Our friends over at FlickeringMyth.com have made another interesting set of posts about the history of the Batman films. The series of three articles was written by Gary Collinson. He does an amazing job covering everything from the early serials to the more recent incarnations of Batman on film. Take a look at the three of them by clicking on the links below.
The Early Days (1940's-mid 1980's)
The Franchise Years (1989-1997)
The Modern Times (1997-Present)
Posted by Dustin
Today we have a video for you. If you haven't picked up Batman: Under the Red Hood, you may have missed the new first look for Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. Oh, and if you are looking for a copy of BURH, check out this contest.
Posted by Dustin
We have teamed up with Warner Bros. to bring you some prizes in celebration of DC Comics' 75th anniversary. In celebration of this event Warner Bros. has made tons of movies and TV shows based off of DC Comic's characters available for download and On Demand.
Celebrate 75 years of DC Comics with films and TV series inspired by some of the most popular SUPER HEROES including BATMAN, SUPERMAN and other iconic DC Comics characters. To celebrate this milestone, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution is highlighting dozens of movies and shows that are available For Download on iTunes, WBshop.com and more; and via (cable) On Demand on Comcast, Time Warner Cable and others.
With On Demand and Download fans can watch their DC favorites virtually anytime, anywhere. Highlights include the blockbuster film THE DARK KNIGHT with Extras on iTunes, all SUPERMAN movies, and full length DC Universe animated original movies including GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT, BATMAN UNDER THE RED HOOD, SUPERMAN DOOMSDAY and more. Individual episodes and complete seasons of fan favorite DC inspired TV series are also available for download in HD including the complete series of SMALLVILLE, HUMAN TARGET and BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD.
All you have to do to win the prize is send us an email to contest@thebatmanuniverse.net telling us what DC Comics character you want to see be made into a film or TV series. It does not have to be a character within The Batman Universe. It could someone considered unpopular like The Ten-Eyed Man. Send your responses to us no later than August 15. The most creative responses will be picked. We will pick two winners and Warner Bros. will send you one of the two prizes we have shown below. Also keep in mind that we may use your ideas to post on the site and that your name will be linked to the idea.
Posted by Dustin
Alright so there are all of our reviews for the film. Plenty of different perspectives on what to expect when watching the film. Be sure to enter into our Batman: Under the Red Hood contest for your chance to win a copy of the blu-ray version of the film chocked with all kinds of special features.
Remember that you can find the film available at both Amazon
So with everyone's reviews, Batman: Under the Red Hood ends up with the following overall rating.
Posted by Dustin
Batman: Under the Red Hood is the next film in the series of DC animated films released by Warner Bros. It marks the first time Batman has a solo film that isn't related to another film project. I don't think fans will be disappointed by this film at all. I was pleasantly surprised by the film as I immediately try not to have high expectations for them.
When Batman: Under the Red Hood was first announced, I had to instantly go back and read the Batman: Under the Hood storyline. I wanted to see if making this a film was feasible. There are some obvious changes that were made to the film, but that is because it is a film. I understand that films can not be one hundred percent true to the original source material. The thing I was most interested in was whether or not they would mention Superboy Prime's punch into the wall of time. They did change that around, but I thought it worked out just fine. If they changed something like the Joker using a gun instead of a crowbar and then an explosion, I would have been upset.
The film does a nice job at mixing the past and present together to make sense. It helps a lot for fans of Batman who do not read the comics as well as first time viewers. This marks the first time Jason Todd has appeared in DC animation and they needed to make sure they did a good job at introducing the character to not only inform you of who he is, but also why he is important to the Batman Universe.
As far as the voice cast, another superb job. Casting of the various characters was perfect. Bruce Greenwood took a unique direction with his Batman voice that made you understand the pain that he has felt after loosing his partner. Although it worked for this film, I would hope that when Greenwood is voicing Batman in the upcoming Young Justice series, he has more than sadness to express. John DiMaggio as the Joker was a unique take that I just might have to say, could be the new definitive Joker voice. It is a mix of sadistic, crazy, and funny, and it works perfectly. Jensen Ackles as Red Hood did an amazing job as well by really making you understand where the character is coming from. The supporting cast of Wade Williams as the Black Mask and Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing also felt right.
As far as the special features go, I am reviewing the blu-ray version of the film which has more special features than the other versions released. The digital copy of the film is always a nice addition. One of the documentaries is about Jason Todd's death and the fans' involvement. It was good, but it was off-setting when I kept seeing images of Tim Drake and Dick Grayson shown when Todd was the only one being talked about. We also get a first look at Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. Based on the animation alone, this looks much more promising than Public Enemies. The DC Showcase was for Jonah Hex this time. I felt as if they chose Hex because of the release of the live-action film that didn't fare so well at the box office. It was good, but not memorable. The final documentary talked about the history of Dick Grayson as Robin. This was the best special feature ever released on these films.
