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Batman Beyond created a new hero in the form of
Terry McGinnis, but is Terry really as good as Bruce Wayne ? How
would he face up to the task of fighting Batman's old nemesis
The Joker? The Return of the Joker attempts to answer just this.
The movie begins with a breakin at an electronics company. Batman
appears in time to foil the Jokerz plan. However, they manage
to get away with a chip.
Their new boss, is not pleased. He plans a second breakin to rob
the device they are after. Meanwhile Bruce Wayne has taken over
control of Wayne Industries in the absence of Derek Powers. A
ceremony is held in his honor. As the ceremony proceeds, it is
disrupted by the Jokerz new boss-- The Joker !
Using this disruption to keep Batman busy while his henchmen rob
Wayne Industries, The Joker escapes. The Joker appears unchanged
by time young as ever.
Wayne is so shaken after his encounter with his old archenemy
that he forbids Terry from confronting the Joker.But the Joker
is far from finished. Terry's girlfriend Dana is injured when
the Jokerz attack Terry in his civilian identity, while Joker
himself gives Bruce a near-lethal dose of his trademark laughing
gas.
Terry must now learn the secret behind the Joker's return before
the clown can leave his deadly mark upon Gotham with his purloined
technology. Along the way, he'll learn what happened during the
final battle between the Joker and the original Batman, Robin
and Batgirl--a dark confrontation that forever tainted its participants.
The Return of the Joker excels in all areas withe excellent animation
and an awesome background score. Mark Hamill steals the show as
the Joker. His voice adds an extra edge of menace to the Joker.
The movie truly brings out the dark side of the Joker.
Despite Joker's larger-than-life presence, the rest of the cast
shines as well. Kevin Conroy's Bruce Wayne is bitter but not broken,
and he puts forth just the right amount of dark emotion to convey
exactly how dark his encounters with the Joker were. Will Friedle
makes a fine future Batman, especially with his voice work during
the final battle. His character also gets a chance to really prove
himself, both in battle and in spirit.
Return of the Joker is the best depiction of the future Batman,
equals the shamelessly underrated animated Batman: Mask of the
Phantasm and even trumps all the live-action Batman movies. Anyone
with even an iota of interest in the Dark Knight will not be disappointed.
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The Batman/Superman
Adventures, Batman Beyond, Batman, and all related characters,
names, images,and indicia are ©1999, DC Comics, a division of
Time-Warner Communications, and are used without permission for
the purpose of informed discussion. All rights reserved.No copyright
infringment is intended. Site design Copyright Edward Nygma 2001-2002.
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