Batman Beyond - Return of the Joker (DVD, 2002, Uncut)

Terry McGinnis: What can you tell me about clowns?
Barbara Gordon: In this town, they're never funny.

When Bruce Wayne grows old, so does Batman, and thus the legendary cape and cowl are passed down to the next generation's hero: Terry McGinnes. As the new Batman, Terry uses futuristic gadgets like jet-force boots with gravity-enforcers and infra-red vision to enforce crime with a technological savvy that the original Batman never had.

However, all the tech in the world won't help Terry when Batman's brilliantly twisted nemesis, the Joker, apparently rises from the dead. Taking over the 'Jokerz', a gang of small-time crooks in clown costumes, the original Clown Prince of Crime announces his come-back with a wave of slick crimes and big explosions, the main attraction being his hijacking of a military satellite with a super-powered defense laser. His plan? To customise New Gotham with a giant happy face, so that everyone knows that it is still, irrevocably, *Joker territory*.

So who is this Joker, really? Can he be the real thing, if Bruce has such vivid memories of his demise, and of the horrific scheme that led to it and to Tim Drake, the youngest Robin, giving up crime-fighting? And can Terry, usually getting by with fists and wise-cracks, possibly hope to match wits with the criminal genius of the Ace of Knaves?

For Batman fans, this film is a must. Not only are the vocal performances bravura (special mention being made of Mark Hamill's stylishly sinister Joker and his ear-bleed-inducing laughter), the visuals a gorgeous blend of futuristic cool and classic Gotham noir, the animation slick and attractive, the soundtrack both orchestral and hip, the pace engrossingly fervent and the story cleverly plotted and surprising... All that aside, it's actually *really funny*! And not just to children or teens. In fact, this film is darker than most of Batman's animated history (apart from notable moments from Paul Dini's ealry 90s series) and is for that reason perhaps not suited to a younger audience (and the Director's Cut is purely shocking in its vicious plot twist).

If you love the Joker (and I do) and the classic menace of the 1970s Batman comics (and I do) and you enjoy a well-written science fiction mystery with a killer cyberpunk twist (and I really do!), then you should get Return of the Joker.

If not... Joke's on you.

A straight-to-dvd release that is considered the finale to three seasons of the animated television show "Batman Beyond". The movie ties up many loose ends and shows one of the main reasons Bruce Wayne gave up being the dark knight. One of Batman's most dangerous villains mysteriously returns and is found in control of one of future Gotham City's most notorious gangs, the wild jokers. It becomes a race against time when Terry (Batman Beyond) and Bruce Wayne discover that the Joker has somehow acquired a Doomsday device and plans on leveling Gotham, as well as kill thousands of it's populates.
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker has a great story, solid plot, but falls a bit short when comparing it too any episode of Batman Beyond or the other Batman animated movies like "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm". After a while, the movie becomes somewhat predictable and some of the ways in which the Joker was reintroduced were a bit hard to believe, even in the future world of Batman Beyond. With the negative aside, the movie stays true to everything that the television series was and it's always nice to see cameos of old friends or foes and bringing actor Mark Hamill back to play Joker once again is a nice touch.
The movie stays action packed but doesn't take away from the story. The movie itself is a very dark tale at heart for an animated batman adventure as the sight of blood and the concept of death are evident and obvious. I thought the way they reintroduced the Joker fit the world of Batman Beyond as well.
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker is a overall good film in it's own right. I would recommend it to any Batman fan but the fan base for Batman Beyond are as divided as Evolutionists and Christians, half the fans love Batman Beyond and the other half despise it. Any way you slice it, this is a good story and a great movie and a fitting end to a unfortunately short lived series.

9 out of 10

Excellent animation coupled with a dark and intriguing story. Batman Beyond ROTJ tells the story of the new Batman facing one of the original's deadliest foes as the Joker returns unaged to wreak havok in Gotham. The animation is clean. The story and character developement are deep. The suspense is non stop. A definate buy for any Batman fan. Characters a brought to life by the brilliant voice talents of Kevin Conroy(Bruce Wayne), Mark Hamill(the Joker), and Will Friedle(Batman.) The dark subject matter is reinforced by the disturbing scenes that were cut from the original version. Recommended for kids 11 and up. Blood is kept to a tasteful and poignant minimum. The scoring is top notch. A beautiful mix of classical and new age. Special Features leave something to be desired for the crazed fan. For casual viewers however, it is just fine.

For Batman fans, this film is a great addition to the Batman canon of animation, films, comics, and graphic novels. First of all, it was produced under the auspices of Bruce Timm (Batman: the Animated Series), and he uses much of the same vocal and artistic talent gathered for the series. The movie itself is exciting and fast-paced, with great music. The story line is a complex mystery. Besides being interesting to watch, the plot details tantalize the viewer to try to unravel the clues before Batman does, and the ending is both surprising and tragic on a number of levels. I enjoyed this movie immensely, and I hope you do to!

This a a great buy, it had all that we come to expect from DC and their writers. The plot was interesting to begin with. How is it possible for the joker to be alive after he was recorded dead? Well I loved the fact that they included background story lines that no one knew about. Its a grim story that challenges what the batman has stood for and it explains bruce Wayne's dislike of terry's first gander at his secret. Well all I have to say its awesome. the only thing I would have liked to see,would be more gadgets and more action packed scenes. But awesome non the less.