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"A Boy and his Hero" -- BATMAN: The CFE Reviews, Essays, Thoughts and Opinions

the 60s one Is far superior.

I have not seen the 40's serial but I have seen the 60's ABC TV show.

I got to say that the 40's serial seems better to me aside of the costume.

I have many problems with the 60's TV show, The Joker was a dumbass trickster, The Riddler was like Jim Carrey in Batman Forever, Catwoman would always be mean to her hired thugs, threaten to Kill Batman & Robin with the pet Tiger but have no dynamic/feelings for Batman, the ******ed pows/bams, a f***ing Shark getting scared of a spray, holy bat something and all that campinness etc.

That all I remember about it, haven't seen it in a long while.
 
Batman in Comics
A Detective's Revival
1970 - 1979


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As the comic book industry entered into the 70s, they made a quick realization…readers were maturing. No longer impressed by the overcooked nature of the 50s and 60s, they sought characters and stories with tangible drama…emotional depth…and an intelligence in storytelling that wouldn’t take them for granted.

In several ways this is how Marvel Comics began to take the lead over DC. While characters like Batman and Superman took on more authoritative and traditionally conservative persona (to appease the Comics Code I imagine), readers were finding what they craved in the many creations of Marvel figurehead Stan Lee…such as the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Hulk and Spider-Man.

After all, why read about heroes who acted like your parents when you could relate directly to Marvel characters?

But something was brewing within Batman’s creative team.

Inspired by the likes of Malcolm X and Che Guevara, Comics at large began to realize that the social standards of the country…the world…had altered. That the paradigm had shifted. Violence and evil weren’t things to shy away from…for they were just as true to life as anything. More and more, comics began to take risks that led to abdicating from the CCA on several occasions.

Batman’s creative personnel knew exactly what readers and fans were now expecting. Turning once again to Julius Schwartz for the solution to their dilemma, Schwartz managed…with risk, luck and good timing…to deliver the answer.

The editor, famous for the revitalizations of the Flash and Green Lantern…as well as the creation of the Justice League…turned to then unknown writer Dennis O’Neil and artist Neal Adams to put their creative spins on Batman.

The move proved legendary.

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With their first issue, “Detective Comics” #395 in January 1970, O’Neil and Adams abolished the camp.

Bat-Mite, Ace the Bathound, the Bat-Rocket and more were abandoned indefinitely and the caped crusader turned in his platinum badge.

The murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne once again became the vengeful fuel that drove Batman’s crusade…a crusade that, despite the involvement of Robin and Batgirl from time to time, truly became a ‘one-man’ endeavor again.

In every way possible, O’Neil and Adams set the tone and atmosphere of Batman and his adventures as they exist today.

They wanted to return to the reality-based, noir roots of the character.

As a lone vigilante combating street thugs and psychotic foes in 1939, Batman had been regarded as a dark knight…and for the first time in 30 years, the character’s original inception was back in a very big way.

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While O’Neil and Adams felt it necessary to ground Batman in reality, they understood that elements of fantasy played into the stylized melodrama they were documenting. Even so, they pioneered the task of enriching Batman’s universe with a steady undercurrent of physical, psychological and emotional accuracy…accuracy that readers could both appreciate and relate to on some level of believability.

Things got off to a quick start as O’Neil introduced new adversaries to challenge his dark knight detective…starting with “Detective Comics” #400, which brought Batman face to face with tragic zoologist Dr. Kirk Langstrom and his horrific chemically mutated self…the Man-Bat.

But O’Neil felt the time was right to create not just a new foe…but a major one. A villain so commanding, so formidable he could even rival the Joker for the title of Batman’s arch-nemesis.

With the task at hand, Dennis collaborated with Adams and Schwartz…and struck gold with “Batman” #232; the issue that introduced the Demon’s Head himself…

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Ra’s Al Ghul.

This wasn’t some kooky criminal with a gimmick or a crime boss out to make a name for himself.

Inspired by the hot-button issue of ecological conservation, Ra’s Al Ghul was a mythic and psychotic eco-terrorist…kept alive for over 600 years thanks to the Lazarus Pits; vast chemical stews dotted around the globe that have properties of rejuvenation.

Wishing to return Earth to the state of utopia it once enjoyed before the plagues of humanity and industrialization, Ra’s’ first appearance had Batman racing to stop him from enacting a plan that would kill off 90% of the planet’s human population in mass genocide!

And yet, Batman…Bruce Wayne…is the one man Ra’s considers worthy of taking both his place as inheritor of paradise and of his beautiful daughter Talia and her hand in marriage.

With their twisted father/son dynamic and what was at stake, it’s a wonderfully tragic story that made readers realize for the first definitive time that there truly was a vast world for Batman to fight crime in outside the Gotham City limits.

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As O’Neil and Adams laid down an extensive foundation, other creative individuals followed their example when working on Batman.

Artists such as Marshall Rogers and Steve Englehart brought an exponentially darker shade to Batman’s world.

And that world continued to flourish as elements of Batman’s present, future…and past…were introduced.

March 1976 saw the release of the story “There is no hope in Crime Alley” in “Detective Comics” issue #457.

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In the book, Crime Alley is revealed as the name of the crime-infested neighborhood in which Bruce’s parents were gunned down. The story also introduced fans to social worker and clinical physician Dr. Leslie Thompkins, who befriended young Bruce on the eve of the tragedy and continued to be a confidant to both him and his masked alter ego.

1979 debuted another of Wayne’s allies with “Batman” #307’s first appearance of Lucius Fox, a financial guru who oversees the day to day operations of Wayne Enterprises…allowing Bruce to focus more on crime-fighting.

Batman would need all the additional support he could find as more rogues manifested.

After a 17 year hiatus, Two-Face made his return in 1971’s “Batman” #234.

The Bat-Family also began to cross paths with martial artist Richard Dragon beginning with the 1975 book “Richard Dragon: Kung Fu Fighter.”

The fifth issue of that series introduced readers to frequent opponent (yet on rare occasions ally) of Batman…Sandra Woosan…also known as Lady Shiva, one of the world’s deadliest martial artists.

There was also the Spook in 1973…Bronze Tiger in 1975, Black Spider in 1976 and mob tycoon Maxie Zeus; a man possessed with the crazed notion that he is the reincarnation of the ancient Olympian God…who faced the caped crusader for Batman’s 40th anniversary issue of “Detective Comics” in the Spring of 1979.

With the end of the 1970s, the Batman had been successfully re-established as a dark and driven loner…an avenger battling crime and injustice as he had once been.

For fans who were once starved, there was now a new-found abundance of potential.

But Batman’s genesis and descent into darkness was just beginning.

And as one of the scariest and most controversial decades in history dawned…the Batman was about to take his darkest turn yet.

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Love the review for Adam West's Batman show. I'm a huge fan of it. Burgess Meredith's Penguin was by far my favorite villain on it, played to perfection by Meredith, and who was so popular on the show that they always had a script waiting for him should he happen to come into town.
 
Batman in Comics
The Dark Knight Returns
1980 - 1989


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From pulp vigilante and allied soldier to space explorer, tragically hip comedian and newly revived hardboiled detective Batman had just about seen it all…surviving his own history to become what many people thought a comic book hero couldn’t be…

A Legend.

After 40 years, the caped crusader’s adventures had become literary canon…and the character was now just as seminal, if not more so, than Zorro, the Shadow and all of the other legendary figures who had influenced Kane and Finger back in 1939.

But this was new territory.

Dark territory.

In a phrase…this was, simply put…

The 1980s.

With the installment of the Reagan Administration came a decade overtaken by excess.

Crime…Greed...Fame and Vanity.

The decade was overshadowed by the threat of nuclear holocaust…and plagued by a new health epidemic dubbed the AIDS virus.

It was MTV and serial killers…hyper-sexual liberation and cocaine.

The bubble society thought it safely resided in had been proverbially popped.

The world was now a threat.

A threat that could either be seen by DC Comics readers as something to improve on through the unbridled social order of Superman…or survive through the forced martial law of Batman.

Attempts in the early years of the decade were made to maintain the 70s worldview of the books…such as the creation of villains like the Crime Doctor in “Detective Comics” #494 and the Electrocutioner in “Batman” #331 in 1980 and 1981 respectively.

But the dark and terrifying landscape of the 80s settled upon Gotham City like a glove.

“Batman” #326 first introduced fans to the concept of Batman’s deadliest foes residing in Arkham Asylum upon apprehension.

1982 marked the 45th anniversary of “Detective Comics” with the return of Dr. Death, Batman’s first re-occurring villain from 1939.

The legend grew even more with the 1983 debut of Gotham Police Detective Harvey Bullock in the 361st issue of “Batman.”

“Batman” issue #357 that same year not only created a new adversary for Batman in the form of Killer Croc…but also introduced readers to Jason Todd, an acrobat like Dick Grayson who also witnessed the murders of his parents.

1984 saw the unthinkable, yet perhaps inevitable when…after 44 years of fighting alongside Batman…Dick Grayson abandoned the Robin mantle in “The New Teen Titans” #39.

But mid-way through the decade…everything changed.

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Meant to wipe the DC Universe slate clean of ALL unnecessary baggage, DC Comics launched ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ in April of 1985. Running as a giant 12 issue maxi-series, the epic odyssey affected every single character in DC’s books with the notion that multiple earths (dubbed Earth Prime, Earth-2, Earth-X among several others) existed parallel to the DC earth.

As a result, numerous alterations were made to establish brand new continuities for Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and others…continuities that didn’t retain the gimmicks and overall clutter of the 50s and 60s specifically.

For Superman, that meant killing off Supergirl (though the character would prove far too popular to stay dead) and once more making him the sole survivor of Krypton’s demise.

The Silver age Flash, Barry Allen, was also sacrificed as Wally West assumed the role of the scarlet speedster.

As far as Batman was concerned, not too terribly much was ratified following Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adam’s remarkable ratification to the character in the 1970s…however a few adjustments were made.

While the original continuity identified the mugger who killed Bruce’s parents as Joe Chill, the new interpretation of the origin would eventually come to keep the gunman nameless…a punk who Bruce never crosses paths with again after that night, despite numerous investigative attempts to track him down.

Several supporting characters like Kathy Kane, Bat-Mite and the Bat-Pets Ace and Mogo were all permanently abolished while characters with either emotional connect or longevity…such as Commissioner Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth, Leslie Thompkins, Lucius Fox, Robin, Batgirl and villains like the Joker, Catwoman, Penguin, Scarecrow, Riddler, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and Ra’s Al Ghul were maintained.

As Batman continued his crusade…which was become more of a war…villains began to grow increasingly sinister.

Batman first battled failed cosmetics heir Roman Sionis…under his criminal alias Black Mask…in 1985’s “Batman” #386. The character then became quite the constant source of grief.

But even in the midst of a post-‘Crisis’ landscape, some industry heavy-hitters and up-and-comers felt more needed to be done to fully realize Batman for a bold new generation.

Chief among those architects was none other than writer/artist Frank Miller.

Miller, known for his notoriously gritty, morbidly witty and cinematic no-nonsense approach to storytelling had already enjoyed successful runs with Marvel characters like Spider-Man, The Punisher and specifically Daredevil.

But by 1984, Frank had several reservations about Batman.

His biggest?

After nearly 50 years of continuous publication and there Batman stood…still young…still handsome.

Through suspension of disbelief, Bruce Wayne had remained perpetually in his late 20s. He’s never aged…and on the eve of his own 30th birthday, the thought of being numerically older than his childhood hero was just plain unacceptable to Frank.

After several meetings with DC president Janette Khan, Frank Miller set out to age the war horse…catapulting Batman into a nightmarish future Gotham and chronicling his final case.

The bold invention led to 1986’s high-profile mega-hit…”Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.”

For the first time in his history, Batman…now a retired, grizzled 50 year old veteran of his war on crime…was a full on renegade.

An outlaw vigilante faced with old foes, a relentless police force and his own mortality, the dark knight had been transformed into a brutal, savage crime-fighting force of nature…fighting not only against evil but also corruption.

This wasn’t the bright, well to do Gotham City of the 40s or the 60s.

This city was a hellish urban cesspool plagued by graft, political subterfuge, lustful vanity and hyperbolic gang violence…perfectly imitating the 80s landscape outside Frank Miller’s Manhattan window.

By creating a threatening Gotham, Miller created a world in which Batman’s extremist methods not only fit…but were necessary for his mission to succeed on any surmountable level.

“The Dark Knight Returns” was also revolutionary in interpreting Batman’s relationship with Superman.

During the 50s and 60s, the two had been the best of friends…a pair of earnest do-gooders fighting side by side as the World’s Finest.

But in Miller’s hands, Batman had become a borderline sociopathic symbol of vicious vigilante justice…while Superman became a political pawn manipulated by Ronald Reagan into waging one-man wars to decimate foreign principalities and keep other countries in line.

Superman was a left-wing demi-god while Batman became a progenitor of the right…and putting them at odds made for one of the most dynamic character relationships in comics to date.

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With its hot-button stance on everything from nuclear devastation and rampant street crime to the explosive absurdity of commercialized criminal pop psychology and the media, “The Dark Knight Returns” became one of the most socially relevant and well received Batman stories of all time.

And more than that, it inspired a new method of telling Batman stories…one that treated psychological angst and character development with the same sense of priority as dynamic action and comic book dazzle.

This attempt led to a string of high-profile story arcs and one-shots that not only defined Batman for the foreseeable future…but brought to the table ramifications that continue to influence the comics today.

First there was 1987’s “Batman: Year One,” collected in “Batman” issues #404 through #407.

Written by Frank Miller with art by “Daredevil: Born Again” artist David Mazzuchelli, the story chronicled Bruce Wayne’s return to Gotham City following his time of training abroad. As he studies the extent of crime and corruption dominating his streets…despite the efforts of former Chicago homicide detective turned Gotham lieutenant Jim Gordon…Bruce waits for a symbol.

And when it arrives in the form of a lone bat crashing through the window of his father’s study, Wayne’s life and destiny are forever changed.

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The story continues to remain the prime reference fans make to the best comic handling of Batman’s origin as it displayed the beginnings of Bruce’s crusade in a more grounded, logical manner…by once again making Batman not a first time hero…but a vigilante.

Instead of colorful super villains, Batman was depicted tackling organized crime in the form of Carmine Falcone…and a police department so compromised by murder, corruption and graft that it made Batman’s presence in Gotham City in outright necessity in order to give justice any sort of fighting chance. “Year One” very much plays as a great bookend to “Dark Knight Returns.” Its approach to Batman’s first months of crime-fighting worked due to how accurate it was in showing what Batman…if he were real and starting in contemporary times…would actually be faced with. He wouldn’t be accepted so quickly. No…he’d be speculated over, dismissed as an urban myth, confronted by police brutality figuring him to be nothing more than a maniac…he’d question the validity of his mission and learn from his mistakes, developing and growing as a character. This all made for a story that was fueled not by super-heroism…but by raw emotion and humanity.

Following the success of “Year One,” the continuity of the comics became inspired.

With both Batman and his writers feeling that he was still in need of a Robin following Dick Grayson’s departure (Grayson had been allowed to grow up…assuming the mantle of Nightwing in 1984), Jason Todd was re-introduced in “Batman” #408…only this time not as an orphaned acrobat.

To prevent his origin from being seen as a rip-off of Dick Grayson’s, Dennis O’Neil…now the lead ‘Batman’ editor for DC…and his writing staff turned Jason into a homeless punk, living on the streets of Crime Alley.

Taken in by Bruce, Jason officially adopted the role of the 2nd Robin and fought alongside the dark knight.

Together, this new dynamic duo battled a host of bizarre new adversaries…such as the Ventriloquist and Scarface in “Detective Comics” #583, the maniacal Ratcatcher in “Detective” issue #585 and psychotic cannibal Cornelius Stirk in issue #592 all in 1988.

But just as Batman gained an ally with a new Robin…he would forever be traumatized with the loss of his original Batgirl.

Under the pens of legendary “Watchmen” writer Alan Moore and fan-favorite artist Brian Bolland, the Joker got his due with their 1988 one-shot…”The Killing Joke.”

Often heralded as the single greatest story in mainstream super hero comics, “The Killing Joke” takes an almost uncomfortable look into the psychology and worldview of the murderous Clown Prince of Crime…detailing a possible origin scenario and analyzing the subtext of his demented relationship with Batman.

“How can two people hate so much without knowing anything about each other?”

In a plan to drive Commissioner Gordon insane, the Joker shoots his daughter Barbara point-blank.

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The shot severed Barbara’s spinal cord…rendering her paralyzed from the waste down and forever condemning her to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

Moore’s wit and intelligence not only left an everlasting impression on the Joker as a character…but the impact of the story was great enough to allow “The Killing Joke” to become an official component of the continuity.

However, tragedy was about to bestow Batman yet again.

December 1988’s “Batman” #426 began a storyline known…as “A Death in the Family.”

Despite both his training and Bruce’s efforts, Jason Todd was no Dick Grayson. Impulsive, rash and headstrong, Jason inadvertently became obnoxious…a snot in the eyes of readers.

In a stunt meant to experiment with reader interaction, the “Death in the Family” storyline was conceived.

In it, Jason discovers that his birth mother is still alive. Indentifying her as a relief doctor named Sheila Haywood, he tracks her down to a village in Ethiopia…where she is secretly in league with the Joker.

While Batman attempts to stop the Joker’s henchmen from hijacking medical supplies and dispersing toxic pharmaceuticals in their place, the Joker captures both Jason and his mother in a warehouse.

The Joker then proceeds to beat Jason Todd to near death with a crow bar…and leaves the mother and son in the warehouse; rigged to explode…thus ended issue #427.

With it came two phone numbers…and a single question.

“Should Robin survive?”

While one number granted Jason his life…another ended it.

And with a 72 vote lead, the verdict…was death.

In “Batman” #428, Batman came face to face with his single greatest defeat as he salvaged the broken corpse of his fallen boy wonder from the rubble.

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The story, written by Jim Starlin with art by prominent Batman artist Jim Aparo, became embroiled in controversy over what it…and namely what the readers…had done to Robin (most non-comic readers didn’t care to pay attention to the fact that it wasn’t Dick Grayson, the Robin they’d all grown up with)…even making the rounds in several news outlets including Newsweek, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and TIME magazine.

By 1989, with other amazing stories such as Grant Morrison and Dave McKean’s “Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, the dark knight had indeed returned to an unprecedented standard of gothic, foreboding excellence…just in time for his 50th anniversary and for the highly anticipated release of director Tim Burton’s blockbuster motion picture…which was heavily influenced by several of the aesthetics from the comics of the day.

As more supporting characters made their debuts…including fellow vigilante the Huntress and an earnest youth named Timothy Drake in “Batman” #436, the character also received a new title with “Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight;” the first solo Batman comic since the debut of “Batman” in the spring of 1940.

A haunted loner consumed and driven by the loss of his parents once more, the 80s brought Batman to the forefront of comic book glory…solidifying the claims of fans that he was truly the industry’s most popular character.

And while new and even more monumental obstacles were about the challenge him…it was clear that Batman was ready to take them all on; now as an endearing…even mythic…symbol of power and justice.

