Movie Info
Movie Name: Batman and Harley Quinn
Studio: Warner Bros. Animation
Genre(s): Comic Book/Animated/Action/Adventure
Release Date(s): Movie Release Date
MPAA Rating: PG-13
She’s back, and she’s the star!!!
Poison Ivy and the Floronic Man have a plan that could endanger the world. With few clues to their location, Batman and Nightwing must made a desperate move…and recruit Harley Quinn to help them find Ivy. Harley has been trying to go straight, and the arrival of Nightwing and Batman could ruin her plans, but when duty calls, the Dynamic Duo becomes a trio…whether Batman likes it or not!
Directed by Sam Liu, Batman and Harley Quinn is an original animated feature falling under the DC Universe Animated Original Movie banner. Following Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (also in 2017), the film was written by Batman: The Animated Series writer Steve Timm and is written in canon with the Batman: The Animated Series (though it hasn’t been confirmed as canon). It premiered at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con and was released in August of 2017.
Nightwing and Harley get kinky
Honestly, I always though Harley Quinn was pretty annoying (and not in a good way as she was intended to be). Like Deadpool, it she seemed kind of forced upon the comic book audience, but unlike Deadpool (at least the comic), I think her character has developed better as a member of the DCU. Batman and Harley Quinn has its ups and downs, but it also has some moments.
One of the big problems is the story. It feels like it is an episode of Batman: The Animated Series stretched paper thin to reach feature length (it is a little over an hour in length). It has this strange unbalanced writing too that sometimes is adult (with the characters swearing), but then is also juvenile (but not in a South Park way that is clever).
It is good to have Kevin Conroy continue to voice Batman and Loren Lester returns as Nightwing. Harley Quinn is voiced by Melissa Raunch who doesn’t quite have it down as well as previous actors. I always like when they bring in non-primary Batman villains (like Joker, Penguin, Riddler) like Floronic Man, Sarge Steel, and of course the short but sweet appearance by the Swamp Thing (voiced by John DiMaggio). Bruce Timm also provided the short “appearance” by Booster Gold (another favorite).
I love Swamp Thing so much I could eat him up!
The animation is in line with Batman: The Animated Series and that helps Timm’s claim that he wrote it as an intended tie-in. It gives the movie a bit more character and depth because it brings in the past of Batman: The Animated Series for the characters…plus, that series always looked great.
Batman and Harley Quinn is unfortunately not quite the sequel to Batman: The Animated Series that I wanted, but it is nice to revisit it. For a while, DC was really into continuing the DCU set-up in Batman: The Animated Series in their films and series and I wish they’d get back to it. Batman and Harley Quinn is followed by Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay in 2018.
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