Analyzing The Batman Franchise (Pt. 5 of 8): Batman Begins (2005)

Batman Begins (2005)

Directed By: Christopher Nolan

Batman/Bruce Wayne: Christian Bale

Love Interest: Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes)

Villains: Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy), Ra's Al Ghul (Liam Neeson), Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson)

Score: Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard

High Points:

• Christopher Nolan must be thanked for making Batman movies relevant again. When this was released in 2005, it had been 8 years since The Dark Knight had graced the silver screen. Nolan had a vision of returning the character to his darker roots while injecting a sense of realism (which I don't always feel was necessary) to the comic book world. Moviegoers and Bat-fans quickly got the taste of Robin's rubber lips out of their mouths with this new interpretation. So thank you Chris for bringing Bat movies back with a bang.
• Christian Bale was the first Batman to journey across the globe to study and train in order to begin fighting crime. His portrayal of Bruce Wayne's duality as playboy billionaire by day and Batman by night is also very spot on.
• Gotham, in particular the Narrows, was exactly what you expected the worst city  in America to look like. It was dank, dingy, and hopeless and all captured beautifully on camera by cinematographer Wally Pfister.
• Bruce Wayne's climb to the top of the mountain and subsequent training from the League of Shadows (or Assassins) was one of my favorite parts of the trilogy.
• Liam Neeson was an excellent Ra's Al Ghul. He captured the villain's comic book motives perfectly while also providing his classic Neeson badass factor. His speeches about injustice and the history of the League were riveting.
• Cillian Murphy thrived in the role of supporting baddie Jonathan Crane, the Scarecrow. 
• James Gordon and Batman started their long term relationship. (Strictly platonic...)
• Gary Oldman was actually a character and not just a fat cop like Pat Hingle was.
• The film did a great job of setting up how corrupt Gotham was. With asswipe cops like Flass and crime lords like Falcone, the city was in real turmoil.
• I enjoyed Bruce's playboy facade especially when he bought that hotel like a boss.
• Morgan Freeman's Lucius Fox helps explain where Batman gets all those wonderful toys.
• Michael Caine is an excellent Alfred. He would never let anyone into the Batcave without permission like that dope Michael Gough. Also his overall relationship with Bruce is much more interesting and caring, while their interactions also serve as a good source for comic relief.
• The dialogue is top notch and the film has a lot of quotable lines. "Swear to me!!"
• Batman's interrogation of Flass was classic Bats.
• Batman's take down of Falcone's gang was intense. He instilled great fear in the hearts of those criminals.
• Batman does a little detective work when he gains evidence against Falcone.
• The Demon's Head vs The Bat is a great fight that happens to take place on the train.
• The in-movie flashbacks to a younger Bruce Wayne were compelling. Showed a intriguing path on how he set out to fight injustice.
• Great use of plot elements and themes from Bat-comics Year One and The Long Halloween.
• That Joker card tease!!!!!

Favorite Line: "You must become more than just a man in the mind of your opponent." 
                                                                                         - Ra's Al Ghul

Favorite Scene: So many great scenes to choose, but I have to pick the interrogation of Flass because that reminds me so much of the Batman from comics.

Low Points:

• Bruce Wayne's parents took him to the opera instead of a Zorro movie. If you take your kid to the opera, you kind of deserve to get shot, right?
• Katie Holmes was fine in her part. She didn't hinder the movie in anyway. I just hate Rachel Dawes. There have been so many Batman love interests in comics that I just don't understand why Nolan decided on this uptight Assistant DA. I mean overall she is better than the average superhero love interest (looking at you Natalie Portman!), yet I just didn't buy into why Bruce cared about her so much.
• Rachel Dawes fucked over the Starks and all of Westros by saving Joffery Bartheon from getting killed by the Scarecrow. Why do you hate Sean Bean so much, Rachel?.
• I have never been a fan of child actors and the parts with little kid Bruce I find to be the weakest parts of the film.
• I don't like the Tumbler. I understand Nolan wanted a realistic tank-like that Batman could drive, but Anton Furst's Batmobile to the best Bat-car to date on screen.

Worst Line: "The man I loved - the man who vanished - he never came back at all. But maybe he's still out there, somewhere. Maybe some day, when Gotham no longer needs Batman, I'll see him again." - Rachel Dawes

Worst Scene: There isn't many scenes I don't like in this movie. The weakest parts I found were when Bruce was a little kid. Out of those, I'm picking the opera as the worst part of the movie. No one has ever wanted to be at an opera, let only a 10 year old kid. 

*Warning* I could only find a clip that had the Wayne's death attached, so make no mistake I enjoy that part, just not that damn opera.