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BATMAN (1989)

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Directed by ... Tim Burton
Story by … Sam Hamm
Screenplay by … Sam Hamm and Warren Skaaren
Based on the DC Comics Character Created by ... Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Executive Produced by ... Benjamin Melniker and Michael E. Uslan
Produced by ... Peter Guber and Jon Peters
Cinematography by … Roger Pratt
Production Design by … Anton Furst
Costume Design by … Bob Ringwood
Editing by ... Ray Lovejoy
Original Motion Picture Score Composed by ... Danny Elfman

Michael Keaton ... Bruce Wayne/Batman
Jack Nicholson ... Jack Napier/The Joker
Kim Basinger ... Vicki Vale
Robert Wuhl ... Alexander Knox
Pat Hingle ... Commissioner James Gordon
Billy Dee Williams ... Harvey Dent
Michael Gough ... Alfred Pennyworth
Jack Palance ... Carl Grissom
Jerry Hall ... Alicia Grissom
Tracey Walter ... Bob the Goon
Lee Wallace ... Mayor Borg
William Hootkins ... Lt. Max Eckhardt
Edwin Craig ... Anton Rotelli
Vincent Wong ... Crimelord #1
Joel Cutrara ... Crimelord #2
John Dair ... Ricorso
Christopher Fairbank ... Nic
George Roth ... Eddie
Kate Harper ... Action News Anchorwoman
Bruce McGuire ... Action News Anchorman
Richard Durden ... Action News Director
Kit Hollerbach ... Becky
Liza Ross ... Tourist Mom
Garrick Hagon ... Tourist Dad
Adrian Meyers ... Jimmy, Tourist Son
David Baxt ... Dr. Thomas Wayne
Sharon Holm ... Martha Wayne
Charles Roskilly ... Young Bruce Wayne
Hugo E. Blick ... Young Jack Napier
Steve Plytas ... Back Alley Surgeon
Dennis Lill ... Bob the Cartoonist
Amir M. Korangy ... Wine Steward​

When Gotham City falls prey to crime and corruption, a vigilante the papers call Batman begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being the clownishly homicidal Joker.

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This is the proverbial ‘it.’

This is the one I grew up with.

For the longest time, DC Comics Caped Crusader was painted under a colorful spotlight. His adventures, helmed at large by Adam West, came complete with kooky villains, zany deathtraps and body blows accompanied with sound effect graphics.

Then the 1970s and 80s saw such talent as Dennis O’Neal, Neal Adams, Alan Moore and Frank Miller put the ‘Dark’ back into the ‘Dark Knight’ with such amazing literary works as “Batman: A Death in the Family,” “The Killing Joke,” “Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth” and especially “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.”

With such a bolstered ice cream sundae…all that was left was the cherry on top that would shift the caped crusader from the weekly TV camp to the fore-front of dark and sophisticated brilliance.

And there was no one better suited for the job then Tim Burton…with 1989’s “BATMAN.”

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Where it was logical and common sense for Christopher Nolan to take a darker route with the character following “Batman & Robin,” it was far and away a riskier gamble for Burton, despite his and producers Michael E. Uslan and Ben Melniker knowing full well that it would work. And it worked. Not only did it work…it worked WELL.

Put simply, camp films that don’t take the character seriously will die. The more seriously a filmmaker takes the superhero, the better the chance the film has of both intriguing the audience and making back its money. And did this film ever make money. So much of it, in fact, that through a clever percentage deal on the merchandising, star Jack Nicholson alone made enough money to almost pay for the cost of “Batman” twice over. Although Tim Burton never made such a massive revenue generator again, the fact remains that the profit-to-cost ratio of “Batman” was such that he could afford to make at least three more write-offs for Warners and still have money left over from “Batman” to buy credibility with.

“Batman” also pioneered the technique of putting a dark and brooding spin on comic book characters (even our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man got in on the action) and it paved the way on TV not only for the Batman character with the groundbreaking “Batman: The Animated Series,” but it even helped to develop other television projects such as Sam Raimi’s “M.A.N.T.I.S.,” (whose pilot was, interestingly enough, written by “Batman” co-writer Sam Hamm) “The Black Scorpion” and the short lived live action “Flash” television series. The film also paved the way by setting the standard for ‘dark’ superhero films such as “Darkman,” “The Crow” and “Blade.”

In this rendition, Gotham City is filled with criminals and crazies. It’s an nightmarish urban conglomerate of steel and stone…a twisted mangle of architectural styles whose ominous skyscrapers and citadels create giant pools of shadow for evil to lurk.

Despite the best efforts of Mayor Borg (Lee Wallace), Police Commissioner James Gordon (Pat Hingle) and newly elected District Attorney Harvey Dent (Billy Dee Williams) they’re ultimately doing little more than spouting words of encouragement…while Mob Tycoon Carl Grissom (Jack Palance) keeps a stranglehold on the city with the help of both vicious enforcers like Bob the Goon (Tracey Walter) and corrupt police like Lt. Max Eckhardt (William Hootkins).

His most trusted and lethal enforcer, however, is Jack Napier (Jack Nicholson), a man with more than a few screws loose…who plans on one day trumping Grissom and taking over.

But among all of this chaos and failure to act, a lone figure lashes out from the darkness...striking fear into the hearts of criminals and leaving all of Gotham abuzz. As the city becomes increasingly unsafe, the mysterious Batman (Michael Keaton) appears…with intent to put an end to the criminal element once and for all.

Hot on the vigilante’s trail is Gotham reporter Alexander Knox (Robert Wuhl) and newly arrived Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) a gorgeous photojournalist who has her eye on uncovering the mystery of Batman…But getting in the way of her goal is a budding romance between her and recluse Gotham millionaire Bruce Wayne.

When Batman interferes in a hit on the Axis Chemical factory by Boss Grissom (which is nothing more than revenge against Napier, whom Grissom knows is sleeping around with his wife, Alicia) Jack, by circumstance and a ricocheting bullet, is tossed into a vat of chemicals…his skin is bleached white, his hair a putrid green…and his mind is completely re-wired into the psychotic Clown Prince of Crime…the Joker!

Now, Batman is forced stop fighting from the shadows as he’s thrust into the public spotlight for the first time in order to save Gotham and end the Joker’s reign of terror.

Taking its cues from the original Bob Kane comics as opposed to 1986’s “Batman: Year One” by Frank Miller, we open with Batman as a full blown vigilante crime fighter…the origin concerning his parent’s deaths is told in flashback and no explination of Batman or his gadgets is made clear. I personally preferred it that way. The film is pure spectacle and I’ve always enjoyed that.

The film is a visual masterpiece and a touchstone of cinema for the past 20 years, I feel.

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While “Batman” is a classic example of choosing the right motif and the right director to execute it, a superhero film is only as good as its actors.

Michael Keaton does not get nearly enough credit for his performance as Bruce Wayne here. As many (if not all) critics and industry professionals have said, he was a less obvious choice for the part. Barely above five and a half feet tall, and with a build to match, Keaton was the last person one would expect to use terror as a weapon against the underworld. Yet he works in the part because he carries himself and enunciates his lines so perfectly it works incredibly well. His voice is laced with enough psycho-undercurrent and reverence that it makes Christian Bale’s look even more horrible than fans have already considered.

Basinger provides a well to do take on Vicki Vale. Yes…her screaming rubs nerves raw by the end of the picture, but she can more than hold her own against her male counterparts. The scene in the finale where she kisses and swoons and moans on the Joker in order to distract him so Batman can move closer undetected…what a great moment. But she’s also a competent journalist, working to get the shots of the Joker’s attack on Gotham despite putting herself in danger. She’s also got quite the body to! Basinger’s known for her modeling as well and it shows.

We also get a bevy of great supporting actors. Robert Wuhl plays Knox with the right tongue in cheek humor and he’s actually pretty funny. It’s hard to get humor in comic book films just right and I think Wuhl does a tremendous job. Then there’s the incredible Jack Palance as Carl Grissom, who despite having little more than a cameo sized role in the opening Act manages to convey a vile bastard of a mob boss through the character.

The law-abiding trio of Lee Wallace, Billy Dee Williams and Pat Hingle do well to flavor the film and flesh it out, showcasing the need for Batman despite their best intentions. William Hootkins’ corrupt Lt. Eckhardt also displays that need but of course through seedier circumstances, giving a very sleazy performance. It’s also interesting that “Batman” uses two cast members from the original “Star Wars” trilogy…Billy Dee (Lando Calrissian) Williams and William (X-Wing Pilot Porkins) Hootkins.

Michael Gough and Tracey Walter provide perfect supports for the hero and villain as Alfred Pennyworth and Bob the Goon respectively, proving that no matter how small the part, every casting decision is equally important. I had to look in Walter's biography to confirm that he is the same man who portrayed Miller in Alex Cox's surreal masterpiece “Repo Man.” In some ways, he steals the show as Bob, the Joker's most trusted lieutenant. But in all superhero films, the titular hero is only as good as his antagonist.

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And what an antagonist we got! While I have said that Michael Keaton does not get enough credit for his performance, the critics and media are quite right in that Jack Nicholson steals the show once he becomes the Joker. There are some scenes in which he overacts, such as his electrifying handshake with Edwin Craig’s Anton Rotelli, but his subsequent hit on a mob boss (“The Pen is truly mightier than the Sword”) trying to take his position through subterfuge shows a subtlety beyond most actors. In this scene, he is not so much the crazed egomaniac the Joker is generally thought to be, but as a hypertensive, prowling cat.

People might think his upfront salary (which has yet to be disclosed) and his merchandising share might be excessive, but he rightfully earned it all and then some. His broadcast announcing the unsuspecting presence of his Smilex poison on supermarket shelves is a brilliant exhibition of the warped side of Tim Burton's sense of humor, and it is small wonder that Burton went to Nicholson again to play not one but two parts in his subsequent “Mars Attacks!” satire of B-Science Fiction films.

Of course even overshadowing Nicholson is the film’s visual style…seeings how that, and not Nicholson, was rewarded with an Academy Award.

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To this day, also keeping Nolan’s films in mind, Burton’s take on the character is superior to Nolan’s in three distinct categories; The depiction of Gotham City…the Batmobile…and the Musical Score.

The production design of “Batman” is awe inspiring. Rather than attempt to stick Batman into a New York or Chicago (sorry, had to say it) famed production designer, the late Anton Furst, created an entire world of grit and grime…filled with giant metal staunches, trash filled streets, granite and art deco super structures and even a gothic monumental Cathedral. The backlot built at Pinewood studios is beautiful. It’s a combination of gothic fantasy and exaggerated urban realism that very much struck a chord with me (and audiences at large).

The sets…from Batman’s underground Bat-Cave to the gorgeous Fluggelheim Museum (an obvious play on the famed Guggenheim)…are made with such a graphic sense of quality and, through Roger Pratt’s photography, look absolutely incredible. The Acton Power Station that fills in for Axis Chemicals is a twisted nightmarish hell of steel girders and staircases and it works perfectly (Acton was also utilized as the stage for the Atmosphere Processing Station in James Cameron’s “Aliens”). Another beautiful set can be found in Vicki Vale’s lavish white art deco apartment, which is somewhat like a loft with its huge semi-circle windows.

Furst also helped to design the groundbreaking Batmobile…which is, to this day, my favorite rendition of Batman’s signature vehicle. The Batwing used in the finale is also an awesome piece of machinery (the shot of the ‘Wing being backlit by the moon…god, it doesn’t get any better than that).

One of the most inspiring aspects of how the film is put together is its use of models and matte paintings. Since the film was produced in 1988/1989, visual effects through digital means were obviously way off. But the visual effects of the film have so much tangible weight and passion you easily forgive that…maybe, like me, you even prefer it. The matte backgrounds of Gotham are dark and lovely, with charcoal skies and grainy structures with seeping smokestacks. It’s truly something to see practical in-camera effects that still work in both a theatrical and storytelling sense.

The costume design is also quite inspired. Having everyone in this 1940s style with the huge winter trench coats and fedoras makes the picture timeless for me, in spite of the music the film uses. And aside from the “Batman Returns” variation, “Batman” has one of the best Batsuits ever! It’s crude and utilitarian and so visually striking. That first shot of Batman when he unfurls his giant bat-winged cape is just breathtaking.

While the use of Prince for the lyrical soundtrack of the film immediately works to date the picture…I could care less. Those songs, from “Partyman” to “Trust,” still get me going and I adore the film for all the memories it has given me. Plus, being a huge Prince fan anyway, it just makes the film even better for me.

The sight of the Joker atop the birthday cake float, throwing cash down Main Street for Gotham City’s 200th anniversary while Prince blasts has always been thrilling to me. What a great moment…

But when it comes to Batman music, no one…and I mean no one…tops Danny Elfman’s score for the film. His “Batman Theme” (along with the “Superman Theme”) defines ‘iconic’ for me. It’s haunting and moving and fun and mysterious all at the same time. Once it roars, like the jet turbine of the Batmobile, it fires you up and your heart can’t help but race alongside.

The rest of the score is very moody and atmospheric, setting up the visual stylings of the film in a musical sense. Standout tracks include the spooky and ominously awesome “Descent into Mystery” and the fun and light “Joker’s Waltz.” The finale of the film, musically, is beautifully loud and boisterous, with the score reaching highs you wouldn’t even expect with tracks such as “Charge of the Batmobile,” “Attack of the Batwing” and especially the “Finale” when Commissioner Gordon ignites the famous Bat Signal for the first time…leading to the most heroically uplifting ending in the contemporary ‘Batman’ films (with ‘Batman Forever’ being a close 2nd). The image of Batman standing alone, looking at the Signal painted across the sky as the score swells is just spectacular.

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The action in the film is rather sparse in quantity…but it’s quite stylish.

Batman’s battles with the Joker’s Thugs have loads of style and panache, notably his Act II confrontation with a double-katana wielding Ninja goon in the back alleys of Gotham…and the final confrontation with the notorious Black Goon in the Cathedral.

The former has a wonderful moment with an annoyed Batman eventually taking the Ninja out with a single kick (and egging Bob on with a simple but bad ass gesture) while the latter is like a brutal, barroom brawl. But who doesn’t love that moment when Batman, after being tossed down into the Cathedral stairwell, reveals that he hung onto the girders and lashes out with his legs, grabbing the Joker’s goon in a headlock with his ankles (!!) and pulling him off the platform to fall to his own death (!!!). Such an awesome twist on the end of that fight!

The Axis Chemical shootout is also very well put together, with Batman delving in and out of the shadows very much in character…it also has that famous ‘no look back fist’ move that had been subsequently used in the animated series quite a few times.

And Batman saving Vicki from the museum is still one of my favorite sequences in a comic book movie. The Joker writhing around pretending to be in pain, spooking Vale with his runny flesh-tone make up…then Batman crashing through the skylight, unfurling his cape amidst a shower of broken glass (the best ‘Skylight Crash’ ever in a comic book movie) and zipping Vicki out of the place on his gauntlet.

“Where does he get those wonderful toys?”

A film that works on a number of levels, which accounts for the universal appeal that made it so successful, “Batman” has an engaging, enduring quality that fulfills a need within us all; that need to vent and be sated in the righteousness of justice. It can be enjoyed as simply a good guy versus bad guy movie, or in the deeper sense of Good versus Evil. However you take it, it's a film that you'll appreciate more with each additional viewing. Like a good wine, it gets better with age.

Other Comic Book Films have come and gone…all have entertained me and a few have stayed with me…but for being the first film to introduce me to Comic Books and Comic Book Film, I will never forget and forever be in debt to “Batman.”

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BATMAN
Original Motion Picture Score (1989)


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[YT]t9ugkWv173g[/YT]

[YT]ZOZlqf2sFhY[/YT]

[YT]nGAKYVGuPqE[/YT]

[YT]CUvqJknfm6Y[/YT]

[YT]9OZmJRICHaI[/YT]

Composed by … Danny Elfman
Orchestrated by … Shirley Walker, Steve Bartek and Steve Scott-Smalley
Conducted by … Shirley Walker
Performed by … The Sinfonia of London Orchestra

Executive Produced by … Jon Peters and Peter Guber
Produced by … Steve Bartek and Danny Elfman

Track Listing:

1: The Batman Theme (2:38)
2: Roof Fight (1:20)
3: First Confrontation (4:43)
4: Kitchen/Surgery/Face-Off (3:07)
5: Flowers (1:51)
6: Clown Attack (1:45)
7: Batman to the Rescue (3:56)
8: Roasted Dude (1:01)
9: Photos/Beautiful Dreamer (2:27)
10: Descent Into Mystery (1:31)
11: The Bat Cave (2:35)
12: The Joker’s Poem (0:56)
13: Childhood Remembered (2:43)
14: Love Theme (1:30)
15: Charge of the Batmobile (1:41)
16: Attack of the Batwing (4:44)
17: Up the Cathedral (5:04)
18: Waltz to the Death (3:55)
19: The Final Confrontation (3:47)
20: Finale (1:45)
21: Batman Theme Reprise (1:28)​

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Following a stirring return to the high-art concept of symphonic motion picture music enacted by John Williams’ masterful compositions for “Jaws” (1975), “Star Wars” (1977) and “Superman: The Movie” (1978) it became clear that a true mark of cinematic excellence could be achieved not just through casting and production design…but through the choice of composer and score.

For “BATMAN” (1989), director Tim Burton made a gamble nearly equivalent to his own hiring for the project; turning not to an established composer such as Williams or Jerry Goldsmith…but to a total risk in the form of Oingo Boingo front man Danny Elfman.

Prior to the film, Elfman had cut his teeth scoring Burton’s earlier films such as “Beetlejuice” (1988) and it was clear that their respective aesthetics were quite in tune. But just as Burton had never directed a picture of such action-packed, operatic scale…Elfman was in unfamiliar territory trying to bring a voice to Gotham City.

Having read Frank Miller’s “Dark Knight Returns” mini-series and walked Anton Furst’s gorgeously designed back lot at Pinewood Studios, Danny began the steady approach of tapping into his dark, creative well.

And needless to say, what he came up with was nothing short of baroquely gothic brilliance.

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For me personally, given both the generation I born into…the Batman I was first introduced to…no one and I mean no one has musically nailed the concept or the atmosphere of Batman like Danny Elfman.

The score, in its bombastic sense of fun and mystery, seems to rely on its strength more in brass and percussion…it’s a very bold, powerful score…clearly defined.

The score takes its cues from classic film noir, a lot of gangster motifs and mysterioso canvas upon which Elfman paints a beautifully dark portrait of this hellish urban nightmare…of a crazed mob enforcer turned homicidal clown…and a man who dresses up as a giant bat to create an effect meant to strike sheer horror into the souls of criminals.

It’s everything that makes Batman the great figure of fantasy, horror, adventure that he is…in a musical sense.

And it all begins with, in my opinion, one of the most iconic themes in motion picture history.

Of course no composer is naïve nor pretentious enough to declare they’re setting out to create something that will be remembered. Hell, I’m sure composers are lucky if they can manage material that fits the footage…like all composers that was Elfman’s intent.

But somewhere along the way...in combining elements of gothic mystery, bold heroics, broad adventure and a dash of whimsy he successfully crafted “The Batman Theme”…a powerful march that can easily stand beside other legendary movie themes such as “Superman,” “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones,” “James Bond” or “Halloween.”

There’s just something so visceral…so beautiful about that theme.

It’s just like the animated sequence that opened every episode of “Batman: The Animated Series”…in so much that, without uttering a single word…it captures and symbolizes ‘BATMAN’ so perfectly.

You play that theme…and it’s Batman…that’s all there is to it.

