Batman and Harley Quinn

Dir: Sam Liu

2017

***

DC and Marvel animations have got a bit samey of late, so it is nice to see a superhero cartoon that dares to be a little different. That difference hasn’t been embraced by everyone however, indeed, 2017’s Batman and Harley Quinn has upset many of the hard-core DC animation/Batman fans. It’s nothing compared to Batman: Mask of the Phantasm but then I’m not sure any further DC/Marvel animation can be, it was the first and best and to expect the same would be foolish in my opinion. Instead, Batman and Harley Quinn offers some light relief, with the occasional pleasant surprise and a nice mix of surrealism and ‘what if’ scenarios. The ‘what if’ scenarios have clearly been born from ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if..’ ideas and I’m quite glad DC were brave enough to go with them. Directed by DC animation veteran Sam Liu and written by Batman: The Animated Series regulars Jim Krieg and Bruce Timm, although according to Krieg, Timm conceived the complete story while he simply added some details to it. If Timm’s return to Batman after ten years wasn’t enough for the fans, both Kevin Conroy and Loren Lester return to lend their voices once more to Batman and Nightwing respectively. The Big Bang Theory’s Melissa Rauch takes over the voice of Harley Quinn after Arlene Sorkin announced her retirement from voice acting, and she does a pretty good job of it. It’s hard to say where the film fits chronologically within DC’s Batman animation universe but because of the appearance of certain characters, one can conclude that it happens after the death of The Joker in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, in the middle of the final season of Justice League unlimited and just before Batman Beyond. It’s better to look at it as a one off though, especially as the characters are a little different and it is clearly meant as a bit off fun, following on from the more serious animated films released in recent years. As voice director Wes Gleason puts it "They've grabbed these characters that are so established from Batman: The Animated Series and found a way to spin them in this '80s roadshow that's full of action, but yet has all the comedic notes to it as they still try to save the day." It’s pretty clever in its ‘off the wall’ approach though and you have to give it credit for such great ideas, such as Harley Quinn hiding in full view in a ‘Superbabes’ themed café, there being a secret karaoke bar for Gotham’s henchmen and Harley Quinn’s reality game show seen post-credits. Swamp Thing’s cameo appearance is probably one of the best things to happen in a DC animation for over a decade. However, it’s a little too smutty in places. Harley Quinn and Nightwing actually get it on fairly early on in the film, but not before the viewer is shown Quinn’s derriere in graphic detail. She also shakes her bosoms around a lot while singing karaoke, which is a shame when they move towards humour but take two steps back when it comes to sexism and the move away from the over sexualisation of female superheroes. Harley Quinn has always been far more than just an attractive side-kick and unfortunately this story forgets that. This cartoon certainly isn’t for kids, but any parent would be forgiven for not initially realising the fact. It did love the humour though, and it was pretty special seeing Miranda and Captain Clown dancing together, as well as The Twins singing on stage and Ra Al Ghul’s body guards drinking merrily with, Rhino, Ubu, Mr. Freeze’s henchgirls and Penguin and the Riddlers henchmen. The fart gags were a bit infantile but setting Floronic Man on fire, having Poison Ivy take hypnotic ‘herbs’ and nods to Adam West’s classic live action series of the 60s (including the written sound effects; ‘Ow! My Balls!’) made for quite a nice change of pace I thought.