The Pre-Nolan Batman cycle has recently arrived on Netflix, so of course I binge watched every one of the caped crusaders Burton and Schumacher outings...then the rest of the caped crusader's feature length outings... because I love Batman and have too much free time.
Re-watching the work of Burton, Schumacher, Nolan and the many directors of Mask Of The Phantasm, got me in a list making mood. So to inevitably diminish the individual quality of these productions, here is my preferred sliding scale of Bat films.
Much has been said about the Nolan Batman, his interpretation has been lauded and derided, perhaps not in equal measure, but the criticisms still baffle me. I think the focus on stark realism provokes ire in those that want to have their cake and eat it. They want the comic book moments but they don't want to wade through an hour of dialogue and moody shots of Gotham's skyline. Perhaps Nolan's trilogy is too po-faced for the internet age.
Of course, the whole point of Nolan's films, is that they aren't comic book films at all. They are, in order, a psychological horror, a crime saga and a war film...that just happen to feature a guy that dresses up as a bat to fight crime.
Nolan's second film is by far the crowning achievement in his fantastic trilogy. A sprawling crime epic in the vein of Michael Mann's Heat, right down to the neo-Gotham bathed in pale blue.
Obviously the late Heath Ledger's Joker is the consistent high point, so I won't dwell on his universally revered performance, but there is just so much more to marvel at in TDK. The fall of Harvey Dent is deftly handled and gives Aaron Eckhart his career best role. Equal focus is given to all the major players, with the central struggle between Batman and Joker not overshadowing strong supporting characters like Dawes, Fox or Gordon. Then there's the wonderful action setpieces, all created with practical effects.
Defining Moment: The interrogation scene that sees a powerless Batman try to use violence and rage against a foe that is holding all the cards and is completely without fear. It has always been said that the Joker is chaos to Batman's order, so it's great to see the roles reversed as Bats anger and force meets Joker's confident restraint.
In many ways, Burton's films have been overshadowed by Nolan's work, which I think is unfair. Burton's Batman is a different animal, a gothic fairytale that takes inspiration from the comics (particularly the dark slant of Alan Moore) and the 60s series. Devito's performance in particular recalls the TV show. His Penguin is like a warped, fun house mirror version of Burgess Meredith's original portrayal.
Returns is the exception to the rule of too many villains ruining a comic book sequel, which is funny, because it was the first mainstream comic book sequel to actually do this. There are three villains here (yes, Catwoman is technically an anti-hero, but still) and all are great value. The Penguin is a grotesque and satirical look at media manipulation, Max Shrek is Walken at his most Walkenest and Catwoman is sex appeal personified. Crucially, Batman doesn't get lost in his own film. Returns is, more than any other Bat film, about the relationship between Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, which brings me to my defining moment...
Defining Moment: The first appearance of Bruce Wayne in Batman Returns and my single favourite moment in any Batman film. As Penguin's gang terrorize downtown Gotham, Commisioner Gordon sends up the signal. We cut to a brooding Wayne, sitting in silence, bathed only in moonlight. The signal is redirected into the room, shining on his face as he rises from his chair with renewed purpose.
The signal is specifically directed into that one room, which leads the viewer to believe that Wayne sits here, night after night, in the silence and the darkness, waiting for his call. It's actually quite breathtaking.
The beginning of a new era. Not only of Batman, but of comic book movies as a whole. Dark, moody, gritty, these are the key words burned into the brain of every producer that wants to make a superhero film. Since 2005, the gritty reboot has become the norm, with only Marvel carving their own path of colour and lighthearted humour.
For my money, Nolan never intended to make a dark reboot, he wanted to make a film about a deeply disturbed individual who channels his fears into a vengeful and symbolic alternate identity. That's exactly what Batman is and has always been. Regardless of it's imitators, Begins remains a masterpiece, a perfect superhero origin story, that should be recognized as the film that made the world pay attention to Christopher Nolan. Also, Scarecrow was a brave choice for the main villain, in-keeping with the tone of the story and played with expert creepiness by Cillian Murphy.
Defining Moment: That wonderful shot of Batman, perched atop a spire, observing his city. A watchful protector.
Another (kind of) origin story, in which the pursuit of a murderous vigilante, the titular spectre, sees Bruce Wayne delve into his past.
Batman: The Animated Series was a highpoint of my childhood. Like many animated comic book series of the time, it featured all the major heroes and villains from print, along with key arcs and stories, so it was a great introduction to that world. The stylized art design recalled the era of Batman's birth as well as a German expressionist's use of shadows.
Mask Of The Phantasm is the best of a solid bunch of animated features from the producers of the show. Bruce Wayne's recollections of his past show his origins as the bat in a way that was never done before Nolan's Batman Begins and the story, which has vigilante pitted against vigilante, is engaging and tragic.
Defining Moment: Shirley Walkers music is a highlight on par with, if not superior to the work of Elfman, Zimmer and Howard. The opening credits of the film has a grandiose, operatic rendition of the main theme as we swoop through the Gotham skyline.
