Batman and Harley Quinn (2017) Film Review
The Bat Meets The Butt Of All Jokes
It’s not often you hear Batman ask for help. However, in both the film and trailer for Batman and Harley Quinn, Batman does just that…
God help us indeed. Even with the help of a higher power, there’s no saving this crime against animation! I can’t tell if I watched this film, or merely tolerated it until I was saved by the credits. Speaking of… the end credits scene offers the only entertaining segment of this cartoon nightmare!!!
For a hot second, let’s entertain the notion this film has a…
Story
The film begins with Poison Ivy and the Moronic… I mean Floronic Man getting up to no good. Who’s the Floronic Man? Who cares? The man’s made out of hemp!!!
Perhaps you have to be high on weed to come up with such a moronic plan that consists of turning everyone into flora.
Anyway… Batman and Nightwing start their detective work, which almost always leads to a strip club or Hooters style restaurant in these sorts of films. Yep, DC animation isn’t for kids anymore.
That’s where they meet Harley Quinn and the weird sexual high jinks begin. Oh yes, lots of closeup shots of animated rears to get you excited! Seriously, I just wished it would end…
The sexualising of these cartoon characters is just off-puddin.
Back to the story, Batman and Nightwing enlist Harley’s help in order to find Poison Ivy and stop her wicked plant. It’s subtly implied (unlike everything else!) that Ivy and Harley were once entwined as lovers, which does have roots in the comics.
Nowadays, Harley’s more likely to be a thorn in Ivy’s side…
Harley Quinn
We all fell madly in love with Harley Quinn when she made her debut in Batman: The Animated Series. An origin story was lovingly crafted called, “Mad Love” where she falls madly in love with the worst fuckboy ever, the Joker…
Harley became hugely popular and no longer needed Joker by her side to sell merchandise. That’s why the writers decided to split the pair so she could be her own woman.
Now, she’s a bit of a joke. I mean… she’s a comedic character that tells lots of them. She’s like DC’s version of Deadpool. You know, lots of college humour and pop culture references…
She’s the only true character in the film. The only one with a personality, despite the disorder. The rest, don’t deserve a mention. Even Batman and sidekick, Nightwing, feel like cardboard cutouts and look like them too!!!
They’re bland and flat, like the animation. Speaking of…
Technical Aspects
The animation is just as crude as the jokes. They’ve gone for a retro style, similar to Batman: The Animated Series, but it somehow looks worse. Even though that series came out in 1992!
The only redeeming feature may be the songs, which are not great either.
Conclusion
Despite my love for the material, I can’t recommend this film.
You might say I’m being too harsh. This is an animation and therefore made for kids, but it really isn’t. Some of the jokes and sexual themes would make watching this with kids an uncomfortable experience for all. A bit more restraint with the pervy adult stuff would’ve been more welcome…
Maybe I’ve just become a prude in my old age, but after watching some of the scenes in Batman and Harley Quinn, I think I’m the one who needs psychiatric help!
1 out of 5 inappropriate jokes
Thanks for reading. I’m going on a DC Animation binge at the moment so there might be another review coming soon. For my last one…
