Wow....what a waste

Saw "The Killing Joke" tonight and in a word; DISAPPOINTING. The graphic novel the movie is based off is an AMAZING work of fiction and is one of the cornerstone stories that outlines the Batman/Joker dynamic. The movie adaptation was just...awful and quite frankly feels more like a weak cash grab.

The first act of the film focuses on Batgirl and is a completely new addition to the story. An excellent opportunity to explore the character is lost however, as the entire segment feels lazy, tacked on, and quite honestly pointless. No exaggeration, if you skip to the halfway point of the film, you lose literally no context, no major plot points, and no character development. I have never before seen a film where the ENTIRE FIRST ACT has no point existing.

Mark Hamill, who in my opinion is THE voice of the Joker, gives the weakest performance I have ever seen. The voice that defined the Joker for me as a child feels familiar but tired and almost bored with the entire affair. Lines that should have reached into your soul instead slip away with a yawn and during what should be pivotal character moments you can practically hear Mr Hamill counting the zeros in his paycheck rather than turning in a performance.

The visuals, which were so jarring and powerful in the novel are instead laughably tame in the film and feel like a complete waste of the R rating people were so excited about. Iconic moments from the novel, moments the DEFINED the Joker, are indeed recognizable but it's the kind of recognition you feel when you see your childhood crush now weighed down by kids, a dead-end job, and 50 extra pounds. This film is a PG-13 rating wearing the skin of an R-rated film, because that description was more graphic than the film itself.

The whole thing is an unsatisfying mess from unnecessary start (I cannot faithfully describe how meaningless the first 29 minutes of the film are.) to tepid, boring finish. The combination of weak visuals and bored/boring voice acting makes the second act of the film crash and burn, while the first half of the film just catches fire on the runway.

TL;DR- Skip it.
BUT SERIOUSLY if you're gonna watch this movie skip to the 29:01 mark, watch the whole thing, then go back and watch the first half of the movie. It is freaking surreal how pointless the first act is.