Overrated Movies

[CensoredAlso]

I'd have to see the original Batman again, it's been a long time, lol. But I did think the Christian Bale Batmans were overrated, I frankly didn't care about any of the characters or what happened to them, heh. Heath Ledger did a good acting job but I was unimpressed by the character. He has no real motivation, he just wants to "watch the world burn?" I assume that's supposed to be deep, but I disagree.

 

[frogboy4]

I'd have to see the original Batman again, it's been a long time, lol. But I did think the Christian Bale Batmans were overrated, I frankly didn't care about any of the characters or what happened to them, heh. Heath Ledger did a good acting job but I was unimpressed by the character. He has no real motivation, he just wants to "watch the world burn?" I assume that's supposed to be deep, but I disagree.

Chaos is his motivation. The Dark Knight posed the question of how to fight terrorism when the world has nothing the terrorist wants except for fear. I get what you're saying, but I think that's far more interesting than just another cheesed-off gangster stereotype. Comic books have always tried to mirror the times we live in and Nolan really succeeds in TDK. Is it overrated? Well, sure. But I also think it was one of the best films of 2008.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Chaos is his motivation. The Dark Knight posed the question of how to fight terrorism when the world has nothing the terrorist wants except for fear. I get what you're saying, but I think that's far more interesting than just another cheesed-off gangster stereotype. Comic books have always tried to mirror the times we live in and Nolan really succeeds in TDK. Is it overrated? Well, sure. But I also think it was one of the best films of 2008.

I get what you're saying that the movie is supposed to parallel our real life fear of terrorism and that is definitely more interesting than your standard bad guy. It's just that even the real life terrorists have a motivation beyond just chaos (whether we agree with it or not). Because they're human beings and people do things for complex reasons. To have a character that's just devoid of that in a dramatic setting just didn't sit well with me. Like I said, I thought Ledger did a great job, I just didn't agree with the screenplay I guess, hehe.

Plus Christian Bale looked ridiculous in the Batman costume.

 

[frogboy4]

I get what you're saying that the movie is supposed to parallel our real life fear of terrorism and that is definitely more interesting than your standard bad guy. It's just that even the real life terrorists have a motivation beyond just chaos (whether we agree with it or not). Because they're human beings and people do things for complex reasons. To have a character that's just devoid of that in a dramatic setting just didn't sit well with me. Like I said, I thought Ledger did a great job, I just didn't agree with the screenplay I guess, hehe.

Plus Christian Bale looked ridiculous in the Batman costume.

Really? I liked him in the suit, but the jawline is a little off. His forced Batman voice was ridiculous. I hope they lose that next outing.

 

[Drtooth]

Chaos is his motivation. The Dark Knight posed the question of how to fight terrorism when the world has nothing the terrorist wants except for fear. I get what you're saying, but I think that's far more interesting than just another cheesed-off gangster stereotype. Comic books have always tried to mirror the times we live in and Nolan really succeeds in TDK. Is it overrated? Well, sure. But I also think it was one of the best films of 2008.

I never liked the assumption that when you finally get a worthy reboot of a franchise all it does is turn off "purists" who can't see the difference between a worth while project with a lot of thought and care behind it and something to the extent of New George of the Jungle or something.

That said, sure I get the "overrated" bit, but remember WB has been struggling with Batman's franchise for YEARS after Schumaker screwed up his films. I was hearing rumors in the late 90's about a 5th Batman movie with Marylin Manson as Scarecrow. Thank Frog that never happened.

Did Ledger's death help Dark Knight out? I dunno, but the first Batman Begins film didn't do all that well either. And I've said it a hundred times, DUDE... they should have taken the same chance with TDK for Superman, which died after one movie.

As for the terrorist style Joker, I think it was a pretty brilliant version of the character, as was said, not making him a cheap gangster. The mystery behind why he's doing this simply revealed as he's doing it because he's crazy actually has some levels to it, if you think about it. That said, who can resist Mark Hamil's Joker from Batman TAS? The perfect balance of looney and crook without being too cartoonish or too dark. Of course, I didn't really care much for the similar style of the Joker on The Batman, fueled by just being crazy and having no real motivation either. At least at first. Though I gotta say, The Batman's Riddler was a bit better than the TAS version.

Of course, let's not forget TDK had Twoface in it (though not mentioned by name) as well. And again, watch Batman Forever. I HATED how they turned the dark, nasty character with a ruined life into essentially a surrogate Joker in that one. Jim Carrey's Riddler I can sort of understand (bad impersonation of the 60's version and all), but Daffy Duck Twoface?

 

[CensoredAlso]

Really? I liked him in the suit, but the jawline is a little off. His forced Batman voice was ridiculous. I hope they lose that next outing.

Yeah it was mainly the voice, I mean my friend and I were laughing in the theater everytime he talked (and she LIKED the movie!). It's like, if you can't do the voice then go away and let the grown ups act for awhile, hehe. And to me in the close ups it just looked like he could barely move in the suit.

 

[Starchamberfall]

[

Frogboy on Batman 1989:

quote] It’s not perfect, but it brought back Batman and comic book movies in a big way![/quote]

Adam West was not only raring to go for "the" Batman movie, he actually submitted a movie treatment, which was not accepted. I remember him discussing that, and that he was frustrated at not getting the chance. He deserved it. In the Adam West scenario, Batman is insane, and lives in the desert: that would have been the beginning of the movie. Dark Knight, indeed!

Looking back twenty years later, it might have been better to give Adam a go, with a good director, and would have generated Batman films that were more interesting. More creative, certainly.

 

[frogboy4]

Yeah it was mainly the voice, I mean my friend and I were laughing in the theater everytime he talked (and she LIKED the movie!). It's like, if you can't do the voice then go away and let the grown ups act for awhile, hehe. And to me in the close ups it just looked like he could barely move in the suit.

There were two suits. The one at the beginning of the film is the classic Batman suit and cowl that looks striking in a graphic novel, but greatly limited the neck mobility. The controversy was in dethatching the mask from the cape that provided such neck mobility in the second suit he wore. It's not the traditional silhouette, but it improved the actor's movement. I think you're referring to the first suit.

 

[frogboy4]

[

Frogboy on Batman 1989:

quote] It’s not perfect, but it brought back Batman and comic book movies in a big way!

Adam West was not only raring to go for "the" Batman movie, he actually submitted a movie treatment, which was not accepted. I remember him discussing that, and that he was frustrated at not getting the chance. He deserved it. In the Adam West scenario, Batman is insane, and lives in the desert: that would have been the beginning of the movie. Dark Knight, indeed!

Looking back twenty years later, it might have been better to give Adam a go, with a good director, and would have generated Batman films that were more interesting. More creative, certainly.[/QUOTE]

While I enjoy the cheekiness of Adam West's Batman take, it's not what I'd want to see in the theater again. Totally wrong take in this fan's opinion and that picture would likely not have created the spark as Burton's pic.

 

[Starchamberfall]

I wonder. I think Adam West was ahead of his time, as well as after his time, in 1989.

You're right it would likely have been marginal, box-office-wise.

He seemed to have in mind something other than a revival of the TV series.

Wish I could contact him to ask him more.