Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- bleak
- disturbing
- brooding
- dark superhero marathon
- late night viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the adaptation's source-faithful second half stronger than its disjointed and controversial added prologue, while judging the film inferior to its celebrated graphic novel.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Joker orchestrates an assault on the Gordon family as an experiment intended to demonstrate his theory about madness.
The added Barbara Gordon and Batgirl prologue reframes the source material through her relationship with Batman before the Joker plot begins.
The film emphasizes torture, cruelty, criminal psychology, and bleak moral confrontation rather than youthful adventure.
The Joker's carnival setting transforms colorful amusement imagery into a threatening backdrop for psychological abuse.
Films like Batman: The Killing Joke, and why
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Shares adult animated superhero storytelling, psychological crime themes, and a morally conflicted Batman confronting an iconic villain.
The Dark Knight
Shares grim superhero noir, theatrical animation, and a destructive rivalry between Batman and a psychologically extreme antagonist.
Batman: Return of the Joker
Shares comic-book violence, bleak psychological themes, and an animated descent into cruelty and madness.
Joker
Shares dark crime drama, graphic-novel aesthetics, and an unstable criminal antagonist using spectacle to make a philosophical point.
Movie Details
- Director
- Sam Liu
- Release Date
- 2016-07-24
- Runtime
- 77 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (1983)
Cast
- Kevin Conroy
- Mark Hamill
- Tara Strong
- Ray Wise
- John DiMaggio
- Robin Atkin Downes
- Brian George
- JP Karliak
- Andrew Kishino
- Nolan North
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Batman: The Killing Joke about?
- Batman confronts the Joker in a grim animated psychological duel over whether trauma can push anyone into madness.
- What is Batman: The Killing Joke like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Batman: The Killing Joke as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Batman: The Killing Joke violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Batman: The Killing Joke as graphic.
- What did critics think of Batman: The Killing Joke?
- Critics broadly found the adaptation's source-faithful second half stronger than its disjointed and controversial added prologue, while judging the film inferior to its celebrated graphic novel.
- Which films are like Batman: The Killing Joke?
- Films with a similar feel include Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, The Dark Knight, Batman: Return of the Joker, and Joker.
- How long is Batman: The Killing Joke?
- Batman: The Killing Joke runs 77 minutes.
- Where can I watch Batman: The Killing Joke?
- In United States, Batman: The Killing Joke streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.
