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Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker
[IMDB]
Bored on a saturday afternoon, I collapsed in front of the TV to veg out for a while before trying something more energetic, and channel-hopped1 into this, having missed about the first 60 seconds or so. I have a lot of time for Batman: Beyond,2 so I stayed and watched the rest of it - and wasn't disappointed.
A gang of "jokers" are undertaking robberies somewhat above the level normally expected of a bunch of deceased-master-criminal-wannabe-thugs, stealing high technology with no obvious street value. Batman/Terry McGinnis investigates, and is confronted by the Joker - who's been dead for decades. Bruce Wayne and Commissioner Barbara Gordon look like they've seen a ghost, but won't tell Terry how the Joker died.
The plot has a twist or two, and kept me interested all the way. Indeed, the script shows up Joel Schumacher's two attempts for the rubbish they are.
The animation, while not outstanding, is a good example of the kind of revival going on in some quarters of made-for-TV animation, and more than up to the job. Any (ostensibly for-kiddies) cartoon which pays homage to Akira is good with me.
The vocal cast is top-notch, too, with Mark Hamill returning to the role of the Joker in style - and still boggling this saddo-star-wars-fanboy with his chameleonic voicebox.
Cracking stuff.
1Whatever can be said for the rest of Channel Five's output (the word "crap" springs to mind, closely followed by the word "cheap") they have shown a consistent trend of scheduling relatively decent stuff in the saturday-early-evening slot. I was never a huge fan of Hercules/Xena (which were regulars there a few years back), but I would have loved them when I was about 8-10 years old, and compared to the bilge being broadcast by the other terrestrial networks, they were high culture.
2Yes, I know us Europeans are supposed to call it "Batman of the Future", but that's a terrible name, so I'm going to use the proper one.
Bored on a saturday afternoon, I collapsed in front of the TV to veg out for a while before trying something more energetic, and channel-hopped1 into this, having missed about the first 60 seconds or so. I have a lot of time for Batman: Beyond,2 so I stayed and watched the rest of it - and wasn't disappointed.
A gang of "jokers" are undertaking robberies somewhat above the level normally expected of a bunch of deceased-master-criminal-wannabe-thugs, stealing high technology with no obvious street value. Batman/Terry McGinnis investigates, and is confronted by the Joker - who's been dead for decades. Bruce Wayne and Commissioner Barbara Gordon look like they've seen a ghost, but won't tell Terry how the Joker died.
The plot has a twist or two, and kept me interested all the way. Indeed, the script shows up Joel Schumacher's two attempts for the rubbish they are.
The animation, while not outstanding, is a good example of the kind of revival going on in some quarters of made-for-TV animation, and more than up to the job. Any (ostensibly for-kiddies) cartoon which pays homage to Akira is good with me.
The vocal cast is top-notch, too, with Mark Hamill returning to the role of the Joker in style - and still boggling this saddo-star-wars-fanboy with his chameleonic voicebox.
Cracking stuff.
1Whatever can be said for the rest of Channel Five's output (the word "crap" springs to mind, closely followed by the word "cheap") they have shown a consistent trend of scheduling relatively decent stuff in the saturday-early-evening slot. I was never a huge fan of Hercules/Xena (which were regulars there a few years back), but I would have loved them when I was about 8-10 years old, and compared to the bilge being broadcast by the other terrestrial networks, they were high culture.
2Yes, I know us Europeans are supposed to call it "Batman of the Future", but that's a terrible name, so I'm going to use the proper one.
I'm a regular watcher of all those Batman animated series
airing first thing on Sky 1 at moment, at dawn's very crack.
Re: I'm a regular watcher of all those Batman animated series