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Batman and Harley Quinn

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Batman and Harley Quinn
Blu-ray/DVD release cover
Directed bySam Liu
Screenplay byBruce Timm
Jim Krieg
Story byBruce Timm
StarringKevin Conroy
Melissa Rauch
Loren Lester
Paget Brewster
Kevin Michael Richardson
Edited byChristopher D. Lozinski
Music byMichael McCuistion
Lolita Ritmanis
Kristopher Carter
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
Running time
74 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$39,091[1]

Batman and Harley Quinn is a 2017 American animated film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the twenty-ninth film in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies series and is written by Jim Krieg and Bruce Timm who has also worked on Batman: The Animated Series.[2][3] It has been stated by Timm that he intended and considers the film to be part of the DC Animated Universe[4] but this has not been confirmed by the studio. It premiered on July 21, 2017 at San Diego Comic-Con International[5] and was released into participating theaters for one night only on August 14, 2017.[6]

Plot

Batman and Nightwing discover that Poison Ivy and Floronic Man have teamed up. Much to their reluctance, they decide to look for Harley Quinn (Ivy's best friend and Joker's usual sidekick), to find out where the duo are hiding; however, Harley has gone off the grid since getting paroled. Batman leaves finding Harley to Nightwing, while he gets information from A.R.G.U.S..

At A.R.G.U.S. HQ, Batman learns that Ivy and Woodrue stole the information on Swamp Thing's birth and kidnapped a scientist who could help them replicate the process and turn everyone into plant people.

Nightwing finds Harley working as a waitress at a restaurant. Tailing her, Nightwing angers her since she wants to live a normal life, but her past as a super criminal keeps her from getting hired as a psychiatrist. Eventually the two have an intimate moment with each other with the result being Harley is convinced to help. Batman walks in on the two.

Harley leads them to Slaughter Swamp, in Bludhaven, where Ivy is saddened to see her friend helping Batman. Woodrue fatally wounds the scientist to keep him quiet, as he and Ivy escape; however, the dying man reveals that the duo are heading to Louisiana, where the correct swamp chemicals are.

Contacting A.R.G.U.S., Batman, Nightwing and Harley head after them to convince Ivy to stop. Harley resorts to crying to convince Ivy, who is finally swayed by their friendship. Swamp Thing appears, informing Woodrue that he would threaten the Green with his concoction; however, he will not interfere. Batman and Nightwing wonder how to stop Woodrue, until Harley points out he is a plant and asks if they have a match. Grateful, they both give her a kiss on the cheek and set Woodrue on fire.

In the post-credits, Harley has gone back to being Dr. Quinzel. However, she now has a reality game show, where she makes her patients face their fears.

Voice cast

Production

The director is Sam Liu, who also worked on three prior DC animated films. The story is written by Bruce Timm partnered with Jim Krieg.[9] However, according to Krieg, Timm conceived the complete story while he added some details to it.[10] Kevin Conroy voices Batman and Loren Lester voices Nightwing, both of whom voiced those same roles in Batman: The Animated Series and in The New Batman Adventures.[2] The Big Bang Theory regular Melissa Rauch voices Harley Quinn, which is her first time voicing the character.[7][2] Voice director Wes Gleason said, "They've grabbed these characters that are so established from Batman: The Animated Series and found a way to spin them in this '80s roadshow that's full of action, but yet has all the comedic notes to it as they still try to save the day."[7] The official trailer was first shown by Entertainment Weekly on May 25, 2017. Oliver Gettell, writing for Entertainment Weekly, wrote "With its 48 Hrs.-style antics, Batman and Harley Quinn promises to take a more comedic tack than DC's recent animated offerings, such as the controversial adaptation of The Killing Joke."[2] However, due to the financial success of The Killing Joke, the film was released in theaters for one night only in the United States on August 14, 2017.[11] The next week, a combo set with a Blu-ray copy, a DVD copy, and a digital copy will be released.[12] This is Bruce Timm's return to writing an animated DC Comics property since Justice League Unlimited concluded in 2006.[3] The film was released on digital on August 15, 2017 and on DVD and Blu-ray on August 29.[13]

The animation was outsourced to DR Movie in South Korea.

Reception

The film initially received mixed reviews from critics with many praising the animation, the voice performances of Conroy and Lester, and throwbacks to the animated series, but criticizing the script and Rauch's performance as Harley Quinn.[14][15][16][17][18][19] The film has a 56% on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 5.8/10, based on 9 reviews. Overall, this film is not held in as high regard as previous DC animated features. Many claim this is due to a weak plot and its strange mix of adult themes and childish humor, a choice which confused viewers and upset fans of the original series.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Batman and Harley Quinn (2017)". The Numbers. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d Gettell, Oliver (May 25, 2017). "Batman and Harley Quinn trailer: The Dark Knight gets an unlikely ally". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Diaz, Eric (March 26, 2017). "Will The Batman and Harley Quinn Animated Movie Return To The Classic DC Animated Universe?". Nerdist. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  4. ^ "Bruce Timm On Whether Batman & Harley Quinn Is In The Animated Series Continuity". comicbook.com. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  5. ^ World Premiere of Batman and Harley Quinn at Comic-Con International | Comic-Con International: San Diego
  6. ^ Kennedy, Michael. "Batman & Harley Quinn Animated Movie Gets One-Day Theatrical Release". Screen Rant. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d Mueller, Matthew (May 25, 2017). "Batman And Harley Quinn Official Trailer Released". Comic Book. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  8. ^ Yeung, Vincent (April 3, 2017). "Batman & Harley Quinn Animated Film's Voice Cast, Villains Revealed". CBR. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  9. ^ Howard, Kirsten (April 20, 2017). "Batman And Harley Quinn animated movie pressing ahead". Den Of Geek. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  10. ^ Krieg, Jim [@jim_krieg] (August 26, 2017). "The story is 100% BT. I just lent a hand with some details at script" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. ^ "Batman and Harley Quinn is coming to Theaters... for One Night Only". DC Comics. June 30, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  12. ^ "Batman & Harley Quinn Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  13. ^ Hayman, Amanda (May 30, 2017). "Batman and Harley Quinn Release Date & DVD/Blu-ray Features Revealed". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  14. ^ Marnell, Blair (August 16, 2017). "Batman and Harley Quinn Review". IGN.
  15. ^ "Harley Quinn Deserves Better Than The Laughably Bad Batman And Harley Quinn Animated Movie". Cinemablend. July 22, 2017.
  16. ^ "Batman And Harley Quinn Gives A Big Middle Finger To The Beloved Antivillain". Gizmodo. August 19, 2017.
  17. ^ "'Batman and Harley Quinn' Is Uneven, Missed Potential". monkeysfightingrobots.com. August 14, 2017.
  18. ^ "Review: Batman and Harley Quinn (World Premiere at Comic Con 2017)". joblo.com.
  19. ^ "Batman & Harley Quinn Review: 3 Ups & 8 Downs". Whatculture.com. August 15, 2017.
  20. ^ "Batman And Harley Quinn". Rotten Tomatoes.
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