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First Look at Batman: The Killing Joke (?)

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Yeah I am very unimpressed with the "effort" going in to this animated film's animation.

The story is dark and it's going to be amazing to even just hear the movie without even seeing it because of the cast, but it really can't be avoided nor defended, this art style is lacking to say the very least for a story of this magnitude finally being brought to animation, they are not doing it justice. Sad :/
 
The last two gifs look great but I'm not feeling the art-style at all. Still it'll be worth watching just to see Hamill give the role he always wanted to play.
 
That art direction is awful. Its like they gave up trying to even replicate the art and just decided to go for Batman the animated series but don't have the budget for it. Ive actually been digging that somewhat Korean/Japanese artstyle all the recent films have been in. The animation in Batman Bad Blood, Batman vs Robin and Dark Knight Returns was great and Teen Titans vs Justice League was good.
 
That art direction is awful. Its like they gave up trying to even replicate the art and just decided to go for Batman the animated series but don't have the budget for it.
Na, that has super distinct style
41.jpg

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even when it got cheaper
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The "generic" artstyle really started with Crisis on Two Earths, carried to Red Hood was derived into Young Justice and is now returning for this.
http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/youngjustice/media/12.jpg
https://legendoflaura.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/968full-batman-under-the-red-hood-screenshot.jpg
http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net..._JLCoTE.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120131201722
 
I haven't liked the art style for these DTV features for awhile. Last one that actually got in the ballpark of what it was adapting is All-Star Superman. It doesn't majorly detract from me enjoying them, but it's majorly disappointing.
 
There's a sneak peek video (removed from youtube but it's on dailymotion google it) where they try to explain the art style but there is no defense for this shit.
 
It's a real shame that so early in this movie's marketing stage that we already are disappointed in it going in.

We can all hope for some last moment re-design of the storyboards under a different direction with different artists due to the loud and lamentful misgivings about the revealed art style, but obviously that seems like a pretty far out miracle.

It's absolute a shame for a story of this magnitute to get this "cheapie" treatment. It's really sad because in the sneak peek, their words speak of a work of art that needs to be done justice, but what they're showing is shoddy, and downright disappointing actual craftsmanship. There doesn't seem to be any perspective, and I'd not be any proud of my work sitting it side by side the original.
 
Art style reminds me of a proportionately correct Batman TAS. I'm cool with it. I wouldn't have expected it to look like Brian Bolland's Art.
 
Art style reminds me of a proportionately correct Batman TAS. I'm cool with it. I wouldn't have expected it to look like Brian Bolland's Art.

There are like a handful of already used art styles for Batman movies that would probably be way better for this story.

TAS is probably the last art style on that list of viable art styles for it.
 
There are like a handful of already used art styles for Batman movies that would probably be way better for this story.

TAS is probably the last art style on that list of viable art styles for it.
Don't really care honestly. It's fine to me.
First of all, we don't need a Killing Joke movie. The book is good enough.
 
Don't really care honestly. It's fine to me.
First of all, we don't need a Killing Joke movie. The book is good enough.

We'll agree to disagree :/

Personally, I feel that in a primarily visual medium (animation), the visuals are pretty darn important. This includes matching the source material if they're doing an adaptation, at the very least striking somewhat a similarity.
 
We'll agree to disagree :/

Personally, I feel that in a primarily visual medium (animation), the visuals are pretty darn important. This includes matching the source material if they're doing an adaptation, at the very least striking somewhat a similarity.
It's cool man, people disagree all the time. Besides, there are some similarities... The joker grabbing his wet hair when he becomes the joker, the joker's face hidden under that hat with only his eyes showing.
You guys are using batman grabbing onto someone who is not the Joker, just some inmate, as an example of the style. I don't think that's a fair comparison because he's not the joker, and putting less detail on that character demonstrates that.
There are other places where the movie matches the book, like the joker's victim corpses that Batman is investigating.
 
Don't quite understand the complaints about the art style, Batman looks pretty spot on, apart from some slight exaggeration:

batman_killing_joke_1cqpsj.jpg


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I know the comic panel is from the recolored version.

Alan Moore sure loves his "Oh God"s. Seriously, take out your copy of Watchmen right now and count the "Oh God"s. Wonder if anyone has ever confronted him on this.
 
Have not watched really anything from the animated series, nor read a lot of comics, but this looks, apart from the already mentioned disappointing art style, amazing. Ordered the graphic novel, looking forward to reading it!
 
