BATMAN: 20 Years ago today (1 Viewer)

[Sam Favate]

Just what we have been discussing:

Scott Mendelson: 20 Years Later, How Batman Changed the Movie Business

 

[Gary Seven]

I think that article is a little over the top itself.

 

[MattFini]

I agree. The article is fun, but some of the leaps the author takes are a bit outrageous.

And while I'm late to this thread, I still have tons of love for Burton's Batman. I was ten years old that summer and was so excited to see Indiana Jones, the Ghostbusters, James Bond and, of course, Batman on the big screen.

In my eyes it was a great summer for movies but it was amazing to have lived through all of the hype and frenzy surrounding Batman. I remember seeing it twice that summer and I'm amazed at how much of both screenings I can recall. Hard to believe 20 years have passed since then!

I just watched the film on BD with my fiancee (she'd never seen it) and I was thrilled to hear her say how much she liked Keaton in the role. For my money, his Batman suit in the first two films are the best the character has ever looked on the big screen.

 

[Nick Martin]

It is interesting that the most cheaply-made Batsuit is also the most impressive looking, which is the 89 suit. There is something genuinely frightening about it, especially when its wings are open.

 

[Matthew Brown]

I would love to see a book written on what it took to get this to the big screen. It wasn't an easy task at the time. So many things needed to be interpreted for the big screen just right. This had to try to satisfy hardcore comic fans as well as those who only knew Batman from the TV show. The article mentioned above was absolutely correct in that this movie was calculated at every angle to be a hit.

I haven't watched it in a while. Over the years I find it hard to watch Jack Nicholson in any role without being taken out of the movie. I liked him as the Joker though because it was kept in the context of what the movie was going for.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Interestingly enough, Batman, Spider-Man, and Superman Returns are all legendary for the challenge in getting each respective film (finally) made.

 

[Brian Borst]

Originally Posted by Shane D

to me the best thing the movie gave us was the inspiration for the cartoon that came after it in the 90's

Pretty much, yeah. Although Burton's Batman was flawed, Nolan's Batman is that too. Both took liberties with the character but I still think both versions are equally enjoyable and still good films. But the animated series is the best adaptation of the Batman character, I think. For example, Mark Hamill does a better job at the Joker than both Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger did.

 

[Brent M]

Originally Posted by Brian Borst


For example, Mark Hamill does a better job at the Joker than both Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger did.

Well, I certainly think Hamill does a fine Joker, but I wouldn't say it's "better" than either of those performances, especially Ledger's.

 

[MattFini]

Personally, I love all three Jokers in question.

I don't like to compare strengths and weaknesses in performances - although it's hard not to - but I can appreciate the cases made for each actor's interpretation of the character. I think all three are different enough and can hold their own.

 

[Nick Martin]

Originally Posted by Brian Borst


Both took liberties with the character but I still think both versions are equally enjoyable and still good films.

What exactly does that mean, anyway? You make it sound like it's wrong to interpret something at all. Trouble is, taken literally everything outside of Bob Kane and Bill Finger's original comics is an interpretation and liberties are taken all the time. Now, I don't read comics and don't care to but there's certainly a double-standard when it comes to interpretations, since it seems to be perfectly okay for comic books but frowned upon in movies and TV. How that is supposedly different is obviously something I've never seen explained.

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by MattFini

I think all three are different enough and can hold their own.

That's my take on it as well. Mark Hamill is my personal favorite but they all did their own thing and made a memorable version of the character. Jack Nicholson was the right Joker for Tim Burton's movie. When I saw Heath Ledger's Joker in trailers and clips, I wondered what the hell he was doing but when I saw the movie, I thought he was easily the best element of the movie and that he had a great interpretation of the character.

 

[Brian Borst]

Originally Posted by Nicholas Martin



What exactly does that mean, anyway? You make it sound like it's wrong to interpret something at all. Trouble is, taken literally everything outside of Bob Kane and Bill Finger's original comics is an interpretation and liberties are taken all the time. Now, I don't read comics and don't care to but there's certainly a double-standard when it comes to interpretations, since it seems to be perfectly okay for comic books but frowned upon in movies and TV. How that is supposedly different is obviously something I've never seen explained.

Interpretation isn't wrong, but most fans want to see a film true to the characters. You can't just change a character because you feel like it, you have to set up some boundaries for yourself. Otherwise it isn't interesting. Both takes on the character did it, that's my mild complaint. Some comic writers do it too, and they get criticized for it too, but that's just one arc out of an entire run that lasts decades, instead of a film which will endure much longer.

 

[Nick Martin]

From what I understand, the three big problems fans had with Burton's film were:

-Joker killed Batman's parents, creating him before Batman could create Joker
-Vicki Vale is let into the Batcave by Alfred

and the worst offender:

-Batman kills a lot of henchmen, when he shouldn't be killing anyone at all.

As a non-reader of the comics, for years I didn't know these different from those and they didn't bother me after learning of them because:

-I liked the idea of the villain unknowingly creating the hero, and the hero accidentally giving the villain a new lease on life.

-Alfred's letting Vicki in was probably related to what he said to Bruce earlier, about not wanting to grieve over losing his friends anymore, or his friends' son. Maybe he wanted Bruce to see there was more to life than Batman, and Vicki was a key to it.

-Batman's killing henchmen who were trying to kill him - to me this guy, especially after nearly being killed in a plane crash, was seriously pissed off and prior to that hell-bent on revenge. The rest (such as the men in Axis Chemicals who were lost when the Batmobile blew it up) were collateral damage as far as he was concerned. It may have been the ultimate violation in the comic fans' eyes, but as a non-fan I understood and accepted it for what it was.

Another reason I wasn't bothered by it is because this isn't just a comic character anymore. It's a live-action TV, cartoon, live-action movie, animated movie, all-around media character and sometimes people don't follow every form the character appears in, so there is no standard other than the one that made you a fan in the first place. Of course, there's obviously this idea that only the comics are the true standard that everything else must live up to. That's why there was a big issue of Heath Ledger's Joker when it came to his skin - it wasn't "perma-white" and that didn't sit well with some people. Of course that kind of thing sounds totally ridiculous to get worked up over, but everyone's got their preferences.

 

[Alex...]

And America's favorite Batman is... Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton's Batman Is the United States' Favorite Dark Knight

Social media has decided: Michael Keaton is still America’s favorite actor to play Batman, beating Christian Bale, Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson.

www.cbr.com

 

[Sam Favate]

And America's favorite Batman is... Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton's Batman Is the United States' Favorite Dark Knight

Social media has decided: Michael Keaton is still America’s favorite actor to play Batman, beating Christian Bale, Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson.

www.cbr.com

I call foul since Adam West wasn't even listed as one of the options!

 

[Malcolm R]

I call foul since Adam West wasn't even listed as one of the options!

I think he was listed. The asterisk note at the bottom says he didn't win any states (as with Kilmer or Clooney).

 

[Sam Favate]

I think he was listed. The asterisk note at the bottom says he didn't win any states (as with Kilmer or Clooney).

Bah!
No Adam West = Failure!