Overall, I think Batman: Under the Red Hood was a fantastic film that did take some liberties in certain areas of the film, but it still worked and made the film entertaining. I would rate this at the top of the DC animated films as of right now. I can't help but to start to imagine, what they are going to do with Batman: Year One next year.
Batman: Under the Red Hood:
Reviewed by Dustin
When I first heard of this films creation I was a little concerned and baffled with their choice of storyline to adapt. I felt that this storyline had so much history to cover from Jason Todd’s demise in A Death in the Family as well as push on with the extensive Under The Hood storyline. To get that all done in a seventy minute movie I thought would be too much to achieve and when looking back over the previous films produced by the studio, there have been a few mistakes made. The biggest trap was that viewers with no knowledge of Jason Todd or his destiny would either get confused or not care about the character. However they have really outdone themselves with this film, which has easily surpassed my previous favorite which was Crisis on Two Earths.
I was pleased with how easy the story was to follow, even for newbie’s. It’s a complex narrative to guide an audience through but I felt that the memories and flashbacks were delivered smoothly throughout the movie enhancing the characters choices in the present. The story was engaging from the start with a great mix of emotion and action. I’m often bored of action that goes on too long without any emotional stakes for the characters battling it out, which can happen many times in superhero movies. Pointless action for the sake of a cool fighting move doesn’t do much for me, I need to be invested in the characters and care about what they are fighting for. This film reached those goals. It had excellent fighting sequences and I cared about the Red Hood and Batman’s confrontations.
This film is easily the darkest one made so far and is fitting for this character and genre. They are hopefully aware that a lot of their audience are mature viewers and want to see a little more violence than you see on TV. The fight scenes are brutal and even some of the character moments, especially towards the climax are mature and developed well.
The cast does an excellent job with DiMaggio in particular standing out for me. His Joker had an interesting blend of the eccentric Mark Hamill and the intense, calmer Heath Ledger. He was really menacing and we knew this was a very dangerous Joker especially from his first scene, where the character bluntly murders a young man. Bruce Greenwood’s batman seemed to have similarities to Kevin Conroy but lacked that cutting edge. He wasn’t outstanding but a fine portrayal. Ackles was another good performer with a challenging character to portray but Jason came across as a sympathetic character with strong motivations and someone I cared about. Even the peripheral characters were compelling such as Nightwing and Ra’s Al Ghul. Andrea Romano has done another fabulous job of voice directing. The characters all interacted well together and one scene towards the climax with Batman, Joker and Jason is a fantastic piece of mature storytelling with strong characters performed expertly.
I credit WB animation for taking a risk with this movie and even though I was doubtful at first I’m sure they are very happy with how it has turned out, I certainly am. The animation was excellent yet again and has raised the bar of what I expect from these caliber of films. The soundtrack was OK, not outstanding and I feel an opportunity was missed in that department.
In conclusion, early reactions are that the film has gone down very well amongst the fans and I’m certainly in that group. It’s an outstanding achievement with such a challenging story containing new, exciting voice over talent, a different story structure and a maturity I hope to see in future animated movies from the studio. With Batman: Year One now confirmed as an upcoming animated movie, with what I’m sure will be a ridiculous expectation, this film has served as proof that the team can work with a challenging story and deliver a worthy movie for the fans. If they thought Under The Hood was a tough one wait until they deal with the holy Batman: Year One. Good luck and thanks again to the team behind the animated movies for another entertaining Batman installment.
Batman: Under the Red Hood:
Reviewed by Nick
As many followers of this site and the podcasts that come with it know, there is a movement right now spearheaded by the host of Batgirl to Oracle: A Barbara Gordon Podcast to get Batgirl: Year One back on the slate for production by DC Universe Animation. It is a worthy cause, but after watching Batman: Under The Red Hood, and considering most of DCU’s “comics-to-screen” adaptations so far, it kind of makes me think it’s a blessing in disguise that the Batgirl: Year One mini was taken off the table.
Now, if this was an original story, I’d say “okay, its decent enough” and I know Hollywood has a tendency to place fast and loose with adapting source material (just ask Stephen King about The Shinning, and I kid you not, before Coppola took the reigns The Godfather would have been set in Kansas City and the Corleones would have been a bunch of hippies), but this is a case where the actual story could be told on screen and didn’t need to be all convoluted to fit a certain director’s vision. It’s a comic book cartoon, how hard is it to translate from the printed page to the animated screen, I mean that is exactly what they did in the 1960s with stuff like the Marvel cartoons.
