DC Direct to Video Releases

[klen7]

Rumor has it WB/DC has given the go ahead for The Killing Joke to go for an R rating. Not sure on the source

[XvGojira]

[Dr Kain]

I really don't see why it would need an R rating. First off, it's a direct to video movie, so ratings are irrelevant. Secondly, The Killing Joke has less violence in it than JL War, Son of Batman, Throne of Atlantis, and Batman vs Robin.

Speaking of BvsR, they just released the trailer to its upcoming sequel.

[sentaison]

I just finished Batman:Bad Blood and enjoyed it a lot. They've been doing a pretty decent job with the storyline started in Son of Batman and this is a solid entry in the series. I'm starting to think this would have made a good ongoing animated series if they had gone in that direction with it. I've been warming up to Jason O'Mara as Batman. While Kevin Conroy remains my favorite, O'Mara does a good job in the role. The addition of Batwoman and Batwing to the "family" was done well, and a suitably villainous scheme was there to be foiled. Hopefully this isn't the last in the storyline, they certainly give a tease as the end for a next one. If we can't have a regular series on tv/streaming, this isn't the worst alternative.

[O.Supreme]

Well for the last 3 years 2 of the 3 movies DC releases have been set in the "New 52" and 3 of them have been Batman stories. I do like the feel of continuity, even if its not my favorite version of DC. Still it is nice when they throw in something different. Here is the continuity so far...

1. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (7/30/13) -This is the "Last" of the old guard. Features many voices from the DCAU, and is only associated because at the end, when Barry "Fixes" the timeline, it brings us into the New 52 Universe

2. Justice League: War -(2/4/14) -New Origin of "New 52" Justice League, battle with Darkseid

3. Son of Batman - (5/6/14)

4. Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (1/27/15)

5. Batman vs. Robin (4/14/15)

6. Batman: Bad Blood (2/2/16)

7. Justice League vs. Teen Titans (4/12/16) * Forthcoming -This is the most recent known entry in DC's Animated "New 52" continuity. At the end of "Throne of Atlantis" a post-credit scene between Ocean Master and Lex Luthor was teased, it is not known at this time (but doubtful), that this film will be the intended result of that tease.

The 3rd film for 2016 , to be released in the Summer will be of course an adaptation of "The Killing Joke", it is usually around the time of SDCC that WB reveals the titles of their films for the next year. This is when we will know if we will get more New 52 stories, more independent films, or a combination thereof.

[Gentleman]

Still holding out hope for a Sinestro Corps War adaptation.

[mr.negativity]

[O.Supreme]

I just watched Justice League vs Teen Titans -being set in the DC New 52 Animated universe, this is the 6th film in the series, which mostly focuses on Robin's (Damiens) relation to the Titans and Raven. Too bad the Justice League are pretty much just used as pawns for Trigon until the very end. Its an OK film. 5/10 I still prefer the super hero vs super villain mash ups, but I know every once in a while they have to try something different.

I know the DC Animated films for 2017 will be revealed at SDCC this year. Unfortunately it apears they will stick in the new 52 for now. My predictions:

1- A JL follow up film to "Throne of Atlantis" (hopefully what we saw at the beginning of JL vs Titans was NOT the culmination of the tease at the end of the previous film) .
2- A Teen Titans film featuring Terra (perhaps the long abandoned Judas Contract that was scrapped nearly a decade ago)
3- Another independent DC animated film (possibly Green Arrow?)

[The Shadow]

Green Arrow does seem like a good bet for an independent film. And if the thinking is to key off of the DC-TVU then perhaps Supergirl and the Flash are potential headliners as well. Although it would be great if some of the supporting heroes we've seen on the DC-TVU get a shot at an animated movie again, I think the success of the DC-TVU may actually give characters outside of Batman, Superman, and a Justice League movie a chance again.

[sentaison]

I'm agreeing with O. Supreme on the TT vs JLA. It's ok, but no where near great. The teaser appearance of Terra at the end of it makes me hope for a version of The Judas Contract sometime in the future. Using the JLA as pawns of Trigon was not a good way to go imo. The parts involving the JLA would have been better served with focusing more on the Titans and their reaction to Damian being forced on the team.

[mr.negativity]

DC Entertainment's supernatural superhero team will get their own movie nonetheless — as a direct-to-DVD animated release.

[sentaison]

Well a Justice League Dark story would definitely be a change from the mostly JLA/Batman alternating stories. It's not a title I've followed much, but I have heard good things about it.

[mr.negativity]

DC will figure out a way to shove Batman in there.

[mr.negativity]

[Dr Kain]

So apparentely they dun ****ed up the Killing Joke. They put in a

[lhb412]

^ Man, people already have a problem with that story's treatment of Batgirl (though they salvaged it later with Oracle) and this just makes it worse. Has Timm lost his marbles?