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Since the bulk of the film really centers and focuses on Batman himself, the score emulates that. Most of the material is set up in similar fashions and cues, highlighting the sense of hopelessness in Gotham City (“Roasted Dude” and “Clown Attack”), the kooky sense of fun that can still be had with the character (“Roof Fight”), the futile yet star-crossed romanticism of Bruce Wayne’s relationship with Vicki Vale (“Photos/Beautiful Dreamer” and “Love Theme”), the mysterious…almost horror like qualities of Batman’s modus operandi (“The Bat Cave”) and the emotional undercurrent for Wayne’s psychological motivations (“Flowers” and “Childhood Remembered”).

Aside from the Batman centered material, Danny does get to have a bit of playful fun with his Joker theme…namely Joker’s “Waltz to the Death.” It’s a very whimsical yet sinister piece of music and a perfect fit for Nicholson’s depiction of the Clown Prince of Crime…especially the brass version that cues in at the end of “Kitchen/Surgery/Face-Off” when the Joker first reveals himself and kills Carl Grissom.

Personal standout tracks from the score included “First Confrontation” which runs the entire length of the shoot-out in Axis Chemicals. It’s very moody, fitting right in with the set designed at Actin Power Station as Jack Napier and his goons get caught in a face off with the Gotham Police. Elfman’s variations on Batman’s theme motif are brilliantly used here.

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Another is “Roasted Dude,” as the Joker consults with the charred corpse of gangster Anthony Rotelli. For me, this always seemed to be the theme for the Joker’s dark side. Where the Waltz represents the crazed clown, the primal drum beats and distressed French horn used here fit perfect for the psychopathic monster that Napier truly is.

The fun gets rolling yet again in “Batman to the Rescue,” when Batman retrieves Vicki from the Fluggelheim Museum. This is a very kinetic track and a particularly wonderful cue resides in the percussive symbols when Batman is confronted by the Joker’s Sword-wielding Ninja Henchman.

Of course a fan favorite HAS to be the monolithic “Descent into Mystery” as Batman drives Vicki back to the Batcave. Noted for being only one of the two uses of chorus in the score (a technique Elfman would utilize more prominently in “Batman Returns”), “Descent into Mystery” is exceedingly operatic…probably the most theatrical track in the entire composition next to “Waltz to the Death.”

Chorus is utilized once more for the most haunting cue…“Childhood Remembered.” It’s a wonderfully brilliant dichotomy of the torment Bruce retains over his parent’s murder and the dedication he has to his mission as Batman. I also love the balance of strings in the cue…this is probably the best string work in the entire score.

But Elfman packs his biggest bang collectively in the film’s finale cues… “Charge of the Batmobile,” “Attack of the Batwing” and “The Final Confrontation.”

“Charge of the Batmobile” begins Batman’s final assault against the Joker’s reign of terror by destroying Axis Chemicals and Napier’s Smilex Toxin operations with tons of explosive panache, both literally and musically. I love the cue right after the explosion as the Batmobile makes its escape with the insistent trumpets playing to catch every single explosion in rhythmic aggression.

“Attack of the Batwing” is the same way only a bit bolder…a bit broader (perhaps meant to note that the battle is taking place now in the vastness of the Gotham skies and not the cramped chemical works) and I love the finality of it as motifs for both Batman and Joker become laced; one instance it’s the dark strings and brass of Batman the next it’s the cartoonish instrumentations of the Joker…as if they, like the characters, are on a collision course heading for the film’s outcome. The final straw of the track…the foreboding church bells as the downed Batwing crash-lands on the steps of the cathedral…is simply breathtaking. WOW!!!

It all comes to a genuinely powerful and gripping point with “The Final Confrontation” as a desperate Batman simultaneously tries to keep Vicki safe while figuring out how to stop the Joker once and for all. In a beautiful moment meant to startle the audience with one final sting Elfman gives his protagonists a fleeting beat to breathe easy after the Joker’s demise…only to stir up the chaos yet again as Batman and Vale are caught in free fall! As expected both Batman and the score make it in just the nick of time and the cue ends with a tinkering final gesture for Joker…

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As the film ends, we’re given a wonderfully triumphant “Finale” as the Bat-Signal is lit and the citizens of Gotham commend the efforts of their newfound hero. The Batman theme makes another appearance but this time in a much more victorious, uplifted variation that caps off beautifully with a powerfully octane moment of sheer elation as the camera veers up the skyscrapers to find Batman himself, keeping vigil over the city as the signal shines through the ebony clouds.

In the end, what could I possibly say? I can’t speak more highly about Danny Elfman’s work for “BATMAN.”

It’s adventure…it’s mystery…it’s intrigue…

It’s Batman…pure and simple.

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BATMAN
Original Motion Picture Conceptual Album (1989)


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"BATMAN": Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Prince, 1989)

Arranged, Composed, Performed and Produced by … Prince
“The Arms of Orion” Composed and Performed by … Prince with Sheena Easton
“Scandalous” Composed by Prince with John L. Nelson

Choir segments Performed by … The Sounds of Blackness Choir
Horn segments Performed by … Eric Leeds
Orchestra segments Performed by … Atlanta Bliss & the Clare Fischer Orchestra

Executive Produced by … Jon Peters and Peter Guber

Track Listing:

1: The Future (4:07)
2: Electric Chair (4:08)
3: The Arms of Orion (5:02)
4: Partyman (3:11)
5: Vicki Waiting (4:52)
6: Trust (4:24)
7: Lemon Crush (4:15)
8: Scandalous (6:15)
9: Batdance (6:13)​

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Films, whether consciously or subconsciously…whether intended or not…usually end up becoming a product of their time in some form or fashion.

And as timeless as Burton’s original film is, it’s obvious that the inclusion of pop music would give it that extra 80s spunk.

But for the conceptual album to 1989’s “BATMAN,” produced, arranged and performed by Warner Bros’ leading artist of the day…the purple one himself, Prince…it’s odd.

Somehow, by god, it seems to transcend itself.

Meant by Warners and producer Mark Canton to capitalize on the success of “Purple Rain” in 1984, Prince’s material for “BATMAN” is delightfully playful…full of funk, innuendo; the kind of groove only Prince could provide.

It’s probably because I’ve been so attached to the film for my life, but while there is a tinge of 80s nostalgia to the album…it doesn’t feel overtly 80s to me. Especially the tracks used by the Joker in the film (“Partyman” and “Trust”) seem to fit right into Burton’s universe quite seamlessly.

Lets take a look at the tracks individually:

“The Future”

The opening track (which is fitting considering it makes a brief appearance in the opening of the movie) has a bit more of a mellow beat without being a ballad and it’s actually quite haunting in its representation of Gotham City. Prince’s guitar riffs are pretty sweet here to (“Wait a minute!”). It’s definitely one that captures the overall mood of the film.

“Electric Chair”

This is probably my favorite track on the album…used only subtly in the background during the party at Wayne Manor. It’s very fun, very much displaying Prince’s Rock n’ Roll side. The lyrics are also very catchy (“If a man is considered guilty for what goes on in his mind…then give me the electric chair for all my future crimes…OH!) The synth beats are awesome and it’s just a rollicking track. Again, Prince’s guitar work is awesome here!

“Arms of Orion”

The first ballad on the album, the song is performed as a duet between Prince and frequent collaborator Sheena Easton. It’s very airy and beautiful (though not as much as the album’s 2nd ballad) and the hushed nuance of Sheena’s voice coupled with the piano make it as heavenly as its title suggests.

“Partyman”

The first prominent track from the film (used by the Joker during his terrorizing of the museum) “Partyman” is just that…a party of funk and pop fused into chaotic bliss that paints quite the portrait of Joker’s attitudes towards entering a room. This track really let’s Prince’s band mates shine…I love the saxophone delivered by Candy and the piano and brass work is memorably infectious.

“Vicki Waiting”

Parallel to “The Future,” this track has a beat that’s played down a bit more compared to “Partyman” or “Electric Chair.” This is definitely Prince at his most instrumentally proficient as the track is chalk full of guitar, both electric and acoustic…as well as some African shakers, tambourines, synthesized drums, even some island instruments make it into the mix.

“Trust”

This is Prince at his most theatrical with the 2nd prominent track…and probably the most memorable given its use for the Joker’s 200th anniversary parade. It’s so devilishly over the top and infectious you just can’t help but nod your head or tap your foot if you allow yourself to get into it. It’s also Prince as his most playful with his lyrics (“Sex…it’s not the type of party…oh girl, we’re gettin’ higher TONIGHT!). Mirrored after parade music from venues such as Rio de Janeiro or Mardi Gras, several instruments like tambourines, trumpets and bells are prevalent. “Trust” is easily one of the best tracks on the album.

“Lemon Crush”

“Lemon Crush” is probably the album’s ‘Black Sheep’ (though it can be argued that “Arms of Orion” claims that stigma) but it’s still fun just the same. I especially love the second half of the song when it’s cleared its verses and just begins to roll with it. The voice-pitch gag at 2:49 in…gotta love that!

“Scandalous”

Most memorable for being used in the End Credits of the film, “Scandalous” is clearly the most erotic track…and as 2nd ballad on the album, it’s far more beautiful a track than “Arms of Orion.” The beat is also very refreshing given the aggressiveness of both “Trust” and “Lemon Crush.” The track laced with such genuine sexually and romanticism, it makes for a compellingly smooth track. Prince’s lyrics sometimes get downright raunchy (“Don’t be afraid baby. Touch it…and explode!”) but y’know what…it’s Prince. No one lyrically portrays sex quite like he can.

“Batdance”

Pure ecstasy! This was the breakout hit that topped the charts when it was released before the film. “Batdance” is just a hodge-podge of segments, cues and pieces from previous tracks (lyrics from “The Future” and “Electric Chair,” percussion motifs from “Partyman” and “Lemon Crush”) it’s packed with actual dialogue delivered by Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger from the movie (several of the other tracks do so as well but not to this extent) and the song…as the title suggests…is just something fun to dance to. Love how Prince puts in a nod to the 60s television show with his constant “Batman! Batman!” Great song…very memorable and rip-roaring.

The album, in only 9 tracks, manages to give its own unique voice to Tim Burton’s depiction of the caped crusader…one that panders more to the playful, zany whims of the comic book without going into full on parody of the material. The tracks utilized by the film only enhance the overall experience of “BATMAN” and for that, Prince is to be commended.

I love the fact that Prince was the one tapped for the gig…his involvement in “BATMAN” led to my discovery of “Purple Rain” and today I’m a dedicated Prince fan.

His music is fun, catchy, sexy, funky…what’s not to love!?

“Keep Bustin’!”

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Superman was a right-wing demi-god while Batman became a progenitor of the left…and putting them at odds made for one of the most dynamic character relationships in comics to date.

Miller's Batman left-wing? :wow:
 
^Changed...embarrassing to make a mistake like that, apologies.
 
Batman in Comics
The Grand Scale
1990 - 1999


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With the explosion of comics and media in the 1990s, Batman had become more than myth...more than legend.

He was now an outright American Icon.

Like Baseball and Apple Pie, Batman was a hero synonymous with the entire U.S. population. Even people who hated comic books knew who Batman was...he had permeated popular culture to such a feverish degree that our collective public consciousness was permenently conditioned...and forever imprinted.

Batman, The Joker, Commissioner Gordon, Robin, Gotham City...these were all now an integral components of the literary lexicon.

That alone speaks volumes for the sheer scope of how powerful Bob Kane and Bill Finger's creation had become.

And things didn't miss a beat as the books continued to enrich the character's universe.

Following the 5-part "A Lonely Place of Dying" storyline in "Batman" #440 - #442 and "The New Titans" #60 - #61, young Timothy Drake, despite Batman's hesitance, had proven himself by taking down Two-Face...as well as deducing that Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson were Batman and the 1st Robin. In doing so, Drake earned what he sought and became the 3rd official Robin in December 1990 with "Batman" #457.

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Earlier that same year, following her paralysis at the hands of the Joker, Barbara Gordon appeared in the 38th issue of a book for the "Suicide Squad" for the first time both in her wheelchair and under a new alias as the digital information broker Oracle.

There was also the enigmatic Harold. A mute hunchback with a gift for electronics and engineering, Harold began as one of the Penguin's henchmen in "Batman" #447.

But when it was revealed that Harold's hand had been forced by Cobblepot, Batman took him in to work on creating and maintaining vehicles and gadgetry in the Batcave with "Batman" issue #458.

Thanks to the impact of the groundbreaking "Batman: The Animated Series," even more components of the caped crusader's cast carried over to the comics...the first being Gotham police officer Renee Montoya in May of 1992.

1992 also saw the debut of a new monthly book with "Batman: Shadow of the Bat," which tackled darker story material with tinges of corrpution and fantasy here and there.

The first arc in the book, "The Last Arkham," introduced a new high-security facility for Arkham Asylum...overseen by Jeremiah Arkham, descendent of Amadeus Arkham, the Asylum's founder.

The story also introduced Batman's first prominent new villain...Victor Zsasz. A serial killer who keeps his body count with a series of tallied scars on his own body, Zsasz ushered in a new era of more psychologically tainted foes based not on colorful gimmicks but on evil as it exists in contemporary times with the likes of Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahmer. This method would go on to reflect more on established foes as well...especially those more grounded like Scarecrow, Two-Face and the Joker.

More allies and adversaries followed as Tim Drake's girlfriend Stephanie Brown became a vigilante known as the Spoiler in an attempt to thwart her own father Arthur...aka the Cluemaster in 1992's "Detective Comics" #647.

And Aaron Helzinger...who, after a surgery gone wrong, debuted as the evil, wrathful man-child Amygdala in "Shadow of the Bat" #3.

But Batman's greatest physical and emotional battle was about to begin.

October 1992 introduced fans with "Batman: Sword of Azrael" to Jean Paul Valley.

Scientifically altered by a religious cult known as the Order of St. Dumas, Valley was trained and manipulated into Azrael, an avenging angel prone to hypnotic suggestion. His will dominated both by his allegiance to the Order as well as an arcane mixture of physical and psychological torture called "The System," Valley was originally dispatched to battle and overpower Batman.

But Batman saw that Jean Paul was more victim than villain and aided in freeing Azrael of St. Dumas' twisted conditioning.

Even with this accomplishment, victory was short lived as Azrael's debut only led to the arrival of another entity to Gotham City.

January 1993 brought with it a one-shot...introducing fans and readers to who might arguably be the dark knight's most physically challenging opponent to date.
Bane.

Making his first appearance in "Batman: Vengeance of Bane" #1, Bane was born into captivity within the stone halls of Pena Duro Prison in Santa Prisca...a child forced to carry out his dead father's life sentence.

Shaping his body in solitary confinement while digesting an endless amount of forgotten books in the prison library, Bane educated himself into a peerless intellect. Fighting...and killing...his way to survive, Bane became a legend of Pena Duro and attracted a trio of followers in the form of Trogg, Bird and Zombie.

From there, Bane was enlisted into a government-sanctioned program...Project Gilgamesh.

Named after the fabled ultimate warrior, the surgical procedure drilled directly into the back of Bane's skull. Equipping Bane with a delivery system of tubes, the team then fed Bane's cortico-implants with 'Venom,' an addictive experimental steroidal compound.

Through 'Venom,' Bane had found the almost god-like strength and rage necessary to free himself and his allies from Pena Duro.

Now liberated, Bane journied to Gotham City...where he sought to gain infamy by taking on the legendary Batman, whom he had been told tales of by Bird back in prison.

Thus began one of the largest scale stories in the history of the comics.

"Knightfall" officially began its epic run with "Batman" #492.

Overseen by editors Dennis O'Neil, Scott Peterson and Archie Goodwin the story was collected through "Batman" issues #488 - #510, "Detective Comics" #656 - #677, "Batman: Shadow of the Bat" #16 - #30, "Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight" #59 - #63 and "Robin" #1 and #7 - #9.

Knowing that a direct assault on Batman's own battlefield would be foolhardy, Bane devised a plan through strategy and patience to stury the dark knight in action...breaking his spirit before breaking his body.

Causing a massive breakout at Arkham Asylum, Bane stood by and watched as Batman and his allies fought to recapture the Joker, Mr. Zsasz, the Ventriliquist and Scarface, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc and several other inmates.

Despite successfully re-acquiring his foes, the never-ending effort to put them back in Arkham took its toll on Batman's stamina. Driven to the brink of sheer exhaustion, Bruce had become nothing less than a hollow shell; his strength and will all but spent.

It was that moment that Bane chose to strike.

Through his study, Bane had identified Batman as Bruce Wayne...and made his one-man assault upon Wayne Manor.

Their battle ended in the Batcave, defiling the caped crusader's inner sanctum. Taking Batman to the first populated area in Gotham he could find, Bane declared his superiority.

And in "Batman" #497, Bane had his victory by finnally achieving what no other rogue had accomplished.

With his declaration, Bane took Batman's bruised and bloodied body and sturck it upon his knee.

The blow broke Bruce Wayne's spine.

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Primarily written by talents such as Alan Grant, Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench and Dennis O'Neil himself, the story was visualized by several key Batman artists including Jim Aparo, Bret Blevins, Mike Manley, Graham Nolan and underrated fan favorite Norm Breyfogle.

The story capitalized on the grander scale comics were taking throughout the decade...including the high-profile "Death of Superman" storyline as well as Jim Lee and Todd McFarlane's respective runs on "X-Men" and "Spider-Man."

From here, the legacy of Batman took its boldest turn with the "Knightquest" storyline.

Confined to a wheelchair by Bane, Bruce ( and the "Batman" writing staff) felt that the books had to persevere...and decided that a successor to the mantle had to be named.

Eventually, Jean Paul Valley was chosen to assume the role of Batman as Wayne began physical and psychological therapy at the hands of Alfred and trusted physician Dr. Shondra Kinsloving.

But Jean Paul was no Bruce Wayne.

Haunted by lingering visions of St. Dumas, Valley's mind became perverted by the power that the Batman persona gave him. He became savage...unpredictable. Unable to discern from friend or foe, Jean Paul turned rogue on Tim Drake, Dick Grayson and the other allies. He fought crime in all its forms, yes...but he approached every situation with an eagerness for bloodshed and vengeance.

Fighting hordes of new menaces such as the gun-toting Tally Man in "Shadow of the Bat" #19 as well as the Joker and Scarecrow to re-establish Batman's order and take Gotham back, Jean Paul turned his sights to the one man reaping the most reward from Bruce's injuries...Bane.

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For the anniversary 500th issue of "Batman," Valley discarded Bruce Wayne's cape and cowl and adopted his notoriously formidable Azrael-inspired Bat Armor...and defeated Bane.

With the victory, Jean Paul declared himself the one true Batman...and continued his overzealous war on crime; reinforcing his armor with projectile weapons and transforming the Batcave into a St. Dumas sanctuary outfitted with vicious weapons and traps.

But the time had come for the originator to return.

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With 1994's "Knightsend," the odyessy came to a close as Bruce Wayne, his body re-mended and his will established once more, battled Jean Paul Valley to reclaim Wayne Manor and the Batman mantle in "Legends of the Dark Knight" #63.

Following several recounts of Batman's origin in the single-issue event spanning each of the books dubbed "Zero Hour," as well as the multi-issue "Prodigal" story in which Dick Grayson assumed the role of Batman while Wayne attended to a secret agenda, Bruce officially returned as Batman in "Robin" #13.

The following collection of years, utilizing the influence of "Knightfall," made a point to continue emphasizing why Bruce Wayne and his alter ego were collectively a hero for the ages...a hero that could never truly be replaced.

It's not the costume that makes the myth...but the man inside.

Batman's supports and villains, influenced by interpretations such as "The Killing Joke" and Tim Drake's ongoing "Robin" book, began to be realized as integral figures in their own right.

Nightwing got his own mini-series in 1995 with September's "Nightwing" #1.

