Part 2: http://andrewdrisc.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/batman-part-2.html
Time for the modern films!
It's Batman eve, for me, I'm not seeing The Dark Knight Rises until Sunday, but there have been people in midnight showings, early ones tomorrow, Saturday etc and if any one of you gives me even the slightest hint of a spoiler I promise I'll go postal. (This has since happened)
So anyway back to the point I started making about 2 days ago...
Batman Begins: Reboot! Turn it off and back on again time! Batman Begun some time ago I hear you (me) cry, well the name refers to the plot more than anything which essentially is a origin story for the Bat. It was touched on in Batman how he got pissed off to the point where he donned a rubber suit, spent gazillions on gadgets and kicked ass, but this film is far more detailed, including his training, trying to give us more of an idea of Waynes past. Fair enough. Then he kicks some behind and it all goes well... ish.
Dark themed Batman is definitely back, and thank science for that. Sadly it appears new Batman, Christian Bale:
Had some kind of throat infection before filming his suited up scenes, giving him a kind of gravelly, almost John Connor-y sound to his voice...(The woeful Terminator Salvation was much later, I'm being nasty and that was still better than Batman and Robin).
As part of my Dark Knight Rises prep, I of course revisited this and it stands up as a good film easily, and fixed the... issues caused by BnR. To be a worthwhile franchise it needed a reboot and the style on display here is plentiful., Nolans direction is good and while not my favourite (we've been through this) Bale is a good Batman, if a smarmy and not always comfortable Bruce Wayne.
Liam Neeson is a good, if miss-pronounced Ra's Al Ghul and he'll be back in the finalé. The other choice of enemy is both random and genius, Scarecrow is one of my favourites and works well here (works even better in one of the games, but that's for later on). Victor Zsasz (mis-spelt Zsaz, honestly the continuity checker was the weakest person on the film) is on screen but only plays a brief part of the film, maybe he needed to... 'sit down' (5 bonus points if you get that).
Good start to a new series, trilogy if you will. If only the first films had been a trilogy hey!
The Dark Knight: First up, a great viral marketing campaign, the use of the Joker was outstanding and sadly cut short for reasons I don't need to go into.
Who wouldn't want to see a film advertised by that??
Heath Ledger was outstanding as Joker, and while the Oscar was pushed by circumstance, you'd struggle to justify a reason why he didn't deserve it. Two face is also used, but quite clumsily. The Dent character is well developed, but the CG a bit stupid (how does he talk exactly), but lets face against, against Tommy Lee Jones' effort, it's outstanding. Scarecrow is also back very briefly.
The film itself is once again well written and directed and the ending was wonderfully set up for a further film. It makes the claim that they were dubious about making a third hard to believe.
I have to be upgrading to blu rays of these, my Batman Begins doesn't even work...
Going on then...
The Dark Knight Rises: I'm not as oblivious to detail as I'd like, thanks to people who will be unfollowed, blocked and preferably kicked in person etc on twitter as soon as I've seen the film and I log in next. But tomorrow (well today now) I will see the film and conclude the trilogy, it's going to be awesome.
There is a part 4, nothing on TDKR, only dick give spoilers, it'll cover games!
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