one of the characters for being stupid.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/25

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Doron G

A disturbing, unapologetically violent masterpiece. If that's your thing, this is the best Batman movie ever!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/06/24

Full Review

Jamie H

Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill deliver an absolute masterpiece in what many complain is "too unsettling". For this movie they have added a 30 minute prologue that involves Batgirl which is a nice slow build to the tone change when the start of the main story kicks in. It's unfortunate that a story like this can only be captured this well being animated. It's been proven time and time again that the best batman stories are the far darker and grittier ones as the joker can really put you on edge in this movie and Conroy's batman matches him perfectly.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/03/24

Full Review

Stephen H

Dissatisfied and disappointed

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/18/24

Full Review

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Sam Liu

Director

Kevin Conroy

Bruce Wayne

Mark Hamill

The Joker

Ray Wise

Commissioner James Gordon

Tara Strong

Batgirl

John DiMaggio

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Batman: The Killing Joke: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Batman (Kevin Conroy) must save Commissioner Gordon (Ray Wise) from the Joker's (Mark Hamill) twisted quest to drive him insane.

Director: Sam Liu
Screenwriter: Brian Azzarello
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Bros.
Rating: R (Some Bloody Images|Disturbing Content)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 25, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 26, 2016
Runtime: 1h 16m

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