And yes, Burton’s first two Batman films were pretty awesome. I thought Jack was the perfect Joker, and Devito made a perfect Penguin.
I might have spoke too soon on DVD’s of the Batman TV show. I must have misremembered what I read or read a more optimistic take on what happened because the article I found only mentions licensing Toys etc. not DVDs. But a DVD set would be a logical next step I would think.
Trailer spoiler:
“Why didn’t you just kill me?”
“Or plubbishmadt muds be more sebeer.”
Dammit now that makes two of us.
I was not a big fan of Dark Knight. Other than the Joker blowing up the hospital, I thought it was muddled, overblown, too growly, had too much going on everywhere, and not quite worth all the praise that I heard of “best comic book movie ever.”
Anne Hathaway is a fine actor, so I think she can pull of Catwoman. I’m not sure why Bane is wearing that tentacle fetish mouthguard though.
The directors are drawing upon different interpretations of Batman. Tim Burton was (I think) heavily influenced by Steve Englehart’s '70s run on Batman, dark but flashy and insane, while Nolan seems to be drawing from Frank Miller and the aesthetic that followed from him, dark and grimly brutal.
I think people get confused and lump the first two films directed by Tim Burton with the later, cheesier films directed by Joel Schumacher.
The later films were definitely cheesier, but any time someone talks about how serious and uncheesy the Burton films were I can see nothing but this scene:
I wasn’t worried. The teaser, 7 min prologue and the official trailer got me pumped for the new film.
BUT, I was also excited to see Prometheus after the trailers and was really disappointed. And while the other trailers are good, the international one makes it look kind of whatever.
However, I think seeing Tom Hardy’s Bane will be worth the price of admission. Batman Begins was average, but Heath Ledger made The Dark Knight what it is. So another interesting performance by the villain is what I’m looking forward to.
…Commando Penguins with rockets on their backs were in which Batman movie again?
Burton’s Batman is good… Batman Returns is less so but more crazy. Schumacher’s are just an outgrowth of what Burton did in the 2nd…until by the last one they are more like the tv show.
I’m not excited for thsi one because Batman Begins was cool for the first two acts, it fell apart in the third. Dark Knight had some great 70s crime thriller moments, but ultimately wasn’t as amazing as Ledger’s death made it into.
I could understand it fine, but I still thought the pitch of his voice was weird, sort of like the joke that Australians say everything as if it was a question?
Bane sounds exactly like Dr. Henry Killinger from Venture Bros.
I preferred Burton’s Batmans to Nolan’s, but I still liked Nolan’s. Everything I’ve seen from the trailers indicate the third film won’t be much different than the first two.
The best things in the Batman universe has been happening in Arkham Asylum and Arkham City lately, but I’m still psyched for Dark Knight Rises.
Memento.
I’m not sure I would call Memento compelling. I saw it once, but I had forgotten everything that happened by the time I woke up the next day.
I’m going to say I absolutely hated Burton’s Batman.
I still remember going to see it opening weekend expecting it to be dark and gritty like Nolan’s versions. Instead a got a sort of Batman on Broadway. Like Phantom of the Opera meets Batman.
Everything looked liked jumbo set pieces, the music was whimsical, nobody ever felt like they were in any kind of real danger just theatrical pretend danger.
I mean, how serious can you take a movie that has Prince songs built into it?
Wiping the slate clean and putting it in the hands of Nolan was the best thing that ever happened to the franchise.
You should have written about the story on your arm so you’d remember.
That’s because of the (boneheaded, IMHO) decision to put numerous critical story elements–very important exposition, key developments, even a few resolutions–into the web-only yellow pages episodes.
Didn’t work for Lucas, won’t work for Nolan.
I didn’t like it. It’s better than anything else he’s done but to me that’s not saying much.