Eisner-Award nominated writer/artist Matt Wagner created a three part mini-series titled "Batman: Faces" featuring Two-Face as the focal point.

Inspired by Paul Dini's emmy-awarding winning script for the "Heart of Ice" episode of "Batman: The Animated Series," the comics officially adopted Dini's new origin for Mr. Freeze.

And Jean Paul Valley returned with "Azrael" #1, now seeking redemption for his actions as a nomad-hero inspired by Batman.

Meanwhile, the dark knight continued to be confronted by new foes...such as Lyle Bolton; a security guard turned insane incarcerator called Lock-Up in "Robin" #23 and the hallucinatory Narcosis in 1996's "Batman: Shadow of the Bat" #50.

But the end of the 90s would bring with it Batman's greatest physical and emotional challenges.

Beginning with "Shadow of the Bat" #48, the "Contagion" storyline saw the release of "The Clench"...the Gulf-A strain of the Ebola Virus...upon Gotham City, killing hundreds of thousands.

Devestated by the loss of life, Batman and his allies raced to stop the man responsible.

Ra's Al Ghul.

Leading into the "Legacy" storyline, Batman's efforts to stop Ra's face higher stakes with his plan to unleash an even deadlier virus upon the world to pave the way for his utopia.

For 1996's landmark 700th issue of "Detective Comics," Batman, Robin and Nightwing proved victorious...preventing the release of the 'Legacy' virus and defeating the Demon's Head.

But the victory would prove frivolous compared to what happened next.

Despite opposition from the vengeful Gearhead in 1998's "Detective Comics" #717, "Shadow of the Bat" issue #73 changed everything.

With the "Cataclysm."

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Gotham City was struck by a tumultous 7.6 scale Earthquake.

Casualties ranked in the thousands. Skyscrapers were decimated, the air stank of ash and rubble and the streets were laid waste. In every physical, psychological and moral definition...the city had been broken.

In response to the destruction, the U.S. Government had to decide whether to aid Gotham in restoration or not.

But thanks to Gotham's stance as a "Crime Capital" and the presence of Batman and his rogues gallery, the government turned its back on the city.

Blowing the bridges and cutting it off from the rest of the country, the federal government left Gotham a smoldering tumor...and declared it a 'No Man's Land.'

Collected in "Batman" #560 - #574, "Detective Comics" #727 - #741, "Batman: Shadow of the Bat" #80 - #91 and "Legends of the Dark Knight" #116 - #126, "No Man's Land" quickly became a quinessential milestone for Batman comics.

By this time, new established talent had made its way to Gotham City...with writers such as Greg Rucka and Paul Dini joining the ranks with Dennis O'Neil, Bob Gale, Alan Grant, Chuck Dixon, Ian Edington and several others to chronicle the fallout of the quake.

These writers, inspired by the past efforts of Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil, worked to ground the emotional backbone of the comics within genuine humanity that could properly be identified with...even in the midst of the large-scale storytelling that was dominating the industry.

Running the entire length of 1999, "No Man's Land" took to its title...turning Gotham into a no-holds-barred battlefield divided between the rogues abandoned in Arkham and the street gangs that were birthed out of the necessity for power and order that what citizens stayed behind needed.

Despite leaving to confront Capital Hill to lobby for Gotham's resurrection, Bruce soon made his non-descript return to No Man's Land and reassumed his position as Gotham's masked protector...fighting to reclaim the city by liberating the gang-controlled and criminally-occupied territories...tagging them with spray-painted "Bat Symbols!"

While current love interest and radio personality Vesper Fairchild and Oracle respecitvely attempted to maintain hope and record the statistics and timelines of "NML," Batman and his gotham knights fought alongside Commissioner Gordon and the police that remained on the island...now called the 'Blue Boys'...to restore what order they could.

One of Batman's newest allies arrived in July of 1999 with "Batman" #567.

With Barbara Gordon confined to chair (despite her role as Oracle quickly becoming vital to Wayne's crusade), Batman had lost his Batgirl.

But the crisis of "No Man's Land," called for all the aid the dark knight could find.

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Readers were then introduced to Cassandra Cain. A field operative for Oracle, Cassandra had been conditioned by her mercenary father to be an instrument of nearly unfathomable skill...a living weapon capable of murder with her bare hands. The rigorous training convoluted her mind as motor skills such as speech and hearing were replaced with combat tactics. Left a mute unable to speak or function in society, Cassandra only knew how to communicate through violence. With Oracle's help, Cassandra eventually learned to communicate...while still retaining her skill. After proving those skills and developing a strong moral code akin to Batman's in the early months of NML, she was given a chance.

And at just 17 years old, Cassandra Cain became the 2nd Batgirl.

With the end of the 90s, Batman's resolve and popularity were stronger than ever. The stories were colossal...creating the need for a character equipped to overcome the tremendous obstacle.

And as society made its way towards a new century, it seemed nothing could challenge Batman's success.

Perhaps nothing in comics ever will.

The legacy continued...and the trappings of a newly revolutionized time were about to impact Batman in a big new way for a big new decade...

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BATMAN RETURNS (1992)

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Directed by ... Tim Burton
Story by … Daniel Waters and Sam Hamm
Screenplay by … Daniel Waters
Based on the DC Comics Character Created by ... Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Executive Produced by ... Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Peter Guber and Jon Peters
Produced by ... Larry J. Franco, Denise Di Novi, Ian Bryce and Tim Burton
Cinematography by … Stephan Czapsky
Production Design by … Bo Welch
Costume Design by … Bob Ringwood and Mary Vogt
Editing by ... Chris Lebenzon and Bob Badami
Original Motion Picture Score Composed by ... Danny Elfman

Michael Keaton ... Bruce Wayne/Batman
Danny DeVito ... Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin
Michelle Pfeiffer ... Selina Kyle/Catwoman
Christopher Walken ... Max Shreck
Michael Gough ... Alfred Pennyworth
Michael Murphy ... The Mayor
Cristi Conaway ... Ice Princess
Andrew Bryniarski ... Charles 'Chip' Shreck
Pat Hingle ... Commissioner James Gordon
Vincent Schiavelli ... Organ Grinder
Steve Witting ... Josh
Jan Hooks ... Jen
John Strong ... Sword Swallower
Rick Zumwalt ... Tattooed Strongman
Anna Katarina ... Poodle Lady
Travis McKenna ... Fat Clown
Doug Jones ... Thin Clown
Paul Reubens ... Penguin's Father
Diane Salinger ... Penguin's Mother
Stuart Lancaster ... Penguin's Doctor
Sean M. Whalen ... Gotham Globe Paperboy
Erik Oñate ... Aggressive Reporter
Henry Kingi ... Mugger
Joan Giammarco ... Female Victim
Elizabeth Sanders ... Gothamite #4​

When a corrupt businessman and the grotesque Penguin plot to take control of Gotham City, only Batman can stop them, while the Catwoman has her own agenda.

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The Comic Book Psycho Drama…

You know those films you watch as a kid; the ones that are fun and entertaining…then when you grow up and watch them you realize there’s so much more going on beneath the surface?

1992’s “Batman Returns” is not only one of those films…it just might be THE film that’s defined by that concept.

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At first young glance, “Returns” is a sparklingly gothic adventure with bold lighting, over the top action and a hard edged, well formed artistic astheatic that is undeniably the creation of director Tim Burton.

But there’s a strong psychological foundation that the film is built upon, coursing through the picture…instantly making it one of the most fascinating comic book films there is, more than others would lead you to believe. And it’s certainly the most artsy film in the sub genre.

From the melancholy opening with the calm snowfall and haunting baroque score, it’s made clear that we’re in for a dark thrill ride that’s far spookier than its 1989 predecessor.

The film opens with a regal Gotham high society couple (Burton alums Paul Reubens and Diane Salinger) as they give birth to a hideously deformed son; their screams split the air as the nurse flees and the doctor stands in shock. Unable to handle the monstrosity they’ve brought into the world, they place their ‘Penguin-Son’ into a prison-like bassinette and toss him into the dank Gotham sewers.

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Thirty three years later, as bad guy business tycoon Max Shreck (sinisterly portrayed by Christopher Walken) gives a speech in Gotham Plaza, the Red Triangle Circus Gang attacks the event and the patrons. Batman (Michael Keaton returning to the role) makes his first appearance sporting a new suit, eventually saving the day. Shreck is soon kidnapped by the circus gang and black-mailed into endorsing the political return of the baby from the sewers, now a fully grown man known as Oswald Copplepot (Danny DeVito in hideously perfect make-up), whose motives for the return are suspicious only to Batman.

Meanwhile, Shreck’s awkward and mousy assistant Selina Kyle (played perfectly by Michelle Pfeiffer who, quite frankly, deserved more recognition for her performance) stumbles upon a white collar crime Max plans to commit under the noses of the Mayor and the City Council. Shreck attempts to off her by pushing her out a window. Miraculously, Selina survives…but her psyche is fractured and she transforms into the deliciously sexy and psychotic Catwoman. She’s out for revenge against Shreck but harbors, for some unexplained reason, a deadly vendetta against the caped crusader.

”Batman Returns” is as bleak as they come. Even regardless of Batman’s involvement, the film in and of itself is a strong artistic expression; a very powerful presentation of the vision from one of the most bizarre and poetic filmmakers in Hollywood.

In life we're all fed the optimistic line that "we all have the power to be happy," but the world around us is still consumed in agonizing suffering. The best we can do is ignore such suffering, and try to think that the optimism still applies, even when in reality it only applies to some of us.

This movie shatters the idea in every facet imaginable. The world is not a perfect place, not even where everybody can make do and learn to live with what they are given. The three main characters here are deeply wounded people; people who can’t integrate into society and be happy like everybody else…even if they tried.

Michael Keaton returns as Batman, and it’s more than welcome. His satirical bad ass nature fits with this approach to the character and his psyche is more refined and examined here. One the one hand, his dark knight is a brutal one…punching guys without even breaking stride (that’s my personal favorite moment in ANY Batman film) and that sinister smile when he tricks the Strong-Man with the dynamite. He’s psychologically scarred; emotionally conflicted…his world isn’t like that of Peter Parker’s. It’s darker, it’s worse and ultimately Keaton’s Batman still preservers amidst an onslaught of tragedy.

“Oh I’m sorry…you know what? I mistook me for somebody else, sorry…”

I love that line.

DeVito’s Penguin is an odd one. There are times where you completely sympathize with him and his predicament, such as when he ‘rescues’ the Mayor’s child. But unlike Alfred Molina’s Otto Octavius, whom you sympathize with the entire time…Cobblepot is always a manipulative and menacing villain that you sympathize with in spite of how evil he is. You still want him to get what’s coming to him, especially for turning all of Gotham against Batman, but you can’t help but pity this pathetic creature as his dead body is carried into the waters. His ‘Patton’ inspired speech is also very good, showcasing to us a vengeful and passionate character that has nothing left to lose in his lashing out at a society that completely shunned him.

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The supporting cast is great as always, although both Pat Hingle’s Commissioner Gordon and Michael Gough as Alfred aren’t given anymore to do from the first picture (in truth they’re actually given less to do). Although Gough thankfully does play somewhat of a vital role in foiling the Penguin’s schemes near the finale, which was nice. Christopher Walken on the other hand has quite the presence in the movie, pretty much in the same vein as Jack Palance in the original film. Named after the famous actor who portrayed the original cinematic vampire Nosferatu, Max as a character is even more sinister than the Penguin, like a wolf (or rather a monster) in sheep’s clothing. For all the interaction between the three main characters who bare animal motifs (Bat, Cat, Penguin) Shreck is more of a beast then any of them…and he represents ‘Man,’ so that should tell you something.

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But the breakout for me was Michelle Pfeiffer. She plays both the awkward Selina Kyle and dominating, latex clad Catwoman with so much energy and conviction. I especially loved her in the scene between her and Michael at Max’s costume ball, where she goes from determined and creepy to laughing hysterically to looking sorrowful and confused…and that’s all in the span of five to six minutes (!!!). And that scene where she ultimately rejects Bruce is just so heartbreaking.

Technically, it’s a visual marvel of a picture. Between Bo Welch’s gritty Art Deco production design and Stephan Czapsky’s stark, black and white approach to the cinematography it very much takes its visual cues from Expressionist films like “Citizen Kane.”

The sets are extravagant and majestic, particularly the Penguin’s Lair in the defunct Gotham Zoo’s Arctic World exhibit, complete with twisted storybook like murals of seals and whales…then there’s Shreck’s huge office with that awesome conference table. My favorite set might be the new Batcave, which Welch described as having a cool airport type atmosphere…In fact; the “Returns” Batcave is probably my favorite depiction of Batman’s headquarters ever put to live action.

Gotham itself is beautiful, with a far more neo-noir approach to design than the proceeding depiction. The giant statues adorning Gotham Plaza are incredible.

Czapsky’s lighting plays very well with shadows, such as those formed by Penguin on the wall of the sewer…or Batman and Catwoman’s shadows stretching across brick walls and skyscrapers.

The bright white of the snow is a great contrast to the city itself.

On a side note I have to admit…setting the film in the winter/ Christmas time is pure genius. Whoever came up with that setting decision, be it Burton, Hamm or Waters, absolutely made the right choice.

Then there are the costumes. The Batsuit is a more streamlined, deco piece of work…it looks like something you could see on display in a museum (which I have a few times). I also love the approach taken to the Catsuit. How it’s stitched together, mimicking Selina Kyle’s fragile mind…and how throughout the film its torn and fractured more and more just like she is. Those are probably my two favorite costumes in the piece. The rest of the cast is adorned in these wonderful timeless winter ensembles, with huge overcoats and hats; I especially love the wardrobes of Max and Chip Shreck with their pinstripes and fur collars, looking like gothic psycho-renditions of the Vanderbilts.

There isn’t that much action, but what of it there is gets handled quite well. The chase scene where Penguin is controlling the Batmobile is adrenaline filled and I always get goosebumps when Batman transforms the car into the Bat-Missile and dodges the Police, making his escape. Such a great moment!

And there’s the Bat Ski-Boat sequence, which is both great and controversial for many people.

Why?

You guessed it…the rocket-toting penguins. Now personally I’ve never had a problem with them…I mean you have to always keep in mind that this is based in the realm of comics. For people to make such a big deal about them is puzzling. For years Cobblepot has used various birds and such in the comics…why on earth should that be any different here? Next you’re gonna tell me he shouldn’t have so many different kinds of umbrellas…I mean come on its fantasy; you’re afforded to cut it a break once in awhile.

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Another great moment is the infamous rooftop scene where Catwoman straddles on top of Batman and licks his face. To find that level of pure eroticism in a mainstream super hero film is always a delight, letting us know that no punches will be pulled with the material. They aren’t treating us to a cartoon, thankfully. And that bit where Batman unfurls a Bat-Wing glider from his back and takes flight above the Plaza is breath taking, even to this day. Between Nolan and Burton, Burton’s flair for the operatic always DID bring about some of the best ‘Bat-Like’ imagery for the character.

As far as score, composer Danny Elfman gives us such a slew of new material. Prominently we’ve got the “Penguin Theme” and the “Catwoman Theme” and they’re both excellent pieces of material. Where the original 1989 score relies more on brass and percussion, the “Returns” score is fleshed out more so with strings (such as the high, spine tingling strings for Catwoman) and woodwinds (there are a lot of cues of the “Penguin Theme” throughout the film that work off of flutes and oboes that are very soft and almost sad. But the “Penguin Theme” also plays very strongly with shaking tambourines that give it a sense of royalty and it’s very driving at points, such as when Oswald visits his parent’s grave.

Like it or hate it, “Batman Returns” is a rare commercial blockbuster that is clearly and deeply personal, and that seems to really rankle many. I truly think the film gets a bad rep just for being a “Batman” movie in various circles even though it's a superior piece of work by Mr. Burton.

It's a great movie and a great interpretation of Batman that in its runtime examines the character and makes definitive statements about him within its narrative outline, specifically in its final confrontations when considered with the rest of the film (both the Batman/Penguin and Batman/Catwoman battles during the finale center around personal duels which give us payoff in regards to the psychology of the titular character).

“You’re just jealous, because I’m a genuine freak and you have to wear a mask!”
“You might be right…”

“Selina…don’t you see? We’re the same…we’re the same. Split…right down the center.”

As far as there not being enough Batman, he's in the film a lot after the first thirty five minutes or so which are clearly (and necessarily) dedicated to building up the other characters; obviously this is important to the structuring of the film inherently and the development of these characters works to enhance the examination of the Batman/Wayne character under that structure. But the ‘there’s not enough Batman’ argument feels null to me. After the first half hour, it's very Bats heavy both in its content and its intent.

As far as definitive interpretation? Please…There is none; even when just considering the Kane/Finger era, which about says it all. But yes…for my tastes I like the depressed, psychotic Batman that Burton gave us and I think it's a logical idea. Not definitive, but it’s certainly as valid as any other.

Burton played up the original grim vigilante theme, right down to the killing, that Kane/Finger started with themselves -- on a purely aesthetic basis such as that (and considering the rather blank nature of the character in regards to psychology at this point…mood, overall action and look are about the only important things to translate from those earliest of stories, which I think Burton did rather masterfully), it was more based on Batman's early beginnings than most other stuff when looking at its overall noir presentation as far as both mood and character.

The Kane/Finger Batman, in simplest terms, was a lone vigilante that was soon revealed to be driven by the death of his parents --all of this can be said for Burton's Batman as well, with the main difference being that he was most interested in the psychology behind the actions of the main character (including the killing that is notably present in the two versions) rather than just the actions themselves as far as point a to point b narrative resolution.

I think it's largely forgotten in many comic story lines that the underlying basis for Batman's nightly jaunts is psychological imbalance -- both as far as the depression and the heavily weird/illogical/psycho way he chooses to deal with that, by dressing up as a bat of all things. If you portray this on film and want it to be taken seriously at all, I think the point has to be made that this is not a psychologically healthy character at all, otherwise you run the risk of getting camp.

If you don't deal with the central idea being a character that acts out in the manner he does because of lacking mental health in much the same way as the villains he encounters -- it's obvious, but sometimes forgotten, that the basis of so many of these characters stems from their psychological traumas, and that Batman's the same when you contrast underlying motivations.

In the end it's easy to understand the mass disappointment that followed the release of “Batman Returns” and the fallout between Burton and Warner Brothers. The film might not have felt like a “Batman” blockbuster for the audiences at large and some of its sequences, such as cats gnawing on Selina’s dead fingers and the Penguin spewing Bile and Blood in his dead throws, were very much frowned upon by parents. It led to fans of the character questioning if Burton really knew who Batman actually was or even if he cared about the character as much as he cared about the film fitting in with his usual themes of beautifully haunting art direction and misinterpreted, lonely characters who rarely conform with societies standards and expectations.

For me, those very people completely missed the point. Again, there’s no set in stone way of depicting Batman; there never has been and there never will be. But on a psychological level, I thought Burton brought something quite special to the table. In the process, through “Batman Returns,” Tim created a stunningly ballsy piece of cinema that remains a personal favorite of mine.

He took an incredible risk with the picture that ultimately was misunderstood…but now, given time to grow, it has grown to garnish the respect it so rightfully deserves.

