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While not as good as the Son of Batman trilogy, what Batman and Harley Quinn lacks in a compelling story it makes up for with jokes and… music?
Summary
With Jason Woodrue and Poison Ivy teaming up, mankind is in trouble of, at best, becoming plant life and, at worse, being annihilated. Leading to Batman and Nightwing hunting the two down but such isn’t easy since neither Ivy nor Jason are the types for gaudy secret lairs. So, Nightwing is tasked with finding Harley Quinn, the only one who would know where Ivy is in hiding.
Problem is, after being released, Harley has gone missing. She has left the criminal underworld and doesn’t check in with her probation officer. But, by chance, Nightwing spots her at this Hooters like joint where the women are dressed as superheroes and villains. A place where, due to her record, is the only joint that seemingly was willing to hire Harley.
Someone who isn’t really for the idea of getting back in costume and returning to any bit of her old life but, between the charm of Nightwing and threats of Batman, the red and black suit gets donned. Leading to Harley taking on her best friend and this nearly immortal beasts. All to save the planet from two being who wish to bring it salvation.
Other Noteworthy Moments
Highlights
The Music
The last thing you’d think of when it comes to a highlight for a Batman cartoon maybe the music, right? Well, to my surprise, there was this song called “Don’t Pull Your Love Out On Me” and Harley’s “Don’t Leave Me Hanging On The Telephone” which were surprisingly catchy. Almost to the point, especially with “Don’t Pull Your Love,” you may want to check if the song is on YouTube to listen to repeatedly.
The Jokes
Despite all her years with The Joker, it seems Harley Quinn didn’t inherit his ability to tell bad and corny jokes. If anything, she is low-key hilarious. Not to the point you’ll be laughing so much you’d think this was a full on comedy, but enough to give props to the writers and voice actress for bringing a nice surprise to the movie.
Criticism
So Much Innuendo
The fan service here is pretty much an Americanized version of Japanese ecchi. Meaning, while there isn’t a lot of phallic stuff and things of that nature, sexuality is definitely in play. The kind which doesn’t seem mature but rather juvenile.
Take the Superbabes restaurant for instance. The way the characters are drawn is clearly for a young male audience. An audience of which the sweet spot seems to be those who aren’t bold, or old, enough to search for porn sites but not so young, or desperate, they wouldn’t get turned on by the uninspiring animation. Which I won’t even mention on its own since the Batman cartoon style hasn’t changed in years and WB probably has no intention of doing so.
On The Fence
The Fight Scenes
While I would love to avoid comparing this to Japanese anime, which has a far more polished look, it is hard not to. Especially when the fight scenes come around. For now, I feel the standard of what constitutes good action has been raised and with Batman’s cartoon style feeling so dates, it makes even the 2-5 minute fight scenes [note]Estimation[/note] seem not only long but boring. To the point, I was more entertained by the music numbers than the fights.
Overall: Mixed (Divisive)
It honestly was kind of nice to get a lighter version of Batman. One which had comical villains, interesting music numbers, and wasn’t so dark and brooding. Yet, at the same time, when it comes to the animation and fight scenes, what we got is more of what we have long been used to. Add in a story which is over and done in an hour and you a production which surely is going to be forgotten about – unless you are a huge Batman fan.
But, as for the casual fan, this is just something to watch if you wanna kill time. Hence the mixed label for I doubt I’ll remember this movie in two weeks. Much less by the time the next animated Batman movie comes out.
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