Na, that has super distinct style


The "generic" artstyle really started with Crisis on Two Earths, carried to Red Hood was derived into Young Justice and is now returning for this.
http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/youngjustice/media/12.jpg
https://legendoflaura.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/968full-batman-under-the-red-hood-screenshot.jpg
http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net..._JLCoTE.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120131201722

UTRH doesn't have the same look like the other 3 you mentioned though.


We can all hope for some last moment re-design of the storyboards under a different direction with different artists due to the loud and lamentful misgivings about the revealed art style, but obviously that seems like a pretty far out miracle.

You're setting yourself up for further disappointment. These things are often finished months in advance. Chances are high this feature is nearly, if not completely finished. If you don't like it now, you best accept it. They're not going to change anything based on a handful of forum users' "laments" about the art direction.
 
If it wasn't for Hamill and Conroy I wouldn't mess with it for the art style alone. For a story like this the animation should be top notch.
 
Arkham Knight was actually Troy Baker
. His last gig was Arkham City. He always wanted to do The Killing Joke and said he would come out of retirement if they made it long before it was even announced.

What?

No.

Troy Baker was in Arkham Origins, but Knight was all Hamil. He was terrific in it.
 
Baker did a great job in Origins, as did Roger Craig Smith as Batman.

Oh definitely. I love Conroy but he was terribly flat in all three of his Arkham games. Not sure if it was a matter of poor VO direction or if he's just lost it a little bit, but Roger Craig Smith was arguably the better Batman.
 
Arkham Knight was actually Troy Baker
. His last gig was Arkham City. He always wanted to do The Killing Joke and said he would come out of retirement if they made it long before it was even announced.
Nope, it was Mark Hamill in Arkham Knight.
 
Is this being made with a budget of $12 dollars? The animation quality is terrible and so freaking choppy!

These things don't make a ton of money and thus don't get a lot of money thrown at them. It's partly the reason why they'll never do anything non-Batman/non-Justice League anymore, the profit margins are just too thin to spend time on anything that you know won't sell on name alone.
 
These things don't make a ton of money and thus don't get a lot of money thrown at them. It's partly the reason why they'll never do anything non-Batman/non-Justice League anymore, the profit margins are just too thin to spend time on anything that you know won't sell on name alone.

I feel like this one definitely could though. If it did a limited theatre run like the Dragon Ball Z movie just did, it could easily make back the money.

The character models have like...zero shading, and the animation is so choppy - that scene with Gordon in the roller coaster cart looks like a flash animation running on Windows 95.

Hell, I bet they could even do a Kickstarter for this and really give it the love it deserves.
 
Baker did a great job in Origins, as did Roger Craig Smith as Batman.
Yeah, I think both of these guys one-upped Hamill and Conroy. No disrespect to the latter pair, who are the all-time greatest voices for their respective characters, but I feel like their work on the Arkham games is sub-par. I don't know whether that's voice direction, age, lowered enthusiasm, or a different environment for recording, but I kinda wince at Conroy especially in the Arkham games.

Yet another reason why Origins is the best Batman game! (Except for the silly combat.)
 
Yeah, I think both of these guys one-upped Hamill and Conroy. No disrespect to the latter pair, who are the all-time greatest voices for their respective characters, but I feel like their work on the Arkham games is sub-par. I don't know whether that's voice direction, age, lowered enthusiasm, or a different environment for recording, but I kinda wince at Conroy especially in the Arkham games.

Yet another reason why Origins is the best Batman game! (Except for the silly combat.)

I'll agree with Conroy, but I'd have to disagree with Hamill.
 
I'll agree with Conroy, but I'd have to disagree with Hamill.

Yeah, Conroy sounded bored and tired in Arkham Knight and I do think Roger Craig Smith did a great job in AO. Baker was really good considering but damn Hamill killed it in AK.
 
Hamill sounds great in the Arkham games, and I think
Arkham Knight...are we still tagging this?
is probably his best Joker work in a long long time.

Conroy sounded really flat across the whole series, though.
 
Hamill sounds great in the Arkham games, and I think
Arkham Knight...are we still tagging this?
is probably his best Joker work in a long long time.

Conroy sounded really flat across the whole series, though.
Conroy sounded flat mainly due to how little is asked of him in those games. Videogame recording is a weirdly detached thing, so he just ended up feeling very one-note. I have little doubt that he will perform well here in a proper movie though.
 
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