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BATMAN RETURNS
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1992)


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Composed by … Danny Elfman
Orchestrated by … Steve Bartek and Mark McKenzie
Conducted by … Jonathan Sheffer

Executive Produced by … Tim Burton
Produced by … Steve Bartek and Danny Elfman

Track Listing:

1: Birth of a Penguin (2:27)
2: Opening Titles (3:09)
3: To the Present (4:43)
4: The Lair (4:49)
5: Selina Kyle (1:11)
6: Selina Transforms (4:16)
7: The Cemetery (2:54)
8: Cat Suite (5:41)
9: Batman vs. The Circus (2:34)
10: the Rise… (1:41)
11: …and Fall from Grace (4:08)
12: Sore Spots (2:15)
13: Rooftops (4:19)
14: Wild Ride (3:34)
15: The Children’s Hour (1:47)
16: The Final Confrontation (5:12)
17: Penguin Army (4:54)
18: Selina’s Electrocution (2:40)
19: Finale (2:19)
20: End Credits (4:44)
21: Face to Face – Siouxsie and the Banshees (4:17)​

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Sequels are always a daunting task…both in the director’s chair and the recording studio.

For Danny Elfman, “Batman Returns” (1992) was the equivalent of being asked to catch lightning in a bottle a second time.

Low and behold…the son of a b*tch pulled it off!

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While not as rallying and bombastic as its predecessor, the score for “Batman Returns” in turn is actually more haunting and operatic than the original (at least in my own opinion).

It’s sense of macabre and theatrics is played far more broadly then before. This might have to do with the fact that the film’s locations seem to come off feeling more like stages than actual locales.

Like a giant stage production, the curtain is pulled up as the cast of “Batman Returns” delivers their performances…and it truly feels like Danny and his conductor Steve Bartek are held up in some orchestra pit beneath the streets of Gotham having the score played live right then and there.

Where “BATMAN” (1989) relied on brass and percussion, “Returns” seems to be an interesting parallel as ITs strengths reside more often in the strings and woodwinds.

And, thanks to the presence of more characters, there’s more ground for Elfman to cover as he successfully composes two separately poetic themes for the Penguin and Catwoman.

Unlike the first film, which is truly dominated by Batman’s theme, all three of these themes are primary and independent…neither giving in to the other. The Penguin’s theme is exceedingly sinister with just a touch of nobility to echo his socialite beginnings as the discarded bastard child of the esteemed Cobblepots…while Selina Kyle’s theme, played with high-screechy strings, is deadly yet erotic…very sensuous.

Things get started with “Birth of a Penguin,” dripping with all of the hauntingly regal nature of Cobblepot Manor and Oswald’s tortured upbringing. Right off the bat, you can clearly get hints at aspects of the Penguin character quickly.

The organ is a definite key point here, which’ll be used later on to highlight the Red Triangle Circus.

Another highlight is the beautifully effervescent chorus. Chorus is used to a far higher degree here than the original “BATMAN” score.

The cue is so chilling, it almost begs to showcase Penguin as an outright Anti-Christ upon his birth…condemned to the sewers in shame by his parents. What makes it even more off-hilter is the small injections of Christmas charm…particularly when the chorus masquerades as caroling when the Cobblepots are confronted by another young couple before it dips right back into somber madness as they toss their child over the bridge.

As the Penguin baby’s wails echo his descent into the sewers, Elfman pulls out all the stops to re-introduce a beautiful rendition of the Batman theme with the “Opening Titles.” The addition of the chorus plays beautifully with the horns and strings in this variation of the march. This version isn’t as bombastic as the original…but on the flip side, I think there’s much more pathos in this one and I like it a lot.

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From there, several note worthy cues standout.

“Selina Transforms,” which begins as a resurrected Selina Kyle returns to her apartment…mind warped beyond reason after being ‘murdered’ by Max Schreck…is easily the best example of the Catwoman theme in the film. It’s very off-balance with high strings fluttering until Kyle completely snaps, allowing the Catwoman theme to fully emerge in all its perverted yet domineering glory. Pfeiffer plays the scene so well and Danny certainly reflects that in his material.

There’s also “The Cemetery,” which begins with two wonderfully downplayed cues as, respectively, Bruce investigates newspaper archives in the Batcave and then, as Batman, slowly drives through Gotham pondering his skepticism over Penguin’s intentions. The cue then is taken over by the Penguin with a touch of noble sadness as he kneels before the graves of his parents, parlaying a final, silent farewell to them. This is really the backbone of the “Batman Returns” score…it’s strengths are played more, I feel, in the emotional scenes then the action sequences.

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But that’s not to say Elfman doesn’t dynamically handle the action scenes.

Much like classic Warner Brothers animation, Elfman at this time was scoring action in a very visual method with a wonderful technique of musically highlighting certain beats and events as they were occurring on the screen.

Key tracks that provide example of this include “Batman vs. The Circus,” whose use of old-time bizarro Carnival instruments is quite inspired and put to great use in displaying the anarchy of the Red Triangle Circus Gang as Batman battles them in the street.

There’s also “Rooftops” as Batman deals with the ensuing madness of the Tree Re-Lighting Ceremony. Again, the Carnival motif shows up…but more importantly there’s that wonderfully downplayed moment between Batman and Catwoman when, thanks to being under mistletoe, Catwoman gives Batman a Cat-Kiss. As Batman pushes her off, there’s a lovely moment of low, vibrating strings and a very percussive take on the Batman march as Batman unsheathes his glider and descends upon Gotham City.

Another is “Wild Ride,” which is quite appropriate given its use during the scene in which the Penguin remotely controls the Batmobile…with Batman inside!

This track, along with a handful of others, gets very whimsical and I think it’s clear that Elfman might’ve been having a bit more fun this time around…at least in the recording I suppose, since he’s always been one to find scoring film an almost superhuman effort on his part.

But “Wild Ride” is very zany and catches a ton of cues as I said before…and my favorite moment has to be the final stanza as Batman, once again in control of the car, attempts to flip a lone switch and evade police. However, several attempts show that the switch isn’t operating.

“Alright now I’m a little worried.”

And with a final try, Batman pulls it off in the nick of time as the Side panels of the Batmobile give way to the Bat-Missile, allowing Batman to safely maneuver through the alley and race back to Wayne Manor. It’s has a great little nod of the Batman theme and a kick ass, triumphant riff of brass as Batman manages to make it through!

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Things wrap up boldly and heroically…albeit tragically…with the final collection of cues that set up the film’s climax and ending.

“The Children’s Hour” might be the creepiest and yet the saddest track for the Penguin as his theme is beautifully rendered in a twinkling ‘silver bells’ motif for an instant just before it is then introduced as an industrial, organ-grinder variation. This is most likely meant to simultaneously interpret both sides of Penguin’s psyche…the hurt infant tossed away by his parents, abandoned and unloved…and the man-monster hybrid self educated and fueled by his need for revenge against society.

This segues right into “The Final Confrontation” as the Penguin…his scheme to kidnap Gotham’s children foiled…leads a rallying ‘Patton’-esque speech to his army of Penguins before dispatching them to the City surface to fire a battalion of missiles and destroy Gotham Plaza. This track re-echoes the whimsy of “Wild Ride” and gives us an awesome, militaristic driving beat as the Penguin’s make their way topside and Batman pilots the Bat Ski-Boat to the Penguin’s Arctic-World lair in the Old Gotham Zoo.

Things finally come to a close with “Selina’s Electrocution” as Penguin’s theme makes its final appearance through bravado strings harkening on his death…the theme’s last official use plays as a woodwind variation on the opening of “The Children’s Hour” as the Penguins lead their master to his final resting place in the water…which is one of the most moving moments in any Batman film or score.

The film closes with a quiet and lovely flute motif on the Batman March for the “Finale” cue…as well as a hauntingly poignant and tragically romantic tinkering of Catwoman’s theme before the “End Credits” bring about the Batman, Penguin and Catwoman themes in all their respective glory.

Rounding on the studio soundtrack release is the lyrical theme of the movie; “Face to Face” written by Danny Elfman and performed by Siouxsie Sioux and her band the Banshees is one of the best Batman-centered songs crafted for the character…though it’s clearly being sung from Catwoman’s perspective (the Catwoman theme underscores the song).

The songs overall themes of duality and masquerading is very psychologically powerful (the masks they slide…to reveal a new disguise) and it’s an amazing track.

According to Danny, the score for “Returns” is nearly twice as much material as the first film, and it shows both in positive and negative ways.

Negatively it means that a lot of the material, from time to time can feel a bit scattered…certainly on the studio release (and in the film to an extent).

Several fans, myself included, have been begging and petitioning for a special edition release of “Batman Returns” and maybe someday, courtesy of Screen Archive or La La Land Records that can happen.

On the plus side, however, this means that the film…when you look at it this way…is musically layered with far more dimension than you’d ever consider for a comic book film.

To this day, “Batman Returns” remains one of my favorite comic book motion picture scores.

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BATMAN FOREVER (1995)

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Directed by ... Joel Schumacher
Story by ... Lee Batchler and Janet Scott Batchler
Screenplay by ... Lee Batchler, Janet Scott Batchler and Akiva Goldsman
Based on the DC Comics Character Created by ... Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Executive Produced by ... Benjamin Melniker and Michael E. Uslan
Produced by ... Tim Burton, Peter Macgregor-Scott Mitchell E. Dauterive and Kevin J. Messick
Cinematography by … Stephen Goldblatt
Production Design by … Barbara Ling
Art Direction by … Christopher Burian-Mohr and Joseph P. Lucky
Costume Design by … Bob Ringwood and Ingrid Ferrin
Editing by ... Mark Stevens and Dennis Virkler
Original Motion Picture Score Composed by ... Elliot Goldenthal

Val Kilmer ... Bruce Wayne/Batman
Tommy Lee Jones ... Harvey Dent/Two-Face
Jim Carrey ... Edward Nygma/The Riddler
Nicole Kidman ... Dr. Chase Meridian
Chris O'Donnell ... Dick Grayson/Robin
Michael Gough ... Alfred Pennyworth
Pat Hingle ... Commissioner James Gordon
Drew Barrymore ... Sugar
Debi Mazar ... Spice
Elizabeth Sanders ... Gossip Gerty
Rene Auberjonois ... Dr. Burton
Ed Begley Jr. ... Fred Stickley
Ramsey Ellis ... Young Bruce Wayne
Michael Scranton ... Thomas Wayne
Eileen Seeley ... Martha Wayne
David U. Hodges ... Shooter
Jon Favreau ... Assistant
Don 'The Dragon' Wilson ... Gang Leader​

Conflicted by his thirst for justice and desire for happiness, Bruce Wayne finds redemption in orphaned acrobat Dick Grayson. Taking the boy in, the caped crusader forms an alliance with Robin the Boy Wonder...just in time to tackel the dual threat of the schizophrentic Two-Face and the psychotic Riddler.

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In the aftermath of fall out following “Batman Returns,” Warners decided to collectively bend over and take the parents’ arguments to heart…resulting in Burton’s immediate dismissal and the choice to completely reinvent the franchise with a bold new aesthetic and artistic direction.

Perhaps ‘bold’ is putting it mildly.

Enter “Lost Boys” and “ST. Elmos Fire” director Joel Schumacher…with 1995’s “Batman Forever.”

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Some time has past since the events of “Returns” (for the sake of appearances we’ll say that so much time has passed that Gotham has since undergone a structural make-over). Reaching an almost mythic status as the city’s sole protector, Batman (Val Kilmer) continues his battle against the forces of evil…this time tangling with current adversary Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones), once esteemed district attorney and Batman’s ally Harvey Dent, Two-Face now swears vengeance on Batman for his disfigurement.

The ensuing conflict, plus the introduction of sexy psychologist Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman), brings Batman’s crusade into question…until Bruce is faced with a weary youth named Dick Grayson (Chris O’Donnell) who, like Wayne himself, witnesses the murder of his family…at the hands of Two-Face but, also, at those of Batman’s psychological hang-ups.

Adding to the stakes is the debut appearance of the Riddler (Jim Carrey), a WayneTech electronics wizard turned newly scarred foe with a personal vendetta against both Bruce Wayne and Batman.

Despite his efforts to keep Gotham City’s infrastructure and the minds of its very citizens from falling into the Riddler’s hands, Bruce has allowed both the threat and the presence of young Grayson to make him reconsider his crime-fighting oath altogether.

Now, Batman must struggle to undergo a psychological reckoning…one that could either end his war on crime…or give it new meaning (and a new ally) necessary to make Batman…Forever.

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In an age with the forthcoming advent of the Internet and MTV’s dominance over youth through bombastic music videos reaching a fever pitch, the studio felt that in order for the caped crusader to find solace in the current generation, the character and his exploits would benefit from being designed in a tradition of more artistic pop and flair.

The decision to go with Schumacher…an openly gay man with a penchant for the flamboyant…was certainly a means to that end. I don’t make this statement as a disservice to Joel’s sexual orientation. Quite the contrary I feel that, to this day, Joel…more so than Tim or Chris…very much understood the undercurrents of eroticism that DO course through comic books. And besides…sex sells. That’s fact. I’m always game for one of Heath Ledger’s brilliant monologues, but every once in awhile it’s nice to check out Kidman’s cleavage.

Comics ARE a serious artform for the most part. But there will always be a whimsical edge of fantasy to them that I think Schumacher nailed quite impressively in this first go-round (clearly having Warners allow him to fly off the handle with his sequel would create quite…intriguing results).

But for his initial foray into Gotham City, Schumacher pulls off the creation of a fun-fueled Batman spectacle…packed with wild eye-popping visuals and a wonderfully kitsch-culture sensibility that makes “Batman Forever” an entertaining watch.

There’s an aspect of Batman and of comics that is exactly like that. Comics have a realm of possibility that can afford, if need be, to not take itself deadly seriously…a realm that can be over the top and exceedingly visual.

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To date, I’ve always felt that “Batman Forever” really puts the ‘Comic Book’ in ‘Comic Book Movie,’ and I think it’s the most ‘Comic Book’ esque of the entire sub-genre.

The angle of giving Bruce a more psychologically based character arc to traverse through seems like a good fit for the third film of the series and it works well for the most part…despite the fact that it’s flying in the face of the film’s overall style. Ultimately “Batman Forever” isn’t nearly as psychologically dominant as “Batman Returns” or “Batman Begins” and that has more to do with the cuts that were made to the film prior to its release. Had the film’s story remained more intact to what it’s initial incarnation was, I think “Forever” wouldn’t get the flack it tends to receive now.

Although, thankfully, people have begun to realize that “Batman Forever,” on its own merits, isn’t that bad…and shouldn’t be aligned with “Batman & Robin” just on the basis that Schumacher directed both. If you put the 2nd films aside you’ll see that “Forever” really does have a lot of good things going for it.

The foremost being, I suppose, the expansion of Batman’s world on film. Not just in terms of characters (notably the inclusion of Robin), but of the aspects to Batman’s overall landscape.

“Forever” finally gave us our first live action depictions of both Wayne Enterprises and Arkham Asylum. To this day, I still feel that Schumacher’s Arkham visually blows Nolan’s out of the water. To bring these elements into the series does render “Forever” in more of a comic tradition…as opposed to Burton who, despite nailing the character and his supporting cast psychologically and atmospherically, didn’t make such moves (if you notice in Burton’s films Bruce Wayne’s role in society is never defined…his name, despite being synonymous with Gotham, isn’t given that corporate anchor). The film, pre-dating “Batman Begins” by over a decade, also introduced movie audiences at large to the first live action depiction of the component of Batman’s origin that involved young Bruce falling into the cavernous grotto where he comes face to face with the Bats that reside beneath the Manor.

The cast of “Batman Forever” is a mixed bag personally. They’re tremendous actors all…and I think their respective careers outside of the film showcase that far better. In “Forever”s defense, I do think the intent was noble.

Acting as Keaton’s successor, Val Kilmer gives a moderately impressive take both as Bruce Wayne and his iconic caped counterpart. His Batman doesn’t have the psychotic edge of Keatons’ but what he lacks in edgy pathos he makes up for in physicality. Late creator Bob Kane had gone on record saying that Kilmer was a perfect physical choice for Batman, and I can agree with that.

Perhaps the best bit of casting at the time was up and comer Jim Carrey…whose star was on the rise following “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” and the Dark Horse Comics adaptation “The Mask.” Channeling Frank Gorshin on speed, Carrey’s Riddler seems to be quite the suitable foil for Kilmer’s Dark Knight. To see him go to town on a film of this size…doing what he does in a style only he can pull off…is a wonderful example of seeing an actor 100% in his element and he makes the film that much more fun in that regard.

On paper, Tommy Lee Jones seems like an excellent choice for Two-Face…given his intense characterization and performance in “The Fugitive.” But the issue comes from the fact that he was clearly doing his best to out-Nicholson Nicholson…and in that regard, he fails miserably. Because the aesthetic of the film is over the top, the responsibility falls to the actors to try and keep the reality of the piece as grounded as they can. Jones decides to chew up scenery left and right instead and it almost gets to the point of self-indulgent obnoxiousness. Apparently there were scenes of subtlety that reflected Dent’s schizophrenia…one in particular of his destroying half a mirror in his lair in a fit of rage…but again, it’s clear that angst and subtlety were not Warners intent for the picture.

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The film’s romantic interest doesn’t hold a candle to Selina Kyle, but Nicole Kidman’s exuding sexuality make her instantly…um…likeable. Though it works in a comic-pop way, it’s quite hilarious that the one psychologist willing to figure out our hero just so happens to be a statuesque hardbody with perfect blonde hair, full pouting lips and a push up bra. Not that I’m complaining by any means (although you can see clearly that Kidman’s presence here…much along the lines of Jessica Alba today…is for little more than eye candy). True the purist in me will always condemn her for using the sacred Bat-Signal as a means of seduction. Then again if I were Batman, that kind of flirtatious aggression is probably exactly what I would want in a woman. Oh who am I kidding…I’m not Batman and that’s exactly what I would want in a woman. That took guts…and guts are something a woman after a heart like Batman’s needs.

That leaves us with Chris O’Donnell…our first flesh and blood Robin since Burt Ward.

Meh…

While Robin IS an integral part of Batman’s history…and his involvement in the films was inevitable…O’Donnell’s presence (as well as the character’s) seems quite forced.

Just like Kidman for guys, O’Donnell is there to exert some youthful energy for the ladies in the audience. Aside from that, he comes off like a total whiner (did the studio accidentially send him all the comics with Jason Todd?) and it only gets worse in the next film.

Perhaps if they had gone with a younger Robin that might’ve worked better. As you can see it’s quite difficult to figure the entrance of a character that people don’t really care all that much for. I mean it’s clear that Robin, while being important to the myth, isn’t a determining factor in the success of a film (so far Batman’s most successful films haven’t featured the Boy Wonder) and it’ll be interesting to see if someone can come in one day to interpret Robin in a far more inventive way.

The supports don’t manage a whole lot here…and I’m really speaking for the ever loyal Michael Gough and Pat Hingle, who respectively stuck with their portrayals of Alfred and Commissioner Gordon through the first four films.

In what little time he has, Gough is just as charming as ever and a part of me will always relish in his approach to Alfred. Hingle, on the other hand, gets more goofy in Joel’s depiction…hardly the mark of a competent Police Commissioner and Batman’s strongest ally in the department.

An interesting but short lived performance is delivered by Ed Begley Jr. as Ed Nygma’s boss Fred Stickley…too short lived to make much of an impact but he does well to flavor the cast.

Schumacher also manages to throw in a hefty bit role for Bob Kane’s wife Elizabeth Sanders as Gossip Gerty…who quickly wears out her welcome as a character (don’t worry though…we get a whole other film with her to!).