The one that, for all intents and purposes, started it all. Batman the movie, changed things. Movies about superheroes, adaptations in general and dark gothic action adventures, all owe a debt to Burton's first Bat film.
Nicholson's Joker is hammy as hell but still great value, even though he's since been eclipsed by Ledger (who, admittedly, played the role very differently). Keaton is perhaps better as Wayne than he is Batman, with his manic energy translating perfectly to the ever so slightly unhinged billionaire.
Also, Batman is notable for having future Two-Face Harvey Dent, played by Billy Dee Williams AKA. Lando Calrissian.
Defining Moment: I would argue that the entire film is one defining moment for cinema as a whole. The symbol, the theme, the costumes, the setting, the gadgets. Seminal.
Now, we start the decline. If the rumours are true, Burton had plans to direct Forever and have Billy Dee reprise his role, which would have given the world it's first African American Two-Face.
Unfortunately, we will never see Burton's slant on The Riddler, Two-Face and an altogether moodier Bruce Wayne. Instead we have Joel Schumacher's neon drenched wonderland of camp.
Schumacher tried to recall the more colourful aspects of the comics and the comedic melodrama of the 60's TV series and the result is....actually....Ok.
I like Batman Forever, I first saw it when I was a kid and was taken in by the bright colours and loud noises (the main theme of Forever is great fun), and was pleasantly surprised that repeat viewings into adulthood did not tarnish my enjoyment.
It's a fun film with some great touches, like Kilmer's engaging Batman/Wayne and Jim Carrey, who is his manic self, but also supremely unsettling as The Riddler. Dips in quality include Tommy Lee Jones overstated Two-Face and the jarring tonal confusion that flits from screwball comedy to psychological romance with reckless abandon.
Defining Moment: "Holy rusted metal, Batman!" A sign, if any were needed, that Schumacher was taking the franchise in the wrong direction. Iconic for all the wrong reasons.
As much as I love Forever despite it's flaws, Batman and Robin is harder to redeem. This is mainly because it is abjectly terrible in every way. It's ridiculous, but not in a charming way. Arnie is terrible as Mr. Freeze, no matter how snigger-inducing his one liners are. Alicia Silverstone is an abysmal Batgirl. Chris O Donnell ruins any credibility he may have had from the previous film. The fact that George Clooney was coerced into starring always makes me feel queasy. Then there's Poison Ivy and Bane, two of the worst interpretations of A-List comic book villains in cinema history. The neon is overpowering, the music is overblown, the camp is overwhelming.
I just wish Batman and Robin didn't exist.
Defining Moment: Don't even get me started.
Re-watching the work of Burton, Schumacher, Nolan and the many directors of Mask Of The Phantasm, got me in a list making mood. So to inevitably diminish the individual quality of these productions, here is my preferred sliding scale of Bat films.
BEST: The Dark Knight
Much has been said about the Nolan Batman, his interpretation has been lauded and derided, perhaps not in equal measure, but the criticisms still baffle me. I think the focus on stark realism provokes ire in those that want to have their cake and eat it. They want the comic book moments but they don't want to wade through an hour of dialogue and moody shots of Gotham's skyline. Perhaps Nolan's trilogy is too po-faced for the internet age.
Of course, the whole point of Nolan's films, is that they aren't comic book films at all. They are, in order, a psychological horror, a crime saga and a war film...that just happen to feature a guy that dresses up as a bat to fight crime.
Nolan's second film is by far the crowning achievement in his fantastic trilogy. A sprawling crime epic in the vein of Michael Mann's Heat, right down to the neo-Gotham bathed in pale blue.
Obviously the late Heath Ledger's Joker is the consistent high point, so I won't dwell on his universally revered performance, but there is just so much more to marvel at in TDK. The fall of Harvey Dent is deftly handled and gives Aaron Eckhart his career best role. Equal focus is given to all the major players, with the central struggle between Batman and Joker not overshadowing strong supporting characters like Dawes, Fox or Gordon. Then there's the wonderful action setpieces, all created with practical effects.
Defining Moment: The interrogation scene that sees a powerless Batman try to use violence and rage against a foe that is holding all the cards and is completely without fear. It has always been said that the Joker is chaos to Batman's order, so it's great to see the roles reversed as Bats anger and force meets Joker's confident restraint.
Batman Returns
In many ways, Burton's films have been overshadowed by Nolan's work, which I think is unfair. Burton's Batman is a different animal, a gothic fairytale that takes inspiration from the comics (particularly the dark slant of Alan Moore) and the 60s series. Devito's performance in particular recalls the TV show. His Penguin is like a warped, fun house mirror version of Burgess Meredith's original portrayal.
Returns is the exception to the rule of too many villains ruining a comic book sequel, which is funny, because it was the first mainstream comic book sequel to actually do this. There are three villains here (yes, Catwoman is technically an anti-hero, but still) and all are great value. The Penguin is a grotesque and satirical look at media manipulation, Max Shrek is Walken at his most Walkenest and Catwoman is sex appeal personified. Crucially, Batman doesn't get lost in his own film. Returns is, more than any other Bat film, about the relationship between Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, which brings me to my defining moment...
