I'm kinda hoping that my blog doesn't just become me correcting every DC movie that comes out*, but it looks like that's what it is for the moment.
My last post was about some problems I had with Batman V Superman, and my ideas to fix them (incidentally, since then I've seen the Ultimate Edition, and it IS better than the theatrical version, but...still...why did Lex want Superman and Batman to fight if he was going to create Doomsday anyway? And..and...oh, I'll let it go...)
The Killing Joke is one of the most iconic Batman stories of all time, involving the relationship between Batman and his arch-nemesis - the Joker. It also contains pretty much the accepted version of Joker's origin (even though the book itself even hedges its bets on this matter).
So the fact it's finally being made into a movie is a big deal (at least, in the Bat-Universe).
It also represents an opportunity for DC to correct one of its fundamental problems - the "fridging" of an important female Bat-character - Barbara Gordon, or Batgirl.
When I first read The Killing Joke, I didn't know what fridging was. To be honest, I didn't even know that Barbara Gordon was Batgirl (it was only the fourth Bat-book I'd read), so the importance of her being crippled (beyond it just being not very nice) was lost on me initially.
But since learning of the practice of "fridging" female characters (the term was coined in relation to a comic where Green Lantern comes home to discover his girlfriend has been murdered, chopped up, and put into his fridge - and it now refers to any instance of a female character being abused or killed in order to provide male characters with a plot-device), I can see it's a classic example of "fridging". even Alan Moore, the author of said book, has admitted as much in retrospect.
It appeared that the people behind the movie were aware of these problems, and decided to tackle them head-on. Bravo!
They decided to add a 30-minute 'prologue' to the beginning of the movie, focusing on Batgirl, no doubt to explain better who Barbara Gordon was, and make the viewer care more about what actually happens to her.
Great stuff, and I was genuinely excited as the movie started, seeing that Barbara was front and centre.
And then the prologue happened and I had to wash my eyes.
The following article includes a live tweet of the movie, and pretty much sums up everything wrong with the movie: http://www.themarysue.
But to summarise, it seems the way they've decided to depict Barbara more positively, and to endear her more to the viewers, is to (a) make her an object of desire for a really creepy new villain that no-one cares about (and she apparently finds that attention flattering - urgh!), (b) have her desiring, and chasing, Batman relationship-wise (with them eventually...gulp...having sex! Dear God No), and (c) being generally bad at being Batgirl, so that she eventually quits. At one point, the creepy guy is obviously leading her into a trap, but because she's slightly flattered by this unwanted male attention and at the same time wants to impress the other male in her life who's not giving her attention (Batman), she walks right into said trap. I'm not into victim-blaming, but if she had been killed in that trap, that would have entirely been her fault.
To summarise it even more succinctly, as Jeremy Konrad now-famously said to the makers of the movie at a panel discussion, they made her a "stronger" character "by using sex, and then pining for Bruce" (incidentally, Azzarello, every time I'm thinking about buying something you're involved with in future, I'm going to remember this - not great marketing, dude).
So, yeah. That's their attempt to depict her more positively, and get audiences to feel more sorry for her when she gets shot. Epic Fail.
It seems a lot of reviews agree on this - it could have been a lot better, and rather than make up for how Barbara was treated originally in the book, they've probably made it worse (and Batman doesn't come out of it too well, either).**
But it again got me thinking about how they could have done it better. And I realised it could be improved with only a couple of small tweaks.
So here's my quick fix, in Three Easy Steps:
1. Batman and Batgirl do not have sex. Just...no. If they have to go there, they could have Batgirl start something, but then also stop herself. Batman just stares, a little dumbfounded, but they don't do the act. This also makes Batman seem like less of a jerk when he doesn't answer Batgirl's calls - he's still a little dumbfounded.
2. This is my most important change - if I could change only one thing, this would be it. After Batman rescues Jim Gordon, he calls Barbara. Because that's what a normal person would do. "Barbara - it's me. I've found your Dad. He's going to be OK." Barbara thanks him, and then says (still from her hospital bed): "Batman - you have to stop the Joker. But you have to do it by the book. By the book, do you hear me? We have to show him that our way works!" That is, have her deliver the lines originally said by Jim Gordon. This shows that, although she's a victim of Joker's violence, she's the strong one. It can be on speaker phone, and Jim then says "She's right. My daughter's amazing, and she's right. By the book, Batman!"
It changes The Killing Joke a bit (which some people would be upset with, but screw 'em). But it includes Barbara in the story apart from simply being a motivating plot device for the men - she drives the end of the story!
3. Last simple change - when we see Barbara in the wheelchair at the end, simply have Batman talk to her over the comms: "Oracle, I need you!" And she mutters to herself "I know". This clearly juxtaposes her treatment at the start of the movie, when Batman really didn't seem to need her, to now, when she's invaluable. Makes what happened to her a little bit easier to swallow.
Of course, these three quick fixes are simple, but don't really correct everything about the movie. In particular, Barbara's story at the start is still pretty bad - especially the way she reacts to the sociopath desiring her and then trapping her. If I could redo it completely, I would completely change that first story.
Thusly:
The prologue should show us Batman and Batgirl working together, but in relation to a different case. The subject of the case: the Joker! Why not, it's his movie after all! It could be a brand new story, or something based on a prior classic, like the Laughing Fish or his Five-Way Revenge. Ideally, it would involve Batman going in to confront the Joker alone, telling Batgirl it's too dangerous for her. Barbara then uses her computer skills to work out what Joker's really up to (tying into the end of the movie), suits up, moves in, saves Batman's bacon, and helps capture the Joker. Joker is taken to Arkham, and either:
(a) Batman chews out Batgirl for disobeying orders, she says "Are you serious?!?" and quits (to match the canon where she quits before being shot); OR
(b) Batman praises her for the rescue, formally endorses her as a worthy addition to the Bat-Family, and has her at her peak (less canon, but arguably makes her subsequent shooting even more tragic).
Then add in the second two quick fixes above (no need for the first, because ewwww), and voila! Perfect Killing Joke movie.
Thankyou, thankyou *takes a bow*
Gonna watch Suicide Squad next weekend. Hopefully it won't require a blog post...
* Unless DC wants to start paying me for it! Come on DC, I'll fix your movies for nice price!
** That said, Mark Hammill knocks it out of the park as the Joker.
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