Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker [Blu-ray]

Batman Beyond-Return of the Joker is one hour and sixteen minutes and was released directly to video on December 12, 2000. The movie open up with the Jokerz Gang trying to steal some heavy machinery and are thwarted by Batman. The film forwards to the Batcave and we see Bruce Wayne in his seventies or early eighties and Terry McGinnis (the new Batman) watching the news and are talking about Wayne reclaiming his old company and becoming the CEO. At a company party for Mr. Wayne return, the Jokerz Gang and Joker crash the reception. Bruce is in a stake of shock that Joker is alive. Terry dons the Batman outfit and fight off the party crashers. Joker and the gang make their escape by blowing up the party. Batman is force to rescue some people falling to their and is unable to give chase to the Joker and his gang. Back at the Batcave, Terry demands the truth as to what is going on. Bruce never told him about Joker and for Terry safety asks him to turn over the Batsuit. Terry and Bruce get into a heated argument and Terry hands over the suit and quit a Bruce Wayne assistant. Later on at a dance club Terry and Dana are attacked by the Jokerz Gang. Terry fights back but Dana is injured during the conflict. Terry rushes back to Bruce to try to find out why the Jokerz Gang attacked him but find Ace (Bruce pet dog) injured, the word HA painted in red all over the Batcave, and Bruce injected with Joker serum in him. Terry is able to save Bruce. Terry calls Barbara Gordon, the original Bat Girl, and she comes over and helps take care of Bruce. Later on Terry confronts Barbara and makes her tell the truth about Joker. Barbara tells Terry what he wants to know. Robin (Tim Drake) was patrolling the streets alone one night and answered a distressed called. Unknown to Robin it was a plot to kidnap him and it worked. Joker and Harley Quinn take Robin back to their hideout. Batman and Batgirl looked for Robin for three weeks and finally get a break in the case and head to the old Arkham Asylum. There the two find out that Joker has turned Robin into a Joker Junior. Robin hair is turned green, skin is bleached white, and given a mini purple Joker suit. It is revealed that through physical and psychological torture Robin reveals to Joker the truth about Batman. Batman is enraged and a fight breaks out. Batgirl chases Harley Quinn and wind up out side. During their fight Joker Junior tosses Harley Quinn a bazooka gun and Harley tries to kill Batgirl with it. Batgirl is able to dislodge the weapon from her but the gun goes off and both fall into a deep pit. Batgirl is able to grab a hold of the cliff and grab hold of Harley outfit. Harley outfit rips and she is seen falling to her death. Back inside Arkham Asylum Joker and Batman are fighting it out. Joker stabs Batman in the leg and hands Joker Junior a gun and orders him to kill Batman. Robin is able to regain his senses and kills Joker in the end. Batman, Batgirl and Commissioner Gordon bury Joker underneath Arkham Asylum. Dr. Leslie Thompkins is able to rehabilitate Tim back to health but Bruce forbade Tim from ever wearing the Robin costume again. Tim is now married, has two kids, and works as a high level communications engineer. Terry questions Tim (as the Batman) and finds out that Tim is not the Joker. Tim next lead is Jordan Price, who was next in line to head Wayne Enterprises. Jordan is in league with the Jokerz Gang but is not the Joker. We did find out that Jordan wanted Bruce out of the way. Back at the Batcave, Terry and Mr. Wayne discuss their next option; Terry notices that the Robin costume is torn while the other costumes were not even touched. Terry remembers his conversation with Tim and how he resented his role. Batman visits Tim and tries to confront him but find a hologram of Tim and finds it was a trap set by the Joker. Batman is able to free himself from the trap and heads to the Joker hideout. At the hideout, Batman confronts Tim and it is during this confrontation that Tim transforms in the Joker. Joker tells Batman that during Tim transformation into Joker Junior, Joker implanted a microchip (nanotechnology) with the Joker encoded DNA and consciousness. The microchip was implanted in Tim's neck where it sat dormant for years. First the transformation became erratic but soon the transformation of a Joker clone will become permanent. Joker prepares to fire the satellite on Gotham but Ace knocks Joker over and his joy buzzer ring falls into the controls and causing the beam's guidance system set to blow up the builder where the Joker and Batman are at. Joker tries to leave but is stopped by Batman when he seals the factory. At fight begins and Batman uses psychological warfare to defeat Joker. Joker tries using bombs to lure Batman out of hiding. Batman falls to the floor and Joker pins him to the ground. Batman uses the joy buzzer to destroy the microchip and return Tim to his self. Tim, Batman, and Ace leave the building just as it is about to be destroyed. At the city jail the Dee-Dee twins, part of the Jokerz Gang, are free on bail by their grandmother. It is found out that the Dee-Dee twins are the granddaughters of Harley Quinn and Harley did survive the fall. In the end Bruce and Tim reconciles old differences. This unedited version is 100% better then the edited version. I know because I own both of them. The unedited version is a little more violent and in the movie some questions are answered in the Batman Beyond television series. Batman Beyond-Return of the Joker gets an AAA+++.DVD FEATURESPlay MovieScene SelectionsSpecial FeaturesA) A Word from the CreatorsB) AnimaticsC) Beyond "Batman Beyond" DocumentaryD) Video Character BiosE) Confidential Bat Footage - For Your Eyes OnlyF) Bat TriviaG) "Crash" Music VideoH) TrailerLanguages

This is probably one of my favorite animated films, and I think it’s an iconic part of the Batman mythos. Plus, the film on this disc is the original, unedited version, so it features the full Arkham Asylum flashback scene where (SPOILER WARNING) Tim Drake shoots the Joker. Definitely worth the watch.

I have the DVD and the blu ray show a better quality (image and sound and image ratio) good upgrade.

Great

Since Amazon probably won't allow me to post reviews on both the releases of this film (they didn't when I tried this with Superman II and the Richard Donner cut), I'll just share all my thoughts in one. For starters, these two versions were very different, even though the scenes mostly remained the same. The changes that came in the director's cut made this film a lot darker...nothing in terms of greatness was sacrificed and the edited version is still pretty gritty. Originally, the director's cut was to be the one and only version of this film, but in the wake of the Columbine High School massacre, the edited version became the released version. That wasn't the worst idea and I can think of some more recent tragedies that would rightly prompt the same decisions, but I'm glad the director's cut was ultimately released. The changed scenes might be a bit jarring if you've seen the edited version, but you get used to it and come to like both versions. The story ultimately remains unchanged...the Joker reappearing in future Gotham City after supposedly being dead and Terry McGinnis now being tasked with facing off against his mentor's most dangerous foe. I do wish the film had allowed The Joker to have more of an opinion of the Jokerz, the collective title for various gangs that run around the city, committing crimes while dressed up like clowns in honor of him. I would think The Joker would be insulted by such low-life copies of him...after all, he got pretty upset when The Creeper came around in The New Batman Adventures. But for all my wondering, this was a great film with an absolutely great story and some great conflicts...not only between Batman and The Joker, but also between Terry McGinnis and Bruce Wayne. It's pretty serious stuff and I wouldn't recommend it to young kids (either version) or newcomers to the world of Batman. Otherwise, go ahead and pop either version into your DVD player, though you should eventually get around to both. And when you do, tell me...was that joke with those twin girls and their grandmother really necessary? Personally, I could have done without, but to each their own. Enjoy.