Posts Tagged ‘batman’
Posted on August 23, 2008 - by John
Warner Bros. Pitch a Brooding Superman?
Ah….they don’t quite seem to get it do they? The WSJ is printing a story that Warner’s are trying to combat Marvel’s dominance in the comic book adaptation area with trying to formulaically copy the Batman franchise to other comic properties such as Superman and Wonder Woman. This just smacks of blatant stupidity.
“Like the recent Batman sequel — which has become the highest-grossing film of the year thus far — Mr. Robinov wants his next pack of superhero movies to be bathed in the same brooding tone as “The Dark Knight.” Creatively, he sees exploring the evil side to characters as the key to unlocking some of Warner Bros.’ DC properties. “We’re going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it,” he says. That goes for the company’s Superman franchise as well.”
This is plain stupidity – there is little “darkness” about Superman. The character is just dull. The fact that he got top honours in the recent Empire’s Top 50 Comics Characters indicates how little understanding there is for the creation. Incidentally, 83% of Empire readers voted Superman to be lower.
I am not a huge Superman fan primarily because he is dull. The few Superman comics I own are multicoloured tales that neither captivate nor offend. They are boring, and that pretty much sums up 2006’s Superman Returns; you enjoy it while it is on screen, but it is predominantly forgettable. And to think that Bryan Singer jumped ship from what was surely going to be a different beast with X-Men 3 to do that breaks my geeky heart.
You cannot reboot Superman and make him darker as there is little darkness there. The way to make Superman a success is to take the character driven elements of growing up in a difficult situation, having difficulty adjusting and yet trying to the right thing. In many ways, the original Richard Donner films covered that pretty well, although the first Spider-Man took the concept to a new level. Also, I think there is little for “humans” to identify with. He is an alien who can pretty much do whatever he wants, but doesn’t – there’s no spark to the character at all.
A Superman reboot could work well, but it ain’t Batman. You’d think they would know that, right?!
Posted on August 13, 2008 - by John
The Dark Knight
I have pondered over what I think about the latest Batman film for a couple of weeks now. I saw it the day after release, and have not been able to stop thinking about it. Firstly, is it a great film? Hmmmm. Maybe. It’s definitely a good film. But it leaves you with an odd feeling. Many people just rave about it, and most notably Heath Ledger’s performance, but it takes more than an immediate reaction to analyse what exactly Christopher Nolan has done with the Batman franchise.
The film is epic to say the least. From the opening shot over the skyscrapers of Gotham City, you get the impression of scale. The brief sojourn to Hong Kong gives you the impression, this is real. Gotham is real. Could Batman be…real?
Reality is the keyword, I reckon. At no point during this film do you have to suspend your disbelief for too long. They even open up the real world scenarios of what is and isn’t possible by name dropping the U.S. military Skyhook (actually called the Fulton surface-to-are recovery system). OK…so Bats is a little more flashy than your average stranded G.I. Joe, but there is still the possibility that binds the Dark Knight to the audience.
Each character is very well used, and notably not over used. Unlike many superhero films, the characters serve a purpose, and give us a sense of history. You know just enough of even the new characters for you to become involved in their drama, and this applies especially to Harvey Dent. I love what is done with this character from start to finish. I expected not to like him, and to relish his downfall into the Two-Face persona, but I wish it didn’t happen. Harvey is in many ways the emotional centre of this film, and not Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Posted on July 15, 2008 - by John
The Dark Knight – Ledger’s Legacy
I honestly cannot wait for The Dark Knight to get released. And these reviews aren’t helping! Rolling Stone called said the film “brings pop escapism whisper-close to enduring art”, while Time intrigued me further with comments on Director Christopher Nolan’s “subversive agenda”. I hope this is everything I think it will be.
For one thing, I want Heath Ledger’s Joker to firmly wipe away all traces of Jack Nicholson. For the time, Jack’s Joker was good, but it (and Tim Burton’s whole film) now looks dated and over the top. There’s just so much more to the “real” world that Nolan has placed this version of Batman. And yes, this is a comic book movie, but why can’t a comic book movie bring fantasy within a whisker of our day to day lives? I think this is by far a more positive thing than some would have you believe in Nolan’s Caped Crusader yarns.
With rumours flying around the Heath will get a posthumous Oscar, let’s hope his performance merits it. I’d hate to see him awarded for the tragedy that’s befallen him. That said, some relatively good news comes for his daughter, Matilda Rose, who will likely receive the majority of him $20 million fortune according to Australian state law.