[Dr Kain]

[O.Supreme]

Judas Contract was pretty much a given based on the teaser at the end of League vs Titans. They still haven't given us anything based on the teaser at the end of Throne of Atlantis though... Batman & Harley Quinn , based on the last two "Bruce Timm" films (who I really respect) I am fearful though will be some sort of soft core animated porn....I've backed all the films up to this point, but very soon I may be out.

[Dr Kain]

[jellydonut25]

[klen7]

^ Timm says he saw romantic attraction between Batman and Batgirl in the 66 Batman?!? Thats definitely some fanboy shipping.

DC has enough money, they could have brought back Brubaker or Rucka to make a real Gordon family story if they wanted to flesh out the characters. Commissioner Gordon is one of the hardest working men in Gotham, but at what cost to his family? Batman was driven to put on the suit due to losing his family, what drove Barbara to put on the suit? Was it a father that spent more time on the job than at home? The relationship between Batgirl and Batman is typically portrayed as more paternal, so you would still be able to tie in Batman without making the movie just another Batman Joker match up. There are plenty of themes to play with, but instead they added elements that come across like they were written by a high school boy.

[Dr Kain]

Batman The Killing Joke - Man, oh man, where do I begin? First off, what the hell Bruce Timm?! This movie should have been the best animated Batman movie since Mask of the Phantasm, and instead, it ends up being an unremarkable, run of the mill mess. The first half is not only an insult to the fans of the franchise, but also to the masterpiece Alan Moore gave us. The characters in the first 30 minutes are pointless and add nothing to the overall plot, but it is how degrading it gets as far as the relationship between Bruce and Barbara goes. It was unnecessary and highlights everything wrong with DC's perception of what people want out of these movies. They have been riding on a thin line of ice ever since Justice League War, and now they broke it. What should have been a celebration has turned into a tragedy. Hell, Barbara's friend at the library serves absolutely no purpose to the story at all and is only there to exposit details we did not need, nor care about. In fact, that is the biggest problem about the first thirty minutes of the movie, we have no reason to care about anything that occurs. That is not what we are watching the movie for, so why put it there? If you don't know who Batgirl is by now, this movie isn't for you.

So that brings me to the actual story, and it is fine, but the excitement has been diminished by this point, so it goes by without the impact it should have had. Mark Hammil does a fantastic job and it was nice to see him get to do a true representation of Joker, something he hasn't been able to do outside of Mask of the Phantasm and the Arkham games. Kevin Conroy is perfectly fine, but this isn't anywhere near his best work. He sounds like he is just going through the motions of Batman as if he is kind of burnt out on the character or something.

The animation was on par with the other movies. The ears on Batman looked a bit off, but there was nothing inherently wrong with it. Sadly though, the music is pretty forgettable, which is a shame because not only did Batman The Animated Series have one of the greatest soundtracks in the history of animation, but even a lot of the other Batman animated movies, such as The Dark Knight Returns, have had tracks that would stick in your head for days. For this movie, I watched it two hours ago and I can't remember a damn thing about the music.

Overall, it saddens me that I am unable to talk about how amazing this movie because I was expecting to gush over it with immense fangasms. The reality is that it is just another DC animated movie that completely missed its mark, which is annoying when these are direct to video movies, there is no reason why something should not be as long or as short as it needs to be. Instead of cramming too much into a 75 minute run time for one movie and then having to needlessly stretch out another to meet that 75 minutes, do what is best for that movie. If one movie only needs to be 50 minutes in length, make it 50 minutes in length and save the budget for the unused 25 minutes for a different movie that could benefit from it. I would say rent this before you spend the money on it to see if it is worth it to you. I personally wouldn't pay more than $10 for the BD. My score for it is a 7/10.

[O.Supreme]

Sad to say, this is probably going to be the first DC animated film I do not purchase. In the past I would literally defend Bruce Timm with every fiber of my being. Even with the oddness that was Gods & Monsters. But I guess everyone has a fall from grace at some point. Perhaps the words are true..."Either you die a hero (Dwayne Mcduffie), or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain (Bruce Timm) To be fair, he stepped away from DC animation for a while before his comeback last year. The Killing Joke probably would have been done better 5-6 years ago, if they stuck simply to the material, and didn't try to go for an "R" rating. If negative reviews abound, perhaps he will rethink things, and go back to simply what made him so popular in animation in the first place.

[mr.negativity]

HOW DC'S "TEEN TITANS" NEGOTIATED "THE JUDAS CONTRACT"

[mr.negativity]

Honest Trailers - Batman: The Killing Joke