Verdict: Batman Begins is the best "Batman" movie of all time. Now before you get out your pitchforks and attempt to crucify me read that first sentence again. I said best "Batman" movie of all time. I like you probably believe that The Dark Knight is the best film in Batman's filmography. Personally I feel though that Batman Begins is the closet interpretation to Batman from the comics. He intimidates, he interrogates, hell he even does a little detective work in this joint. Yes, The Dark Knight is a great movie, but I almost consider that to be the Joker's film and not Batman's. This movie on the other hand is all about Batman. It's how he became the character we all know and love. And for this story Ra's Al Ghul was the perfect foil to the Caped Crusader to show what the latter believes true justice really is. Then you mix in a fantastic supporting cast riddled with great performances as iconic Bat-characters and you have a recipe for the beginning of an incredible Bat-triliogy. Overall Batman Begins gets a 9.0 out of 10. The most underrated Bat-flick of all time and a must watch for anyone who loves the crusade of Batman.

Thanks for reading! Is Batman Begins the best "Batman" movie? Sound off in the comments. And make sure to check out the site soon for my analysis of The Dark Knight as our look back into Batman's film history continues. Also be sure to follow us on Twitter @Caped_Informers or follow me @cstrand73 for all your comic book news.

Check out the rest of our look back at Batman's film history by clicking the links below.

Batman (1989)

Batman Returns (1992)

Batman Forever (1995)

Batman and Robin (1997)

Merry Christmas From The Informers

Happy Holidays from the Caped Informers! Hope it's a good one.

Remember be safe. Wear a condom. Have a DD. And if you do get hammered, don't go to Gotham City.

Analyzing the Batman Franchise (Pt. 4 of 8): Batman & Robin (1997)

Batman & Robin (1997)

Directed By: Joel Schumacher

Batman/Bruce Wayne: George Clooney

Love Interest: Julie Madison (No one significant)

Villains: Mr. Freeze (Arnold), Poison Ivy (Uma), Bane (Bob Swenson)

Sidekicks: Robin (Chris O'Donnell), Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone)

Score: Elliot Goldenthal, but this time no hit Seal songs...

High Points

• Batman mentioned Superman!
• The scenes between Bruce and Alfred were nice and actually held a tiny bit of weight.
• Commissioner Gordon actually seemed to have a relationship with Batman.
• John Glover (Lionel Luthor, voice of Riddler) cameoed as cliched crazy scientist #1.
• At least Bane was powered by Venom. (You hear that Chris Nolan?)
• The movie attempted to adapt Paul Dini's origin for Mr. Freeze from Batman: The Animated Series. (Then decided to take this tragic villain and turn him into an unsympathetic pun spewing fool).
• Julie Madison was a real Batman love interest from comics. 
• Poison Ivy's monkey dance and constant sexual innuendoes were awesome because Uma Thurman was extremely attractive.
• That part when Mr. Freeze "swung" on a vine.
• Coolio!
• Riddler and Two-Faces costumes were in Arkham.

Favorite Line: "What killed the dinosaurs? The Ice Age" - Mr. Freeze

Favorite Scene: The Bat Credit Card! Never leave the cave without it!

Low Points:

