The opening scene in the movie is at some fancy social event. Everybody is in tuxedos. Bruce Wayne and one other guy (who will later be revealed to be the villain) arrive in white tie and tails. Someone makes a wisecrack about “penguin suits”.
At the end of the movie, the police are rounding up the bad guys. Commissioner Gordon asks if they caught the ringleader. A cop says, “Yeah, that’s him over there. The guy in the penguin suit.” These are the only two times in the entire movie that the word “penguin” is ever spoken.
As for the Riddler, just have him wear a dark green business suit, with a lapel pin shaped like a question mark. He might, at some point, wear a bowler hat. Or he might not.
David Goyer (the screenwriter of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight) said no Penguin and no Catwoman. I’m not sure how much weight that carries. And besides, there are few major Bat-villains left if you knock out Penguin and Catwoman and The Joker and The Scarecrow and Ras Al Ghul.
That leaves the Riddler. There are leser villains, but I think the studio is going to demand at least one name villain. I’d imagine they’re putting the screws to Nolan about Catwoman as well. They’re going to want a female lead, and that character is the obvious choice.
Maybe, but I’d really like to see Bane in a Batman movie for the first time.
I know, I know. The “Batman and Robin doesn’t exist!” joke is old and tired, but hear me out. The Bane that movie featured was nothing more than a nameless thug that was hopped up on goofballs. The real Bane is a cold, calculating hunter who is almost as smart as Batman. Seeing that character done in a movie could be fantastic, especially with the Batman as fugitive story The Dark Knight ends with.
There was a sly Catwoman reference in The Dark Knight as I recall. Wasn’t there some crack about Batman’s armor protecting him from dogs…(meaningful pause)…or cats.
. . . and maybe I should watch it, because I’ve always had a hard time believing it was so much worse than the ones preceding it that people would deny it existed while still discussing the others. They were all awful, including the first one.
The director, Joel Schumacher, actually apologized to the fans for how the movie turned out. That clip is from the Batman and Robin DVD and it’s just a small part of larger interview where he goes into some details over some of the decisions that were made, and he actually tries to explain why the movie turned out the way it did. (Short version: Studio Interference.) He doesn’t quite accept full responsibility, (and given the size of the production he probably has a point), for the movie but he does seem to honestly know that he turned out one of the worst films of all time and doesn’t really sugar coat that fact. At one time I was calling for Schumacher’s head on a pike, but after watching these interviews I have to confess my respect actually went up a little.
The movie though is bad. Epically bad. I actually like the Burton movies and thought “Forever” was a bit of cheesy fun, but I can understand how others wouldn’t like them. “Batman and Robin” is on a whole other level. If you do decide to watch it, make sure to have alcohol close at hand.
And yes I own the DVD. I’m not proud of that fact. :smack:
They were all awful but Batman and Robin exists on this special lower plane of hell. Imaging trying to mix the 60’s Batman show into the played straight Burton stuff and done without a trace of irony.
Jihi, I have the DVD too, but I have it only for the Rifftrax.
That’s exactly my point. Bane is only referred to by name once. He never speaks. He does none of the planning. He is more or less an anonymous heavy.
And in the end, he’s defeated by having his tube pulled (as is common in a fight against Bane) and he turns into a 90 pound weakling. Which is just wrong. Bane isn’t some mutant, he’s a tough guy who becomes even tougher with a specially made steroid formula.
I thought I heard Bane growl his own name once in awhile in Batman and Robin. I’ve been tempted several times to order it on Blu-ray…
I’ve always hated the Dick Grayson Robin. I wonder if that’s where they’re headed though. Batman Begins follows Year One pretty closely. The Dark Knight follows The Long Halloween pretty closely. The next book in that trilogy is Dark Victory. After the events in The Long Halloween, Batman, Gordon, and Dent are all left feeling betrayed and alone. Batman gets over it with the Robin story line.
The trilogy of books also follows the storyline of a mafia run Gotham (Begins), the Freaks starting to take control from the mafia (TDK), and the downfall of the mafia with the freaks taking over completely. The movies have followed the first two parts so far.
In the comics, I never minded Tim Drake. He seemed to only fight if it was absolutely necessary because he wasn’t on the same level as Batman or his rogue’s gallery. He was smart though, which Batman was able to use effectively.
I like the reboot movies, but honestly? I am not as huge a fan of them as so many seem to be. Oh, Ledger did an amazing performance as the Joker and I am a fan of grittiness and darkness in my fantasy, but the movies seemed to be… I don’t know. Trying too hard? They remind me of boys I knew in college playing vampire RPGs and brooding and smoking clove cigarettes and trying, trying so very hard to be dark and interesting.
That said: I do really like the movies, and I am hoping for Ra’s to come back. What, you think a little thing like dying however he died in that first movie is enough to keep him down? It’s RA’S.
I think TDK was too long, and to be honest, the Two-Face story bores me. but whenever Ledger is on screen, I think the movie soars. I wish it had just been a more stripped down Joker story.
Incidentally, why do so many people complain about Bale’s Batman voice? It doesn’t sound natural, but it isn’t supposed to. The whole point is that he’s trying to disguise his real voice, not that he’s trying to make it sound natural. I think it’s actually kind of cool. For those who don’t like it, how would you suggest he change it? Should he use the same voice as Batman he uses as Wayne? Wouldn’t that be kind of foolish?
I agree, I think Ledger was tragically underused in the film, despite all the hype about his role. It would have been much better if the 2-face storyline was just eliminated entirely; it really would have streamlined and shortened the movie. I would have liked the movie a lot if it had more Heath, no 2-face, no Hong-Kong-Financier, and better chemistry twixt man and woman.
As for the voice, I just thought it sounded…stupid. I can’t really say it any more specifically than that. It’s fine that his voice changed - I just wish it would have been changed to a different vocal sound.
I love Batman Begins. I think that while it is plenty gritty, it also has moments of levity (Alfred’s wisecracks, Gordon and the Tumbler) and also inspirational moments (adult Bruce finding the cave, Batman saving Rachel and the boy in the barrows, etc.) that balance the darker aspects.
That’s what’s missing in The Dark Knight. It’s just so bleak. I know–that’s kind of the point–but it could have used just a little bit of fun mixed in. I still think TDK is great, but most days I’d rather rewatch Begins.