Bat-Attack (Part One)

It has been over a fortnight since the release of The Dark Knight Rises, and so far I've seen the movie twice in the cinema, the second time on an "Isense" screen (which I think is supposed to be similar to Imax). To quickly summarise my opinion of the movie (as I'm leaving that for part two of these themed blog entries), I actually enjoyed the movie. It was a fitting end to the Nolan-era trilogy, and the film does stand out in its own right. However, there were some niggling issues I had with the movie, which I will touch upon in the aforementioned second part. I went into this movie without reading any reviews or watching any trailers.

So when I came back from the cinema, and let the nearly three hour experience sink in, I looked up some reviews and opinions of the movie. I was surprised how divided people were in their views, from calling it a classic to outright hating it. Even within the positive reviews, there were some criticisms of the plot and characters. The third movie in a trilogy usually gets a bad rap (see The Matrix Revolutions, The Godfather Part 3, Spiderman 3, to name but.....erm, 3), and The Dark Knight Rises is no exception. It doesn't help that it will always be overshadowed by the previous installment, The Dark Knight. But then again, all Batman movies have their share of criticisms, but the amount of criticism for this movie reminds me of another movie that also got a lot of flack, and coincidentally, also starred Bane. Of course, that movie was: Batman & Robin.

What would you prefer me to show? The Bat Nipples?

Now, I'm not here to pick apart the movie, because lets face it, everyone has at this point. What I'm going to do is explain how this film changed the way I viewed films from a critical standpoint. You see, when Batman & Robin came out, I was 16, so before then I viewed films in more simplistic terms: good, okay, bad. I guess you could say I was easy to please when it came to film. Back then I would have fond memories of Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom. Nowadays I would realize what a terrible movie it actually was, and can never understand why people hated ...The Crystal Skull so much, but not ...Temple Of Doom. But that's an entirely different argument.

I've always liked Batman, and I grew up watching the campy TV series, and I also loved the cartoon series in the early 90s, as well as the movies that came up during that time. In order to explain how I viewed movies back then compared to now, I will briefly run through my thoughts on the first four Batman movies (excluding the spin off from the TV show) when I first saw them, and what I think of them now:

Batman

Back then: Wow, what a movie! It's like the TV series, but more serious and kick ass! Batman is cool, Jack Nicholson is great as The Joker, the film looks cool, I love the action.....wait, Michael Keaton was also Beetlejuice?
And today: The film is still enjoyable today, and I appreciate it not only as a Batman movie, but also a movie from my youth. This, along with Beetlejuice, started my love for Tim Burton movies. If there is one drawback, it's that I can't help but compare this to the Nolan era Batman movies, especially when comparing Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger. Both were fantastic in their role of the Joker in both their respective film, so I shy away from choosing which was the more superior Joker, because not only do I have difficulty in answering that question, I feel like I shouldn't.

Batman Returns

Back then: Wow, this movie is crazy looking but still cool! I really like Tim Burton, it's great to see Catwoman, and the Penguin.....what the hell? He is nothing like the TV series, and Danny DeVito looks demented.....I dig it!
And today: This movie is the definitive Tim Burton version of a Batman movie in my opinion. It has his signature dark, gothic displays, with menacing and sinister tones from the villains of the movie, especially The Penguin, which gave a whole new interpretation to the character that has always stuck with me. To this day when someone mentions The Penguin, I will always think of Danny DeVito as opposed to Burgess Meredith. I'm still surprised that the studio gave Burton so much free reign with this movie, which is very rare these days. And to throw in a typical "bloke" comment, you gotta love Michelle Pfeiffer in that Catwoman suit.

Batman Forever

Back then: Wow, I really enjoyed this movie! It's a lot brighter and colourful than the last one, and is more like the TV series, but I still like it. The soundtrack is awesome, Val Kilmer does a good job as Batman, Nicole Kidman actually looks hot, Jim Carrey is perfect as The Riddler, Two-Face has good taste in women.....but I preferred the cartoon version of Two-Face though.
And today: I know why people may give this film some criticism, in terms of direction and tone. But you have to remember the public reaction to these movies was different back then. I remember people complaining that the Tim Burton movies were too dark and at times violent, and so they welcomed a change that was more in line with the TV series of old, with a few nods to the cartoon series. I didn't mind the change Batman Forever took, infact I understood why, from a studio standpoint in terms of marketing, and from a viewer standpoint. I still enjoy the movie, and I still think Two-Face was a poor character (which is evident when you compare him to The Dark Knight version).

However I did develop one more complaint, and it was while looking at the deleted scenes, they cut out a story arc where Bruce Wayne had to fight his inner demons throughout the movie. After watching these scenes, I can't help but wonder if the studio left those scenes in, it would have made the film more credible. But I guess they wanted to move away from the drama based elements, in order to focus on the action and comedy aspects. One of those scenes involved him coming face to face with a giant bat, which was shown in the trailer, and I was confused back then as to why this was never shown in the actual movie.

