In celebration of my upcoming 50th post on Blogger, I will now be reviewing my Top 5 favourite films of all-time. However, I won't be leaving any hints about which film will be on the list. This will simply be a look back on what I consider the best films out there. They don't have to be the most well received or the best written; it simply has to be the films that help me in finding what I love in films. With that said, let us begin.
Number 5:
Tim Burton's "Batman".
And:
Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight".
Yes, for the first time since this little gig started, there's a tie as I can't decide which one is better, so they're both in the same spot. Also, this is my list and I do what I want.
Part of the appeal of the character of Batman in film is the various the character can be depicted. While nowadays every version of Batman is dark and serious, there was a time before the 80s where Batman wasn't taken as seriously as he is now. Due to the way that people used to look at comic book heroes, no-one really looked at Batman beyond the Adam West show of the 60s. As such, when the character took a darker turn with the likes of "Death in the Family", "Batman:Year One", "The Killing Joke" and "The Dark Knight Returns", this is when people realised the potential of how to portray the character in other means. Enter visionary director Tim Burton and actor Michael Keaton with a new version of a live-action Batman that took more inspiration from those stories than the version saw in the 60s. It was a shocking change, but not an unwelcome one.
Then, of course, things changed with this depiction of the character becoming increasingly popular in comics and TV over the course of the 90s in "Batman: The Animated Series" starring Kevin Conroy and the early 2000s where the character would be rebooted in film starting with "Batman Begins", brought to live by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale in the lead role. And while that film was a great return to a darker adaptation of the character and his origins, it still felt like small potatoes in comparison with it's 2008 sequel; "The Dark Knight".
Both the Burton version and the Nolan version has had the largest impact on the mythos in popular culture in recent years, bringing the best of the character to the screen in greatly different ways. The Burton version is more surrounded in atmosphere and mystery, while Nolan's is focused more on moral dilemmas and the consequences of the characters actions. Burton's film is a classic action packed comic book movie, whereas Nolan's feels more like a social drama with a vigilante. Whether which one captures the character and his conflicts the most effectively over the other is still up to debate, but this is more of a focus on what makes these films work for me. So let's get started with the Burton film.
Part of what makes the Burton film work is the visual style. This film arguably has the best looking version of Gotham in any version of the Batman story. There is a slick combination of Gothic architecture and (then) modern technology, making the city look timeless while still creating a dark atmosphere that permeates every nook and cranny of the city. Granted, some of the buildings like the church used for the final confrontation are obviously small scale models made to look large, but it doesn't take away from the overall beauty of the scenery, which is then complimented by Burton's tight and concise direction to make the film more visually appealing despite most of the film looking grey.
The performances from everyone, especially Keaton as Bruce "Goddamn Batman" Wayne and Jack Nicholson as The Joker, are excellent, with no-one ever feeling out of place. The irony with Keaton is that fans weren't initially excited to see him in the role, petitioning to have him replaced. But that inability to suspect him as Batman is the reason why he's perfect; Batman needs to be mysterious and unpredictable, thus characters in the film need to be surprised when we learn Bruce is the dark knight himself. When he's trying to explain himself to Kim Bassinger's Vicki Vale about what he does at night, he's able to sell it because of how surprisingly normal he acts. This contrasts perfectly with Nicholson's Joker, who is simply perfect for the role. He's creepy and eccentric, while also being incredible funny and entertaining to watch. I actually remember laughing when he starts pining for Vicki and goes to extreme lengths to get her in his pants, mainly because of how Nicholson acts as The Joker. Really, aside from Mark Hamill, Nicholson was pretty much the definitive version of The Joker for the longest time. Here's hoping, then, that Joaquin Phoenix does a good job with the character this coming October.
Danny Elfman's score, as expected, is simply amazing. The orchestra captures both the subtle brooding nature of Batman while also having more upbeat and faster music to accompany the various fight scenes scattered throughout the film. The choir just makes everything the characters have more weight to it. The fights themselves, while obviously being limited by the films budget, are still well choreographed and directed to give each fight a sense of excitement and importance.
It really is the acting from the entire cast and the scenery dripping with the perfect atmosphere that makes this not just one of my favourite super hero films, but one my favourite films of all time.
