The big thing this week is Batman. The theatrical release of
Batman Begins has taken fandom by storm, giving fans one of the best, if not
the best, adaptations of Batman to ever hit the screen. However, that’s no reason to forget the Batman movies that have kept us entertained over the years.
While most of these movies are readily available on DVD, unfortunately they are sparse on bonus materials, otherwise you might have seen a sequence of DVD reviews this week to celebrate
Batman Begins. Without bonus material there’s not much point in reviewing the discs, so instead I offer a brief review of each movie here. With only one real exception, everything here is worth a look so if you haven't immersed yourself completely in Batman yet, this is a good place to check out what's out there, or remind yourself what you liked or didn't like about each of the existing Batman movies.
Batman: The Movie (1966)
Directed By: Leslie H. Martinson
Starring: Adam West, Burt Ward, Lee Meriwether, Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith, Frank Gorshin, Alan Napier, Neil Hamilton
It’s hard to believe this was such a popular representation of Batman in its time. Despite its corny dialog and wacky “BAM”s and “POW”s, Adam West and Burt Ward were popular enough as the dynamic duo to bring Batman and Robin from television to the movie screen. Rather than try and settle on one member of Batman’s rogues gallery to cause problems for the do-gooder, the entire gallery was brought out to work together in their mischievous plan to take over the world by reducing the members of the U.N. into powder.
Batman: The Movie is the ultimate Flaming Hobbit for me. There is absolutely nothing redeeming about the movie, from Cesar Romero’s makeup covered mustache to the shark repellent Batspray. Still, I can’t help but love this movie. For days after watching it I’ll reply to any instructions I’m given with a giant “Yo ho!” and walk around quoting Batman in that glorious Adam West style (“Some days you just can’t get rid of a bomb”).
This is the only DVD listed here that has a decent amount of bonus materials, complete with a commentary track by Adam West and Burt Ward. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Adam West and what you hear in this commentary is exactly like the man is - a strange guy who’s still living the glory of accomplishments from forty years ago.
The Good: Absolutely nothing.
The Bad: Everything about the movie, but that’s what makes it so much fun.
Batman (1989)
Directed By: Tim Burton
Starring: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle
With the coming of
Batman Begins it’s almost become popular to bash the Burton films, which admittedly haven’t exactly aged well. A lot of the thrill of these films and the effects have lost their sheen over time. Still, Burton’s
Batman was the best thing to come along... well, actually the only thing to come along. Despite the controversy of casting Beetlejuice as Bruce Wayne/Batman, the movie was a more true to the comics Dark Knight, with a darker look at Batman and Gotham City in general.
Although I think Kim Basinger as a love interest was a bad idea, I’m still a fan of Burton’s film. Even though he claims never to read comics, the movie is a giant comic on the screen. Nicholson’s Joker is larger than life, dancing around to Prince songs while destroying priceless works of art and gassing Gotham city. I think the biggest mistakes the movie makes is establishing a Harvey Dent who doesn’t return, and killing off the Joker with absolute certainty in the climactic battle. As all comic fans know, nobody really dies in the comic books, and the Joker is always certain to return.
The Good: “Where does he get those wonderful toys?”
The Bad: Kim Basinger - really couldn’t figure out someone better?
Batman Returns (1992)
Directed By: Tim Burton
Starring: Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer, Danny DeVito, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle
Burton’s take on Batman is even more dark the second time around, which turned a lot of fans off. Rather than figure out who the next biggest threat is from the Rogues Gallery,
Batman Returns brings in two baddies to fight the Batman: a gruesome rendition of the Penguin brought to life by Danny DeVito, and the mysterious Catwoman. Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman led to the studio’s interest in following the movie with a spin off for her character, which was tossed around until it became last year’s horror film (didn’t think it was a horror film? It felt pretty horrible to me). Of course, the genius casting was Christopher Walken as Max Schrek. Schrek isn’t a super villain, he’s just a crooked businessman, but that’s all he has to be - he’s Christopher Freakin-Walken!
The second film is definitely a more foreboding turn for Batman, following the comic which also started to descend in tone around the same time. It was a change I loved, and
Batman Returns is probably my favorite of Burton’s two films. Of course, just getting rid of Kim Basinger made the movie much better in my point of view.
The Good: Michelle Pfeiffer is deadly with a whip
The Bad: Okay, the whole mistletoe bit is more than a little cheesy
Batman - Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Directed By: Eric Randomski, Bruce W. Timm
Starring: (voices of) Kevin Conroy, Dana Delany, Hart Bochner, Stacy Keach, Abe Vigoda, Mark Hamil, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Bob Hastings
The success of Burton’s movies led to an animated series that became the second Batman to go from television to the big screen. By moving to the big screen for the
Phantasm storyline, the cartoon was able to follow in the footsteps of it’s predecessor, telling a bleaker story which, frankly, probably is darker than either of the Burton films. In this Batman story, criminals are being killed - not arrested or subdued, and not off screen.
A lot of people pass up
Mask of the Phantasm in their consideration of Batman movies, but I suggest checking it out if you haven’t seen it yet. It confidently holds its own even though it was released right in the middle of the live action Batman films. Definitely not one for the kids though - unlike
Batman this dark knight isn’t afraid to truly show how dangerous the Joker can be.