Alright, to start with, what the heck is so wrong in keeping with the original A Death In The Family source material? Jason Todd was on the quest to find his mother, finds her in Ethiopia who got into bed with The Joker who beats Tood to near death in a warehouse, ties up the mother and leaves them both to die in an explosion. Why the heck is it some random plot by Ra's al Ghul with the Joker working for him in Slovakia? Family themes were all over that story, there is no need to completely change it for whatever reason they want to give.
In fact, why the heck is Ra’s even in this to begin with? He is supposed to be dead when Under The Hood was coming out? Do we really need him to provide exposition to Batman about how Jason was resurrected? I hate to borrow a phrase with bad connotations among comic book fandom, but its comic books, we don’t have to explain it! Or let me put it in the words of Grant Morrison in a recent Comic Con panel, “it works cause ITS FICTION!” All they had to do was just have Jason causally refer to remembering being in some kind of Lazarus Pit or whatever, heck Talia al Ghul would have fit nicely into this story, why did they use her and not Ra’s?
No mention at all about Bruce’s state of mind at the time of Under The Hood, going through the crap of Identity Crisis and War Games and pretty much isolating himself, another great theme of the story that is completely done with. I mean why is Nightwing there but not Tim Drake Robin? A throwaway line goes a long way in filling gaps that I understand can’t be filmed in a tightly formatted story.
Speaking of Tim Drake, aesthetically speaking why the heck were the teen Todd flashbacks and the memorial of the Tim Drake costume? Todd was still rocking the vintage Golden and Silver Age version of the Robin costume at the time of his death. Sure it wasn’t Dick Grayson, but tell me that emotional punch of the famous image of Batman cradling Todd doesn’t get you more because it’s a classic Robin outfit on the boy.
I did like seeing Nightwing’s inclusion, but, wasn’t he nursing a bad leg at the time? They kind of allude to this in the film, but in the books he is drawn with a brace on his leg, but whatever. The more important issue I’m having with Dick Grayson is why is some two-bit thug fully aware that Nightwing is in fact Batman’s old partner Robin? I can buy The Joker having an inkling that the first Robin and this Nightwing guy are one and the same, but some thug? Yeah it is that throwaway line of exposition I was saying should be there, but coming from the wrong person and the wrong way. So everyone is aware of the history of the Bat-Family is basically what this movie is telling us, never mind the fact that Batman himself is supposed to be an urban legend.
Now I did like the turf war going on with Black Mask being put against Red Hood with Batman going after Red Hood, but something about Wade Williams’ performance wasn’t doing it for me. Reading the comics I kind of imagined Roman Sionis a bit like Michael Corleone, maybe Tony Soprano as well. Calm on the surface, but raging when called upon to do so. I watched this movie, and I’m thinking of screwball comedy versions of mafia gang leaders; something to snicker at and not to be feared of. The voice just did not sync up to what I have in mind when it comes to Black Mask at all, and that took me out of his scenes completely.
This really is indicative of the problem with the comics-to-screen adaptations. Too much time is spent cutting and reshaping the story to fit the limits of the 75 minute time frame, they really are better off making completely original stories and working within their continuities like Green Lantern: First Flight and Wonder Woman, or give the team the freedom to delve into the story by expanding the running time. Otherwise they are going to be stuck churning out stuff that bears some resemblance to the source material but in the end seems very half baked because of it.
Batman: Under the Red Hood:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
When Batman: Under The Red Hood was announced as the latest animated feature that DC was coming out with, I have to confess that I wasn’t very excited about the announcement, and in the following weeks I couldn’t understand why people were talking about it so much. Whether it was on this website, other Batman websites, or general comic book websites, I just didn’t understand why people were so excited about a glorified cartoon. At the time, I thought that there was no way that this would be good for the Batman Universe, there was no way that this animated movie could be meaningful because of the fact that (a) there was no way the creators behind the feature could possibly fit the entire Jason Todd story into the plot, (b) if they did (I felt at the time) it would make the film drag on and on, that’s only to say IF they could fit it into 75 minutes worth of animation, and (c) how respectful would it be to the source material and the fans in general? The whole animated feature thing (with a few exceptions) fails to meet a certain mark that I personally set in my mind, as often these films feel thin and uninspired, falling into a meaningless category that I, for the most part, ignore and regard as nothing but a one trick pony. They lack a certain element that makes them distinct and memorable in the sense that I feel that I can’t believe in what is happening on the screen. I complained and complained mostly to my friends that this was just going to be another piece of trash stuck on the bottom of a garbage can, that we were being set up for a big disappointment that we were suckered into buying. And let me just state now that I was devastatingly wrong, little did I know all I needed to do was shut my mouth.
