Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

Review by Jason Gaston

Writer's Note:  What follows is a review of the unedited cut of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.  Depending on which cut you watch, your experience might be different than mine.

A theatrical movie based on yet another spin-off, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker is set in Gotham City fifty year in the future. Bruce Wayne has retired his tights and passed on the role of Batman to Terry McGinnis, an ex-punk who does as his predecessor did... keeping Gotham safe for another generation.

However, a ghost from the past resurfaces and soon, the Joker is terrorizing Gotham again. But what is the mystery of the clown price of crime's resurrection after supposedly being dead for fifty years and what is the connection with the former Robin?

Although Batman Beyond was not my favorite spin-off, Return of the Joker is, hands down, the best of the best of the animated movies and perhaps the best Batman movie ever made which is odd considering how much I just don't care for the spin-off it is based upon.

Return of the Joker is comprised of amazing anime-inspired animation that makes the entire movie look like a cross between Batman and Akira and the situations and characters in this movie are handled in a mature and thoughtful manner.  I should also point out that, of all of the Batman movies thus far, this is the most chilling and adult themed of them all.  I can understand now why Warner Brothers decided to edit it during its initial release: Understand, but not support.

Return of the Joker has a mature feel, a suspenseful mystery, and tons of superhero action. Add to that a dramatic tale of the final mission of the dynamic duo and the repercussions it has for years afterwards, this is a heck of a movie. Maybe not for the family as the uncut version has a lot of disturbing imagery, blood, and violence, but for the avid bat-fan this is the perfect Batman movie.