• Robin and Batman's relationship was once again misrepresented. Bruce and Dick have an unique bond that doesn't include bickering over Bruce being overprotective, Dick being a whiny pussy, and them both trying to bang the bad "guy".
• Adam West's Batman may be campy, but the humor of his Batman hit it's mark. This film on the other hand was campy in order not to be dark so WB could avoid another parental backlash. It's humor was plant + ice puns which if you actually found humorous (unless you think it's so bad it's good) you should have your head examined.
• The moment Batman slide down the back of a Brontosaurus and clicked his heels to unlock his hidden ice skates, you knew what you were in for.
• Freeze's plan in the beginning was to steal a diamond. So why did he need a rocket that "could destroy the city"? What was he trying to accomplish with that? 
• There was a scene where Freeze had Glider Wings and Batman + Robin surfboarded through the sky. (Yes, that really happened).
• Bane's origin was tied to Poison Ivy. Instead of the intelligent tactician baddie that broke Batman's back, we got Poison Ivy's brain-dead lackey. Yet somehow he is still the most compelling antagonist from this pile of crap.
• Poison Ivy's sole function was to be the object for Batman and Robin to fight over. In this incarnation, she needed to attach herself to men (Bane + Freeze) for her plans to succeed. The Pamela Isley from comics is a strong female character, who does use her feminine wiles and toxins to control men, but never needs a man as a partner in her schemes. If she does team up with someone, it's Harley Quinn. And when they do team up, watch out! Cause dem be some badass bitchez!
• The film wasted Paul Dini's tragic origin for Mr. Freeze and still expected the audience to sympathize with their ridiculous version. Anyone who wants to see the real Mr. Freeze go watch "Heart of Ice" from Batman: TAS. It made our top ten episodes list for that series because it redefined Batman's icy foe.
• Mr. Freeze made his gang sing along to "I'm Mr. White Christmas" and his hideout was inside an abandoned ice cream factory.
• Action scenes were awful. After one of the chase scenes, Batman defeats Freeze with one punch.
• Alicia Silverstone plays Barbara Wilson, niece to Alfred (yea cause that age difference makes sense for him to be her uncle), who later becomes Batgirl. Babs was from England and had no British accent. She liked to race bikes because she said it helped ease the pain of her parents' death, who died in a car accident  She also said that she enjoys it for the speed and the danger. Basically she is walking contradiction. And how does a "few casual Judo lessons" enable you to become a vigilante and not be killed? I'm just glad the real Barbara Gordon wasn't trashed by the Schumeister.
• Can anyone explain to me what the fuck is happening at The Rainforest Ball? 
• Bruce's subplot romance with Julie Madison is completely unneeded.
• Everyone just waits for Ivy to blow pheromones into their face.
• Rubber lips and The Bat Credit Card are both in the Caped Crusader's utility belt.
• Commissioner Gordon didn't get laid because he was old. Only time I felt sorry for that poor bastard.
• Finally, Arkham warmed up to the idea of co-ed cellmates!
• JOEL SCHUMACHER"S BIGGEST CRIME OF ALL: That poor bulldog that got frozen never got to take his piss, you fucking psychopath!!

Worst Line: "There's just something about an anatomically correct rubber suit that puts fire in a girl's lips." - Poison Ivy (But that feels like it came straight from Joel)

Worst Scene: In a movie in which I could have picked my favorite scene as the worst scene, I decided on this atrocity. 

Verdict: The world has seen many horrific events occur throughout it's existence. Some that come to mind are the sinking of the Titanic, WWII, and the time Hostess went bankrupt causing them to stop making Twinkies. But all of those pale in comparison to the sheer horror that is Batman and Robin. It literally took me an entire week to convince myself to watch my favorite character and his universe be utterly destroyed by leather fetish and puns. So with this review I didn't try to fool myself, this film is one of the most painful 2 hrs of my life that I will never get back. It was a franchise killer, unforgivable in so many ways (which I listed above, but could have listed much more). 

          The crazy thing is that I really like a lot of people who were involved in this movie. I have roasted Joel Schumacher for his bad Bat-films, but he directed one of my favorite movies, A Time To Kill. And besides him I am also a huge Arnold guy. He usually is action gold and his ridiculous voice is one of the funniest noises ever to grace human ears. And of course who doesn't love Clueless with Alicia Silverstone? That's the film that first made me fall in love with Paul Rudd. Anyway it's just a fucking shame that Batman and Robin is what those people produced.

          John Glover said that before every take, director Joel Schumacher would yell "Remember this is a cartoon!". I find that offensive to cartoons. Even awful cartoons like Uncle Grandpa are more serious than this abomination. Overall Batman + Robin gets a 1.5 out of 10. Finally the worst is over and the best is yet to come!

Thanks for reading! Did you think Batman + Robin was really that bad? Sound off in the comments. And make sure to check out the site soon for my analysis of Chris Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy as our look back into Batman's film history continues. Also be sure to follow us on Twitter @Caped_Informers or follow me @cstrand73 for all your comic book news.

Check out the rest of our look back at Batman's film history by clicking the links below.

Batman (1989)

Batman Returns (1992)

Batman Forever (1995)

Arrow "The Climb" Review

The League of Assassins gives the Arrow an ultimatum to track down Sara's killer or to have 50 people of Starling be killed in an all new Arrow. (SPOILERS!)

Episode Description: Nyssa (guest star Katrina Law) returns to Starling City and tells Oliver (Stephen Amell) that her father, Ra’s al Ghul (guest star Matt Nable) has given Oliver 48 hours to find Sara’s killer or the League of Assassins will start killing the citizens of Starling City. Laurel (Katie Cassidy) is stunned when her father (Paul Blackthorne) delivers a very special Christmas gift – her mother, Dinah (guest star Alex Kingston). Meanwhile, Ray (Brandon Routh) tries to make amends with Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and Oliver sets a meeting with Ra’s al Ghul.

