‘Batman and Harley Quinn’ Review

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Taking place sometime during the timeframe of the DCAU series Justice League: Unlimited, Batman and Harley Quinn functions as an elongated episode of The New Batman Adventures. It has been 11 years since we’ve had any connection to the series that made up the DC animated universe. Many of us grew up watching these cartoons on Saturdays and I enjoy going back to this old universe when I can. The story of Batman and Harley Quinn follows Batman and Nightwing as they form an uneasy but necessary alliance with Harley Quinn to stop Poison Ivy and Floronic Man from transforming the people of the world into human/plant hybrids. The film doesn’t run too long, clocking in at 74 minutes. Even though it’s a very simple story, it does a good job of pulling the viewers back into the DC animated universe. By not mentioning too many details or showing other characters, the writers allow the story to fit right into the Justice League: Unlimited timeframe. The animators did a great job keeping the same aesthetic of the original shows while updating it to fit in modern times. The film is definitely intended for a more mature audience, as everyone who watched the original series is now an adult. The writers’ subtlety added innuendo and adult content to the childish slapstick comedy, which made for a nice blend. This was apparent in the scene that took place at a superhero-themed bar. The jokes didn’t seem too out of place for the characters. The best part was hearing Kevin Conroy and Loren Lester back as Batman and Nightwing, respectively. Their characters don’t act exactly the same as in the old series, but they are close enough. Melissa Rauch did her best impression of Harley Quinn, however, I wish they had gotten her original voice actress, Arleen Sorkin, to come back because she would have added more to the nostalgia factor. The story is unlike other DC animated universe Batman films such as Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, and Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, in that it is more like an episode than a film. The story is loose and lacking development but is still pleasing and comical to watch. I give Batman and Harley Quinn a Decent 7.8/10. Hopefully, we get more films connecting to and expanding the DC animated universe…possibly a story that is set between Justice League: Unlimited and Batman Beyond!

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