But of course, there's another version that actually rivals it; Nolan's version.
Much like the Burton film, the focus of the film is on the rise of The Joker and his conflict with Batman. However, there is something of a role reversal. In the Burton film, we knew little about Bruce's past and his path to become Batman, whereas we knew how Jack became The Joker through the narrative. In "The Dark Knight", we already know everything about Bruce while never knowing how The Joker became the way he is. Frankly, either way is effective as we become more invested in the character due to the mystery of their origins. In the case of "The Dark Knight", it works in favour with Heath Ledger's Joker because that add to the characters' unpredictability, especially when he starts telling different versions of the story of him getting his scars. It's never made clear about which story he tells is true, but that was intentional as a means of never fully understanding what makes him tick. All that we know about him in this film is that he wants to spread chaos and anarchy, which is terrifying in and of itself. With The Joker constantly putting people in a situation where they have to make moral decisions without losing who they are, it thus helps to establish him as a more serious threat. Ledger's surprisingly fantastic performance makes his version of The Joker one of the best villains in recent cinematic history, on par with Darth Vader and Thanos.
One of the critiques of "Batman Begins" was the obnoxious shaky cam and rapid fire editing that made it hard to follow the action scenes, leading it to be a visually jumbled mess. Thankfully, Nolan has rectified that mistake and now, the cinematography and directing and far more smooth and dynamic, making an everyday city like Chicago standing in for Gotham feel more alive and vital to the story. This in turn makes the action scenes far more intense, as Hans Zimmer's music and tight writing keeps the atmosphere building up and up to the inevitable stand off between our hero and villain.
The story arc with Harvey "Two-Face" Dent is handled very well and ties back to the films main theme of moral and emotional compromise. Harvey is presented throughout the film is a shining beacon for the people of Gotham to idolise, but we still see his machinations with him still willing to cross the line if it means pursuing what he considers to be fair and just. This is what makes his friendship with Bruce and conflict with Batman more fascinating to witness. He may not be as tragic or depressing as when presented in B:TAS, but he still has that emotional depth that is needed to make him a stand-out feature of the film. Part of me wishes they would get Aaron Eckhart to play the character in other Batman films. Maybe not the same version we see in this film as (SPOILERS!!) he dies at the end, but he still embodies what makes the character one of Batman's greatest adversaries.
Frankly, the only complaint I can lobby against the film is, oddly, with Batman himself. This isn't so much a complaint about the writing for the character, but more so about Christian Bale's performance. I never really bought him as Batman, which is to be expected with that silly looking costume and, of course, the voice:
But even ignoring that, I simply never believed him as Bruce Wayne. In this one, I'm surprised that even the most brain dead of criminals couldn't piece together that Bruce was Batman due to how he always acts like he has something to hide from people, and how he just disappears in the middle of a big event only for Batman to show up. The appeal of Bruce Wayne is that he is meant to be so good at hiding his identity of Batman that no-one, not even those closest to him, could ever figure out the truth unless he told them. Yes, there were people who discovered his secret; Tim Drake and Hugo Strange, just to name a couple. But Bruce was still able to hide it from people due to a swaggering philanthropist with a pair of gorgeous women by his arms. Keaton captured this perfectly with how he acted with such natural charisma that no-one ever thought he could be this terrifying creature of the night. Bale, on the other hand, makes it obvious to practically everyone that he's hiding something. I don't hate Bale in the role, I just don't think he was the best casting decision.
Ultimately, that is my only real critique with "The Dark Knight", as it is otherwise a legitimately solid film. And between these two Batman movies, there is the perfect Batman film. Just take the chaotic nature of The Joker and the moral dilemmas from "The Dark Knight" and combine it with the atmosphere and Keaton's performance from "Batman", and you have yourself the quintessential Batman film for the ages.
But as is, these are still two incredible comic books films that I cannot recommend enough.
And hey, at least there's no Jared Leto to be seen.
Overall rating for both: 9/10 (Excellent).
If you liked what you've read, then please follow me on Twitter; that's @Media_Man18 on Twitter. And please, share this review on social media, whether it's Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc.
So until next time; this is Callum Lewis, the Media Hood, signing off!
Oh! And before I forget:
No comments:
Post a Comment