Batman: The Animated Series (TV Series) The Laughing Fish (1993) User Reviews

Lots Of Laughs And Scary Moments

[ccthemovieman-1 · 10/10 · 12 January 2008]

Thus far, In the handful of episodes that have dealt with "The Joker" (on the DVDs of this animated series), I have yet to see one that wasn't highly entertaining. They are all just terrific, and I'm always glad to see The Joker escape at the end because it tells me we'll keep seeing more of him.

The stories with him always have a ton of laughs, either funny jokes and puns, or sight gags. I just find myself laughing out loud at some of the remarks. Mark Hamill does an excellent job with The Joker's voice, too, as does the villain's female assistant, Arleen Sorkin as "Harley Quinn."

One other thing that's usually in a "Joker" story is some real terror. Most of the story is laughs but you can count on at least one dramatic scene where this sick criminal is sadistic. Here, he has Batman and Harvey Bullock both in a big fish tank with a huge shark that's ready to both of them. The scene is actually scary in a few parts, especially when the Joker puts a lid on the tank and these guys are trapped!

Overall, as mentioned, these "Joker" programs seem to be the consistently best of these episodes in this series.

Everything about this just works

[Mr-Fusion · 10/10 · 5 January 2017]

'The Laughing Fish' brings back memories. I think this was the big move from weekday afternoons to prime time. And I fondly remember watching this in our kitchen that Sunday night.

And it's also one of the best TAS episodes, with the perfect blend of light and dark, theatrical staging and A-game animation. But I really like its sense of humor, which goes hand-in-hand with Mark Hamill's performance (and Arleen Sorkin's; they're both ideal here), and the plot is appropriately inane: securing the patents on his Joker Fish, it's just so absurd.

Every one of the gags lands perfectly, every one-liner is funny. I'm finding more and more that, despite the variety of Batman's rogues gallery, the Joker episodes are usually a cut above. They really knew how to write this character.

I thoroughly enjoyed this.

10/10

Shark bait.

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 9/10 · 20 May 2015]

This episode is apparently a very close adaptation of a much acclaimed storyline from the comic books. Well I may not personally know anything about that comic but I do know that this is one very great episode. Storywise it's a simple and straightforward enough yarn, it sees the Joker absurdly attempting to copyright his own brand of freakishly deformed fish that he has somehow genetically mutated into each bearing a leering grin that looks just like his own, and threatening the lives of the copyright clerks that refuse to give in to his insane demands, it's a real 'out there' kind of a scheme, even for him! But right from the get go, everything about this one just somehow feels so sharp and gripping and terrifically put together. The atmosphere is noticeably darker and more edgy than usual, even the silly image and plot device of the smiling fish somehow contradicts yet adds to the mood of it. And it's genuinely creepy at times as well, the scene with the cat where it seems for a moment that Batman himself has succumbed to the Joker's venom is downright mortifying. I love the Joker a lot in this episode, they really get just the right balance of all the elements that make him such an awesome and iconic villain, he's both loony and threatening at the same time. I know of course he's always generally like that in this show like it's his trademark, but it's definitely more pronounced here, his antics seem that much more dangerous. I love the brilliant moment when the Joker calls attention to the resemblance between his own grin and the jaws of a killer shark, because it's a clever acknowledgement that, for all his grim glee and the craziness of his schemes, underneath the Joker is also a vicious predator that preys upon the weak and unwary when they least expect it... And as it gets to the final act in the aquarium where the Joker has detective Bullock dangling like a worm on a hook over a shark tank and has a face-off with Batman on the roof that's a little more overtly brutal than usual, and that ends with the Joker once again showing his disregard for his own safety when he may or may not leap to his death in the murky waters with the shark lurking close by, it takes on a scope that's simply something spectacular in its atmosphere and pathos. The closing image of a certain telltale card that's seen floating on the waves and is unexpectedly swallowed up was such a chilling one! Also there's a piano theme that effectively captures the odd and perplexing nature of the weird fish plot. So in closing, there's plenty of setup, great suspense and payoff for a mere half-hour story, and this is a real thrill of an episode that I consider to be one of the greatest of this very greatest of animated series. See ya!