I thought that “Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice” was the worst “Batman” film but somehow the folks at DC have outdone themselves with “Batman: The Killing Joke”. Initially this animated disaster was going to go straight-to-video like dozens of DC animated films prior to it but the hype for this film meant that it would be the first to make it to theatres since “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm”, which remains a great “Batman” film.

In “The Killing Joke”, we hear how Batgirl was pushed to the edge by a criminal that objectified her and then we see the Joker (Mark Hamill “Star Wars”) set out to prove a point by mirroring his own descent into madness as he faces Batman (Kevin Conroy) yet again.

Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill voiced Batman and the Joker in the incredible “Batman: The Animated Series” and its film “Mask of the Phantasm” but both seem to have lost their passion and energy for their roles. The flashback scenes of how the Joker became a deranged criminal are very weak. Batgirl is pretty dull. The other characters are absolutely dreadful, especially the generic villain that torments Batgirl. All the characters look pretty lifeless thanks to the horrible animation that lacks the charm of early animated “Batman” shows and films.

Some of the direct-to-video films such as the “The Dark Knight Returns” pictures were deserving of a theatrical release but “The Killing Joke” deserved its script to be shredded. The characters are horrific, the acting is poor, the dialog is absolutely awful, the animation is terrible and there is nothing redeeming here. Most people have criticised the first half of the film with its focus on Batgirl but I don’t see any real distinction in quality between the first half and the second half of the picture.