High Points

• The Holiday theme from Flash continued onto Arrow
• The League of Assassins gives Ollie 48 hrs to find Sara's Killer 
• Katana and China White throw down back in Hong Kong
• Ollie discovers Thea has been taught to kill by Merlyn
• Merlyn strong arms Ollie into cleaning up his blood debt with the League
• Sara's Killer is revealed: THEA!!!! (What will her DJ boyfriend think?!!)
• Ray Palmer's tells us his backstory to Felicity (Raylicity is the new hotness)
• Bring on the ATOM!
• OMAC tease! 
• Ollie claims he killed Sara and demands a trail by combat
• Ra's Al Ghul hasn't been challenged to a trial by combat in 67 years. (Lazarus Pit??)
• Ollie vs. Ra's (Another amazing fight by Arrow's stunt team)
• Shirtless Sword-fighting is the best sword-fighting.
• The ending. He is called the Demon's Head for a reason.

There's always gonna be another mountain Ollie!

Ollie was like..

Low Points

• Dinah Lance returns to Starling to prove once again that Laurel isn't the worst character on Arrow, it's her asswipe of a mother.
• Fight scene with Thea looked a bit odd
• Maseo's revealing as a member of the League was a surprise, but I can't help feeling it  could have been built up a bit more.
• When is Roy gonna be allowed to have a plot line that lasts longer than one episode? (Or do absolutely anything for that matter?)

Rule #1 when sword fighting Ra's Al Ghul: Always bring Batman

Verdict: Arrow's midseason finale had a lot to live up to. The last two midseason episodes had been exceptional ( S1: Malcolm Merlyn revealed as the Dark Archer after an epic fight/ S2: Slade Wilson revealed as season's big villain) and yesterday's The Flash was tremendous, so this hour had some big shoes to fill. Now the overall storyline for this season has moved at a slug's pace, dodging the main mystery at hand "Who killed Sara Lance?".  Finally Sara's killer has been unmasked. It was Thea Merlyn (under Malcolm's manipulation), who dusted our favorite Canary! Perhaps this revelation wasn't was not quite as exciting as The Flash's final minutes last night (HOLY SHIT WAS THAT AWESOME!) yet it did put Ollie in quite a predicament. Try to convince the League that Merlyn coerced Thea into the murder and risk the League killing her or take the rap himself to try to wipeout Thea's blood debt. In the end Ollie chose to protect his sister and was forced to confront Ra's Al Ghul and the League of Assassins on his own. Then Ollie fell to godliness of the Demon's Head. Now our hero's fate is up in the air. Overall "The Climb" gets a 8.5 out of 10 for Oliver's great emotional arc and a killer final battle.

The only reaction to Ollie falling

The most likely scenario has to be Ollie goes for a bath in a Lazarus Pit, right? Arrow can't really be dead forever, right? RIGHT?!!

Thanks for reading! Did you suspect Thea? Will Oliver bath in a Lazarus Pit? Sound off in the comments with what you think. And make sure to follow the site for all your comic book related news or follow us on Twitter @Caped_Informers

Time to suit up Ray, it's your show now!

The Flash "The Man in the Yellow Suit" Review/Thoughts

The Flash wrapped up its 2014 run tonight with its big mid-season finale that finally had Barry come face to super-vibrating face with the Reverse Flash. Couple that with brief Firestorm side-story and a slew of heartfelt interactions, and you got yourself a lot to look forward to going into the season's second half.

Episode Description: Barry finally  faces off with the man who murdered his mother: The Reverse Flash. Meanwhile, Caitlin believes her ex-fiancee Ronnie is alive in Central City and recruits  Cisco to help track him down. 

High Points:

• The Reverse Flash reveals his presence to Barry
• Face-off at the Central City football stadium (because super-villains love doing stuff in stadiums. I'm looking at you Bane and Magneto)
• The fights and chases between Barry and the Reverse Flash were very exciting and suspenseful
• The entire Reverse Flash caught in the forcefield scene was extremely intriguing (due to the presence of both Dr. Wells and Eddie) 
• Dr. McGee's comment on how similar Harrison and Barry are...
• Tachyons (faster than the speed of light? Sounds like some time-travel talk!)
• A second speedster the night of Nora Allen's murder? (Sounds like some time-travel talk!!)
• And we have lift-off! Congrats Firestorm! You are officially the first flying super hero we have seen in this CW universe
• Barry is making moves on the Iris front 
• That Dr. Wells-based cliffhanger...  

Low Points:

• The Firestorm storyline felt very weird tonight (it wasn't so much that it was out of place, but the interactions and situations felt very awkward and unnatural...)
• The transitions were a bit shaky tonight. Particularly the ones during the Firestorm storyline.. I mean there was one scene where Ronnie was holding Caitlin's face and then suddenly his hands were on fire and no where near her face.. Pretty poor execution on that front all-around 
• Who packages a house key to look like a wedding ring Eddie? Is this just some of the general douchebaggery that comes along with being Eobard Thawne?

