Jun 4, 2012

Batman

This is Batman kids.
After the film producers (finally) decided that it was about time to give Superman a rest from the big screen frenzy, making comic book movies was kind of forgotten and as usual, the producers moved into the next big exploitation gem hype could afford them. However, the Superman franchise proved one thing: making comic book movies is a very profitable business if done properly. So, instead of locking down every comic book related business the movie industry could have, they actually thought new boundaries would open to avid audiences, ergo, the corporate film making industry bastards would get richer & richer. Only this time, they wouldn't make the same mistakes they made with the Superman franchise (you know, not being  closed to the original comic book conceptions, and altering such a legendary character to the point of WTF)

How about this nice wallpaper?
Batman next to his father: Bob Kane.
The batcave.
Bob Kane was perhaps, one of the greatest comic book masterminds we've ever have since the liars that wrote the bible and made us swallow it whole as if it was a real story. Mr. Kane gave birth to the greatest hero DC Comics would ever had: Batman, a tormented soul who's ultimate mission is to protect the innocents from Gotham City from the evil scumbags that stormed Gotham citizens' rooms. Bruce Wayne is just a man, his only extraordinaire ability is his intelligence and physical training. Warner Brothers decided then, to hire Bob Kane as the consultant executive for the production of the first big screen Batman movie. Fortunately, they didn't settle with Kane alone. They looked for the proper film maker to make a comic book about a serious character, whose darker side was the most appealing among comic fans from around the globe. Tim Burton, yes, Tim Burton.

Blonde twat fatale Vicky Vale goes Gotham hunting.
The greatest Joker impersonation there has ever been.
Michael Gough,  my favorite Alfred Pennyworth.

If you were around in summer 1989 then you'll remember that Bat-fever was everywhere! You couldn't look anywhere without seeing the Bat Logo in some incarnation. The film was a mega-hit. People were queueing up around the block for hours (Educational note: the literal meaning of a blockbuster). 

The marketing team at Warner had to saturate the minds of the public with the big-screen coming of the Dark Knight. Up until this point the Batman series from the 1960s is how people regarded the Batman character and universe. Tim Burton corrected all that by giving us a dark, sinister and Gothic world with rich production design and a great score by Danny Elfman (who has made a career out of recycling the same old generic cues in nearly every movie he has scored). The original material is respected (to a degree), and the characters are deep instead of just campy.

What do you mean you made me?
Michael Keaton is the best Bruce Wayne in my opinion. When he plays both Bruce Wayne and Batman you have to watch what he doesn't say and doesn't do. He's a rich, socio-phobic megalomaniac who has more money than sense. This is very different from Adam West's turtleneck playboy.

Jack Nicholson is a great Joker too, not quite as intimidating or as iconic as Heath Ledger's take on the character (we love dead guys, don't we?), but still a role that has defined his career in a way. Nicholson's Joker isn't much more than an attention-seeking lunatic. But it's still nothing like Caesar Romero's campy, hopping-skipping-and-jumping villain.

Joker Dollars.
Maybe you could drive my car.
Anton Furst's Oscar-winning design of Gotham City is very original and unique, and is very much in the style of the Comic book. The smoke-blackened, cramped and claustrophobic 1920s buildings look and create a very oppressive atmosphere. This is definitely GOTHam City. Not LA like the TV series.

They didn't even make any attempt with that show did they? In fact the Batcave in the TV series was like the set of a mad scientists lab from a 1950s movie. But the REAL Batcave in this movie is a monstrous cavern filled with stalagmites and it actually HAS bats in it. And there's no fireman's pole leading into it. 

Tim Burton shows the way.
Kim Basinger shows the way (to her bush)
With Christopher Nolan's reboot of the franchise currently the only Batman worth considering for most fans, it'd be a shame if you were to let this go ignored. It may not be as mature as Nolan's work but it has an edge that no other recent comic-book movie has.

It's NOT an origin story. There's no 60 precious minutes on a build-up, it just goes straight to the action. Why can't more comic-book movies do this?

Here's the movie trailer and may Batman live long and prosper:

2 comments:

Flashback-man said...

Una de mis pasiones es escuchar los comentarios del director y reparto y por supuesto ver los extras.

La vi en el cine cuando "era barato" y tuve los autoadhesivos holograficos de los yogurts soprole.

En cuanto la película no soy fanático de Barton, solo 2 películas a parte de las 2 primeras batman están en mi colección, ed Wood y beetlejuice. Dejando por su puesto aparte The Nightmare Before Christmas.

La película se cocino a principios de los años 80 en el reparto estaba The Joker, The Penguin, Batichica, Robin, Harvey Dent y un sin numero de personajes secundarios de la serie. La WB aprobó el guión, pero faltaba el director, paradójicamente nadie quería dirigirla, pero un joven director llevo a la pantalla grande Pee-wee's Big Adventure (gran éxito para WB), sumándole dos películas mas por contrato, tomo el Script y lo incinero, el resto es historia.

Billy Dee Williams no se porque lo eligieron para Dent, pero igual tengo su autógrafo jaja. Tenia una clausula que si se daba una precuela, se daría a conocer a Two-face, con el en el reparto. Según uno de los productores, se respetaría el contrato, pero Lee Jones tiro mas fuerte y se metieron el contrato por ahí.

Por último opinión personal El logo de batman que refresco el personaje, el Batimovil y el batijet de pelos y por su puesto la banda sonora de Danny Elfman que fue el OST de batman hasta la llegada de christopher nolan.

Ha me faltaba 50.000 cartas de protestas contra la designación del reparto recibió la WB, Bob Kane, Sam Hamm and Michael E. Uslan entre otros, en especial por Michael Keaton. Siempre a mi parecer los villanos han superado al murciélago de algún modo en las películas.

Buen Review saludos

SPAM Alternative said...

Exactamente, la gente no esperaba que Michael Keaton pudiese hacer un rol serio como Bruce Wayne/Batman al ser mas reconocido por papeles cómicos. La película fue una bomba, tuve los vasos de Pepsi, el álbum, las imágenes holográficas que mencionas de los yogurth y tengo todavía las 3 figuras de acción que salieron (Bob the Goon, the Joker y Batman) como nuevas con todos sus accesorios.

Respecto a lo que dices de los villanos, eso quedó claro en "Batman Returns" donde Catwoman y The Penguin se llevan la mayor cantidad de tiempo en pantalla.