Jen Hearts Batman [Movies I Heart Series]
I remember when I first saw Batman on the big screen in 1989. My Mother, who loves movies just as much as I do, took me age 10 and my sister aged 8 to see the much darker version of DC Comics’ night time avenger. I don’t think I had read any comics by this stage, not serious grown up ones like Batman anyway, so it was from a totally fresh perspective that I watched Michael Keaton don a black rubber suit and beat the you-know-what out of bad guys.
I have to admit, I loved it, and its sequel Batman Returns (1992), both of which were directed by dark artist Tim Burton. I had been a fan of the very camp 60’s film and television program starring Adam West and the new direction amazed me. How could this be the same hero? I didn’t know it at the time but I’d be asking myself that same question 13 years later.
The pitiful non-Burton Batman sequels of the 90’s starring constipated versions played by George Clooney and Val Kilmer, could almost be ignored. While they do have some entertainment value, they were rather pathetic replicas of a better formula. I wanted something more, needed it after having a taste with Keaton’s portrayal. I was able to satisfy it somewhat by reading comics, but I longed to see the action live again on the big screen.
When it was announced years later that Christopher Nolan was taking on an origin story of Batman and had picked Christian Bale to star I was a bit unsettled. Nolan was most well known for writing and directing Memento at the time. Disturbed sure, but was he the right guy to invigorate a comic book franchise? I was more assured by his decision to cast Bale who by then had a nice, quality body of work behind him. I knew he wouldn’t sign on to a picture unless it was going to have substance. Better still, the origin story would reflect a DC series written by Frank Miller (yes, the Sin City guy).
I finally watched Batman return to the screen in 2005’s Batman Begins and it took my breath away. I asked myself again, how could this be the same hero? Not only did Nolan manage to pay homage to Burton’s bat, but he took Miller’s work and crafted it into a powerful and captivating story of a disturbed man and his thirst for vengeance. For the first time, I could understand how one could reach that point. Batman almost totally shed the element of the ridiculous and a man walking around in a giant rubber bat suit seemed, incredulously, less silly. Christian Bale became the character and satiated both rabid fans and general moviegoers, a feat many attempt but rarely achieve in the world of comic book cinema.
Thankfully for us, Nolan and his entire crew returned for this year’s sequel, The Dark Knight with one exciting addition: Heath Ledger’s interpretation of The Joker, Batman’s most well known adversary. Ledger’s death probably helped to catapult the film into the stratosphere as far as box office numbers are concerned but it’s the tender and respectful way the cast and crew discuss their fallen friend that will solidify his performance as one for all-time.
Without a doubt, The Dark Knight is the best incarnation of Batman to date and while it surpasses Batman Begins as a film, it does not belittle it, creating a solid flow between stories. It was more, more, more but not messy ensuring the tale didn’t lose anything in the translation. Nolan and his crew of heroes and villains can be immensely proud. Heath Ledger’s Joker shall live on as a truly terrifying menace, one of cinema’s greats. Bring on Oscar.
For more from Jen, check out her blog at http://www.jenreviewsmovies.com and if you have anything you’d like her to talk about here, email: info@jenreviewsmovies.com. (She may be out in her ninja armor fighting crime, but she’ll get back to you when she can)
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