Verdict: After weeks of aggressive speculation on my part, Barry's arch-nemesis has finally graced us with his presence, and what a presence he was. The scenes he appeared in were incredibly suspenseful and his superior control over his speed powers were showcased excellently via his ability to operate at the speeds he does while still vibrating fast enough to keep his identity a secret. However, it really isn't much of a secret anymore am I right? I mean finally the intensive speculating can come to a stop, right? Right??

We got hit hard with another Dr. Wells cliffhanger this week that essentially sets him up as the Reverse Flash. We see him, we see the suit, we see him with the thing the Reverse Flash stole and we hear him do the vibrating voice thing. That is a lot of very incriminating evidence stacked against the good doctor. However, there are still a handful of questions left to be answered. Let's walk through the big ones now, shall we?:

• If either Dr. Wells or Eddie is the Reverse Flash, then how were they all present in the room simultaneously?
• Why did the Reverse Flash beat the piss out of Dr. Wells?
• Why didn't the Reverse Flash beat the piss out of Eddie? 

Whatever the answers are, one thing is crystal clear: This has time travel written all over it. It was clear from the first episode that we were going to get some time traveling at some point due to Dr. Well's futuristic newspaper. However, it was unclear until now how complex they were going to get with it. Now there is a whole slew of possibilities: Dr. Wells could be working some crazy time travel plan as Professor Zoom. The Reverse Flash could still potentially be a future Eddie Thawne, as made evident by his hesitation to cause Eddie any harm. I understand how obvious it seems right now that Dr. Wells is our man, but I refuse to let my guard down with this show. I won't shrug off the notion that this is all just a big ploy until they literally slap me across the face with identity of the Reverse Flash. Until then my suspect list remains as it always has:

        Suspect #1: Dr. Wells (incriminating evidence)     Suspect #2: Eddie Thawne (did not get the shit beaten out of him)

                                                    Suspect #3: The Man in The Yellow Hat (is literally a man in a yellow suit)

Also on the topic of time travel, Cisco made a very interesting comment tonight about the red-lightning from the night Nora Allen was murdered. Now I do not want to jump the gun here but it certainly sounds to me like Barry was there that night. This is exciting because there are storylines out there where Barry goes back in time in an attempt to save his mother, one of which is the recent Flashpoint Paradox story. I'm not saying we should get ready for a full-blown Atlantis vs. Themyscira showdown on this show, but I am saying that we should get pumped for some very exciting time-travel storylines in the near future. As action-packed as tonight's episode was, it had it's weak points as well. I am referring to Caitlin and Cisco's quest to find Ronnie. It felt so unnatural and the dialogue was very unemotional in what really should have been a more emotional series of events. The matter was supposedly urgent but it really did not feel that way at all. I'm not trying to say it was the worst, but it was very awkward and overall could have been done better. However, this episode was exciting, suspenseful and gave us a lot to look forward to in the future, so this episode gets a 9.0 out of 10.

Thanks for reading the review! What are you excited for in the season's second half? What are your theories moving forward? Let us know in the comments or on twitter @Caped_Informers. The Flash is going on a mid-season hiatus and won't be airing any new episodes until January 20th, but be sure to check back on the site regularly for more updates, news and reviews.

Analyzing the Batman Franchise (Pt. 3 of 8): Batman Forever (1995)

Batman Forever

Directed By: Joel Schumacher

Batman/Bruce Wayne: Val Kilmer

Love Interest: Dr. Chase Meridian (Played By Nicole Kidman)

Villains: The Riddler (Jim Carrey), Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones)

Sidekick: Robin/Dick Grayson (Chris O'Donnell)

Score: Elliot Goldenthal, but really it's so forgettable that who gives a shit. So here is Seal!!

High Points:

• Kiss From A Rose was in the End Credits.
• Like Danny Devito before him, Jim Carrey gets credit for trying. He made a solid effort.
• Batman killed less people. (Still not good enough)
• Robin's origin was pretty close to his comic counterpart. (Expect he isn't suppose to be 30 fucking years old)
• By stopping Two-Face's bomb plot at the circus, the Grayson family did something more heroic than Batman did in either of his first two movies.
• Nicole Kidman also wasn't given much to work with and tried her best. She also provided us with the first ever nude scene in a Batman movie. (Joel, you risqué motherfucka!)
• Two-Face's origin that is shown in a news clip is spot on to his origin from Jeph Loeb's The Long Halloween. (Somebody read a comic!)
• The Riddler destroying the Batcave was fun.
• Arkham Asylum looked kinda cool.
• There were some better fight sequences than Burton's films. (That ain't saying much)

Favorite Line: "Riddle me this, riddle me that, who's afraid of the big, black bat?" - The Riddler

Favorite Scene: Robin saves Batman

Why?: Dick and Bruce have one of the longest running friendships in comics, so it was great to see the start of them being partners.

