Review of The Batman: Deleted Arkham Scene

This particular scene feels more studio mandated than the actual scene that involves the Joker (sorry Un-named Arkham Patient). Ignore the reviews that state he is just another Heath Ledger Ripoff or he wouldn't work in a film. This version is different and not in the obnoxious way that Jared Leto brought in Suicide Squad (2016) the Theatrical cut at least. Barry Keoghan's take while simple, was definitely a nice change of pace from the previous Jokers we've gotten in recent years. The design was both terrifying and grotesque, to put in simple terms this Joker is nasty, he has patches of hair popping out and missing fingernails. His look while will probably change, the movie made the smart move of keeping him obscured from view and if a design change happens then it can. The laugh is different, it feels more like a child like laughter rather than maniacal. I do like the implication that Batman already knows this character and that there's some sort of history even if it's minor. The Joker vaguely mentions it being a 1 year anniversary. I do hope that if he does appear in later movies that he has a role that's similar to what they were trying to do in here with the Hannibal Lector type of character. Rather than be a main villain for a while, I hate to admit it but the Batman films have been too Joker centric for a while and need a break. This would be a nice break with him only appearing cameos.

Now onto the cons... Joker telling Batman about the Riddler makes the reveal about the Riddler and Batman feel Redundant. I can see why this scene was cut and I do agree that it is necessary for the story to play out without repeating itself. I hope in the future that we do see more of this version of the Joker but hopefully not over doing it.