Batman: The Killing Joke - The Book Cut

The biggest compliment that I can give this edit is that it's the closest one can get to watching the graphic novel in motion, like the comic book panels come to life. Having seen the original film, I'm glad the Batman x Batgirl sex scene was cut out and left to fanfiction where it belongs, though I do miss the original film's fight scenes and with so much cut out it feels rather short.

Overall, I quite enjoyed it and recommend it to any Batman fan and anyone who'd prefer a more accurate graphic novel edit of "The Killing Joke."

This is brilliant! In the original version you don't even notice how good the actual Killing Joke parts are but damn, this is a pretty good adaptation (in this edited form). I'd recommend this to any Batman fan.
The only (minor) faults I'd have is that for many outside scenes there's a rain overlay added to change the weather to how it was in the book. But that pulled me out of the experience more than into it. Similarly there were small video or audio editing things that I noticed (I remember hearing a crack in the audio when some music jumps) but those things are few and far between and don't get in the way of enjoying this edit at all.
Most edits are a curiosity thing to experience a movie differently but I think this is the only way I'll ever watch the Killing Joke from now on.

This film, as short and concise as it was, is the best version of the killing joke out there! Removes bad and cringy scenes and plot points and focuses on the real star of the movie: Joker.

I think the editing could have been better at some points, but I honestly loved it despite that because of how it worked and how it managed to tell the story without anything bad within it. It definitely won't make the comic book justice, but I think anyone who watches this will enjoy this very much, and it is thousands of times better than the original.

Thanks MusicEd for making such a cool fanedit and i hope you do more in the future!

"All it takes is one bad day."

Loved it. I've never seen the real version, and I'm kinda glad, because I can't imagine it being good with those additions and Bruce Timm's (Creator of the Batman/DC Animated Series) Batman/Batgirl fetish. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill were as great as ever. The story was twisted, in a good way, but expect that from Alan Moore who wrote the comic it's based on. It almost made my cry the sad story of the Joker. My only complaint was how short it was, but it's understandable with cutting out the useless stuff. I'd love to show it to my brother and I think he'd love it, I think he actually read the comic. I need to compare it to the real version, but like I said, the additions sound stupid and I'm sure this version is better. Again, topnotch, hope my brother thinks so too.

“The Killing Joke: the Book cut” is a title suitably lacking in ostentation. Left out simply is the unwarranted, unwanted, and frankly uninspired prologue chapter of the original cut, which culminated in an awkwardly Freudian coital unison between Batman and Batgirl (whom I always saw as having more of an uncle / niece type relationship). I’m not sure what Bruce Timm was thinking with this besides a lame attempt at subverting fan expectations, something that has come to rather dog recent Batman animations. 
 
A subsequently pared-down 39 minute runtime doesn’t feel substantial enough then, when animated DC movies are routinely over an hour (and that is not a criticism of MusicEd921’s stellar efforts at all). Timm should have instead fleshed out the Killing Joke story itself: the proto-Joker's pitiable home life, Batman and Joker’s intractably fractious (and potentially lethal) relationship. Heck, it was a fine idea to give Barbara more screen time, just not... like that. 
 
You see, the “Book Cut” emphasises another issue: this adaptation of Alan Moore’s classic (but brisk) Batman-Joker tale has a surprisingly anaemic, low-rent feel. The art style is fine for the most part, but the animation is janky- seemingly below 5FPS at times. Neither the legendary Mark Hamill nor Kevin Conroy bring their A-game. Hamill is particularly disappointing, barely raising himself above a vague melancholy in one moment of inconceivable tragedy, and never nearly hitting the same magical, maniacal heights for the Joker character as he did in the animated series or the more recent Arkham games. Maybe it was by way of direction, but the feature projects a spare, muted quality... nothing really connects.
 
As for the edit itself, it’s essentially immaculate. No jump-cuts, nor imperfect audio transitions to take us out of the experience. The decision to cut the Joker’s laugh is apposite to the book (leading to the interpretation that the Dark Knight may have broken his one rule). There is an argument to retain Gordon’s trial as it provides some much-needed character / thematic development, even if it is not from the source material.

There was one moment where the “Maybe I’ll kill you, maybe you’ll kill me” line is repeated in Batman’s mind. I found that to be a touch on the nose, but I suspect it may have been inserted in an attempt to jazz up another frustratingly insipid key moment. I would also say, to nitpick, the overlaid rain effect could be less conspicuous; it looks like the source of the rain is just above shot, like someone has a garden sprinkler poised over the top of the camera!