From there we get bit appearances from Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson as a the leader of Gotham’s resident Neon-Gang…and a quaint walk on by “Iron Man” director Jon Favereau (!) as one of Bruce Wayne’s shirt-tucking posse during his trip to Wayne Electronics.

In terms of the art aesthetic and design, “Batman Forever” certainly stands out among the caped crusader’s incarnations.

Gone are the Gothic stylized visions of Anton Furst and Bo Welch as Gotham City is rendered through the work of exemplerary production designer Barbara Ling. Here, Batman’s stomping grounds are depicted as more of a melting pot of styles based both on ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The design combines elements of Art Deco with hefty industrialization, the hyper neon landscapes of Tokyo and the slums of Hong Kong. Barbara’s take on the Batcave is very well executed (finally getting that hydraulic turntable in there is a nice touch) and her approach to Batman’s vehicular arsenal…almost a ‘Giger’ take on combining mechanical components with a horrifically organic finish…is quitre inspired. I’m not a fan of the giant lone fin that she took from the early comics for the Batmobile, Batwing and Batboat…but it’s valid I suppose.

One of my favorite sets is the Riddler’s inner sanctum on Claw Island…a complete 180 from the grimmy dwellings of the Joker or Penguin, it’s like a giant pinball machine come alive with strobing green neon and metallic surfacing. It’s a prominent set to be sure. Two-Face’s dichotomous lair is a bit on the nose but it’s decent enough.

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The action of the film is pretty well done…though at times it can seem tame and overtly staged. Things kick off to high voltage with a kinetic chopper chase following the botched Gotham Bank Robbery…which works as a great ‘Indiana Jones’ type prologue for the film and sets up the flair of the film quickly.

There’s the kick ass Batmobile chase that leads to one of the films prominent visual key points as the Batmobile fires a grappling hook and proceeds to drive up the side of a skyscraper (!!!). No explanation of how the ‘mobile’ got down, but…oh well…watching that scene still gets me revved.

One of the other visual key points is one of my favorite moments in the film. Sure it’s incredibly cheesy…almost to the point of parody…but c’mon…seeing the Batwing fly through the Riddler-ized Bat-Signal and return it to normalcy as Gordon cheers his ally on. I get chills from that moment even now…awesome!

It’s all capped by a spectacular free fall finale as Batman saves both Chase and Robin from a watery death in the Riddler’s fortress. Right out of a comic book, it’s a wonderful moment of brash heroics and it’s scenes like that that’ll make the kid in you jump up and down with anticipatory joy.

Taking over the symphonic reigns from Danny Elfman, “Alien III” composer Elliot Goldenthal delivers a wonderfully bombastic and brassy score…in some ways brassier than the original “BATMAN” score (although certainly not as memorable). Goldenthal’s romp of a theme is light and fun with a twinge of heroic menace; probably attempting to make a worthy foil for Elfman’s own march. While it doesn’t live up to that, it’s still a pretty kick ass theme. In many ways it might be the most ‘super hero’ esque theme of Batman’s history.

Aside from the theme itself however, the score can feel a tad repetitive with its busy action material and techno-meets-brass hullaballoo. The Riddler’s theme is enjoyable…and I do like the refreshing string motifs used during Bruce’s flashback.

All in all, “Batman Forever” is a substantial action film…a hearty example of the ‘Summer Blockbuster’ vernacular.

It’s everything about popular youth culture rolled up into a sweeping display of extremity and theatrics in a way no other character aside from Batman could possibly be afforded.

In hindsight, “Forever” is far better than the reputation it usually is followed by…with time more people and more Batman fans have come to accept of this notion.

Spectacle at its flashiest, “Batman Forever” is an exciting ride through Gotham City headed by a visionary filmmaker who, despite the claims of many a Batman fan, is quite good at what he does.

It is, simply put, just a fun motion picture experience.

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BATMAN FOREVER
ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SCORE (1995)


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Composed by … Elliot Goldenthal
Conducted by … Jonathan Sheffer
Orchestrated by … Robert Elhai and Elliot Goldenthal
Additional Orchestrations by … Shirley Walker, David John Olsen, Michael McCuistion, Lolita Ritmanis and Randy Kerber
Vocals by … Harmonic Voices and Elliot Goldenthal

Produced by … Matthias Gohl

Track Listing:

1: Main Titles & Fanfare (1:50)
2: Perpetuum Mobile (0:54)
3: The Perils of Gotham (3:01)
4: Chase Noir (1:45)
5: Fledermausmerschmusik (1:15)
6: Nygma Variations (An Ode to Science) (6:02)
7: Victoria (2:37)
8: Descent (1:07)
9: The Pull of Regret (2:50)
10: Mouth to Mouth Nocturne (2:14)
11: Gotham City Boogie (2:02)
12: Under the Top (5:42)
13: Mr. E’s Dance Card (Rumba, Fox-Trot, Waltz and Tango) (3:21)
14: Two-Face Three Step (2:20)
15: Chase Blanc (1:23)
16: Spank Me! Overture (2:46)
17: Holy Rusted Metal (1:51)
18: Batterdammerung (1:40)​

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By the mid ‘90s, studios and filmmakers alike felt that…at least to an extent…the symphonic score once resurrected by composers such as John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith had run its course.

Audiences were getting larger. But, more importantly…they were getting younger. And pandering to the commercial tastes of the young demographic, now being waned on the alternative grit of bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden, seemed like one of the best…and perhaps most subtle…devices for enticing and entertainment.

That’s not to say traditional score was completely aborted as several compositions such as Hans Zimmer’s score for “The Lion King” (1994) and James Horner’s work on “Apollo 13” (1995) were highly praised, earning Academy Award nominations and wins throughout the early years of the decade.

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But when you’ve got a lightning rod of a property like Batman…under the direction of “Lost Boys” helmer Joel Schumacher…it’s clear that a compromise had to be made.

Enter “Alien III” composer Elliot Goldenthal. Known for his preference on dark, character driven material, Goldenthal felt like an artistically natural choice to bring his compositional prowess to Batman.

And while he’s easily no Danny Elfman, Elliot’s work is certainly quite sensational.

Look at it this way…

If Danny Elfman’s musical approach to Batman is “Phantom of the Opera” and “Hamlet”…then Elliot Goldenthal’s approach is “West Side Story” and “Bye Bye Birdie.”

Both composers are very theatrical in their take on the material, clearly evidenced by the cues themselves. But while Elfman is more gothic…somber…more like an opera of sorts…Goldenthal is very much equivalent to the lavishly overblown stage play.

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The “Batman Forever” score is big…it’s sweeping. In many ways it’s the broadest and most heroic music written for the character.

There’s the dynamic new Batman Theme with “Main Titles and Fanfare.”
Goldenthal, in several interviews and reports, claims that the inspiration for his theme is very much the child in all of us…and the concept of children mouthing and sounding out their own scores while playing superhero action figures.

What would a Batman theme sound like from the heart and mind of that young child waving a Batman toy in his hands? Thus, the fanfare was conceived.

A few parts mystery when played with low, cumbersome strings…a few parts dazzle when played with triumphant horns…the theme is certainly a standout for the piece and quite over the top in a very pop-opera sort of way which I love.

From there, in all honesty, the score seems content with retaining its constant assault on the senses…with giant hyper-laced cues such as “The Perils of Gotham” as Batman grapples with Two-face on his helicopter…and the “Spank Me! Overture” as the Riddler decimates the Batcave.

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As you can clearly identify by the titles of the cues, Goldenthal approached the score just as I felt he had.

Instead of opera acts with each cue of “Batman Returns,” “Batman Forever” is scored like a set-up of dance numbers.

There’s the sultry “Mouth to Mouth Nocturne” as Chase and Batman have their balcony rendezvous after the battle at the Ritz Gotham…the “Two-Face Three Step” playing a collection of prominent Two-Face related melodies from throughout the film such as his scene with Sugar and Spice in his lair.

The biggest is clearly “Mr. E’s Dance Card,” which collects several cues from the Nygmatech Party. It starts off with a smoky rendition of the Batman Fanfare envisioned as a Rumba before moving into the quirky neon-lined atmosphere of the party itself with the perky brass of a Fox-Trot as Edward Nygma is fond over by Gossip Gerty and the press. It then segues back to earlier in the film with the Waltz as a pre-Riddler Nygma hands in his resignation from Wayne Enterprises…dishing out a cheesy sob-story over Fred Stickley’s demise...the swelling strings only add on the thickness.

One of my personal favorites of Goldenthal’s composition is “Nygma Variations (An Ode to Science).”

Like the “Two-Face Three Step,” the track collections several cues composed for the Riddler…including his theme about a quarter of the way in. One of the aspects I love the most is the attempt to further differentiate from Danny Elfman by utilizing synthesizers and organ as a flashy representation of computer razzmatazz…an electronic symphony of consoles and buttons and gizmos the likes of which Edward Nygma would go crazy for!

Several of the cues do well to flavor Schumacher’s depiction of Gotham…such as “Chase Blanc,” when Chase is confronted and bewitched by Batman for the first time as they discuss Two-Face’s take over of the 2nd Bank of Gotham.

There’s also “Under the Top” (playfully titled after Goldenthal’s belief that, with a larger than life property like Batman, you have to be over the top in the music…not ‘under the top’), which highlights all of the music from the presentation of the Circus in the Hippodrome. In some ways, given that the Circus is actually being performed on a stage of some sort, “Under the Top” is even more bombastic than several of the action cues…note the strong percussion and use of wailing horns and brass.

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On the other side of the broadened spectrum there are still a collection of somber, melodic tracks such as “The Pull of Regret”…and especially “Descent,” the cue used during Bruce’s flashback to his parent’s wake…and the night he discovered the cave as a child, confronted by a lone bat flying towards him, which remains one of the creepiest and most atmospheric moments in the composition as a whole.

Some cues are unfortunately left out of the official release (specifically the cues for Bruce suiting up in the Sonar Batsuit, the forging of Batman and Robin’s partnership…and Gordon cheering on as the Batwing flies through the Bat-Signal) and perhaps someday a special edition could be made…though I won’t get my hopes up.

The score is capped off with the classically bombastic “Batterdammerung” as Batman drops into a spectacular free-fall to save both Chase Meridian and Robin. Set off by a pulse-pounding crash of percussion, the track plays very much like the set-up and resolve of the old 40s serials.

As Batman descends to catch Chase and Robin, the score sounds like “Will our hero prevail? Will the Riddler’s hostages survive!? Tune in next week…Same Bat-Time, Same Bat” but it’s quickly interrupted and turns on its head to an uplifted and victorious variation of the Fanfare as Batman successfully rescues both his lady love and his sidekick.

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On the whole, the “Batman Forever” score is a wonderful musical interpretation of the caped crusader…full of all the lavish heroics and kinetic momentum that makes comic book characters the great mythic figures that they are.

While it doesn’t quite fit of the mold of great Batman music for me personally, the themes and motifs are easily still more memorable than some of the music of later interpretations.

Goldenthal might not be on the gothic level of Elfman…but as a competent composer in his own right, he certainly lives up to the zany whims of Schumacher’s vision while not falling into the trap of forsaking the integrity of the piece…at least in a symphonic sense.

A master score that probably sells the sizzle better than the steak, “Batman Forever” still have more than enough style to burn…and that I can appreciate.

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BATMAN FOREVER
ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK (1995)


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Executive Produced by &#8230; Jolene Cherry, Gary LeMel and Joel Schumacher
Project Supervised by &#8230; Leslie Reed

Track Listing:

1: Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me &#8211; U2 (4:46)
2: One Time Too Many &#8211; PJ Harvey (2:52)
3: Where Are You Now? - Brandy (3:57)
4: Kiss from a Rose - Seal (3:38)
5: The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game &#8211; Massive Attack feat. Tracy Thorn (4:06)
6: Nobody Lives Without Love &#8211; Eddi Reader (5:05)
7: Tell Me Now &#8211; Mazzy Star (4:15)
8: Smash It Up &#8211; The Offspring (3:26)
9: There Is a Light &#8211; Nick Cave (4:23)
10: The Riddler &#8211; Method Man (3:30)
11: The Passenger &#8211; Michael Hutchence (4:37)
12: Crossing the River &#8211; The Devlins (4:45)
13: 8 &#8211; Sunny Day Real Estate (5:27)
14: Bad Days &#8211; The Flaming Lips (4:39)​

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For all the flack it tends to generate, Joel Schumacher&#8217;s &#8220;Batman&#8221; films are quite the progenitor of how comic book adaptations were perceived for the longest time.

Films like Sam Raimi&#8217;s &#8220;Spider-Man&#8221; movies, Tim Story&#8217;s &#8220;Fantastic Four&#8221; pictures, Mark Steven Johnson&#8217;s &#8220;Daredevil&#8221; and Jonathan Hensliegh&#8217;s &#8220;The Punisher&#8221; are very much current renditions of a lot of the techniques utilized first and foremost by &#8220;Batman Forever.&#8221;

Not so much in story or aesthetic (though that IS quite arguable given the balancing between comic book camp and melodrama) but really in the marketing aspects, the devices, etc.

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Chief among those would easily have to be the concept of incorporating several popular recording artists and bands of the day together in a compilation soundtrack.

Now of course earlier films had done this already, such as &#8220;The Crow&#8221; (1994), but &#8220;Batman Forever&#8221; was different in that it&#8217;s selection of tracks and talent was a bit more diverse.

Everything from Rock to R&B to Alternative, Country and Rap somehow found their way into Schumacher&#8217;s Gotham City&#8230;and this was clearly an inspiration for the idea of having &#8216;Music from and inspired by&#8217; albums to compliment your comic book movie.

Let&#8217;s go ahead and take a look at the tracks:

&#8220;Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me&#8221; &#8211; U2

The flagship action theme of the picture, U2&#8217;s track is far and away the best on the album. It&#8217;s powerful, slightly dark but overall upbeat and bombastic&#8230;definitely a head nod-er with a beat that you can quickly get into. The Edge&#8217;s guitar riffs are just excellent and Bono and the Edge&#8217;s lyrics (&#8220;You a headache in a suitcase&#8221;) are zany and kinetic, keeping right in line with the style of the film.

&#8220;One Time too Many&#8221; &#8211; PJ Harvey

Meant to touch upon the seedy Gotham underground, shown mostly when Dick Grayson takes the Batmobile for a joy ride, PJ Harvey&#8217;s rasp works wonders in creating a gritty, atmospheric rock joint&#8230;overall very cool!

&#8220;Where are You Now?&#8221; &#8211; Brandy

Brandy&#8217;s mellow smoothness for &#8220;Where are You Now?&#8221; is extremely well versed&#8230;a little R&B, a little pop it&#8217;s a very bubbly selection for the soundtrack and it works just as &#8220;One Time too Many&#8221; does in displaying several facets of Gotham City.

&#8220;Kiss from a Rose&#8221; &#8211; Seal

The 2nd lead track for the film, Seal single-handedly provides one of the most romantic songs that&#8217;s been written probably for the last&#8230;well, for the last 20 years I&#8217;d say. It identifies beautifully with Batman&#8217;s emotional dilemma in the film, being caught up in a romance with Chase Meridian during his psychological reckoning (&#8220;There used to be a graying tower alone on the sea&#8230;you became the light on the dark side of me&#8230;&#8221;) and it&#8217;s clear that Chase&#8217;s presence is the &#8216;Kiss from a Rose&#8217; on the &#8216;grave&#8217; of Batman&#8217;s haunted life of crime fighting.

&#8220;The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game&#8221; &#8211; Massive Attack feat. Tracy Thorn

Several of the tracks from here on out are more &#8216;inspired by&#8217; the film&#8230;with a few exceptions&#8230;and they work incredibly well in highlighting the nightlife and living of Joel&#8217;s Gotham City...the urban sprawl, the penthouse high-rises and back alleys. &#8220;The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game&#8221; is a very bizarre and mellow lounge-lizard track and it&#8217;s one of my favorites on the album, especially with its instrumentation and underscoring. Tracy Thorn&#8217;s sultry vocals are also quite pleasant.

&#8220;Nobody Lives Without Love&#8221; &#8211; Eddi Reader

With an airy beat and electronic instrumentation, Eddi Reader&#8217;s calming track paints a beautiful portrait of the romantic themes in the movie&#8230;giving hope to a lonely character like Batman with its title message. I love its lyrics (&#8220;You can try to lock your hearts away&#8230;but love will come back for you someday.&#8221;) and the almost happenstance presence of a lone trumpet, while bizarre at first, seems to act as the fleeting call to arms that Batman inevitably has to answer to despite the track&#8217;s claims.

&#8220;Tell Me Now&#8221; &#8211; Mazzy Star

In a true blue-grass daze, &#8220;Tell Me Now&#8221; injects the first distinctly different sound on the album (the first two tracks are more rock while tracks 3 through 6 have a more R&B, mellow undercurrent running through them). Alternative rock band Mazzy Star gives the track somewhat of a country twang and it&#8217;s certainly the slowest paced song on the soundtrack...which is good since the next collection of songs up the tempos.

&#8220;Smash it Up&#8221; &#8211; The Offspring

The track that appears at the opening of Dick Grayson&#8217;s Batmobile joy ride through Gotham, The Offspring offers a slam-bang track that you can&#8217;t help but head-bang to once in awhile. One of the interesting things is that its lyrics seem to potentially be a message about the transitioning from former helmer Tim Burton&#8217;s gothic and somber take to Joel Schumacher&#8217;s upbeat, energetic vision (&#8220;We&#8217;ve been crying now for much too long&#8230;and now we&#8217;re gonna dance to a different song&#8230;&#8221;). A distinct note HAS to be guitarist Dexter Hollands&#8217; riffs, both mellow and intense&#8230;great stuff!

&#8220;There is a Light&#8221; &#8211; Nick Cave

A trippy alternative head banger, &#8220;There is a Light&#8221; is a great addition to the soundtrack with the concrete-heavy vocals of Nick Cave. Clearly this is an anthem to Two-Face as it&#8217;s title touches upon the first scene in the film where Dent awaits Batman&#8217;s arrival at the Bank, looking on at the Bat-Signal hanging over Gotham. Cave&#8217;s vocals even go back and forth between an almost angelic, choral finish and a gritty snarl representative of Two-Face&#8217;s dichotomy. One of my favorite aspects of the track is also the oddly uncomfortable yet intriguingly awesome use of an organ.

&#8220;The Riddler&#8221; &#8211; Method Man

A full on ode to the Prince of Puzzles, rap dark horse Method Man&#8217;s mid-tempo joint seems like a great comical foil for Jim Carrey&#8217;s interpretation of Edward Nygma. It&#8217;s a bit darker in its representation of the Riddler than the film ultimately is (&#8220;if we speakin&#8217; homicide, not a problem&#8230;you wanna talk genocide, not a problem&#8230;) but the lyrics are just too cool to not get into (&#8220;Bat get trapped in the middle of the Riddler!&#8221;).

&#8220;The Passenger&#8221; &#8211; Michael Hutchence

Delivered by late former INXS front man Michael Hutchence, &#8220;The Passenger&#8221; might be my secret favorite on the album just after U2&#8217;s track. While U2&#8217;s opener is the high-profiler favorite, real Batman and music fans that&#8217;ll listen to the soundtrack in its entirety will be instantly charmed by the tone and atmospheric edge of this one. It&#8217;s beat, like Batman himself, is dark&#8230;driving&#8230;mental. Airy yet steely, Hutchence&#8217;s vocals give the lyrics a great mysterioso quality which I just love.

