That is a damn sexy bear.
Batman
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Batman (1989): A decent kicking off point for the film franchise. The prince music gets annoying, Basinger screams too much and while I enjoy the psychotic aspect of Nicholson's Joker, the character still comes off as Nicholson playing himself. While I enjoy Keating's portrayal of a foppish Bruce Wayne, it's his Batman that kicks complete ass. While he doesn't have the fighting moves that is a guy that you would shit your pants at if you met him in an alley.
Batman Returns (1992): My favorite of the 89-97 live-action films despite the fact that Batman has too little screen-time. Keating's Batman is still awesome and Pfeiffer's Catwoman is the best portrayed villian of these series of films despite the nonsensical mystical origin. Devito's Penguin is overacted crap. Overall however the film still stands up well to me.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993): I love the 90's animated series and own all the DVD's. That said, I was also fortunate enough to see this film at the cheap theaters right before it disapeared and it remains my favorite Batman film. This to me is a true Batman film completely loyal to the character's comic origins despite the love story. A great film-noir plot, Kevin Conroy's Batman and Mark Hamil's excellent rendition of the Joker are just icing on the cake.
Edit: Just adding Shirley Walker's excellent opening theme for Batman: MOTP. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jQtIh1PCYA
Batman Forever (1995): Despite the return to obvious camp I enjoyed this film back when it came out. Then again I was 11. This was definately a pay check film for Val Kilmer as his performance of the Dark Knight was phoned in. Where the hell is the Batman that makes criminals shit their pants damnit? Jone's Two-Face was useless, Carrey's blantantly gay Riddler got old quick. O'Donnell's Robin was okay but I've never been a sidekick fan.
Batman and Robin (1997): Everything that people say is wrong with this film is absolutely correct. They get points for using the animated series origin and motivation for Mr. Freeze but that alone is incapable of saving this wreck.
Batman Begins (2005): A good film with a decent story. I especially enjoyed that they used two previously unused members of Batman's rouges gallery even if they did mess with Ra's Al Ghul's origins and kept mispronouncing the name. Bale's Bruce Wayne is an excellent rendition of the decadence of the character when he is putting on a show. That said his Batman, who has the moves, isn't nearly as effective as Keating's.
The Dark Knight (2008): An excellent Joker story with a large Batman subplot. While definately the best of the live-action films it feels like it would be better played as a cop vs villain story but I like the fact that Batman actually seems to do a little detective work in this film, something that all the films except Mask of the Phantasm lacked. Ledger's Joker is excellent as an obsessed homicidal maniac but I miss the overt psychotic aspects of the characer. Bale's Batman is better this time around but his Batman voice is damn awful.
Batman Returns (1992): My favorite of the 89-97 live-action films despite the fact that Batman has too little screen-time. Keating's Batman is still awesome and Pfeiffer's Catwoman is the best portrayed villian of these series of films despite the nonsensical mystical origin. Devito's Penguin is overacted crap. Overall however the film still stands up well to me.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993): I love the 90's animated series and own all the DVD's. That said, I was also fortunate enough to see this film at the cheap theaters right before it disapeared and it remains my favorite Batman film. This to me is a true Batman film completely loyal to the character's comic origins despite the love story. A great film-noir plot, Kevin Conroy's Batman and Mark Hamil's excellent rendition of the Joker are just icing on the cake.
Edit: Just adding Shirley Walker's excellent opening theme for Batman: MOTP. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jQtIh1PCYA
Batman Forever (1995): Despite the return to obvious camp I enjoyed this film back when it came out. Then again I was 11. This was definately a pay check film for Val Kilmer as his performance of the Dark Knight was phoned in. Where the hell is the Batman that makes criminals shit their pants damnit? Jone's Two-Face was useless, Carrey's blantantly gay Riddler got old quick. O'Donnell's Robin was okay but I've never been a sidekick fan.
Batman and Robin (1997): Everything that people say is wrong with this film is absolutely correct. They get points for using the animated series origin and motivation for Mr. Freeze but that alone is incapable of saving this wreck.
Batman Begins (2005): A good film with a decent story. I especially enjoyed that they used two previously unused members of Batman's rouges gallery even if they did mess with Ra's Al Ghul's origins and kept mispronouncing the name. Bale's Bruce Wayne is an excellent rendition of the decadence of the character when he is putting on a show. That said his Batman, who has the moves, isn't nearly as effective as Keating's.
