Batman of the Future: Return of the Joker **** (2000, voices of Will Friedle, Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy) – Classic Movie Review 5111

Bruce Wayne (aka Batman) faces a final challenge when the maniacal super-villain The Joker seemingly returns from the dead to wreak a new wave of havoc on Gotham City.

Director Curt Geda’s imaginative and first-rate 2000 animated feature film version of Bob Kane’s DC Comics Caped Crusader characters is a very welcome further spinoff from the TV series Batman: The Animated Series.

Once again, the striking animation shows off stylised characters and Dark Deco moody shadowy visuals and there is another new complementary dark and adult story line, focusing on Terry McGinnis as the new Batman, who uncovers the true story of the fateful night the original Batman fought The Joker, and now Future Batman must try to put him rest for ever.

The film is spurred by effective voices from Will Friedle as Terry McGinnis / Future Batman, Kevin Conroy as Batman/ Bruce Wayne, Mark Hamill as The Joker, and Teri Garr as Mary McGinnis.

Other voices are of Angie Harmon as Commissioner Barbara Gordon, Dean Stockwell as Tim Drake, Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn and Tara Strong as Batgirl and Melissa Joan Hart as Dee Dee.

It is written by Paul Dini, produced by Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, Bruce W Timm and Glen Murakami, scored by Kristopher Carter, and released by Warner Bros.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5111

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