And now we come to Batman & Robin. Believe it or not, I actually saw this film in the cinema FOUR times. It was after the fourth viewing that I finally realized what I thought of the movie. Now, I'm sure you can guess what my final verdict was. So I'm going to explain how I ended up watching this four times in the cinema, with a brief summary of what I thought after each viewing:

First Time

I brought my brother to the cinema as he too wanted to see Batman & Robin. I was really tired due to lack to sleep the night before, so I was trying my best to stay awake throughout the movie.

What did I think: it was good.....I think. Like I said, I was half asleep, so I planned on watching it again so I can have a better opinion of the movie.

Second Time

I was in England working in my cousin's bar, and he asked one of the barmen to bring me to the cinema, just for something for me to do.

What did I think: it was good.....I think. I was glad that I was able to watch it properly, but there was something about the movie that just didn't feel right with me. In tone it was similar to Batman Forever, but I wasn't crazy about it.

Third Time

Still in England, I went with my cousins to the cinema. Even though I saw it a week previously, I thought I may as well go again.

What did I think: considering the fact that it was a Batman movie, I wasn't too pushed on watching it again. This should have been the sign that made me realize what I thought of the movie, but once again, I was underwhelmed, but I did like it.....I think.

Fourth Time

To be honest, I don't know what possessed me to go into the cinema and watch it again. I was back home at the time, and I don't remember being accompanied by anyone. I don't know, maybe I was bored, or maybe I was hoping that this time around, I will find the same excitement I had when I watched the previous Batman movies.

What did I think: After FOUR times watching this movie, it finally hit me.....this movie is terrible.

I think my problem was that I really wanted to like this movie, whether it was being a slave to the hype, or I didn't want to admit that Batman has lost its way. But after the fourth viewing, without any distractions from other people, I was able to admit to myself that this movie was terrible. Back then if I was brought to the cinema, I wouldn't have dared say that the movie was terrible, incase it may have been interpreted as being rude.

Now that I was on my own, and paid for the ticket with my own money, I was able to have my own opinion, even if it wasn't shared by others who liked the movie back then. Whether they do now is another question, as I'm sure there were those who liked the movie when it came out, but would change their mind now, as if dictated by public opinion.

It has been well documented about the flaws of the movie, but there's no point in myself listing them all, since you've seen other people review it, or you have experienced it yourself. Hell, even Joel Schumacher admitted in the directors commentary some of the bad decisions he made. I don't think I can bring anything new to the table, although I did find it odd that George Clooney used his Bruce Wayne voice while disguised as Batman, while in the previous movie, Val Kilmer used his Batman voice while in the guise of Bruce Wayne. But hey, when it comes to voices, that's nothing compared to Christian Bale (again, I'm saving that for part 2).

Speaking of George Clooney, while I did not think he was great as Batman/Bruce Wayne, in a way I felt sorry for him. It was that summer that I also saw From Dusk Till Dawn, which at the time was banned in Ireland. I thought he kicked ass in that movie, because at that time, he was only known for his stint in ER. So I did feel bad that his career took a hit because of Batman & Robin. But of course, that wasn't enough to hurt his career. After all, he is an Oscar winner.

I was also reminded of the time when Alicia Silverstone was labelled fat by the media when the movie was released. This bore similarities in my mind of when Britney Spears made a failed comeback, and she too received fat jibes from the press. I never thought either of them were fat to begin with, but then again, I'm not a fan of the size zero craze.....okay I'm going a bit off topic here, considering the fact that I'm bringing nothing new here, so I better wrap this up.

Granted it was a summer blockbuster movie, a comic book movie, but it didn't change the fact that it wasn't a good movie, period. Since then, I have learned not to believe the hype when it comes to movies, especially blockbusters. Sure it may have turned me to a killjoy as I tend to be more critical nowadays, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. If anything, it just proves my love for the medium of visual entertainment, and it shows I am passionate about it, and I do enjoy articulating my opinions on any movie I've seen.

And today: Batman & Robin is still a terrible movie. I wouldn't classify it as one of the worst movies I've ever seen, but I would put it up there with The Room and Birdemic as a film that is so bad, you can actually laugh about it. But what's amazing is that this movie has a near universal consensus that will always go down as not only the worst Batman movie, but one of the worst examples of film making. I own the movie on DVD, just so it can go with my collection of other Batman movies, but also as a reminder as to how this movie changed the way I view films as a whole.

And on a final note.....

I will end this blog entry with a somewhat funny anecdote. Last year I had a few mates in my gaff, just a small gathering involving movies, games and beers. I was looking for a film to put on, but not something where we have to concentrate on watching it. Just something to occasionally look at while having a conversation. I decided to put on Batman & Robin for a laugh. The final result: one by one, everybody started leaving my house. So there you have it kids, if you want to get rid of people in your place of residence, just stick on Batman & Robin.