Low Points:

• Jim Carrey's Riddler was a spurned stalker fan-boy of Bruce Wayne. It was a shitty origin for any super villain character, but has for some reason it keeps being re-hashed in superhero flicks. First time it was re-used was for geeky Aldrin Killian who swore revenge on Tony Stark after Tony skipped a meeting with him. Then lameass Electro cried into birthday cake cause Spiderman wasn't his best friend. Hell the only time being a fanboy turned villain ever worked was for Syndrome in the The Incredibles.
• Tommy Lee Jones is an awful Two-Face. The character is all about duality, but Jones just tries to be a rip-off of Nicholson's Joker. Way too over the top and ridiculous. And where the hell does he buy those suits he wears?
• Robin is too goddamn old.
• Joel Schumacher left behind the beautiful art-deco sets of Anton Furst for crazy giant statues, bright colors, and dutch angles.
• I know writing riddles can be hard, but try not having riddles that Scrappy Doo could solve.
• Joel Schumacher's Legacy - The introduction of the Bat-Nipples. 
• Why the fuck wasn't Billy Dee Williams (LANDO!!), Two-Face? Answer me Joel!
• Somebody invited Val Kilmer.
• Somebody also invited Michael Gough and Pat Hingle back as Alfred and Gordon.
• Chris O'Donnell is whiny, uncool, and just a douchebag, everything Dick Grayson isn't.
• The mass production of Riddler's tech The Box could not be done in a weekend, nor could they erect an island to mass produce it in that amount of time either.
• Am I the only person who is sick of the "damsel in distress" in the climax.
• Unneeded flashbacks to parent's funeral and Thomas Wayne's red journal were unneeded.

Worst Line: "Holey rusted metal, Batman!" - Robin

Worst Scene: Two-Face teaches the Riddler how to punch.

Why?: There was a lot to choose from, but this particular scene just shows you how much these two villains suck and how this movie should not be taken seriously.

Verdict: Some people like to say the fall of the Batman film franchise started with Batman Returns. Those people have a right to their opinion (even if it's wrong), but I believe it started as soon as Joel Schumacher signed on as director for Batman Forever. The return to the campiness of Adam West's Batman occurred because of parental backlash about the darkness of Burton's films. WB was scared and reverted back to full fledge family entertainment. And it was fucking awful. Everything in this movie was a joke. Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones were some of the hottest actors around in 1995 and even they couldn't save this crap. All the characters are over the top caracitures and there is no one really to even root for. Like is there anyone out there that thinks Val Kilmer's Batman was cool? At least Michael Keaton knew what to do when a woman wanted to fuck him. Am I being too harsh to this movie? Probably. It was not nearly as bad as it's sequel. There were some enjoyable parts. Personally I enjoy the Flying Graysons' scene. And you know what Bat-Wing and the Bat-boat looked cool. So what am trying to say is Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever wasn't all bad, it was just mostly bad. Overall this foray back to the 60's gets a 4.0 out of 10. 

Fun Fact #1: Did you know both Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale were both asked to play Robin. Thank god neither of those guys ruined their careers making that mistake.

Fun Fact #2: I gave this movie a 4 out of 10, but I still have a poster from it on my wall for some reason.

Thanks for reading. Stayed tuned for an the hardest analysis of my life as I take on Batman and Robin tomorrow. Wish me luck and make sure to follow us on Twitter @Caped_Informers or follow me @cstrand73 for all your comic book and Caped Informers news and stories.

Check out the rest of our look back at Batman's film history by clicking the link below.

Batman (1989)

Batman Returns (1992)

Personally I try to forget

Analyzing The Batman Franchise (Pt. 2 of 8) : Batman Returns (1992)

Batman Returns (1992)

Directed By: Tim Burton

Batman/Bruce Wayne: Michael Keaton

Love Interest: Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Played By: Michelle Pfeiffer)

Villains: The Penguin (Danny Devito), Catwoman (MP), and Max Schreck (Chris Walken)

Score: Danny Elfman

High Points:

