Back in 1989, in late June, I remember I was 11 and 1/2 years old. I use the 1/2 because that's what pretty much every human being does until a certain age, so as I am remembering a tale from then I will use the proper terms. My brother was about 12 and 1/2 years old at this time and you can maybe imagine two young boys in the late 80's and their love for comic books. Up until this point though there was really only the 60's Batman show, The Incredible Hulk show and the cinematic Superman Starring the late great Christopher Reeves. There were a few others but mainly not much to choose from and those we could watch were campy beyond belief. In June of '89 Batman, starring Michael Keaton as the Caped Crusader, got released into theaters across the nation. I guess I wouldn't need to say that we both were pretty excited about it.
Our older sister, who is 4 years older then me, and her friend wanted to go to the movies and so did we. We obviously wanted to see Batman but my sister being the older one, got to choose what she and her friend wanted to see. For the life of me I cannot remember the name of the film we were originally going to see but I can tell you one thing...it was nowhere near as cool as Batman. I am actually texting her right now as I type this to see if she can remember the film. It would appear the film in question will remain in question for some time.
We finish the film and I can honestly say that since then I have not had the same feeling leaving a theater. That was spectacular. Batman looked different, Joker looked different, the Batmobile looked different and it was just an awe-inspiring movie for an 11 year old. And as far as comic book films go, this is the one I compare all others to. Not Spider-Man 2 and not X-Men 2, this one. It is my belief that if this film had never been produced then neither would the two previously mentioned Marvel tales.
So onto the reason why I decided to do this post. A few days ago Zack Snyder, the director of the recent Man of Steel film, released the first picture of Ben Affleck as the new Batman that will appear in the Man of Steel sequel. Here it is...
The first thought that went through my mind was, "AWESOME"! I love it! It would also appear that I am in the minority with this one. Alot of people, the world over, have been blasting the hell outta this. With things like.."Gay, compared to Bale", and "What's with the stupid short ears?". I love it! I can't say it enough because it looks to me like Snyder and company have really made a Batman that has never been tried before. The Batman I see here is hateful and pissed off at the world for what happened to him and this is the only way he can cope with it. What I really think people are hating on is the fact that Ben Affleck is playing The Dark Knight. Man, there is alot of Ben haters out there. So, he made Daredevil, which I love that flick. I thought he did well in it, which is way more than I can say about the rest of the cast. So, he made Gigli as well. And I will say I didn't find it as terrible as everyone says. In my honest opinion I think that every single person that says they hate this film hasn't actually watched it. They just blast it because noone wants to admit they liked it. But he has proved himself a great actor and director in other movies so I don't know where all the hate is from. I mean, come on, every actor out there makes a film that even their fans don't like. This new take on The Bat looks great to me. He looks more mean and the suit looks classic but different all at the same time.
When the 1989 Batman came out pretty much everyone was pissed off that Michael Keaton was playing the title role. I was 11 so I didn't know who he really was then. But so many were upset that Mr. Mom was taking ahold of the cape. A man that was mainly in comedic ventures was supposed to be the serious and always angry blue and grey?...I mean Black and Yellow! This was the first real reinvention of Batman. He was always in blue and grey in the comics and in the '66 TV show as well. Black! With a bright yellow utility belt and an amazing yellow Bat symbol on his chest. That can spread fear into the hearts of the evil right there!
Lets not forget a few other details of this '89 Batman. One being the baddassness of the Batmobile! That was so sleek with its Bat fins on the side and the sliding cockpit door. Damn, just thinking about it makes me want to watch it right now. "Where does he get those wonderful toys?" The Joker said it best. Speaking of the Joker? Jack Nicholson took the Joker into another realm here. He was very funny and sadistic at the same time, which is a hard thing to do. He pulled it off. And he was known as the Joker for almost two decades. Everyone knows why!