Under The Red hood could have been horrible, shuffling through the mud to progress a story to it’s horrible end, or it could have played the “I’m dead, but now I’m alive to enact my revenge” card. Both of which are just disgusting. Thankfully though, everyone that participated in this little gem has taken the high road and actively took the material to heart to present a coherent, meaningful, respectful, and memorable piece of a collective movie experience. Not only did it meet and exceed my expectation, it single-handedly made me believe the animated feature is a viable medium to which you can tell a story. This movie peeled off my immediate misconceptions of how this specific subject matter could and would be handled. Whether it was the strong dialogue or the majestic flow of the story, the movie is woven with the most delicate and sweeping moments of everything that you hold dear, and all the misconceptions I’ve previously mentioned is quickly forgotten as you are engrossed in the story that is told, and the action sequences that are perfectly choreographed with such grandeur that your mouth will be hanging open throughout the whole movie. The movie succeeds because of the fact that it isn’t trying to beat you over the head with the major plot points and twists it takes into consideration the fact that we’ve all seen this before, but that not to say the movie is bland and unconvincing, the twists and major plot points of the story still hit as hard in this movie as the first time you read the source material.
Although, plot points were cut out and some were completely re-written the film stays true to the original vision of the writers and artists that created it. The art in the film is nothing short of impressive, Bruce blends into the background while striking a distinct presence in a given scene while the spikes of color come as a surprise, the cape and cowl are pure black, and while the cape doesn‘t have the romanticism it has in the comics, the overall bat suit is perfectly drawn, it breathes fear and respect whenever it is shown. The Joker is also drawn well, this Joker is physically scarier and a lot more sinister than your average Joke. They don’t over do it, but don’t undercut him either. With the attention to detail, the Joker’s back room plastic surgery, mangled, disfigured face folds in and out as he talks and laughs showing the same old smile we are all familiar with while evoking a certain sense of insanity and madness. As for Jason Todd, I don’t think the artists in the film really brought anything new to the Red Hood persona, besides the striking red, I do think they did Jason as Robin really good, you can almost feel Jason trying to make his way out of the warehouse before the bomb explodes, you feel his pain and desperation, which helps you emotionally connect with him, and to help you understand why he’s so mad at Batman and why he wants to beat the Joker with a crowbar. The art overall is a true winner, it is boundless and flawless, as it flashes, turns grim and has that down to earth realism that bounces effortlessly between the dialogue which works to the fullest of it’s ability to deliver a complex and subtle stream of words, that is not too preachy or overly wrought. You can tell Judd Winick didn’t overdo the dialogue, the way Dick and Bruce interact and react to each other, the innocence of Jason Todd and his interaction with Bruce, are just two examples from a plethora of well written and smart script. Winick also succeeds with the relationship in the film, the way Dick and Bruce fight and look out for one another, the way they seamlessly work together each of them knowing where the other is, what their gonna do, and if they need help. Or the Bruce and Jason relationship that starts out innocent enough with Jason in the full spring of youth, joking around with Bruce and, like Dick, working with him, to a troubled teenager who is over aggressive, brash, and is upset at everything, to a vengeful, spiteful dark shade of what he used to be when he was a boy. They all work together like they should and like they do in the comic books.
The dialogue in the film is hit and miss for me. Bruce Greenwood feels misplaced to me, like he doesn’t truly get the overtone of Batman his voice just doesn’t have that extra push into darkness and fear that I have come to expect, it almost feels like he half performed it. While Greenwood’s Batman growl/voice isn’t very good, he does a very good Bruce Wayne capturing that honest, good-hearted Fatherly figure, you can really feel the remorse and pain in Bruce’s voice and Greenwood knocks it out of the park, as a whole though I think he did a very good job portraying the voice of the Dark Knight, although stiff at times, Greenwood becomes both Batman and Bruce Wayne. John DiMaggio as The Joker struck me as odd. I didn’t know he had such a thick talking voice, it sounds like he drank some bourbon and ate gravel after screaming all night. While it is a great voice I don’t think it matched at all, and maybe I’m used to Mark Hamil’s high pitched squeal, but The Joker in the movie doesn’t match the voice and while the look of The Joker has been attuned somewhat to DiMaggio’s voice, his voice fails to match the physical Joker, even though he has a great voice. But where DiMaggio succeeds is with the laugh. The Joker’s laugh is haunting, as it should be, it sends chills down your spine and gives you goosebumps, it sounds as if he is laughing so hard his voice is breaking and that he can’t laugh any hard and as soon as you think it’s going to break it tops itself in a symphony insanity and madness. Neil Patrick Harris as Dick Grayson/Nightwing was also a weird casting choice, honestly I couldn’t see Doogie Howser voicing both sides of Dick Grayson and while he can sound forced and cheesy at times he does a fairly good job at playing Dick. And finally, Jensen Ackles as Jason. While nothing really stuck out to me he doesn’t fail at bringing the true believable qualities that Jason has or doesn’t have to the screen, you can hear the anger in his voice and you buy into it which makes Jason an even more tragic character. Overall though, while it isn’t the easiest thing to do (voice Batman characters), I have a newly found respect for all these actors and their work in this film which I must wholly applaud.