• Michael Keaton's Batman was serviceable, but still killed people.
• Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman was dark, mesmerizing, and seductive. Make note that I said her "Catwoman" and not her Selina Kyle.
• The opening fight sequence against the Red Triangle Circus Gang was fun. (Even though Batman burned some poor bastard to death).
• Bo Welch took over the Art Direction from Anton Furst and brought us a beautiful Gotham Square during Christmas time. (There was no reason for this movie to be set during Christmas other than Gotham looks cool in the snow).
• I will outright say that I fucking love Danny Devito in whatever he is in, so I give him props here for at least trying. (Christopher Walken sure as hell didn't)
• The Penguin wore his monocle. (For like a second)
• Bruce calls Alfred out for being a dickhead when he let Vicki Vale in the Batcave in the last movie.
• I will also say I dug the Penguin for Mayor angle. (It just could have worked better with the comic book version of the character)
• The Masquerade dance sequence when Selina and Bruce discover each other's alternate identities was an emotional charged scene.
• Catwoman and Penguin do a good job framing Batman for the murder of the Ice Princess. (Then decide to do nothing with this leverage)
• The sexual tension between Batman and Catwoman was so thick you could have cut it with a knife.

Favorite Line: "Seems like every woman you try to save ends up dead... or deeply resentful. Maybe you should retire." - Catwoman

Favorite Scene: The Bat, The Cat, and The Penguin finally meet; Batman fights Catwoman

Why?: Batman may all of a sudden forget how to fight, but that's probably becuase he was mesmerized by Michelle Pfieffer.

Low Points:

• Needless Biblical references: Penguin got thrown into river like Moses, then later on wanted to kill the first born sons of Gotham. He was also 33 years old in the movie like Jesus in the Bible. So if you are religious (I am not, but to each his own) this movie is try to tell you that the Penguin is the true God.
• Pfeiffer's Selina Kyle was underdeveloped and her transformation was totally unexplained. Were the cats that bit her fingers, magical street cats? I feel like you are more likely to get Hepatitis or herpes from street cats than superpowers.
• It felt like Batman was barely in his own film.
• Penguin's terrible plans were easily thwarted. There was no tension whatsoever.
• The only time any plan worked was when Penguin framed Batman for the murder of the Ice Princess, but less than 5 mins after that occurred it was resolved.
• What the fuck was leaking from the Penguin's mouth?
• Penguin gets the Tim Burton treatment. Instead of being a high brow criminal, he is turned in a deformed perverted freak, who wants to murder children.
• Batman stopped two of Penguin's schemes by jamming frequencies with Alfred. First he pumped in audio to destroy Penguin's mayoral run, then he jammed the signal that was guiding the penguin's with missiles. Batman really could have just stayed at home the whole movie if this was all it took to stop this chubby asshole. (Seriously Danny was a more menacing villain in Lethal Weapon 5).
• Hijacking the Batmobile had no rhyme or reasoning to it. Was Penguin trying to kill Batman? Or defame him further? Just made no sense.
• Max Shrek = Cliched greedy businessman played by Chris Walken, who really didn't give a shit.
• Once again Batman and Gordon's relationship is non-existent.

Worst Line: "My dear penguins, we stand on a great threshold! It's okay to be scared; many of you won't be coming back. Thanks to Batman, the time has come to punish *all* God's children! 1st, 2nd, 3rd *and* 4th-born! Why be biased? Male and female! Hell, the sexes are equal with their erogenous zones blown sky high! Forward march! The liberation of Gotham has begun!" - The Penguin

Worst Scene: Penguin's pump up speech. 

Why?: It was the worst line for a reason. It was just such a ridiculous moment.

Verdict: Tim Burton won a lot of good will with Warners Bros because Batman (1989) was such a finical success. So with that good will came more creative freedom for Burton when he worked on Batman Returns (1992). And with that creative freedom came Tim Burton's version of the Penguin, an ugly, deformed, perverted, plump, aquatic bird boy freak. A total and complete departure from the character's comic book counterpart. As I said yesterday, Tim Burton loves his freaks. So because he didn't have another Joker to toy with, he turned the Penguin into one. Well actually Tim didn't do it alone, the screenwriter Daniel Waters (Heathers) can take some of the credit as well. Besides destroying my boy Ozzie, Water's script contained zero tension because all of the problems presented to Batman were easily resolved. For god sakes Penguin's plot to kill the firstborns, that he was working on the whole film, was stopped in two seconds. All we got to see his Batman's hands grab the train driver. But despite all those problems, I still love this movie for some reason. Could it be nostalgia, or because I had a boyhood crush on Michelle Pfieffer's Catwoman, or maybe it's because I have a massive Danny Devito bias? I don't know what it is, but I watch this movie every year around Christmas. Gotham just looks great in the snow you know? But at the end of the day I got to give this flick a reasonable rating, so Batman Returns gets a 6.5 out of 10. Danny Devito was born to play the Penguin, the real Penguin, not this fucking strange perverted version. 

