Welcome to my new Superhero Syndrome Series!
We're going to visit some of the "most seen" live action superheroes on our television screens and theaters along with movies/shows you had no idea some of the most famous heroes were in!
We're going to visit some of the "most seen" live action superheroes on our television screens and theaters along with movies/shows you had no idea some of the most famous heroes were in!
The Dark Knight......The Caped Crusader......The Great Detective.......The Gotham Guardian.......
He's known by many names, but we know him as Batman!
I'm not old enough to have been around during the time serials were popular...neither is my mom! So yea, they're pretty old. Serials were pretty much TV shows that played in theaters; they were "chapters" to a larger plot of a story. You'd see a new chapter every time you'd go to the movies and each chapter would last roughly 10-15 minutes.
The very first appearance of Batman on-screen was in this 1943 serial which contains 15 chapters. We're treated to an awesome overweight batman with no Batmobile (just a black Cadillac)! The scenarios, while a little cheesy because of the time period, are rather dark in nature; the villain (a Japanese scientist, who's never appeared in the Batman universe, Dr Daka) actually dies by Robin's hand, and the fights are more like brawls. Batman is an agent working with the government in this and not a vigilante. The creators felt it wouldn't be prudent to show a hero who takes the law into his own hands, so they had him working undercover.....and had Boy Wonder kill a man.
 |
| "Make fun of our outfits again....I dare you." |
My Rating:
3.948578 out of 5 stars
Doesn't contain the quick wit we've all come to adore in the Batman movies and, again, because of the time period of its release, the story drags at points; but overall it's still a very fun watch and a classic because of its originality. You can thank this serials for taking a chance on the Dark Knight as it opened doors to give us the Dark Knight trilogy today!
After a formidable debut on screen 6 years earlier, and great comics to boot, Batman and Robin was released as serials. The Gotham Guardian received a cosmetic change in receiving a black cape and cowl in order to be equated closer with his comic book counterpart.
The serials feature a criminal, that calls himself the Wizard, who has a device which controls all cars and tries to destroy the Dynamic Duo. The Wizard's identity is kept safely under wraps until the very end.
My Rating:
3.791742 out of 5 stars
I give this a slightly lower rating than the first serials only because it doesn't have the same groundbreaking factors of the first. The cosmetic changes were, however, refreshing...but we see the Dynamic Duo traveling to jungles in broad daylight and such which take away from the "intimidation" factor of Batman lurking in the shadows of the seedy allies and rooftops of Gotham. Still, this is very entertaining and the mystery of who the Wizard is will keep it interesting.
Who can deny the popularity and pop culture credibility this era of Batman television gave the nation? Thanks to the television show we have a catchy "Batman" theme song, the best memories of the uses of words like "Pow!" "Zing!" and "Kerplunk!", the use of the word "holy" before almost any phrase and even a bat-dance created specifically for the show: the Batusi!!!
The show, and subsequent movie based on the series, features a Batman that many believed to be a parody of the darker and more serious Dark Knight from the comics, though I believe the truth to be that it's a Batman who is influenced by the 60s. The bright colors, the campy dialogue and over acting....it's all about the fun dude! The TV series brought some of the most famous villains to the screen including the Joker! It took some of the cool elements of the serials of old, like the use of "bat" before every gadget and vehicle, and made them iconic.
In this movie, the Caped Crusader (Adam West) and Boy Wonder (Burt Ward) take on four, count them, FOUR super villains! They must thwart Penguin, Catwoman, the Riddler and Joker's plot to kidnap the world leaders and hold the world hostage for big money!
My Rating
4.6739 out of 5
The high rating is based mostly on nostalgia. This film must be watched with the thought that it will not be taken seriously in ANY way! The way Batman and Robin solve riddles, the pure dumb luck they have in escaping life threatening situations, and the fists that miss a person's face by a mile but still manage to knock a person out....it's all about the fun dude!
So the 70's and 80's come and go after the Batman TV series ends and some people out in Hollywood decide it's time to bring the Dark Knight back to the big screen. Using a $48 million budget, Tim Burton scooped up Michael Keaton (which met a lot of criticism from the comic book fans), Jack Nicholson and a few other familiar faces to bring Gotham City to life. What audiences were treated to was a blockbuster movie that turned the $48 million to $400 million! Undoubtedly one of the greatest superhero films to hit the screen, Tim Burton was able to turn the unintentional comedy act of Batman on screen into the Dark Knight who was adored in the comic book world.
We're introduced to a Gotham City saturated with crime, and a vigilante who has begun to clean up the streets. No one knows who he is, but the criminals are spreading rumors of a man dressed as a bat. As Batman fights crime, a new criminal threat arises: an under appreciated gangster who was dropped in a vat of chemicals has risen from the ashes and now terrorizes Gotham as a menacing clown, killing people in scores.
My Rating:
4.9999999991 out of 5 stars
Nicholson is brilliant as the Joker and his maniacal nature is only enhanced and rivaled by Keaton's tortured and brooding performance as the Dark Knight who is battling his inner demons.