All in all, the film doesn’t fail to hit it’s mark, in fact, it not only hit its mark, it far surpasses it. To me, the greatest triumph of this movie is how the creators, actors, and whoever else balanced the emotions and the emotional struggle the characters feel and go through, it brings to life a deep sadness that lives within all of us that have read the source material and have suppressed, you just can’t get this kind of thing with a comic. At the end of the film I was heartbroken, not only because of Jason’s tragic life but because it brought back the emotion I felt when I first saw Jason being murdered. It brought it out of my subconscious and brought it to the light where I was forced to face it. And the fact that this movie was done so well lends to the overall success of this film. Truly a great watch for any Bat-fan.
Batman: Under the Red Hood:
Reviewed by Dane
Throughout the day, we will be posting up a number of reviews for the new film Batman: Under the Red Hood. We wanted to make sure we gave everyone a chance to see it if they wanted to before reading the reviews. So expect a new review every two hours today, and find out it we think it is worth picking up. Also if you haven't picked up and want to own your very own copy, we will be giving away a blu-ray copy of the film. All you have to do to win is email at contest@thebatmanuniverse.net and answer the following questions:
1. What issue did Jason Todd first appear in?
2. What issue was the first time we ever saw the Red Hood in comics?
3. What issue was the first appearance of Black Mask?
Send those answers in and by next week, we will have a winner. Good luck.
Posted by Dustin
Spoiler Free.
After the overwhelming success of The Dark Knight it seems that Nolan was granted one opportunity by Warner Brothers to utilize a large Hollywood budget for an original idea of his own making. That film is Inception. Say what you like about it being a ploy to hold onto Nolan for one more installment of the bat franchise, but this is a refreshing gamble taken by a major studio who clearly have a lot of faith in Mr. Nolan, and rightly so. He is proving himself to be one of the most outstanding filmmakers around and Inception does not lower the bar.
Inception is ultimately a thriller involving drama, sci-fi as well as an epic love story at the heart of this film (pun definitely intended.) It is all combined to leave us with an exceptional experience narratively and visually. The story is extremely complex and pushes its audience to keep up with the deeper and deeper levels of labyrinth-style story structure. You must not go to the bathroom during this film. If you stop paying attention for a short while you will return completely out of the loop. To gain a great appreciation for this movie it demands your focus for the entirety of the screening.
I felt that during the first hour the film was worrying me a little. In this period the rules of the film are generally explained. What our characters can and can’t do. This is still a very fluid sequence of the film for such a clunky objective to achieve but wasn’t blowing me away all that much. As we moved into the ‘heist’ in the last third of the film things really began to crank up and I was drawn into a fantastic, tense ride of which you rarely experience in a film. The story became truly epic as Nolan clearly drew upon James Bond and Matrix influences to escalate the stakes.
There were excellent acting performances throughout with not one actor dropping the ball. DiCaprio was excellent as our hero through this strange world with some mysteries of his own and Ellen Page proved she can play the straight girl and still be compelling. The standout performance for me was from Tom Hardy from films such as Bronson, who excelled as the classy thief. One small problem is that Ken Watanabe who I’ve loved in some of his previous roles like The Last Samurai, was hard for both myself and my friend to understand in parts which was unfortunate. However it still remains, that the strength of the ensemble cast was very impressive and everyone delivered.
What really impressed me with this film was the thought and detail that was put into the script. The depth was exceptional for the story, plus the characters and their motives. I do feel that it is OK if you find yourself a little lost during the film. Questioning what is going on. Nolan wants you to feel like that. He keeps you interested to find out the answer, which he will deliver in time. When you leave the cinema you’ll be happy with the experience, questioning reality, dreams and time.
The ending was tantalizing and thought provoking, really leaving the audience on the edge of their seats. Whilst leaving the cinema I was astounded when thinking how creative this piece of work was and am delighted that the risk of creating such a project was taken. I hope that their faith is rewarded by a large turnout for the film to prove to Hollywood that audiences like to be challenged and be entertained by original ideas.
Many will claim this to be Nolan's masterpiece and I will admit it is an excellent film but for me the first hour of Inception isn’t quite as engaging as the rest, whereas I find The Dark Knight consistently compelling throughout. So surprise, surprise, I would say I prefer Nolan’s previous film but Inception is clearly a project Nolan's wanted to do for nearly a decade. I’m very glad he’s been able to produce this film and am very excited about all the techniques he has acquired to bring to Batman 3.