The Dark Knight (2008): An excellent Joker story with a large Batman subplot. While definately the best of the live-action films it feels like it would be better played as a cop vs villain story but I like the fact that Batman actually seems to do a little detective work in this film, something that all the films except Mask of the Phantasm lacked. Ledger's Joker is excellent as an obsessed homicidal maniac but I miss the overt psychotic aspects of the characer. Bale's Batman is better this time around but his Batman voice is damn awful.
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Batman (1966)---amusing, with Lee Meredith looking lovely as Catwoman. But it still should have been Julie Newmar. All antique camp, but quite charming in that way.
Batman (1989)---Keaton did Batman as Psycho better than anyone. He was quite brutal. As billionaire playboy/businessman, he wasn't quite as believable. The movie's look was quite original and put these crazy characters off in their own universe within which they could believably live their preposterous lives. The slander that Nicholson was playing himself still surfaces. But Nicholson is or was widely regarded as sexy. His Joker is not sexy, not even in a perverse sadomasochistic way, which is probably the real objection. The Elfman score was outstanding but the Prince interludes dull. At some point, the audience is disconcerted to realize that Batman and the Joker are supposed to be making it personal by fighting over Kim Basinger. Well, it is Kim Basinger, so there is a vague plausibility in the casting, although not in the role. Basinger doesn't manage to fill the blank spot. Contemptuous of realism (or naturalism, if you prefer,)
Batman Returns---This is dominated by new versions of the Penguin and the Catwoman. The Penguin's origin story is an operatic delight with Elfman's score blasting away. Danny DeVito is wonderfully disgusting and Michelle Pfeiffer was never sexier. Christopher Walken was the villain in the Catwoman plot. His villainy was sullied only by a father's love for Chip, the scion. When the Penguin's plots to become mayor, frame Batman and kidnap the first born sons of the city's wealthy are foiled, the sudden appearance of suicide penguin bombers is, however, mind boggling even for Burton's alternate universe. And the giant penguin honor guard was quite a surprise as well. And who could tell exactly what happened to Catwoman at the climax of her story? Did her plan to kill Schreck by stopping all his bullets with her body really work? Even better than the first.
Batman Forever---Val Kilmer played the Bruce Wayne identity perfectly. His romance with Nicole Kidman was pretty good for a comic book movie. However, neither the scriptwriter nor Kilmer nor Joel Schumacher seemed to have much interest in the Batman character. Tommy Lee Jones played Two-Face as an over the top reincarnation of the Nicholson Joker. He actually did pretty good except that Jim Carrey, demigod of over the top, played the Riddler. Jones was rather like white paint graffiti on a white wall. It may have been vulgar, it may have been witty, but didn't stand out. With costarring villains, having one missing in action was bad.
The thirtysomething Robin was also missing, albeit in interest. Come to think of it, Kilmer probably was desperate to underplay the role---intense emotion in Wayne/Batman would have made this version of Robin a homoerotic archetype. Sex would have been the only reason to keep the astoundingly uninteresting Robin around. The climax seems awfully similar to the climax of Mystery Men, except that Mystery Men's was more thrilling and emotionally engaging. Pretty much everything except the scenes with Kilmer with Kidman or Kilmer with Carrey, are irritating instead of lively. Kilmer with O'Donnell scenes are just dull.
Batman and Robin---Joel Schumacher bitched about Kilmer but the sexy and talented George Clooney did badly as both Batman and Wayne. Apparently Kilmer understood something Schumacher didn't. By the way, Schumacher has done excellent movies. This was not one. Schwarzenegger was a terrific Mr. Freeze and would have kicked ass in the 1966 Batman movie. His puns were the highlights of the movie. Puns are the lowest form of humor? Well, yeah, but doesn't that say it all about this movie? I was convinced Batman had hit rock bottom.
Batman Begins---and then we got bad that was so dimwitted it didn't even know, even deep down, how excruciatingly bad it was. If you insist on doing stupid, do it with a light touch. Don't take yourself so seriously.
Batman was rewritten as an eerie combination of the Shadow and Little Orphan Annie, with Michael Caine as a downsized Punjab. The origins of this Batman impostor explains why this movie thinks there was a depression in the 1980s. Bruce Wayne motivation is supposed to be Rachel Dawes slapping him in the face. Even the fans complained about Katie Hudson, but they really were bitching about that kind of foolishness. Bruce Wayne is also motivated by a speech by Tom Wilkinson. The speech is delivered with great energy by a talented actor. But only a halfwit would for one second take it seriously. That speech should have been delivered by Denzel Washington to Russell Crowe in American Gangster---then it might have been believable. Some of the dialogue is as gruesome as the 1966 Batman, except it wasn't trying to sound stupid.