Three years after Tim Burton, Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson made Batman a box office success and changed the way he'd be looked at in cinema forever, Burton gives the world a sequel! Keaton suits up once again to take to the streets of Gotham.
Batman, after giving the city a signal to contact him when they need him, is called into action when a mysterious penguin-like man tries to take office by sending his henchmen to vandalize Gotham and, in turn, stop them to make himself look like a hero. While this happens, a woman seeks revenge on a man who tried to kill her by donning the persona of a cat. Batman now faces two villains at once and must find a way to beat those odds.
My Rating:
3.649232 out of 5 stars
I loved the performances by Danny DeVito (Penguin), Michelle Pfieffer (Catwoman) and Michael Keaton (Batman), this was a very solid sequel with more Burton-esque elements added to it (the scenery in Gotham City was even more goth than the first film). Another saving grace for this film is the addition of one of my all time favorite actors, Christopher Walken.
And here begins the downward spiral of the franchise that Burton and Keaton built into a success. The creators of Batman Forever felt that the first two films were too dark and violent, so they decided to begin killing the franchise with this movie.
 |
| Cool suits....and that's it. |
My Rating:
3.0000487 out of 5 stars
The only reason this movie doesn't get under 2 stars is because I loved Jim Carey's performance when he fully transformed into the Riddler and we got the spectacular song Kissed By A Rose by Seal.
Other than that, Kilmer was boring, Jones' evil face side was all shades of neon colors and....oh yea, Robin (Chris O'Donnell) is introduced. That is all.
*sigh*
Rock bottom is hit in this film with great force.
This movie is proof that getting big name actors does not necessarily mean a movie will be great.
George Clooney.....yes, I said GEORGE CLOONEY, dons the Batman suit alongside a returning Chris O'Donnell as Robin and "Clueless" star Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl, to battle Arnold "Mr Freeze" Schwarzenegger, Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy and a balloon animal looking Bane.
 |
| What's that ninja turtle doing back there? |
That was an actual description of the movie....Mr Freeze and Poison Ivy were trying to vegetate and freeze the city at the same time while working on the same team. Are there any gardeners out there? Do ice and plants mix?
My Rating:
1.000000000000000000001 out of 5 stars
This film gets one star because I'm a merciful reviewer.
Eight long years have passed since the garbage of Batman and Robin polluted our senses and there was a collective groan when news surfaced of yet another Batman film. Those groans turned to raucous applause when Christopher Nolan took the helm and Christian Bale took up the old cape and cowl and showed us the Caped Crusader could actually be a real person in everyday life.
Bruce Wayne is a young man who is coping with the loss of his parents. The anger inside him against the justice system has caused him to find a way to exact his own vengeance on the criminal element that not only killed his parents but pollute his city. In order to do what he must to clean up the streets, he has to find someone to train him to be an indestructible force. Upon returning from his the training received from his mentor (Liam Neeson), Wayne hits the streets to take on the local kingpin who is being controlled by popular villain, Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy).
My Rating
4.828238 out of 5 stars
Nolan and Bale took the "Burton twist" and brought the Batman franchise back to glory. The realism of Batman and his gadgets were incredible along with the story and acting.....not to mention the fact that the ending left you with HIGH anticipation!
Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, Heath Ledger comes along and delivers the performance of a lifetime! Ledger, in my own humble opinion, played a superior Joker compared to that of Jack Nicholson and he may have even carried Bale a little bit in this one.
In fighting crime, Batman has effectively and significantly cleaned up the streets of Gotham City. Hoping to pass the proverbial torch and take a much needed break, Bruce Wayne endorses new hot shot District Attorney Harvey Dent/new-and-improved Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart) who is just as vigilant in trying to keep criminals behind bars. While the criminal element tries to remain hidden from the bat and Dent, a new threat arises; one that proves to be the most dangerous ever because he has no fear of Batman and no method to his madness.
My Rating:
5 OUT OF 5 STARS!!!!
What can I say other than: WATCH THIS MOVIE!
Now we've come full circle to the end of all things.....a true super villain named Bane (Tom Hardy) swoops into Gotham City to wreak more havoc than has ever been wrought before. Literally tearing down from pillar to post, a beat up and retired Batman must garner up all the strength and resources he has to battle the monster. With the aid of a dangerous cat burglar (Anne Hathaway), Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), John Blake/Robin (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and his weapons expert Lucious Fox (Morgan Freeman), the Dark Knight battles Bane and his crew for the fate of his city.
My Rating:
4.70248 out of 5 stars
Good movie with a fitting end. I really enjoyed the film although it was a little much for me at times when they skipped over long periods of time. Other than that one snafu, I think Hardy did a wonderful job as Bane and I liked the addition of Bat-gadgets in this installment. Catwoman was also a bright spot for me in the movie.
So there we are, a look at the first of four superheroes that have graced our screens for years past....can you guess who the other three are?
Until next time!
Jay
No comments:
Post a Comment