Inception:
Reviewed by Nick
So we all know that Chris Nolan has put all of his attention on a certain movie. This movie has peeked the interest not only Batman fans, but also cinema fans. Even though this has nothing to do with Batman other than a degree of separation, we want to cover this just to hype something that Nolan has devoted a fair amount of time on and to support the film. The success of this film will be a big part of Nolan moving on to Batman 3 and other DC Universe projects down the line.
So I first want to point out a really good set of articles that was sent over to me. Trevor Hogg of FlickeringMyth.com did a retrospective of Chris Nolan. He has broken this into three parts. The first one covers Chris Nolan's early days with film up. The first part can be found here. The second part covers Nolan's move to Hollywood and his first three major motion pictures; Insomnia, Batman Begins, and The Prestige. That article can be found here. The next part features what many consider Nolan's best work so far; The Dark Knight. It also covers everything that is known so far about Inception. That part can be found here.
So take a look at those articles and learn more about Chris Nolan. Nolan is most likely return for Batman 3 and we want to show our support for not only the Batman films, but also the great director that helms them. Take some time this weekend and head to the theater to see Inception. Critics are raving about it and it is already getting some Oscar buzz. It would be ironic if Nolan won an Oscar for this, since we all know he got screwed in 2009. Nick will be reviewing the film after the weekend. I am looking forward to it and I think you should too.
Posted by Dustin
We have a bunch of interesting things in store for Batman: Under the Red Hood. The film comes out in a little less than two weeks, but with all of the Comic Con excitement going on next week, we don't want you to get lost in it all.
SteveJRogers is coming up with a comparison for the film against the original source material. Over the next couple of days we will be posting up the reviews for the original comics from the form of trade paperbacks. I myself will be posting a review of the film right before San Diego Comic Con. Nick will also be reviewing the film after its release. SteveJRogers will also come back after the film is released to do the comparison to the film.
So we have a lot in store for this so be on the lookout for these pieces and be sure to check the news from San Diego when we cover the premiere of the film.
Posted by Dustin
Riddle me this, Riddle me that, Who will be the man, In the green hat?
With the anticipation of Inception's release growing, bat-fans will no doubt be looking forward to that film, but also starting to get excited about the gears beginning to move on Batman 3. Nolan of course keeps his cards very close to his chest but knowing his style of storytelling and his Batman Universe I will be very surprised if the Riddler isn’t featured in the concluding part of Nolan’s trilogy.
That being assumed, who can pull off Nolan’s Riddler? Bearing in mind this will be a Riddler incarnation that probably has never been seen in any adaptation of the prince of puzzles. I am expecting a very cerebral villain who can’t match Batman’s brute strength but can match his mind. Fans have considered a Zodiac-style mystery, or a consultant hired for the police department or even a Saw-style killer. I am expecting a strange individual who becomes obsessed with a mystery. Not a psychotic killer but a middle-aged, weird, man. A loner who seeks a mental challenge. I’m not expecting green tights and masks but a crinkled suit and glasses, simplistic like the Joker's make-up and dyed hair. Speaking of which, the next villains shoes are big ones to fill after Heath Ledger performance, meaning it’s going to take someone special to firstly be cast in the role and secondly surpass him.
So bearing that in mind, here are my outstanding candidates who I expect to be considered by Nolan or at least Warner Brothers along with their pros, cons and my opinion.
JOSEPH GORDON LEVITT – Probably the top of most people’s lists right now. Certainly a talented actor in films such as Brick and 500 Days Of Summer, but he comes across as generally quite young which may play against him for this role. Plus he’s not quite a superstar with a fair proportion of regular movie-goers not knowing him, however Inception may change all that. Personally I would prefer several others, but I feel Nolan is probably considering him.
ROBIN WILLIAMS – A big name in the world of film, who has proved his acting credentials in a variety of forms with the dramatic Good Morning Vietnam as well as more recent films such as Nolan’s creepy Insomnia. He’s recognized all around the world and can bring energy or menace depending on this new Riddler, so can certainly provide the talent since he has been closely linked to Batman roles in the past but will Warner Brothers be thinking he’s a bit past it now. Not an actor that I would pick.
MICHAEL EMERSON – One of the great characters from the TV show LOST, which has helped him raise his profile internationally. Another actor who’s great at the creepy persona's but he is a talented actor in his own right. I think he’d be an excellent choice for the Riddler that I am picturing but am worried his movie credentials aren’t great enough for him to be considered by Warner Bros, plus he has no connection with Nolan either that I’m aware of. Would take a lot for him to get the role.