&#8220;Crossing the River&#8221; &#8211; The Devlins

If &#8220;Nobody Lives Without Love&#8221; is Chase Meridian&#8217;s side of the story, &#8220;Crossing the River&#8221; is clearly Batman&#8217;s approach to his new cinematic romance. The lyrics, just like Reader&#8217;s track, speak volumes (You had the longing&#8230;of a broken heart&#8230;shined your light in a room&#8230;that was frozen dark&#8230;) and the melody, created through light percussion and acoustic guitar, is tremendously nice and fresh.

&#8220;8&#8221; &#8211; Sunny Day Real Estate

An alternative rock anthem&#8230;mostly just to symbolize the sense of flight and adventure in the picture&#8230;American emo/indie band Sunny Day Real Estate&#8217;s &#8220;8&#8221; is great jam, noted most for its kick ass percussion at the hands of drummer William Goldsmith.

&#8220;Bad Days&#8221; &#8211; The Flaming Lips

While the Riddler got his theme in the form of a rap, his former nerdy Wayne Enterprises employee self gets his own theme courtesy of the Flaming Lips. Certainly one of the more quirky tracks and, frankly, maybe not the best note to end the album on (THAT would be &#8220;The Passenger&#8221; in my opinion), the lyrics are comically off balance (And you hate your boss at your job&#8230;but in your dreams you can blow his head off. In your dreams, show no mercy). I love how it symbolizes somewhat of a comforting rally theme to psychotic wage slaves&#8230;and approaching it that way makes the song that much more hilarious.

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The &#8220;Batman Forever&#8221; soundtrack is among my favorites from comic book films, right up there with 2003&#8217;s &#8220;Daredevil.&#8221; It&#8217;s selection of artists seem very much like a snapshot in time for 1995 (U2 and Seal notwithstanding) and it has a charming quality of ambiance in its tracks that seem to meld quite nicely with Schumacher&#8217;s movie&#8230;that is to say that it honestly feels that several of these tracks could be blasting out of some boom box in an apartment or a car stereo cruising through the film&#8217;s neon-soaked Gotham streets&#8230;which helps to symbiotically give both the film and the album a sense of life.

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BATMAN & ROBIN (1997)

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Directed by ... Joel Schumacher
Written by ... Akiva Goldsman
Based on the DC Comics Character Created by ... Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Executive Produced by ... Benjamin Melniker and Michael E. Uslan
Produced by ... Peter Macgregor-Scott, Mitchell E. Dauterive and William M. Elvin
Cinematography by … Stephen Goldblatt
Production Design by … Barbara Ling
Art Direction by … Richard Holland and Geoff Hubbard
Costume Design by … Bob Ringwood, Ingrid Ferrin and Robert Turturice
Editing by ... Mark Stevens and Dennis Virkler
Original Motion Picture Score Composed by ... Elliot Goldenthal

Arnold Schwarzenegger ... Mr. Freeze/Dr. Victor Fries
George Clooney ... Batman/Bruce Wayne
Chris O'Donnell ... Robin/Dick Grayson
Uma Thurman ... Poison Ivy/Dr. Pamela Isley
Alicia Silverstone ... Batgirl/Barbara Wilson
Michael Gough ... Alfred Pennyworth
Pat Hingle ... Commissioner James Gordon
John Glover ... Dr. Jason Woodrue
Elle Macpherson ... Julie Madison
Vivica A. Fox ... Ms. B. Haven
Vendela K. Thomessen ... Nora Fries
Elizabeth Sanders ... Gossip Gerty
Jeep Swenson ... Bane
Joe Sabatino ... Frosty
Michael Reid MacKay ... Antonio Diego
Eric Lloyd ... Young Bruce Wayne
Jon Simmons ... Young Alfred Pennyworth
Jesse Ventura ... Arkham Asylum Guard
Ralf Moeller ... Arkham Asylum Guard
Coolio ... Banker
Nicky Katt ... Spike​

Batman & Robin struggle to keep their alliance together as they attempt to stop Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy from freezing Gotham City and enslaving her with animal plant hybrids.

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1997’s “Batman & Robin.”

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No words can possibly express the sheer volume of hatred, disdain, disgust and wrath that this one film has received from both the Batman fan community and the world at large.

Empire Magazine, following a poll from its readers, dubbed the film the single worst film in movie history (with “Battlefield: Earth” taking the 2nd spot).

Okay…before we get to it, there’s something I want to get clear about.

Most people, especially fans of the earlier Batman films and of Nolan’s current iteration, loathe this picture with a passion that would probably be better suited for other more productive things.

I’ll tell you something…I didn't.

Well...not as much anyway....

In fact, although admittedly it IS my least favorite of the 6 contemporary live action films in the series, I still found the film quite refreshing in its cartoon-ish innocence.

Now before you comdemn me for my opinion (which in and of itself is a pointless practice…it’s just my opinion; please deal) let us consider some things.

The character DOES have a rather large fanbase made up of young children. Despite the psychological underpinnings of the character and the themes of insanity and tragedy that make up the myth of Batman, kids are inevitably going to be allured by the character and his adventures.

That said, what's so unforgivable about making it light-hearted?

Just once.

I'll admit that I’ve always found the darker more hard edged Batman to be more to my liking (even AS a kid), but does every single work that involves Batman have to be dark and brooding all the time?

I don't think so.

If you have a kid who loves Batman but might scare easy, wouldn’t you be glad to have a more family-friendly characterization to share with him or her?

Unfortunately, most people and fans aren't as tolerant about the subject.

But lets go ahead and take a look at “Batman & Robin.”

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This time Gotham City is in the grip of a new enemy: Mr Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger). A former Nobel-Winning scientist thrown into despair when his wife starts dying, an accident in a science lab has turned him into a super-villain intent on turning the city into a massive block of ice.

But he's about to find a new ally in the shape of the beautiful, sexy Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman), also a former scientist killed after discovering a secret she wasn't supposed to. Her plan is simply to callously eliminate mankind so her floral kindred can make the world theirs.

Of course, the caped crusader and his side-kick must stop this, but as Robin (Chris O’ Donnell) struggles to mature to find the strength and restraint to be an ally to Batman (George Clooney), can the two work together in time to make an effective partnership against evil...

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Easily the most critically mauled movie of the Batman franchise, the final part in the old series is again directed by Joel Schumacher and continues with the trend established by “Batman Forever” to be a lighter, more family-friendly turn. I see nothing wrong with that. The studio dictated the tone of the film...and Schumacher was just doing his job.

If I had to place blame on one creative force outside of the studio for the movie’s shortcomings...I'd put it more on Akiva Goldsman than Joel. Because the film DOES suffer from a heightened sense of the same problems that “Forever” had...problems originated in the script:

The story is ultimately lame, the dialogue clunky and the tone basically has the continuous texture of a loud, garish, overtly-colorful nightmare production. But again, in my personal opinion, it's not all bad. You just have to dig a little to find the good stuff.

And that good stuff resides in an engaging and emotionally intriguing sub-plot concerning Alfred (played by the always welcome Michael Gough) who after years of faithful service to Bruce Wayne has been stricken by terminal illness. His deterioration into that illness and the arrival of his niece Barbara (Alicia Silverstone) allow us to take refreshing breaths from all of the big, dumb American Movie action occuring around us. Alfred's quieter scenes with Bruce are also quite compelling, which says a lot considering this was the ‘fourth’ Batman film at the time.

Alfred: "Death and Chance stole your parents. But rather than become a victim, you have done everything in your power to control the fates. For what is Batman...if not an effort to master the chaos that sweeps our world. An attempt to control death itself.

Bruce: "But I can't, can I?"

Alfred: "None of us can..."

Still today, that's one of my favorite exchanges in the original film series.

The film is also helped (very mildly though) by some fairly good performances.

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George Clooney has a genuine presence as Batman (and a better one as Bruce Wayne) and Thurman has a genuinely sexy presence to her as Poison Ivy. Appearing in some figure hugging sexy suits and pouts that certainly raise the innuendo a degree or two for a PG movie, Thurman just oozes eroticism much as Kidman had done prior. On top of the sex angle, Uma gives Ivy a good turn as a nasty, well-spoken ***** with an honest contempt for humanity (although having her actually utter ‘Curses’ just puts it too over the top).

As for the Governator himself…Schwarzenegger looks cool (I'm sorry I couldn't help it...) in his Mr. Freeze costume, but he's really at his bad-acting worst in terms of his performance here. Then again, I've never considered Arnold in contention for Oscar, so...meh. Chris O'Donnell is as hopeless as ever and thankfully faded into oblivion shortly after the film was made (though he’s since found semi-resurrection on the series “NCIS: Los Angeles” opposite LL Cool J). The same fate, it would appear though, fell to Silverstone, who didn't deserve it as much, but her role as Barbara Wilson (Who are you and what've you done with Barbara Gordon!?) a.k.a. Batgirl here is pretty pointless and a rather tacky marketing gimmick aimed at both getting a more female-oriented demographic and for keeping the franchise going longer (which failed).

The sets conceived by Barbara Ling are big and bold and pretty decent. The Batcave is pretty sweet in this incarnation and Freeze and Poison Ivy’s respective dwellings, while being played up to the area of outright villainous stereotype, fit easily enough.

I think Big is just the operative word here.

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John Dykstra’s visual effects work very well considering. Sure, having Batman and Robin surf through the sky as a rocket explodes over Gotham is a bit...much...but at least it looks cool. And a big factor of comic books is having stuff look cool. I wouldn't trade that for decent storytelling, but the kid in me STILL gets a kick out of it now and then.

And I'm just gonna say...right now...that to date, including 'Batman Begins' ... Joel Schumacher's depiction of Arkham Asylum is still, to me, the best live action representation of that location to date. His Gothic Citadel of an Asylum kicks the crap out of Nolan's uniformed Arkham any day of the week. But anyway...

Some of the gags in the script and aspects of the production fall flat, and I'm sure you all know them by heart...Bat Credit Card, Green Lightning and Flames, Rubber Lips, R. Kelly's "Gotham City," Cod Pieces, Snow-Meiser, Lobotimized Bane, Reverse Robin, Nipples, Polar Bear Slippers, Taco Bell, Gorilla Suits, Coolio (COOLIO!!!???)...and so on and so on....

But so what?

The child in all of us can still thrill to the climax of Batman rescuing the observatory scientists from the falling telescope…and the pop-comic elements of sweeping flight and fancy fun still hold up for me today.

I can watch the film without ragging on it…and that really stems from my childhood experience of seeing it for the first time with my late great grandmother in Oklahoma when it first came out. Caught up in the moment getting the toys and eating the pop-tarts before going to the theatre and seeing it on the big screen with those big saucers for eyes…nothing like that!

In the end “Batman & Robin” is a complete farce...but hey…it's a fun farce to watch every so often.

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BATMAN & ROBIN
ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SCORE (Elliot Goldenthal, 1997/1999)


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Composed by &#8230; Elliot Goldenthal
Conducted by &#8230; Jonathan Sheffer

Produced by &#8230; Matthias Gohl

Track Listing:

Disc 1:

1: Main Titles (2:19)
2: A New Villain/Batman Drops In (5:39)
3: Museum Mayhem/Blast Off/Surfs Up (5:56)
4: Frozen Stiff/The Jungle (2:32)
5: Bane is Born (4:34)
6: Nature of Family (0:48)
7: Poison Ivy/Mr. Freeze's Plans (4:58)
8: New Family Arrives (3:57)
9: Poison Ivy (1:56)
10: Mine for the Greening/Sad Moments (3:11)
11: One More Diamond/The Costume Ball (4:47)
12: Freeze Crashes the Party (4:19)
13: A Chilling Chase (2:34)
14: Matters of Trust (2:20)
15: Freeze on Ice/Renovations (7:10)
16: Main Titles Alternate (3:35)

Disc 2:

1: Night Streets/Dick Saves Barbara (4:36)
2: Secrets Revealed/Alfred is Dying (1:47)
3: Escaping from Arkham/Mr. Freeze&#8217;s Revenge/Beauty and the Beast (4:33)
4: Adam & Evil (0:57)
5: MacGregor&#8217;s Syndrome (0:33)
6: Partners Part/Seeing the Light (5:17)
7: Access Allowed/Trust Me Now/Batgirl (7:14)
8: Invading Ivy's Garden (4:44)
9: Ice Malice (3:08)
10: Storming the Observatory/Final Battle/A Helping Hand (13:11)
11: Partners times Three (2:03)
12: End Credits (4:53)
13: Main Title Reprise (3:36)​

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In the years following its release, &#8220;Batman & Robin&#8221; (1997) never received an official release for Elliot Goldenthal&#8217;s score by Warner Brothers Records or Atlantic&#8230;the label that released the soundtrack.

However, a comprehensive bootleg release has surfaced here and there at conventions and on the internet.

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Looking back on the score for the film, there&#8217;s nowhere near the distinction between it and the original score for &#8220;Batman Forever&#8221; (1995) as there is between composer Danny Elfman&#8217;s two scores.

Even so, there are a few new standout cues composed by Goldenthal that I quite enjoy.

The &#8220;Main Titles&#8221; are actually a bit more of a mythic interpretation of Goldenthal&#8217;s original theme as depicted here and aren&#8217;t AS bombastic as the Fanfare of &#8220;Forever&#8221; (if you listen, you can tell it&#8217;s being played a bit slower&#8230;a bit more methodical)

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From there things get rip-roaring with &#8220;A New Villain/Batman Drops In&#8221; (a great highlight are the bongos and percussive elements as Commissioner Gordon fills Batman in on the chaos at the Gotham Museum.) and it&#8217;s here that we&#8217;re first introduced to one of my favorite cues from the film&#8230;the &#8220;Robin Theme&#8221; (which plays between 3:08 and 3:12 in the track). I think it fits very well with Chris O&#8217;Donnell&#8217;s portrayal of the character&#8230;much more out there and heroic than what Batman himself would like to be, which makes since given Robin being younger. The theme makes a more fulfilled appearance in the &#8220;Trust Me Now&#8221; cue.

Things take off (quite literally) with &#8220;Museum Mayhem/Blast Off/Surfs Up,&#8221; which is easily one of&#8230;if not my favorite&#8230;cues from the entire composition.

Just imagine all of the loud, kinetic score material of &#8220;Forever&#8221; and pump 10,000 CCs of adrenaline into it. For being my least favorite of the films, I always get pumped when Batman and Robin jettison from Mr. Freeze&#8217;s rocket just as the Bat-Bomb destroys it and Goldenthal&#8217;s music plays a firm hand to that end. So COOL!!!

Ultimately several of the &#8220;Forever&#8221; cues are used once again through slightly altered arrangements&#8230;but the score still manages to parlay a pretty decent amount of new material.

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You&#8217;ve got &#8220;Secret&#8217;s Revealed/Alfred is Dying&#8221; which starts as a refreshingly light-hearted and emotional track meant to symbolize the sense of family shared between Bruce, Dick, Barbara and Alfred (for those who didn&#8217;t know and, as you could&#8217;ve guessed, the emotional lynch-pin for &#8220;Batman & Robin&#8221; was to drive home the importance of family&#8230;and there&#8217;s certainly nothing wrong with that). This family theme also makes an appearance at the end of the movie when Alfred is revealed to be cured thanks to Mr. Freeze&#8217;s research&#8230;and this might be my favorite piece of music from the entire score.

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There&#8217;s also &#8220;The Costume Ball,&#8221; which is a deliciously madcap ode for Poison Ivy full of thriving jungle beats and light bright parade lingo&#8230;sharp trumpets and all the bells and whistles that make the Auction the gala event Wayne Enterprises must&#8217;ve intended.

The cue plays very much in line with &#8220;Mr. E&#8217;s Dance Card&#8221; from the &#8220;Forever&#8221; score&#8230;just THAT much more flamboyant (you can clearly note the re-occurrence of Goldenthal&#8217;s Batman theme throughout). But 2:30 in is when Ivy makes her presence known and this is probably one of the more distinct pieces from music from the film. It&#8217;s airy, sensual, quirky and bizarre all at the same time&#8230;which makes sense given the aura of erotic mystery that has to surround Ivy at this point. The cue also utilizes the classic &#8220;Poison Ivy&#8221; originally performed by the Coasters in 1959&#8230;here rendered quite beautifully in buzzy-burkley brass.

As you&#8217;ll easily discover, several of Poison Ivy&#8217;s cues&#8230;sort of like Chase Meridian&#8230;are adorned for the most part with sultry saxophone, which I&#8217;m always charmed by (I played alto sax in high school). Although it can come on a bit thick and obvious in its almost child-like attempts at sensuality, that&#8217;s Schumacher&#8217;s Batman for you.

For the film&#8217;s main adversary, Mr. Freeze gets his own theme&#8230;though in my opinion it doesn&#8217;t live up anywhere near the themes for, say, the Penguin or the Riddler. In a way, it&#8217;s just like Christopher Young&#8217;s theme for the Sandman in &#8220;Spider-Man III&#8221;&#8230;very stereotypically evil. Even more embarrassing is the fact that a year later, for the direct to video animated film &#8220;Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub Zero,&#8221; composer Michael McCuistion crafts a Mr. Freeze theme that is layered with such emotion&#8230;able to be played both with formidable menace and tragic remorse&#8230;but even so, Goldenthal&#8217;s theme is decent enough&#8230;albeit one-dimensional.

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However, where the genius in Goldenthal&#8217;s composition lies as far as Freeze is concerned plays more on the emotional side in dealing with Freeze&#8217;s wife. Cues such as &#8220;Escaping from Arkham&#8221; come to mind right away, where Freeze makes the iconic ice sculpture of his beloved Nora&#8230;complete with the twinkling chimes of a somber snow globe.

As the core sub-plot of the film, Alfred&#8217;s illness is given a beautifully poignant cue with &#8220;Mr. Freeze&#8217;s Revenge/Beauty and the Beast.&#8221; Played by a lone trumpet, its one of my favorites and is one of the more heroic cues from the score just before it delves back into the night as Batman and Robin make their way to Freeze&#8217;s lair upon hearing of his escape.

Several other cues stand out amongst the compositions&#8230;such as the fleeting creepy choral bits of &#8220;Invading Ivy&#8217;s Garden&#8221; and the heroic panache of the final cues.

The score wraps up all big and lavish with &#8220;Storming the Observatory&#8221; (a personal favorite) and the &#8220;Final Confrontation&#8221; as Batman, Robin and Batgirl work to save Gotham from being forever frozen. It&#8217;s rounded out quite well with a rhythmic rendition of the Fanfare as Batman successfully re-calibrates the telescope to be a giant heat-ray capable of melting the ice and restoring Gotham and it all ends with &#8220;Batterdammerung&#8221; times a thousand as Batman successfully rescues the Gotham Observatory scientists from the collapse of the telescope.

On the whole and, in all honesty, this collection is a far better representation of Elliot Goldenthal&#8217;s musical approach to Batman&#8230;and it&#8217;s just a real shame that it never got a proper release.

Perhaps it, like the score for &#8220;Batman Returns&#8221; will get its proper due somewhere down the line&#8230;because for all its loud, boisterous ambiance, the &#8220;Batman & Robin&#8221; score is a great example of a talent composer and his theatrical styling for the dynamic duo.

