Loosetooth Reviews: Batman and Harley Quinn (2017)

Every year DC Comics/Warner Bros. release a number of direct-to-DVD/Download movies, besides the feature length spin-offs of TV/toy line DC Super Heroes Girls or 50th anniversary celebrations starring Adam West, their main output are the DC Universe Original Movies.

There tends to be three of these movies released each year, so far we’ve already had Justice League Dark and Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, both of which are part of a connected animated universe which started with 2012’s Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox.

And thirdly we have Batman and Harley Quinn, an action comedy set in the, entirely different, DC Animated Universe which started back in 1992 with Batman: The Animated Series, and includes other series such as Batman Beyond, Static Shock, and Justice League. It’s also the first entrant in the universe since the Finale of Justice League Unlimited in 2006.

Series originals Kevin Conroy and Lorne Lester return to the roles of Batman and Nightwing, who have to stop <Poison Ivy and her new accomplice Floronic Man from releasing a contagion which aims to turn all animal life in to planet life.

Batman and Nightwing are forced into an uneasy alliance with The Joker’s former main squeeze Harley Quinn, hoping Quinn can lead them to her ex-bestie, and maybe convince Ivy to rethink her actions.

“Friends don’t let friends kill seven billion people”

While other DC/WB movies have featured comedic characters, Justice League: War for example had Shazam providing the relief in an otherwise serious movie, Batman and Harley Quinn is the first time the Original Movies have focused on comedy as much as action and adventure.

…and it works pretty well, the mistake though is setting it within the aforementioned DC Animated Universe, while new additions are certainly welcomed by fans, the tone of this movie doesn’t fit in with what has gone on before. Films Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker had darker content than the series they span from, it’s the sexual content and mild cursing that seem out of place here.

Had the filmmakers chosen to have this as a completely standalone movie this wouldn’t be an issue, it’s been done before, but there’s something quite distasteful about inclusion of such content in what is essentially a continuation of a kids show. Similar arguments have been aimed at director Michael Bay and his treatment of the Transformers franchise. Who is this aimed at?

For the most part Batman and Harley Quinn is an entertaining ride, although not one of studios best animated efforts it’s still better than most of their live-action efforts, and it’s good to see them try something different?

Have you seen Batman and Harley Quinn? What did you think? and What’s your favourite animated DC movie?