DAVID TENNANT – He can definitely play the manic Riddler as seen in Harry Potter and The Goblet Of Fire and as the Doctor in Doctor Who, but he can also stay calm and emotional as seen in Hamlet and Doctor Who (again). Menacing villain though? I’m unsure. I think he’s a class actor but doesn’t have much appeal in the USA which can mean everything with these jobs, but he does have a cult following and a Shakespeare pedigree. Would definitely be an outsider for the role and I’m a little unsure he’d fit. But he seems to have a lot of fan power behind him in the UK. Probably not in WB or Nolan’s mind.
GUY PEARCE – Nolan has a tendency to work with familiar actors and Guy Pearce starred in one of Nolan’s most memorable films, Memento. Pearce could step into the role as an accomplished actor, but for me is not quite what I’d be looking for and I don’t think he could match Heath’s Joker. I think Nolan will also be looking elsewhere.
JOHNNY DEPP – He is one of the biggest movie stars on the planet who has a reputation for playing kooky characters such as Jack Sparrow. He could be a great fit for the Riddler, coming across as strange and mysterious and I feel could be a good match. However he is a little bit glamorous for the role so would have to, like Ledger, come across as a little grotesque rather than a pretty boy. Something I feel he wouldn’t be worried to do for the role. This is a guy Warner Brothers would love, might be left up to whether Nolan would like to work with him.
MICHAEL C HALL – This actor from TV’s Dexter, would be perfect for the menacing and quiet Riddler. Setting out dastardly plans in the same vein as Saw would fit him, he is a frightening character on his show and I could imagine him as that type of Riddler, but it would be a very dark character coming from him. Could entice Nolan but may worry Warner Brothers for his lack of starring roles in movies.
PAUL BETTANY – He was apparently a contender for the Joker in the previous film and looks the part for the Riddler. Plus he has been a villain in the past with the film Firewall, but would be a long shot for me and not one I see Nolan interested in.
SAM ROCKWELL – A fantastic actor in films such as Moon and The Green Mile plus villain-wise in Iron Man 2 he proved he can have a bit of fun with a villain too. With a great script Rockwell could be a wonderful Riddler and one I would pick.
BILL NIGHY – This is more hopeful thinking than sense, but Nighy is a fantastic actor who can perform admirably in any role he is given and is usually the best thing in any film he’s in. His Riddler would be very different to any of the others imagined but could be terrific. Almost definitely won’t happen but would love it.
So all in all, we will never know what is going on in Nolan’s head but these candidates should all make interesting foes for the dark knight to face in the next movie. If it was up to me I’d pick Michael Emerson, who do I think will be the Riddler in 2012? Johnny Depp. Whoever it is I still trust Nolan to provide a fantastic interpretation of one of my favorite characters.
Posted by Nick
The State of Comic Book Films
“I am Iron Man. Think you are the only superhero in the world? Mr. Stark, you’ve become part of a bigger universe, but you just don’t know it yet,” Nick Fury, director of SHIELD. “I’m here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative.”
Those words, spoken by Samuel L. Jackson at the end of 2008’s Iron Man are words that may have shaken up the way comic book movies are made. On its own Iron Man was a great comic book superhero-based film. It had just about everything you could have asked for in a thrilling, smart, and at times comedic popcorn entertainment action flick. But, those words were the lynch-pin of what Marvel Studio hoped would be the next evolution of comic book movie storytelling. Essentially taking the idea of a fully fledged “universe” and transform that into film.
For years of course comic book character films have been presented as if the characters spotlighted were the only heroes in their world. Oh sure Metropolis got named dropped in Batman Forever, and there is the “This is why Superman works ALONE” quip in Batman & Robin, but in every movie, and even live action television, for the most part (after the series ended, the Incredible Hulk TV show came back in TV movie form a couple of times featuring both Thor and Daredevil, and Smallville has the Green Arrow as a cast member, as well as appearances by other non-Superman supporting characters), done featuring a comic book character whom is part of a bigger comic book universe, it is apparent that for that movie or TV program they are the ONLY super hero on the scene.
Marvel Studios was set to change all of that, and it started in that summer of 2008. Shortly after it appeared Iron Man was a big hit, its sequels were green-lit and pre-production was full steam ahead for other projects that would all go into what will be the first Avengers movie in 2012. The plans were further cemented in that summer’s Incredible Hulk, which included a cameo by Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark telling General Ross that he and a “team” that was being formed could help with the Hulk problem. And now Iron Man 2 has given the Mighty Marvel Movie Society even more steam by being a blockbusting success, and setting the stage for next summer’s Thor film. Oh, and next summer Captain America is set to shake off the aftertaste of the 1990 flop as well.
