My childhood was a wonderful period of my life, you know before the pressures of high school and the harsh reality of adulthood. There were many things that put a smile on my face back then, but at the very top must be my 2 favourite Saturday morning cartoons, X-Men: The Animated Series and Batman: The Animated Series. These two really breathed some life into the comics I read, an adaptation that was as close to the source material as a fan could hope. Batman edged out X-men simply for its more mature rendition.
This brings me to the movie in question, DC’s latest animation offering. Like most, I am a big fan of their animated works, and always look forward to their releases. I watched the trailer for Batman and Harley and was anxious to watch it. Having Melissa Rauch as the voice of Ms Quinn seemed like a sure hit, but at full her voice never really hits that right spot and often feel misplaced. I felt it just had too much nasal. But it wasn’t a deal breaker; it just wasn’t the Harley I desired.
The deal breaking comes in the form of the movie’s confused tone. The film is never sure of what it wants to be, the style is clearly the animated series but then you have blazing screen words like Bang!!! Which is clearly more Brave and the Bold. And that is the movies downfall. It wants to emulate a grounded show but also a campier one too. Why would you deviate from the best Batman animation tone?
The plot even though pretty straight forward is actually fairly good; however it is weighed down by the constant and unnecessary humour. This show could have worked so well with a more serious tone and a darker Harley who is trying to forge a new path. I am not sure if DC’s new need to install more humour in the DCEU is bleeding into its animations studios but it is surely hurting their stellar record.
I am sure there will be those that enjoy the slapstick nature but for me I think it was a lost opportunity to show Harley as a much more layered character. Harley is more popular than ever right now, and her shift from villain (or villain lackey) to anti-hero is a fitting transition much like her Marvel male counterpart the equally popular Deadpool. A movie tackling this story featuring the legendary Kevin Conroy as Batman would only further cement Harley as one of DC’s feature characters. The animation itself is up to DC’s high standards and does feel like an updated version of Bruce Timm’s epic series. Getting to see one of my favourite batmobiles screeching through the blue grey streets of Gotham was the epitome of nostalgia. All in all, the movie isn’t DC’s finest. It seems to be aimed at kids rather than adults. It isn’t a right off, not by any means but rather a decent entry of what could have been a future classic.
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