Batman: The Killing Joke

R

Released Jul 25, 2016

1 hr. 16 min.

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Animation

TRAILER

for Batman: The Killing Joke: Trailer 1

List

35%

46 Reviews

Tomatometer

50%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Jan 02

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent Batman: The Killing Joke on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

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.

Read Critics Reviews

matthias s

"The Killing Joke" is a must-see for fans of Batman and the Joker. The second part of this film does justice to the source material, delivering a dark and thought-provoking story that is both thrilling and emotional. The voice acting, animation, and storytelling all come together to create a memorable movie that will stay with you long after the credits roll.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/09/23

Full Review

Ric

Despite people and their negative ratings, I feel like this is a pretty fun movie, with its many, many memes and tiktoks stemming off of it. Not a "must watch", but something fun to see and remind you of the comics.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/23/23

Full Review

Retro C

Although Marvel's domination in terms of their live-action output perseveres, one shouldn't downplay just how good DC's animated films have been over the past few years so the prospect of an adaptation of Alan Moore's iconic graphic novel sounded like a potentially great idea. The first animated Batman feature to be released in cinemas for a long time, Batman: The Killing Joke reunites Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as Batman and The Joker respectively in one of the Dark Knight's most famously brutal and controversial stories. The film was met with criticism when it was revealed that the first half hour would ultimately lead to Barbara Gordon (voiced by Tara Strong) and Batman getting together. Indeed, this prologue feels very much out of place not to mention out of character for all involved. If the goal was to show that both Batman and Batgirl are flawed then mission accomplished but that point doesn't really impact the rest of the film so it feels like a mostly irrelevant addition. That said, as soon as the Joker is brought into the equation, the film becomes the dark and twisted story we remember. Like the animated feature adaptations of The Dark Knight Returns released a few years ago, The Killing Joke doesn't really try to match the detailed art style of the source material, which is a shame. Instead, we get something along the lines of an updated version of Batman: The Animated Series. It works but it's another missed opportunity, frankly. The fate of Batgirl is just as harsh as it was in the original comic, as is Commissioner Gordon's (voiced by Ray Wise), so the film doesn't shy away from recreating the graphic novel's more uncomfortable moments. Though, the scene in which Joker tries to drive Gordon insane using pictures of a wounded, nude Barbara is turned into a full-on musical number, which might alienate purists, even if Hamill makes the bizarre experience very entertaining. The film ends on an appropriately enigmatic final shot and a more upbeat, if unnecessary, short epilogue teasing Batgirl's new life as Batman's aid Oracle. Many have criticised The Killing Joke over the years, including Alan Moore himself, but this remains a fascinating, dark-as-night piece of comic-book lore. The film is flawed but the good parts are still really good and the voice acting is reliably perfect so I would still definitely recommend it. Maybe go ahead and skip the prologue, though. No joke.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/12/23

Full Review

Ted T

While its always a treat to hear Hamill's Joker, this was wholely unsatisfying. And this treatment of Barbara Gordon is the true crime.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/09/23

Full Review

Egyptian C

Super bad movie I never wanna see it again. I can never get that image out of my head. Do not watch this movie

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/04/23

Full Review

aRandomShyGuy

An underrated classic.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/04/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Sam Liu

Director

Kevin Conroy

Bruce Wayne

Mark Hamill

The Joker

Ray Wise

Commissioner James Gordon

Tara Strong

Batgirl

John DiMaggio

Francesco

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

50%

15%

Justice League: Warworld

93%

90%

Logan

TRAILER

for Logan

71%

93%

Zack Snyder's Justice League

TRAILER

for Zack Snyder's Justice League

88%

70%

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay

82%

92%

Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons

TRAILER

for Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

New on Netflix in October 2020

New DC Joker Movie in the Works – What Critics Are Saying

Every Batman Movie Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer

Batman: The Killing Joke: Trailer 1

1:25

View more videos

View more photos

James Berardinelli

ReelViews

On the whole, The Killing Joke feels like it was cobbled together out of different pieces of varying quality and, as such, it doesn't work as well as it might.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 21, 2021

Full Review

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

Read all reviews

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
Executive Producer: Benjamin Melniker, Sam Register, Bruce Timm, Michael E. Uslan
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

Most Popular at Home Now