The Shrine

Well, I think it had something to do with the fact that the directing, acting, and just about everything else about the first Batman movie set the bar so high, that all the other Batman films (which failed to reach it) turned into dissapointments.

I thought Batman Returns was good. But that was still Tim Burton directing. Once Schumacher took over, it really seemed to go downhill.

Yeah. The Shumacher films failed to deliver not because Burton set the bar too high (though he did), but because they were flimsy Hollywood circle-jerks with zero substance. The camp factor may have worked for the 60s television series, but you'd have to be retarded to think it would have the same success when applied to multi-million dollar feature films in the 90s.

I mean, yeah, audiences liked Scream, but Craven was at least smart enough to give his campiness some Gen-X appeal. Exactly which audience was Shumacher trying to reach with the fake plastic bat-nipples? I guess he figured that flamboyant middle-aged homosexuals were the next big niche market.

Batman Forever wasn't too terrible, but that's only because of Val Kilmer. Batman & Robin was fucking HORRIBLE! Bad casting all around: Schwarzenegger isn't Mr. Freeze, Clooney isn't fucking Batman, Chris O'Donnell still sucks, and Silverstone can't act. (BTW, nobody likes Robin...and especially not Batgirl.)

And this director produces such a piece of shit, and then directs 8MM?! In-between Batmans, he directs A Time to Kill!?! Falling Down?! Of course, I didn't like Phone Booth, but what the hell is up with this guy?

Gentz wrote:I mean, yeah, audiences liked Scream, but Craven was at least smart enough to give his campiness some Gen-X appeal. Exactly which audience was Shumacher trying to reach with the fake plastic bat-nipples? I guess he figured that flamboyant middle-aged homosexuals were the next big niche market.

Have you see the photos? He looks like a flamboyant middle-aged homosexual.

SineSwiper wrote:Batman Forever wasn't too terrible, but that's only because of Val Kilmer.

"Only" because of Kilmer? He looked the part better (especially the Bruce Wayne part), but I thought Keaton was a better actor.

Personally, I liked BF because of the villains - Tommy Lee Jones was a serviceable Two-Face, and I doubt anybody at the time could have pulled off the Riddler better than Jim Carrey.

Still, any discussion about the Batman movies always ends up with everyone agreeing that the first one is the best.

<i>He stole my balloons!!! Why didn't somebody tell me he had one of those...things!</i>

Agent 57 wrote:"Only" because of Kilmer? He looked the part better (especially the Bruce Wayne part), but I thought Keaton was a better actor.

I read on IMDB that Michael Kane though Kilmer was the best cast Bruce Wayne/Batman. As far as looking the part, I actually think George Clooney fits the best. He's got the square jaw. But I only saw 10 minutes of Batman & Robin, and it was the worst movie I've ever seen, so no luck there.

Kupek wrote:I read on IMDB that Michael Kane though Kilmer was the best cast Bruce Wayne/Batman. As far as looking the part, I actually think George Clooney fits the best. He's got the square jaw. But I only saw 10 minutes of Batman & Robin, and it was the worst movie I've ever seen, so no luck there.

Based on looks, yeah Clooney has the square jaw, but there's just something about him that isn't Batman to me. I think it's that he makes Bruce Wayne/Batman seem too content with everything. Batman is dark, he's carrying the weight of all of Gotham's crime on his shoulders. I didn't think Clooney conveyed that well.

Val Kilmer, I think, looks the part and acts it well. Keaton acted it superbly, imo, though he doesn't fit it physically 100%. But, he was probably my favorite Batman so far.

I'm really hoping Christian Bale can pull it off in look and action. I have high hopes.

Agent 57 wrote:I doubt anybody at the time could have pulled off the Riddler better than Jim Carrey.

Umm, Robin Williams would have played the part a lot better and not so over the top.

Batman Forever was the changing of the guard and turning the franchise from a noir, edgy comic book film to a colourful, "friendly" comic book movie. Then Shumacher figured he'd done something right and destroyed the franchise with Batman Returns

As much as I love Robin Williams' stand-up, I'm going to have to dissagree here and say that Jim Carey was the best possible actor for the job.

Zeus wrote:Then Shumacher figured he'd done something right and destroyed the franchise with Batman Returns

you mean Batman & Robin.

Lox wrote:

Kupek wrote:I read on IMDB that Michael Kane though Kilmer was the best cast Bruce Wayne/Batman. As far as looking the part, I actually think George Clooney fits the best. He's got the square jaw. But I only saw 10 minutes of Batman & Robin, and it was the worst movie I've ever seen, so no luck there.

Based on looks, yeah Clooney has the square jaw, but there's just something about him that isn't Batman to me. I think it's that he makes Bruce Wayne/Batman seem too content with everything. Batman is dark, he's carrying the weight of all of Gotham's crime on his shoulders. I didn't think Clooney conveyed that well.

Clooney fits Batman, about as much as Bill Murray fits Batman. There's something about looking at that poster of him almost grinning in costume, and thinking "I'm Batman...no, seriously, I'm Batman...why are you laughing? I'm really Batman!"

The new movie should be good. it has especially promising villains and is based on one of my favorite batman storylines in Batman :Year One by Frank Miller who had a hand in helping it come to fruition as well. although nolan booted him off the project respectfully nolan still listened to all the advice miller could give on how to make batman authentically batman and not bale in a suit. hopefully he gets the fact that batman is not supposed to be a happy man.....ever. and yes after the first 2 it did a nosedive into an empty pool. The second one wasn't as good as the first because they tried to go the real batman route. batman never faces just one villain. there are always something more in there. Having Max Lord as well as Penguin as the main bad guys made sense with him fighting an actual bad guy and a corporate badguy with the always ambiguous catwoman also running around....and pfhifer is freaking catwoman. Nailed it pretty close to dead on outside of a couple little mistakes. really the only parts I had any problem with were the fact that in the first 2 people died and batman never kills. he would save the joker from falling and respects all life. it's the great flaw of batman. His villains will always come back because of that.

But really with this how can you not be excited. once again it's got 2 main villains with Scarecrow and the main main villain in Ra's Al Ghul who is pretty much the anti-batman. immortal and in controll of the league of assasins. I'm much more excited to see Ra's as a villain than anything and am waiting very eagerly for this...

Jesus frank miller is everywhere right now ain't he

Clooney sucked as Batman. He's too damn smug.

The Seeker wrote:As much as I love Robin Williams' stand-up, I'm going to have to dissagree here and say that Jim Carey was the best possible actor for the job.

They had actually wanted Williams as their actor but he turned them down 'cause the scripts sucked (that's pretty obvious). He was easily the best choice to play Riddler in a Burton-esque film. Jim Carrey was the consolation prize

Yes, Lox, I meant Batman and Robin. I actually liked Returns quite a bit

Zeus wrote:They had actually wanted Williams as their actor but he turned them down 'cause the scripts sucked (that's pretty obvious). He was easily the best choice to play Riddler in a Burton-esque film. Jim Carrey was the consolation prize

According to IMDB (can you guess what I do when I can't get something working and I need a distraction?) Williams was also (justifiabley) pissed at them. Supposedly they disingenously talked to him about the Joker just to force Nicholson to commit.

Just so the title "Batman sucks" is not misinterpreted (since apparently I am the author of the post =P) I will explain that I felt the first Batman was the best of the bunch by quite a bit. The second was also a good one, but it failed to reach the standard set by the first one in my opinion. The rest I did not enjoy.