Batman & Robin
Every time I come to this again, I think..."Oh, it can't as bad-it's just like an overly cheesy attempt to make an episode of the TV series."
No. It isn't. The TV series though being a satire/spoof, had a certain sense of dignity that elevates it to a level of Shakesperian tragedy over this mindless dreck.
This film is truly godawfully terribly frustratingly infuriatingly bad. Everything in the production is merely recycled from Forever-right down to the same exact music cues. It was a rushed production, since there had been a big hit with the previous film-and no one thought to double check anything-especially the script!!!
FREAKING ICE SKATE BOOTS? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
The dialogue is beyond mere cringe-inducing, and hopefully you aren't a fan of puns on the cold. The acting is terrible across the board and there is absolutely no reason to care a damn bit about anything going on onscreen. Clooney is so one-note that you literally want to punch Batman. This desire becomes so great, that the constant whines of Robin are almost a welcome reprieve from the terrible cardboard Bruce Wayne.
When the biggest draw of your Batman film is a mere subplot about a sick Alfred, you know you have screwed up royally. When Batgirl throws off her cowl for no apparent reason, you know you're screwed. When you've cast Ahnuld and Uma Therman, you're beyond screwed. There is too much junk added on to the visuals, so that a bad film is made even worse with all kinds of gunk onscreen. There's even a freaking gang dressed up as Alex DeLarge & Co.! WTFH?!?!?!?!
In a word, BALLESS!!! There are worse films, but this one has you stark raving mad by the end.
DuracellEnergizer said:
captainsolo said:
And now...oh crap it's time for Batman & Robin. W H Y ?
I don't know. Maybe the chicks in green spandex/black rubber make it worth your while? =P
Nope. Definitely not. Not even that could save this big toy commercial. And to top it all off, they freaking ruined Batgirl. Go figure.
Batman Begins
I went into the theater not really knowing what was going to unfold. The gestation period had been going on for so long, with so many failures that I wondered if there would ever be another Bat film. I liked Begins immediately, but while watching it just felt like something was always missing. the production design was great and with all of the yellows and browns effectively created yet another film Gotham that we hadn't seen before. Performances were great, but something was just off a bit.
This something was the story. Begins felt like yet another "clever" Batman graphic novel that had great potential, but lost sight of both it's story and connection to the character in the pursuit of greatness. The film just didn't have the full development that I would want from a Batman, let alone an origin story. Thus, to me it was a good movie that had several disappointing aspects. After the sequel, I realized that we were lucky to get as much development as we did.
Then I happened to stumble across the novelization of Begins. Figured I'd see if there were any dropped bits from the film and read through it...and realized that it had been written by Dennis O'Neil. Here is the depth I had been looking for. There are only some minor additions and re-shuffling, but the pacing, tone and detail that were input into the book are far beyond what the film just glosses over. Though the book has the luxury of inner character thought, the detail and energy are much greater than the colder film. And of course, you'd expect this from the guy who helped to bring back the serious Dark Knight in the 70's. Not to mention the fact that he created Ra's Al Ghul in the first place.
The film: 3 balls out of 4 defective cowls.
The book: 3.5/3.75 balls out of 4 bloody ninja suits.
The book has really enhanced my enjoyment of the film, and I'm interested to find his novelization of TDK.