Defining Moment: The first appearance of Bruce Wayne in Batman Returns and my single favourite moment in any Batman film. As Penguin's gang terrorize downtown Gotham, Commisioner Gordon sends up the signal. We cut to a brooding Wayne, sitting in silence, bathed only in moonlight. The signal is redirected into the room, shining on his face as he rises from his chair with renewed purpose.
The signal is specifically directed into that one room, which leads the viewer to believe that Wayne sits here, night after night, in the silence and the darkness, waiting for his call. It's actually quite breathtaking.
Batman Begins
The beginning of a new era. Not only of Batman, but of comic book movies as a whole. Dark, moody, gritty, these are the key words burned into the brain of every producer that wants to make a superhero film. Since 2005, the gritty reboot has become the norm, with only Marvel carving their own path of colour and lighthearted humour.
For my money, Nolan never intended to make a dark reboot, he wanted to make a film about a deeply disturbed individual who channels his fears into a vengeful and symbolic alternate identity. That's exactly what Batman is and has always been. Regardless of it's imitators, Begins remains a masterpiece, a perfect superhero origin story, that should be recognized as the film that made the world pay attention to Christopher Nolan. Also, Scarecrow was a brave choice for the main villain, in-keeping with the tone of the story and played with expert creepiness by Cillian Murphy.
Defining Moment: That wonderful shot of Batman, perched atop a spire, observing his city. A watchful protector.
Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm
Another (kind of) origin story, in which the pursuit of a murderous vigilante, the titular spectre, sees Bruce Wayne delve into his past.
Batman: The Animated Series was a highpoint of my childhood. Like many animated comic book series of the time, it featured all the major heroes and villains from print, along with key arcs and stories, so it was a great introduction to that world. The stylized art design recalled the era of Batman's birth as well as a German expressionist's use of shadows.
Mask Of The Phantasm is the best of a solid bunch of animated features from the producers of the show. Bruce Wayne's recollections of his past show his origins as the bat in a way that was never done before Nolan's Batman Begins and the story, which has vigilante pitted against vigilante, is engaging and tragic.
Defining Moment: Shirley Walkers music is a highlight on par with, if not superior to the work of Elfman, Zimmer and Howard. The opening credits of the film has a grandiose, operatic rendition of the main theme as we swoop through the Gotham skyline.
Batman
The one that, for all intents and purposes, started it all. Batman the movie, changed things. Movies about superheroes, adaptations in general and dark gothic action adventures, all owe a debt to Burton's first Bat film.
Nicholson's Joker is hammy as hell but still great value, even though he's since been eclipsed by Ledger (who, admittedly, played the role very differently). Keaton is perhaps better as Wayne than he is Batman, with his manic energy translating perfectly to the ever so slightly unhinged billionaire.
Also, Batman is notable for having future Two-Face Harvey Dent, played by Billy Dee Williams AKA. Lando Calrissian.
Defining Moment: I would argue that the entire film is one defining moment for cinema as a whole. The symbol, the theme, the costumes, the setting, the gadgets. Seminal.
Batman Forever
Now, we start the decline. If the rumours are true, Burton had plans to direct Forever and have Billy Dee reprise his role, which would have given the world it's first African American Two-Face.
Unfortunately, we will never see Burton's slant on The Riddler, Two-Face and an altogether moodier Bruce Wayne. Instead we have Joel Schumacher's neon drenched wonderland of camp.
Schumacher tried to recall the more colourful aspects of the comics and the comedic melodrama of the 60's TV series and the result is....actually....Ok.
I like Batman Forever, I first saw it when I was a kid and was taken in by the bright colours and loud noises (the main theme of Forever is great fun), and was pleasantly surprised that repeat viewings into adulthood did not tarnish my enjoyment.
It's a fun film with some great touches, like Kilmer's engaging Batman/Wayne and Jim Carrey, who is his manic self, but also supremely unsettling as The Riddler. Dips in quality include Tommy Lee Jones overstated Two-Face and the jarring tonal confusion that flits from screwball comedy to psychological romance with reckless abandon.
Defining Moment: "Holy rusted metal, Batman!" A sign, if any were needed, that Schumacher was taking the franchise in the wrong direction. Iconic for all the wrong reasons.
WORST: Batman and Robin
As much as I love Forever despite it's flaws, Batman and Robin is harder to redeem. This is mainly because it is abjectly terrible in every way. It's ridiculous, but not in a charming way. Arnie is terrible as Mr. Freeze, no matter how snigger-inducing his one liners are. Alicia Silverstone is an abysmal Batgirl. Chris O Donnell ruins any credibility he may have had from the previous film. The fact that George Clooney was coerced into starring always makes me feel queasy. Then there's Poison Ivy and Bane, two of the worst interpretations of A-List comic book villains in cinema history. The neon is overpowering, the music is overblown, the camp is overwhelming.
I just wish Batman and Robin didn't exist.
Defining Moment: Don't even get me started.
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