With Ant-Man, another Iron Man film and The Avengers coming down the pipeline as well, it seems things are running smoothly in terms of Marvel Studios creating a “Movie Universe.” Even with its biggest heavyweights; Spider-Man, the X-Men and Fantastic Four, as well as Daredevil still tied up with other studios as Disney seems content with honoring pre-existing deals.
And DC? Well, there is the follow up to The Dark Knight slated for 2012. As well as the next Superman project which is being “Godfathered” by Batman Begins and The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan. Oh, and Green Lantern is coming out next year.
While one can expect the third, and Nolan’s final, Batman flick to be a success, maybe not as wild as The Dark Knight as one could chalk a good percentage of its popularity to the “morbid curiosity” surrounding Heath Ledger’s passing, the fact that it will be the final Nolan directed film in the series should trouble a DC movie fan. Where will the Bat-Franchise go from here? Logic would dictate that the next director could pick up where Nolan leaves off, but hey this is Hollywood, and there is enough of a chance of Warner Brothers rebooting the whole darn thing as there are as them letting the next guy continue what Nolan started.
But where does this leave the various projects that have been speculated, and in some cases even gone through the pre-production stage, only to be shut down like the JLA movie? Good question. The hope is that the Green Lantern film becomes as wild of a success as the first Iron Man was. The proof will be in the pudding of course, but at the same time it was clear that Marvel had all its ducks in a row when Iron Man came out. Right now DC/WB is looking at a Batman movie universe where Batman is the only known costumed hero, and Nolan has gone on record as saying he’d like the Superman movie universe to be the same. Okay, so how are you going to rectify that with a possible JLA film? Oh sure movie audiences aren’t that stupid to realize the Batman in a JLA film isn’t the same as Christian Bale’s Batman, or even Adam West’s, Michael Keaton’s, Val Kilmer’s, George Clooney, or heck even Kevin Conroy’s and Diedrich Bader’s. But the fact is, it’s hard to sell two different continuities going on at the same time. Heck, it’s hard even for DC to sell multiple continuities in comic books! Say what you will about Batman Confidential and Superman/Batman, they probably aren’t selling nearly as much as the other Bat-Titles because they are OOC books while all the others are.
Well, that is the current state of affairs with comic book movies. While the next Batman film should bring in the dough that will make Warner very, very happy, and despite the critical responses to Superman Returns one can still say Superman is still a very profitable on-screen franchise, it does seem that DC is still light years behind Marvel in terms of innovation in crafting big screen storytelling. In some cases it might be fine, as DC still holds arguably the two most popular super heroes of all-time in its arsenal, but if Marvel is able to completely pull of what it hopes to with the Marvel Movie Universe, DC will have to change its game plan in terms of how their properties are treated by Hollywood.
Posted by SteveJRogers
A Bat-Bulletin about
Supporting a Cause
Being that this is an editorial section, this gives the platform for many different things. One of the things that came to my attention is an online petition. Being that you may venture outside the world of The Batman Universe to find some other sources of Batman goodness, you may have come across Batgirl to Oracle: The Barbara Gordon Podcast. The podcast follows everything related to Batgirl, and gives fans of Barbara Gordon a place to learn even more about the character. They of course have a website where they also post up news bits about things related to Batgirl.
One of these recent news items that they posted up was about the cancellation of a Batgirl direct-to-video film that was being produced. This is a quote from Bruce Timm when asked about the likely-hood of more female lead characters in the DC animated film universe.
"'Wonder Woman’s' sales started out extremely slow and then over time were eventually able to catch up to probably 'Justice League: New Frontier. The Exec’s decided because it wasn’t able to sell quickly right away, whereas 'Justice League' was, that there wouldn’t be any more female super hero films right now. We were developing and hoping to get started on a 'Batgirl' film based on 'Year One,' but because of 'Wonder Woman’s' slow sales start, that won’t be happening now."
So because of a slow start to sales, we won't be seeing a Batgirl film? That seems ridicolous since we got Superman/Batman, which wasn't even a film in my opinion. We all know that WB is a company that needs to make a profit. But if they put out one of the animated films a year that is a sure bet that it will sell well, that should give space for films that they may doubt. I for one think a Batgirl: Year One film would be awesome. This just doesn't stop at Batgirl. There are other female characters that could have films that could be good too. Birds of Prey is another example. And we know that they are tied to The Batman Universe.
Stella, the founder of Batgirl to Oracle, has started a petition to get as many signatures as possible to support the Batgirl DTV. You can find it here. We signed it, and you should take the two seconds to sign it too. WB has been known to sometimes listen to fans, we need to make sure that they know that The Batman Universe is listening and cares about the decisions that they make. Leave comments below to let us know that you support the cause.
Posted by Dustin