I guess I look like Lavender Brown in Harry Potter 6 (the movie), blaming Hermione for being with Ron when he was "all interesting" - however stupid I may seem, I'm not giving up on my stand, and will do all to defend and protect the Batman that I grew up watching.. My Batman..
Comic-book fanatics will consider me unworthy of talking about not merely (who said he's 'mere'?) the Caped Crusader, but any superhero. In my defence, I grew up watching Batman the Animated Series and related films the most prominent one being Mask of the Phantasm. Oh, yes, I'm also guilty of watching the four films - Michael Keaton's Batman and Batman Returns, and, well, the other two as well: Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. Of course, Batman evolved into the superior being that he is, through all these films - and so did my image of him.
As Batman evolved from a violet cowled crime-fighter who didn't mind dancing at parties into a dark ghost, so did his villains - from funny clowns into terrifying homicidal maniacs. Today, nothing thrills me more than watching Bruce Wayne storm into the Batcave while bats fly away frightened at the beginning of the Arkham Origins game.
With our Dark Knight undergoing such severe mutations, it pains me to see the world clinging on to the one image that turned heads all over the world - ironically the one Batman who could turn his own head as well - the one by Christopher Nolan. Yes, I'm a fan too - of not just Nolan's, Batman, but of the director himself (more a fan of Johnathan, to be very honest) - but who am I kidding? Do I need to even say that? While seemingly complex dialogues and the plotholes in The Dark Knight Rises raise my eyebrows, I remain a faithful fan of this new version of the Bat, defending him in those very few arguments where he is ridiculed or questioned. The Dark Knight is nothing short of a master piece, and remains the best Batman movie ever. However, in being so, I feel that this film - and the trilogy as such, has had to sacrifice a lot of features of Bruce Wayne's Knight. Needless to say, I am happy to see that the world recognizes the grandeur of my favourite superhero today, thanks to this series - but as with increase in population anywhere, quality of Batfans has dropped - exponentially.
It pains me to see Keaton's Batman (1989) the first dark version of the Knight be overshadowed by a more thoroughly designed, realistic version so much so, that some people ridicule the former. I would say the same about the Joker. No word can be said against Ledger's Joker - he has established the character with such perfection that all other versions seem unacceptable to those who were initiated into Batman fandom by this trilogy. Ledger's glory was sealed, never to be questioned, by his unfortunate death, making him one of those universally loved people in the acting field, just like Dr. Kalam is, in India. However, the excellent portrayal of Batman's most dangerous villain by our very own Jack Nicolson has now been forgotten. Other features of this film, such as the black suit, the legendary "I'm Batman" intro and even more trivial things such as Bats giving his girl a ride on the Batmobile (or the "Tumbler", a name I dislike) have leaked into the newer films. While Burton's version of Batman is honest about his killing morals, the Nolan counterpart is more pretentious, talking about justice and "no killing" while letting people die in damaged trains or letting them fall to their deaths. The soundtrack of the former stayed on for years, living through the animated series adaptation, serving as "the theme" of Batman to countless fans like myself, easily defeating the theme of the third and fourth films. It took me a very long time to accept Zimmer's soundtrack, with which I eventually fell in love.
I don't have much to talk about Batman Forever and Batman and Robin.
The most acceptable origin story, according to me, was told in the flashback sequences of The Mask of the Phantasm, a film based on Batman TAS. It showed Bruce's helplessness, instead of some "you never move on, you just practise smiling in a mirror" bullshit. Batman TAS has some of the best stories one can weave around Batman - most notable episodes being The Gray Ghost, Ghost in the Machine, The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne and The Man Who Killed Batman among many others. Some of these were so great that even Nolan couldn't help but borrow from them (the climax of Batman Begins is an adaptation of the episode, Dreams in Darkness). While the Justice League (Unlimited) series was amazing as well, Batman TAS will, to my heart, be the best depiction of Batman ever.
They made Harry Potter and every video related to Batman. Well, what do I say? I owe my childhood - my adulthood as well, to Warner Bros.
I don't have much to talk about Batman Forever and Batman and Robin.
The most acceptable origin story, according to me, was told in the flashback sequences of The Mask of the Phantasm, a film based on Batman TAS. It showed Bruce's helplessness, instead of some "you never move on, you just practise smiling in a mirror" bullshit. Batman TAS has some of the best stories one can weave around Batman - most notable episodes being The Gray Ghost, Ghost in the Machine, The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne and The Man Who Killed Batman among many others. Some of these were so great that even Nolan couldn't help but borrow from them (the climax of Batman Begins is an adaptation of the episode, Dreams in Darkness). While the Justice League (Unlimited) series was amazing as well, Batman TAS will, to my heart, be the best depiction of Batman ever.
They made Harry Potter and every video related to Batman. Well, what do I say? I owe my childhood - my adulthood as well, to Warner Bros.