The Good: Look at the teeth fly
The Bad: It’s the last great Batman film to hit theaters until 2005.
Batman Forever (1995)
Directed By: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Val Kilmer, Nicole Kidman, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Chris O’Donnell, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle
Tim Burton decided to give up directing anymore Batman movies, moving on to eventually rip off Kevin Smith’s idea when remaking
Planet of the Apes. Moving strictly to producer status, Burton handed the bat-baton to Joel Schumacher, and the world of Batman would never be the same.
Along with Burton went Michael Keaton, leaving Val Kilmer to come in and don the cowl. Schumacher continued the trend of dual villains, pairing together the unlikely duo of Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and the Riddler (Jim Carrey). To help battle the villains Schumacher brought in Batman’s sidekick Robin (Chris O’Donnell). Unfortunately what Schumacher did change was the flavor of the Batman franchise - trading Gotham’s dismal atmosphere for one where gang members used glow in the dark paint.
When
Batman Forever hit theaters I really enjoyed it, feeling like it kept the spirit of the Batman franchise, if not the same flavor. What really amused me was Kilmer in the role of Bruce Wayne, who didn’t seem to be creating the character as much as emulating Keaton in the role. However, over time, the movie has definitely tarnished. I’ve come to realize how untrue to the characters the movie is, basically turning two super villains into half assed idiots.
The Good: The shot of Dr. Meridian Chase laying in her silk sheets (my jaw dropping reaction to that shot got me in trouble with my girlfriend at the time).
The Bad: Two-Face sticks to the results of his coin toss. He doesn’t just reflip until he gets a result he likes!
Batman & Robin (1997)
Directed By: Joel Schumacher
Starring: George “Chicken Head” Clooney, Chris O’Donnell, Uma Thurman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alicia Silverstone, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle
Ugh. That’s honestly the nicest thing I can say about the final chapter of the Burton/Schumacher franchise. The movie should have succeeded. It had three successful films to build on and the biggest cast yet. Instead it crashed and burned, taking the dreams and hopes of an entire generation of Batman films with it.
This was the movie where I discovered George Clooney’s ability to move his head like a chicken. It didn’t matter that the cowl of the batsuit limited movement - somehow Clooney was able to shake his head in a chicken like movement with ever single line. Uma Thurman seemed like she was doing a bad Mae West impersonation as Poison Ivy, and Ah-nold was given horrid lines like “da chilling sound of your doom”. Schumacher added Batgirl to the cast for unknown reasons, and for more unknown reasons changed the entire character’s history, making her Alfred’s niece rather than Gordon’s daughter. Alicia Silverstone was rumored to have lost up to twenty pounds for the role of Batgirl, and she should have lost ten more. And the final insult to the Batman franchise - the character of Bane who, instead of the super strong genius from the comic books, was portrayed as a monosyllabic grunt.
Batman & Robin is not only the worst movie in the Batman franchise, but also the worst comic book movie of all time, voted as such by comic books all over the world. What’s worse is that Schumacher can do a dark film - look at
8mm. Instead of bringing that vision to the Batman franchise and continuing the work Burton began, Schumacher brought a movie to the public that made Adam West’s days in the batsuit look good.
The Good: Adam West finds redemption 31 years after his movie hits theaters.
The Bad: I think I’ve said enough.
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000)
Directed By: Curt Geda
Starring: (voices of) Will Friedle, Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamil, Angie Harmon, Dean Stockwell, Tara Strong
I know
Return of the Joker never came to theaters, but I’d like to end this on a high note instead of the Schumacher disaster film. “Batman Beyond” began as a spin off series from the Animated Batman series. The concept - Batman in the future. Bruce Wayne has gotten older and no longer has the strength to wear the cowl, so a new Batman has stepped in - Terry McGuinnis. McGuinnis is still a high school kid, so he receives direction from Bruce as he fights his own cadre of villains.
Over the first season of
Batman Beyond several of Batman’s old nemeses were shown, but the key figure of the rogues gallery - The Joker - was visibly missing. Finally the show’s creators decided to reveal what had happened to the Joker through a direct to video full length movie. The result put Batman on the right path again for faithful fans.
Batman Beyond: The Revenge of the Joker turns the Dark Knight dark again, revealing a plot that includes the torture of Robin, leading to eventual insanity. It also addresses how Bruce Wayne’s former wards/apprentices feel about him, and how much harm Batman has done over the years in order to do good. It also expands the Batman universe without making things too silly - something other comics that move to, say 2099, could learn from.
The Good: The Joker is just as lethal as ever, if not more so.
The Bad: The film suffered some censoring from the studio, eventually leading to a rated and unrated release.
Special Recognition
As you can see, over the course of time Batman has had his ups and downs on film. Two men however were there through a great deal of it. We at CinemaBlend wish to extend a salute to Michael Gough and Pat Hingle, the two men who stayed through the entire Burton/Schumacher regime. Despite getting more foolish, Commissioner Gordon (Hingle) never abandoned his post, and disregarding stupid rap references, Alfred (Michael Gough) remained by the Wayne family’s side. Way to survive through the good and the bad times boys!
