The Batman List

I thought that this was a great way to bring Batman to the big screen. Tim Burton had a good grasp at what the Dark Knight should be portrayed. Not as a flashy camp joke but as a brooding dark detective. The world that we see in this movie is darker then the one we find ourselves in and is removed from reality in some ways.
Michael Keaton played Batman very well and I thought his Bruce Wayne was spot on. The cast was strong and we got what is a now classic performance by Nicholson as the Joker.
The music was done by Danny Elfman and really made the whole world come alive.
This was the strongest of the series and unfortunately it all went down hill from here.

We return to the world that Burton created in the first movie but it has shifted more to the Burton feel than the last one. We feel more removed from reality in this installment and I think that the movie suffers for it.
Keaton returned as Batman and did a fine job. He played the character strong and as well as could have been with this script.
The villains were a little out there and we were greeted with a mutated version of the Penguin that seems to have stuck in all the cartoon versions that came after.
The story was ok but silly and as I said, it all seemed a little too unreal for me to take the film seriously.
With the success of the first one the studio seems to have given Burton free reign on this one and I think the franchise suffered for it.

This was the beginning of the end of the franchise. Joel Schumacher killed the Batman by thinking he was to make a movie based on the old camp tv show. We were plunged into a world of neon and statues covered with the most flashy colors to come across the silver screen. Nothing was muted as he made the Batman into a joke.
Val Kilmer took over the cowl and really didn't even try to be Batman as he phoned in the performance and checked out. The two villains were doing nothing but trying to be the Joker which was against the age old characters that they were playing.
The introduction of Robin was flawed as were given a twenty something boy wonder to watch as he whined like a kid.
This really is a bad movie and a drastic change from what we were given before. The worst part is that this wasn't as bad as it was going to get.

The nail in the coffin. Schumacher returned with the worst of the Bat flicks to see the light of day. Clooney plays the nippled hero this time and we get one of the worst performances of his career as he forgets to play Bruce Wayne and Batman differently. There isn't even a voice change as he assumes the persona of the Dark Knight. Crappy.
The bad guys are a joke too as we get a Mr. Freeze that is nothing but an ice themed one liner machine. Poison Ivy is a card board cut out who is in control of a watered down pathetic version of Bane.
And then we get a Batgirl that isn't needed. Her origin is changed for no reason and the character we are left with is plain and boring.
This is a weak movie and the world we have to sit in for the 2 hours is annoying and filled with too much whimsy for something that should be a Batman movie.

Finally after all the bad movies that came out of Hollywood over the last few years we were given a do over.
The franchise of Batman was given a second chance and what we got was the movie we had been waiting for all along.
Christopher Nolan opens up a world that could be ours as he explores what made a man into a Batman.
Christian Bale gives us a Batman and a Bruce Wayne that is believable and powerful. He gives the Dark Knight a human face in the day and the face of vengeance in the night and we believe that a man could be like this.
Another bonus is that we are given three villains that work well with each other and the story. A gangster, The Scarecrow, and the main villain that most people would not know, Ra's Al Ghul.
The story was fresh and well paced and it was as if we were seeing the Batman for the first time.
We also got a Batmobile that matched the strength of the man behind the wheel.
All of the supporting characters were cast with care and from the Batman comics so that all us geeks can smile and feel like we know more than the average movie goer.
As the title states, this is the beginning and I plan to be there until the end.

This is a great flick for the camp show of the past. It brings together all the big villains of the show and lets our heroes play with all the big toys such as the Bat Copter. Bat Cycle, and even the Bat Boat. Batman even fights off a shark using Bat Shark Repelant.
The story is a little silly but so was the show. You can't really hold that against them.
I'm just glad the image of the wacky Batman didn't stick.

This is a great little fan film with a great effects team behind it. It was made as a video business card by the man behind the costumes and creature effects and I would think he would be able to find work anywhere. It's also a great version of the Batman and I dig the version of the Joker.
A fun film. I know that this isn't the norm for a movie, and really it's more of a short than a movie, but I thought that is was filmed well and that the people behind it treated it like it was the next big blockbuster and it shows. It is quality.

One of the best Batman movies out there. The animation is great and the story is pure Dark Knight. Highly recommended.

I like the idea of the passing of the torch and they made an interesting show out of it as well. The character of Terry became it's own after a while and that shows that it was well written if people were willing to let this new guy replace the Batman they had all grown up with.
Having Bruce Wayne stick around as the guy who guides the new Batman was a good idea. Even though he was old and couldn't get out on the streets anymore doesn't mean he wouldn't find another way to fight crime in his city.

Not too bad for a straight to DVD.

Ok.

This was a good pairing of the two cartoons. The story was fun and it didn't feel rushed or contrived.
I like the way they had Lois be the love interest for Bruce leaving Clark to be a little jealous. It was a nice change to the story.

This was good but there seemed to be too much effort to hide the true Joker from the viewer. I like the way they blended the flashbacks into the show and the animation involved was great.
The Joker seemed more than evil in this one and I liked that. He seemed to have reached the end of his sanity and this is what that outcome is.
It had some great stuff and I would like to see more in the future.