Now here is a real villain!

Thanks for reading. Stayed tuned for an analysis of Batman Forever tomorrow. And make sure to follow us on Twitter @Caped_Informers or follow me @cstrand73 for all your comic book and Caped Informers news and stories.

Check out the rest of our look back at Batman's film history by clicking the link below.

Batman (1989)

More great are by Francesco Francavilla

Analyzing The Batman Movie Franchise (Pt. 1 of 8): Batman (1989)

Batman is hands down my favorite fictional character ever. The Bat ignites passion from many different kinds of people. Because of this his movie franchise has been hugely popular, but as with any series of films there have been highs and there have been lows (I'm looking at you, Joel). So with Batman's 75th anniversary year coming to a close later this month, I thought this would be a good time to re-examine Batman's film history. The game plan is to look over each of the seven Bat-films over the next seven days. Then end with an massive overview that includes a look at the future of Batman in film (B V S and Justice League). So without any further ado, let's get started.

Batman (1989) 

Directed By: Tim Burton

Batman/Bruce Wayne: Michael Keaton

Love Interest: Vicki Vale (Played By: Kim Basinger)

Villain: The Joker/Jack Napier (Played By: The Great Jack Nicholson) 

Score: Danny Elfman

High Points: 

• Not enough can be said for how this film took on a dark tone that veered the general audience away from thinking of Batman as campy like the Adam West days (Even those are fun and they have their place in Batman's history). 
• Tim Burton's Gotham was beautifully realized by Art director Anton Furst. The sets were how I had always envisioned Batman's hometown. (Even though the film was shot on a sound stage).
• Anton Furst's Bat-mobile and Bat-Wing were glorious
• Jack Nicholson's The Joker was both comical and devilishly dark. He was the main highlight of this entire film. 
• Michael Keaton did well with what he was given.
• Prince!
• "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?"
• Danny Elfman's Batman March was/is still iconic
• Billy Dee Williams (LANDO CALRISSIAN!!) was DA Harvey Dent
• Batman did some detective work (Finding the poisonous Joker products)
• Batman got laid (Doesn't feel like that happens often)

Favorite Line: "Where does he get those wonderful toys?" - The Joker

Favorite Scenes: The Birth of The Joker and his murder of Carl Grissom

Why?: Holding off showing Joker's transformation was a brilliant move. It made his reveal when he killed Carl Grissom that much cooler.

Low Points:

• Batman killed people. He blew up a factory of Joker's Henchmen and later killed the Joker himself. All this was unlike the modern Batman and much more like the very beginning of The Dark Knight in 1939.
• Making The Joker the killer of Bruce Wayne's parents was an unneeded tweak to both character's origins.
• Kim Basinger's Vicki Vale and Robert Wuhl's (made-up fairy-tale character) Alexander Knox were largely forgettable.
• Batman was largely reactive and the only time he really helped was when he foiled the Joker's poisoned products scheme and when he kind of got rid of the Laugh-X filled balloons.
• Pat Hingle's Gordon was a goddamn joke whose relationship with Batman was nonexistent.
• I'm never a fan of giving the Joker an origin (besides knowing he fell in the vat at ACE Chemicals)
• Michael Gough's Alfred is a damn ballbuster/cockblock. First he didn't cover for Bruce when he lied to Vicki Vale about leaving town, then later on Alfred actually brought Vicki to the Batcave and revealed Bruce's secret identity without permission. What the fuck Alfred? I thought you were here to help?

Worst Line: "You wanna get nuts?" - Bruce Wayne

Worst Scene: Alfred letting Vicki Vale into the Batcave

Why?: Seriously Alfred would never do this. Such a dick move.

Verdict: This was the one that started it all. It's importance to Bat-franchise cannot be overlooked. Tim Burton's art-deco film style matched Batman's dark outlook, but it seemed Burton was never truly interested in Bruce Wayne or Batman, but just the Joker. Timmy has always preferred his lead characters be weirdoes/freaks (or Johnny Depp being a freak). He has stated that he didn't read comic books and it showed in his iteration (with Batman offing fuckers left and right). With that said Jack Nicholson's Joker was the highlight of the film. He was funny, scary, and homicidal all rolled into one. He was just fun to watch whenever he was on screen. So overall Batman (1989) gets a 7.5 out of 10. An enjoyable film that brought Batman away from the campiness of the 60's, but didn't stick much to any comic book lore.

Thanks for reading. Stayed tuned for an analysis of Batman Returns tomorrow. And make sure to follow us on Twitter @Caped_Informers or follow me @cstrand73 for all your comic book and Caped Informers news and stories.

Art By: Francesco Francavilla (Batman: The Black Mirror)