Batman (1989)---Keaton did Batman as Psycho better than anyone. He was quite brutal. As billionaire playboy/businessman, he wasn't quite as believable. The movie's look was quite original and put these crazy characters off in their own universe within which they could believably live their preposterous lives. The slander that Nicholson was playing himself still surfaces. But Nicholson is or was widely regarded as sexy. His Joker is not sexy, not even in a perverse sadomasochistic way, which is probably the real objection. The Elfman score was outstanding but the Prince interludes dull. At some point, the audience is disconcerted to realize that Batman and the Joker are supposed to be making it personal by fighting over Kim Basinger. Well, it is Kim Basinger, so there is a vague plausibility in the casting, although not in the role. Basinger doesn't manage to fill the blank spot. Contemptuous of realism (or naturalism, if you prefer,)
Batman Returns---This is dominated by new versions of the Penguin and the Catwoman. The Penguin's origin story is an operatic delight with Elfman's score blasting away. Danny DeVito is wonderfully disgusting and Michelle Pfeiffer was never sexier. Christopher Walken was the villain in the Catwoman plot. His villainy was sullied only by a father's love for Chip, the scion. When the Penguin's plots to become mayor, frame Batman and kidnap the first born sons of the city's wealthy are foiled, the sudden appearance of suicide penguin bombers is, however, mind boggling even for Burton's alternate universe. And the giant penguin honor guard was quite a surprise as well. And who could tell exactly what happened to Catwoman at the climax of her story? Did her plan to kill Schreck by stopping all his bullets with her body really work? Even better than the first.
Batman Forever---Val Kilmer played the Bruce Wayne identity perfectly. His romance with Nicole Kidman was pretty good for a comic book movie. However, neither the scriptwriter nor Kilmer nor Joel Schumacher seemed to have much interest in the Batman character. Tommy Lee Jones played Two-Face as an over the top reincarnation of the Nicholson Joker. He actually did pretty good except that Jim Carrey, demigod of over the top, played the Riddler. Jones was rather like white paint graffiti on a white wall. It may have been vulgar, it may have been witty, but didn't stand out. With costarring villains, having one missing in action was bad.
The thirtysomething Robin was also missing, albeit in interest. Come to think of it, Kilmer probably was desperate to underplay the role---intense emotion in Wayne/Batman would have made this version of Robin a homoerotic archetype. Sex would have been the only reason to keep the astoundingly uninteresting Robin around. The climax seems awfully similar to the climax of Mystery Men, except that Mystery Men's was more thrilling and emotionally engaging. Pretty much everything except the scenes with Kilmer with Kidman or Kilmer with Carrey, are irritating instead of lively. Kilmer with O'Donnell scenes are just dull.
Batman and Robin---Joel Schumacher bitched about Kilmer but the sexy and talented George Clooney did badly as both Batman and Wayne. Apparently Kilmer understood something Schumacher didn't. By the way, Schumacher has done excellent movies. This was not one. Schwarzenegger was a terrific Mr. Freeze and would have kicked ass in the 1966 Batman movie. His puns were the highlights of the movie. Puns are the lowest form of humor? Well, yeah, but doesn't that say it all about this movie? I was convinced Batman had hit rock bottom.
Batman Begins---and then we got bad that was so dimwitted it didn't even know, even deep down, how excruciatingly bad it was. If you insist on doing stupid, do it with a light touch. Don't take yourself so seriously.
Batman was rewritten as an eerie combination of the Shadow and Little Orphan Annie, with Michael Caine as a downsized Punjab. The origins of this Batman impostor explains why this movie thinks there was a depression in the 1980s. Bruce Wayne motivation is supposed to be Rachel Dawes slapping him in the face. Even the fans complained about Katie Hudson, but they really were bitching about that kind of foolishness. Bruce Wayne is also motivated by a speech by Tom Wilkinson. The speech is delivered with great energy by a talented actor. But only a halfwit would for one second take it seriously. That speech should have been delivered by Denzel Washington to Russell Crowe in American Gangster---then it might have been believable. Some of the dialogue is as gruesome as the 1966 Batman, except it wasn't trying to sound stupid.
Siwilliams
Fleet Captain
exactly, nothing wrong with Batman Returns
