Some quick Batman film thoughts about each one of the current flicks before the marathon starts....
Batman: The Movie
Batman At The Helm: Adam West
Other Cast Members Of Note: Burt Ward
FourWorld Review: Classic, although highly stupid
Thoughts: Honestly, if I were to sum up Batman the Movie, it would be something like this. It's essentially everything that was both good and bad about the original series. It was fun as all hell, campy, with no real dangerous or threatening characters. It had bat gadgets galore, including the infamous shark repellant, and the campiest of campy acting ever assembled. It's very much a time capsule of not just the series, but also of what comics were at the time: tame, fun, and non-threatening.
Batman
Batman At The Helm: Michael Keaton
Other Cast Members Of Note: Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger
Four Word Review: Trailblazing Modern Comic Classic
Thoughts: Who'd a thought that Tim Burton could have not just successfully created a comic book movie, but also virtually wrote the template of how to make one. While it's not a completely faithful translation, it is a great movie. The cast is excellent, with Keaton playing a reclusive jericurled Bruce Wayne that fights crime as Batman on the weekends. That said, the big issue I do have is that Batman does not kill, which Keaton's Batman clearly has no problems doing so. Jack Nicholson is the outgoing criminal psychopath who is charming and deadly at the same time. Gotham City is beautiful, art deco fantasy city that perfectly allows for the characters to run around. And it has the greatest Batmobile of the film series, one which would replace it's predecessor as the template of the comics Batmobile.
Batman Returns
Batman At The Helm: Michael Keaton
Other Cast Members Of Note: Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, PeeWee Herman
Four Word Review: Underrated, but solid sequel.
Thoughts: Burton returned to Gotham, continuing the saga of the universe he created. Keaton continues to mind the cowl, and does well. It took some balls to try and translate the Penguin into a main villain, which still is a problem in comics to this day, but DeVito's portrayal is a treat, showing a tragic figure that doesn't garner much sympathy because he is a truly evil bastard. Pfeiffer is also excellent, portraying the Catwoman as a femme fatale that would probably make love to you in the corner of the alleyway just as like as she would slit your throat. This is a much more violent movie, and is a lot more frightening than it's predecessor. In fact, this is probably more of what you would expect from a Tim Burton film than Batman. That said, while it was panned and not as profitable when it first came out, history is very kind to this film.
Batman Forever
Batman At The Helm: Val Kilmer
Other Cast Members Of Note: Jim Carrey, Tommy Lee Jones, Nicole Kidman, Chris O'Donnell
FourWord Review: Better Than You Think
Thoughts: Because of the darkness of Batman Returns, Burton stepped aside for Joel Schumacher, who took the series to a new direction. The focus was turned to a mainstream audience, while whoring out plenty of bat merch. Keaton left the role, disliking the direction, but Kilmer was a worthy successor, whose Batman was honestly a lot closer, though less dark, to the original comic source material. The focus of the movie moved toward the campy, paying a sort of indirect homage to the 60's Batman series. O'Donnell was an adequate Robin, not outstanding, but served his purpose. Carrey stole the show, portraying a manic genius, although I do think that his master plan could have used some tweaking. Jones was awful, and shows that sometimes even the best actors can't turn a turd into a diamond. This film also has the ugliest of the Batmobiles, and it's mercifully destroyed toward the end. I also hated how they decided to call into question Batman's purpose for being Batman, as there was no need for it. I could have done without the Bat nipples, and hated the departure of Burton's Art Deco Gotham and the arrival of Schumacher's combination of Tokyo and Vegas, with some Ecstasy and LSD> Still, it is an entertaining film. although the trilogy should have ended there.
Batman and Robin
Batman At The Helm: George Clooney
Other Cast Members of Note: Chris O'Donnell, Arnold Schwartzenegger, Alicia Silverstone, Uma Thurman
Four Word Review: Fucking Flaming Shit Pile
Thoughts: This is just a terrible writing, with too many plot lines, all of them under developed, detestible characters, and too many characters and villains. Clooney's Batman could have been something, but instead he was given terrible writing and is also a bystander in his own movie. O'Donnel and Silverstone are terrible, and while I would give them the benefit of the doubt just because of how rotten the writing is, it did kill their careers. Schwartzenegger is terribly miscast as Mr. Freeze, and probably should have just been Bane from the beginning. Bane himself is strictly cast as dumb muscle, which is an injustice to the character. Uma Thurman sucks as Posion Ivy, losing all of her Pulp Fiction cred and being cast into show biz limbo until Kill Bill. All in all, this is really just an extended commercial for Bat merch and it killed the franchise. Things could have been so much better, but instead, greed and half assed effort took over.
Batman Begins
Batman At The Helm: Christian Bale
Other Cast Members Of Note: Michael Caine, Liam Nielson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Ken Watanabe, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy
Four Word Review: Fantastic First Film Effort
Thoughts: Rather than try and resurrect the basis of the original franchise, Christopher Nolan instead attempted to do a realistic and grounded film, completely trying to do a actual film with a superhero than a superhero movie. Bale is the best of the Batmen, and is the closest to come to the comic source material. The visuals are stunning, and the writing and symbolism are off the charts fantastic. All in all, this is how comic movies should be made, and it looks like the studios took notice.
The Dark Knight
Batman At The Helm: Christian Bale
Other Cast Members Of Note: Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie "That Thing!!!!" Gyllenthall
Four Word Review: Rare Sequel Surpassing Orignal
Thoughts: Nolan outdoes himself, giving Batman a threat that is his equal. Multiple storylines, but unlike Batman and Robin, all are developed well and come to a satisfying resolution. Again, the visuals are stunning, and the action sequences are top notch. The writing is brillant, and there are acting gems to be had everywhere. Ledger is the talk of this film, giving his Joker a sense of pure and insane deadliness, while Bale gives a solid performance of a man who is torn between his desires and his duty. The cast is wonderful, and even The Thing is tolerable in her scenes, although I wish that Holmes had returned (Fuck You, Tom Cruise). Eckhart does the job that Jones couldn't or wouldn't, and gives Two-Face that sense of humanity and pity that he has in the original comic source. All in all, it's not just a great superhero movie, it's a great film period, and should have gotten more awards attention than it did.
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman At The Helm: Christian Bale
Other Cast Members of Note: Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine
Four Word Review and Thoughts: Coming soon......
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