“A Joker’s Card” is possibly one of the more ambitious DC fan films I’ve come across in years. As a comic geek, I’ve admittedly seen very little fan films, but this one was surprisingly good. I wasn’t expecting much in terms of quality, but director Wu takes what he has and turns it in to a very colorful off-beat fan film that spoofs Batman’s rogues gallery. Imagine the villains and heroes off-spring attempting to create their own crimes and chaos. Dick Grayson’s son Nick has a bondage fetish, the Joker’s and Mr. Freeze’s sons are working together to kill Gotham’s off-spring of heroes to inflict their own crimes but are met with obstacles when Wonder Woman’s daughter decides to save the day. I was just laughing my ass from beginning to end because while it is a fan film, its intention is to charmingly spoof the Batman lore and it pulls it off well.
Harley Quinn’s daughter (Dana Aritonavich) is a sexy doctor who works with Fries whose kidnapped Nick. And the Joker’s son Jonathan Napier, played by scene stealer Kyle Znamenak, is a geek whose ambition is to follow in his father’s footsteps… if only he could get some respect, and stop being beaten up at school. Znamenak is utterly hilarious and the crew leave no stones unturned in this spoof from the old Adam West Batman, to the modern lore, the makers have at it. Most of the comedy comes mostly from Znamenak who is utterly hilarious here and appropriately over the top. His facial expressions really made me imagine that the Joker would have a son that looked like him. David J. Levy plays straight man well to Znamenak and on parade are the clever spoofs of the Batman Universe. Wonder Woman’s less than shapely daughter is still getting a grasp on her powers, and there’s a surprise appearance by a character from the Batman Universe.
All the while there’s a sense of chaos that drips from the screen that make this even more screwball and I was satisfied in the end. Fans of the Batman world will appreciate the joke as I did, and it left me wanting more in the end. As for the comedy, the timing is off during much of the film, including from the supporting cast whom never really commit to their lines. The acting all around was always iffy, especially from the character Nick, and Vincent Fries who never really look like their committing to their lines, and often their acting is very wooden. Though it does have its flaws, fans of the Batman universe should find it best to keep an open-mind to a clever and very witty spoof that doesn’t even take itself seriously. With brisk directing, hilarious comedy, and very clever spoofing, this is a very enjoyable tongue in cheek parody of the Batman comics.