In 1995, after one more Michael Keaton/Batman film, known as Batman Returns, Keaton hung up the cape for good. He was replaced by Val Kilmer, which is kinda weird to me because he has a mouth that people can notice for miles. And when that is the only human part of Bruce Wayne that is seen by everyone when his cowl is on then I say it's a no go. But this film is called Batman Forever and it almost killed the franchise. Joel Schumacher took the reigns from Tim Burton and completely changed the look and feel of the film. Most of all he brought on the Bat nipples. Yes, you read that correctly, they put nipples on the Bat Suit. Back in the day when Batman was known for just being in a comic book and a campy show he wore a fabric suit so maybe then, and only then, should we see some nipplage. Funny thing though...we didn't see them when we should and do see them when we shouldn't! Schumacher took the Dark Knight and turned him on his head with this film. He changed the suit a bit but the nipples were way too much. The car was changed too, in my eyes not for the better. The filmmakers decided the Batmobile needed...wait for it...neon lights! Ummm, hell no! Car could have been cool if it wasn't for the lights. Although this movie has one redeeming factor, and that is Jim Carrey as Riddler, that was perfect.
1997 hits and we have yet another actor taking the cape and cowl into theaters. It couldn't have been any worse if Joel Schumacher tried to make the single worst rendition of Batman ever! Oh wait a minute...he did! Called Batman & Robin and includes BatGirl, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and Bane. This movie is okay to watch if you are barely paying any attention to it at all. So I suppose that means it sucks. Nipples are back but this time George Clooney wears them. Now we have an acclaimed dramatic actor taking his turn and it is not good. This is the movie that killed the franchise for close to a decade. The Bat suit in this one changes a couple times. Starts out with the Schumacher nipples and then goes to horrendous blue and silver suit. It is my belief that Joel Schumacher hates Batman! I mean he is called the Dark Knight for a reason! Dark and mysterious should be the key words. None of that is existent here! The Batmobile was destroyed as well in this one. If you squint and look at your TV at an angle while drunk this car looks cool! But if your like me, you watched it hoping for some type of cool. Didn't happen. The Batmobile is something out of a cartoon and has the added Schumacher neon lights. No wonder it took so long for Hollywood to make another Batman film.
2005 brings us a new era in Batman. People have kinda forgotten the last travesty and embraced the new look. Christopher Nolan has handled this new tale with some delicate hands. I think he knows that there are some die hard Batman fans out there but this new Batman needs something for the folks that don't read comics. Played by Christian Bale in a most serious way. The three films he portrayed the Bat are the most profitable, and I believe that would be because they made a film for more than just comic fans. These three films are set in reality, which is the difference between this and any of the other Batman films. I do like these movies immensely. But I think I may hurt someones feelings when I say the only problem with them is the lead actor. Christian Bale is a good actor and he does play the part of Bruce Wayne well, but he plays the part of Batman badly. It's the voice, man! It is so bad I have a hard time believing him. But the Batsuit is kinda cool with the armor plating. The first Bale Picture has the best Batsuit in the newer series. The two sequels gave Batman a way to turn his head and turn his head he could but that alone made the silhouette take a nasty turn. I just don't like it after the first one. The Batmobile took a drastic change, even more so than it's pilot. These films call it the Tumbler. I call it crap! It is by far the worst Batmobile ever! Again, I am alone in these thoughts. They took an incredibly sleek car and turned it into a tank! Not even a tank, but a bridgelayer vehicle. That's pretty uncool to me. This particular series has a few redeeming factors that all boil down to the villains. They always say that a hero is only as good as the villain he is against! Nolan took this to heart and gave Batman villains that were so much better then himself. For one, I will bring up Heath Ledger as the Joker! As I mentioned before, Jack Nicholson was the Joker, and I repeat...WAS...the Joker. As much as I loved Jack's Joker, I loved Heath's more! He was beyond sadistic but still funny enough to call him his rightful name. Also Bane was such a great character and acted so well by Tom Hardy. The accent was great and the change of outfit, although not close to the original character, was still pretty cool.
I am hoping that when this Man of Steel sequel hits theaters and I am able to see it that I don't eat my words. I want so bad for this film to be awesome. I am a DC fan from the start and Superman is the greatest in my opinion. But, adding the Batman in the mix for the first time is taking a huge risk, these two have never been in a live action film together! So, introducing a new actor as Batman and mixing him with Supes is huge and I think the filmmakers know how much of a risk they are taking. I don't think they would take a chance on destroying their own careers by putting Ben Affleck in the Bat role if they didn't think it would pay off. And if you look at Zack Snyder's filmography you can see that he has made a few other films that people thought would be unfilmable like 300 and Watchmen. I am firmly standing behind him with the belief that he can create the best version of The Justice League possible. I cannot wait!
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