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BATMAN & ROBIN
ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK (1997)


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"Look into My Eyes" - Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (NOTE: Explicit Lyrics...Watch at your own diescretion)

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Executive Produced by … Danny Bramson and Gary LeMel
Music Supervised by … Danny Bramson

Track Listing:

1: The End is The Beginning is The End – The Smashing Pumpkins (5:02)
2: Look Into My Eyes – Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (4:28)
3: Gotham City – R. Kelly (4:56)
4: House on Fire – Arkana (3:24)
5: Revolution – R.E.M. (3:04)
6: Foolish Games – Jewel (4:00)
7: Lazy Eye – Goo Goo Dolls (3:46)
8: Breed – Lauren Christy (3:05)
9: The Bug – Soul Coughing (3:09)
10: Fun For Me – Moloko (5:08)
11: Poison Ivy – Me’Shell Ndegeocello (3:33)
12: True to Myself – Eric Benet (4:41)
13: A Batman Overture – Elliot Goldenthal (3:35)
14: Moaner – Underworld (10:17)
15: The Beginning is The End is The Beginning – the Smashing Pumpkins (4:58)
16: Alarmala de tos – Café Tacuba (Bonus Track available only in Mexico and South America)​

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With the smash arrival…and quick fizzle…of “Batman & Robin” (1997), it seemed as if the caped crusader’s cinematic escapades would never possibly recover.

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However, in the thick of 1997, Joel Schumacher’s lavish portrayal of Gotham City lived it up as best it could…unleashing a giant marketing machine upon the world with everything from toys and pop-tarts to video/board games and Six Flags stunt shows.

For the task of the film’s soundtrack, the aesthetic was once again chosen to compile a compilation of hot artists…creating a snapshot of 1997 that, in several ways, is even more random then “Batman Forever” with selections like Arkana and Soul Coughing.

Mirroring the approach of the “Batman & Robin” movie, the album plays very much like a desperate attempt to re-capture the success of “Batman Forever.” While key scenes and motifs from “Forever” were rehashed for the film, a similar move was made for the soundtrack.

As a result the album is an outright hodge-podge…combining genres that range from quirky techno-pop to gangster rap to smooth R&B to country.

In all honesty, the album has a few standouts…but ultimately it’s not that great.

Let’s take a look at the tracks:

“The End is The Beginning is The End” – The Smashing Pumpkins

An answer to “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me,” the album’s flagship track is one of those aforementioned standouts. Catchy and kinetic, Billy Corgin’s vocals might not be as poignant as “Rat in a cage,” but the song paints a pretty fair portrait of the sense of spectacle and fun that the film was trying to convey. It’s a larger than life rock ballad that has ’97 written all over it and ignites the album on a great, broad note.

“Look Into My Eyes” – Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

Shifting genres quite hastily, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony allows one of their hits onto the soundtrack with “Look Into My Eyes.” It’s a good head-nodder and I love the beats and melodies…the only problem I have is that, while it fits into Schumacher’s glossy production, it just doesn’t fit with the character of Batman. Well…maybe more so with Robin and Batgirl. And of course, given that it’s a Batman soundtrack, the more explicit lyrics are exonerated from this cut. It’s a bit disheartening considering that Siouxsie Sioux got away with singing “*****” for “Batman Returns.” That’s really just nit-picking though.

“Gotham City” – R. Kelly

Probably the most talked about track on the album, “Gotham City” (i.e. this album’s “Kiss from a Rose) is R. Kelly in his pre-‘Trapped in a Closet’ prime…a soulful R&B connoisseur with a voice of velvet unafraid to play it up by belting it out with a full-on gospel choir (and children for the last portion of the track!). Of course the track is notorious for its portrayal of the infamous comic book city…namely with its claims that Gotham should be “a city of justice…a city of love…a city of peace for every one of us.” Now we all know that Gotham is anything but peaceful and loving...and the thought that it should completely destroys the need for Batman in the first place. That said, the song on its own merits is enjoyable and Kelly’s vocals are beautiful here.

“House on Fire” – Arkana

From here on out, a lot of the soundtrack begins to fall apart. While still retaining Schumacher’s overall atmosphere, it just goes all over the place (hell, to go from rock to rap to R&B in just three tracks accomplished that already!). Arkana’s “House on Fire” could be construed…with its title specifically…as a potential comment on the breaking up of Batman, Robin, Batgirl and Alfred’s family dynamic for the majority of the picture. Charming for the first few listens and it has a pretty trippy guitar solo that I like…but the vocals can get downright whiny from time to time.

“Revolution” – R.E.M.

For a flashy kid flick like “Batman & Robin,” R.E.M.’s presence certainly raises an eyebrow. The beats are kick ass…but even more startling is the social commentary they make with the track. “Bomb the abortion clinic” or the even more outrageous “Black men can’t get acquitted…of all the crimes that we’ve committed.” GUH!? Did I miss that in the film? I guess the debris of Mr. Freeze’s rocket must’ve taken out said abortion clinic. But seriously, the song’s lyrics are an oddity to be connected to a film like this…oh well…

“Foolish Games” – Jewel

After two straight tracks of bombastic percussion, things quiet down for a fleeting instance with Jewel’s poetic…and actually quite refreshing…”Foolish Games.” Maybe it’s meant to be Alfred’s point of view on his employers crime-fighting antics, maybe I’m reading too much into it. I love the undercurrent of piano and the acoustic guitar, which is in stark opposition to all of the previous tracks…which make it a standout (more than that, I’ve heard “Foolish Games” on the radio recently!). So clearly it’s had more longevity than all of the other tracks.

“Lazy Eye” – Goo Goo Dolls

The Goo Goo Dolls provide the 2nd wind following jewel with with this kinetic rock ballad. Eagle-eared fans will spot the use of “Lazy Eye” in Poison Ivy’s Turkish Bath hideout while its still occupied by a faction of the infamous neon gang. As a song it sure is full of flight and whimsy, which most certainly works for “Batman & Robin.”

“Breed” – Lauren Christy

What makes “Breed,” for me, is clear…Lauren Christy’s vocals. But what’s odd about the track is that, while the verses have a tinge of darkness to them, you’ll notice that the melody immediately gets uplifted. Sexually charged (“I need to breed, breed, breed, breed, BREED!”) the track is definitely playful…but again, why exactly it’s in a Batman soundtrack, I’m not sure.

“The Bug” – Soul Coughing

A bizarre repetitive quasi-rap meets alternative, Soul Coughing’s “The Bug” is an odd one…but sort of like the latter tracks of “Batman Forever,” I think it captures the atmosphere of “Batman & Robin” pretty well though it’s a bit odd.

“Fun For Me” – Moloko

A fun and playful track, “Fun For Me” is flat-out infectious…its beats commenting on the Gotham nightlife (the film used it to introduce the biker circles that, unknown to Bruce and Alfred, Barbara was travelling through). The lyrics are hilariously random and cool in their own twisted way: “I dreamt that the bogeyman went down on Mr. Spock…Sugar was a flowing sock it to 'em sock…I dreamt I saw a moo cow jump across the moon…Just a flight of fantasy zoom zoom zoom.” And I love the main melody as the track’s title is repeated again and again…which has everything to do with the exponentially pitched vocals. Great track.

“Poison Ivy” – Me’Shell Ndegeocello

A psychedelic, acid-wash cover of the Coaster’s 1959 original, “Poison Ivy” mirrors “Batman Forever” tracks like Nick Cave’s “There is a Light” and, obviously, Method Man’s “The Riddler” by providing the soundtrack with a title track for one of the film’s delectable rogues (surprising that Mr. Freeze, the main villain that Ivy plays second fiddle to, didn’t get the same treatment). However, it’s an obviously perfect fit for the character and Ndegeocello’s vocals are quite seductive…which work in the song’s favor.

“True to Myself” – Eric Benet

A random gospel-soaked track, “True to Myself” is sung with enough competent harmony by Eric Benet (Halle Berry’s former dread-lock sporting husband) and I like his voice to be sure…but singing of being true to god and family (while the latter plays like a response to “House on Fire” by assuring that the sense of family between our heroes would be strengthened and maintains) is just too preachy for a Batman film.

“A Batman Overture” – Elliot Goldenthal

Thanks to the ridiculous idea of not issuing an official release of Elliot Goldenthal’s “Batman & Robin” score (trust me…while the material DOES sound strikingly like an exact replication of the “Batman Forever” score, there were enough subtle differences and new cues…specifically Goldenthal’s themes for Robin and Mr. Freeze…to warrant a release), this collection of cues from “Batman Forever” (4 in all) is just sad. Not really Goldenthal’s fault, the music is fine…but it just bums me out to think that they felt THIS would suffice instead of releasing the score properly. “The Fanfare,” “Perpetuum Mobile,” “Victoria” and “Batterdammerung” all respectively make an appearance…but frankly they’re quite crudely edited together, unfortunately.

“Moaner” – Underworld

A long-winded techno babble, Underworld’s “Moaner” is easy to recognize as the track for Dick Grayson and Barbara Wilson’s impromptu motorcycle race through Gotham. The beat is pretty catchy and easy to get into but the lyrics are quite overblown and repetitious “City loves you…city loves your boyfriend, long walks with the boyfriend…city loves a boyfriend, friends walking with the boyfriend…and the nights with the boyfriend.” UGH!!! The vocals also decide to escalate throughout their verse on the track, which can grate on the nerves quite a bit.

“The Beginning is The End is The Beginning” – the Smashing Pumpkins

Probably the most surprising track on the album, the Smashing Pumpkins make for an awesome book-end to their flashy opening track by closing out with a dark, mirror rendition. It’s gothic…slower…more methodical and atmospheric…which, while still laced with techno and rock elements, actually fits more in line with the aesthetics of Tim Burton than Joel Schumacher. The track, given its connection to “Batman & Robin,” was all but forgotten…but interestingly, it was recently given a new lease on life through its use for the teaser trailer to Zak Snyder’s “Watchmen” film adaptation in 2009.

Ultimately, you can tell that several of the tracks clearly were just chosen by the producers and Schumacher to be put together on the album…and weren’t crafted and recorded specifically for “Batman & Robin.”

So while a lot of the songs…well hell, all of them…are phenomenal in their own right…putting them all on a soundtrack just for the sake of relevancy just doesn’t work for me personally. Had the time been taken to better execute it, the “Batman & Robin” soundtrack could’ve been just as great as its 1995 predecessor…but now it’s little more than a musical memory…

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BATMAN
THE ANIMATED SERIES (1992-1995)


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Episodes Directed by …

Kevin Altieri (22 episodes)
Boyd Kirkland (21 episodes)
Frank Paur (16 episodes)
Dan Riba (10 episodes)
Dick Sebast (8 episodes)
Bruce W. Timm (4 episodes)
Eric Radomski (3 episodes)

Episodes Written by …

Paul Dini (23 episodes)
Michael Reaves (14 episodes)
Randy Rogel (9 episodes)
Steve Perry (7 episodes)
Brynne Stephens (7 episodes)
Sean Catherine Derek (7 episodes)
Alan Burnett (6 episodes)
Dennis O'Neil (6 episodes)
Laren Bright (6 episodes)
Len Wein (4 episodes)
Jules Dennis (4 episodes)
Richard Mueller (4 episodes)
Tom Ruegger (4 episodes)
Joe R. Lansdale (3 episodes)
Mitch Brian (3 episodes)
Marty Isenberg (3 episodes)
Robert N. Skir (3 episodes)
Garfield Reeves-Stevens (3 episodes)
Judith Reeves-Stevens (3 episodes)
Bob Kane (3 episodes)
David Wise (3 episodes)
Bruce W. Timm (3 episodes)
Gerry Conway (2 episodes)
Steve Englehart (2 episodes)
Garin Wolf (2 episodes)
Marv Wolfman (2 episodes)
Martin Pasko (2 episodes)
Neal Adams (unknown episodes)
Pat Allee (unknown episodes)
Robert Kanigher (unknown episodes)
Boyd Kirkland (unknown episodes)
Jerry Robinson (unknown episodes)

Based on the DC Comics Character Created by ... Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Series Executive Produced by …

Jean MacCurdy
Tom Ruegger
Anne Luiting

Series Produced by ...

Alan Burnett
Eric Radomski
Bruce W. Timm
Paul Dini
Boyd Kirkland
Benjamin Melniker
Michael E. Uslan

Casting and Voice Direction by …

Andrea Romano

Series Editing by …

Al Breitenbach
Kelly Ann Foley
Theresa Gilroy-Nielsen

Original Television Theme Composed by …

Shirley Walker

Original Television Scores Composed by …

Michael McCuistion (12 episodes)
Lolita Ritmanis (9 episodes)
Shirley Walker (4 episodes)
Stuart Balcomb (3 episodes)
Richard Bronskill (3 episodes)
Carl Johnson (2 episodes)
Kristopher Carter (2 episodes)

Kevin Conroy ... Bruce Wayne/Batman
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. … Alfred Pennyworth
Bob Hastings … Police Commissioner James Gordon
Loren Lester ... Richard ‘Dick’ Grayson/Robin
Melissa Gilbert … Barbara Gordon/Batgirl
Robert Costanzo … Police Detective Harvey Bullock
Ingrid Oliu … Police Detective Renee Montoya
Brock Peters … Lucius Fox
Diana Muldaur … Dr. Leslie Thompkins
Jane Alan … Summer Gleason
Lloyd Bochner … Mayor Hamilton Hill
John Vernon … Rubert Thorne
Ed Asner … Roland Dagget
Mark Hamill … Jack Napier/The Joker
Arleen Sorkin … Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn
Richard Moll … Harvey Dent/Two-Face
Adrienne Barbeau … Selina Kyle/Catwoman
Diane Pershing … Dr. Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy
Henry Polic II … Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow
John Glover … Edward Nygma/The Riddler
Ron Perlman … Matt Hagan/Clayface
David Warner … Ras’ Al Ghul
Paul Williams … Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin
Michael Ansara … Dr. Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze
Roddy McDowall … Jervis Tetch/The Mad Hatter
Marc Singer … Dr. Kirk Langstrom
Alan Rachins … Temple Fugate/The Clock King
Aron Kincaid … Killer Croc
William Sanderson … Dr. Karl Rossum
Helen Slater … Talia Al Ghul
Michael York … Count Vertigo
Harry Hamlin … Anthony Romulus
Treat Williams … Dr. Achilles Milo
Marilu Henner … Veronica Vreeland
Rene Auberjonois … Dr. March
Ed Begley Jr. … Germs
Diane Michelle … Candice
Jeff Bennett … H.A.R.D.A.C.
Eugene Roche … Arnold Stromwell
Thomas F. Wilson … Anthony ‘Tony’ Zucco
Kate Mulgrew … Red Claw
Leslie Easterbrook … Randa Duane
Earl Boen … Rhino
Heather Locklear … Lisa

The Dark Knight battles crime in Gotham City with occasional help from Robin and Batgirl.

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Key Episodes:

“On Leather Wings”
“Nothing to Fear”
“Pretty Poison”
“POV”
“Two-Face Part I”
“Two-Face Part II”
“It’s Never Too Late”
“Heart of Ice”
“Feat of Clay Part I”
“Feat of Clay Part II”
“Joker’s Favor”
“Appointment in Crime Alley”
“Dreams in Darkness”
“Perchance to Dream”
“Robin’s Reckoning Part I”
“Robin’s Reckoning Part II”
“The Laughing Fish”
“If You’re So Smart Why Aren’t You Rich?”
“Tyger, Tyger”
“Almost Got ‘Im
“I Am The Night”
“The Man who Killed Batman”
“Harley and Ivy”
“Shadow of the Bat Part I”
“Shadow of the Bat Part II”
“The Demon’s Quest Part I”
“The Demon’s Quest Part II”
“His Silicon Soul”
“A Bullet for Bullock”
“The Trial”
“Harlequinade”
“Bane”
“The Lion and the Unicorn”
“Showdown”
“Riddler’s Reform”
“Harley’s Holiday”
“Batgirl Returns”​

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Every once in awhile, the stars align…the elements find their place…and a creative team comes along that not only defines the material for a generation.

It exceeds all expectations to the point that those very expectations fade into oblivion.

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Headed by the producing duo of Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski following their success with “Tiny Toon Adventures,” 1992’s “Batman: The Animated Series” set a standard of animation and storytelling excellence that as far as I’m concerned has yet to be (and most likely never will be) matched by any other animated program of the day or in the foreseeable future.

With its design aesthetic, its tone…its atmosphere and its wit, it continues to be regarded by Batman fans at large as the single best translation of the character to the screen…big or small (that includes Nolan’s efforts).

Primed by the success of Tim Burton’s original films, the series was given a great starting off point of interest…however, the show quickly gained popularity on its own steam through various techniques of storytelling, craftsmanship, characterization and action.

Following through from the film, the series begins with an established Batman (voiced by Julliard grad Kevin Conroy), an urban myth/vigilante hero lashing out from the shadows to clean up the crime-infested streets of Gotham City. Save for honest Police Commissioner James Gordon (Bob Hastings) and faithful butler Alfred Pennyworth (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.), the caped crusader’s allies are few and far between as the police and society in general regard him as a creature that either doesn’t exist or needs to be avoided.

Operating outside lawful jurisdiction, Batman wages an ongoing conflict against crazed criminals such as Wormwood the Interrogator and Roland Daggett, mob tycoons Rupert Thorne and Arnold Stromwell, monsters and abominations like H.A.R.D.A.C. and Anthony Romulus…not to mention his notorious gallery of arch villains such as the Joker (Mark Hamill), Clayface (Ron Perlman), The Riddler (John Glover), The Mad Hatter (Roddy McDowall) and countless others.

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What really sets “Batman: The Animated Series” apart both from other incarnations of Batman and other animated television is the nere fact that the producers, directors and writers took the material far more seriously then you’d think a cartoon version of Batman ever could be. So much so that to call the show a ‘cartoon’ would be a disservice.

No…this is an action/adventure drama…with real and emotionally developed characters that just so happens to be animated.

Here, Batman and his universe aren’t figures of whimsy or childish nonsense. While there are streaks of fantasy sewn in (it still is Batman after all), the material is handled in a very adult-conscious manner...which easily allows both kids and adults to enjoy the series quite easily.

A prominent example of this handling resides in the episode “It’s Never Too Late,” which involves a mob war between rival gang bosses Rupert Thorne and Arnold Stromwell.

In one scene following a daring rescue, Batman brings Stromwell to the Sunrise Foundation…an inner city drug rehabilitation facility. There he shows Stromwell the spoils of his business in dealing and manufacturing narcotics; Stromwell’s own son Joey resides there…bed ridden from withdrawal.

Another more obvious example of the material being adult?

In a period where action-oriented cartoons like “G.I. Joe” had had bad guys wielding lasers and ray guns, “Batman: The Animated Series” was the very first animated television show that equipped its villains with live munitions.

Yep...the show was so quality, the rogues actually got to use bullets, which had been unheard of prior.

Throughout the series, episodes actually took the time to analyze Bruce’s inner turmoil. For example, the episode “I Am the Night” found Bruce in conflict with his crusade when a botched sting operation leads to Commissioner Gordon being shot in the line of duty. In a wonderfully poignant scene, Batman returns to the Batcave following a visit to Jim in the Hospital. Overcome with grief over his own involvement in the falling of his ally, Bruce tears the Cave apart in frustration…screaming in agonized rage.

Following the example of Burton’s films, the series also chose to set itself in a timeless age. There’s no discernable way to determine exactly when or where this tale is being told. This is achieved through the show’s beautifully atmospheric Art Deco design and overall artistic aesthetic. Somehow placing Batman in a world of 1930s cars, black and white television sets, Police Blimps and Film Noir just clicks with the character. It’s not really a period piece mind you…but the show is just of such quality it’s almost hard to put your finger on it.

The main cast, now synonymous with these characters to an extent, is just the first example of this particular creative team’s genius and their dedication to quality...particularly in the casting.

The ever loyal Kevin Conroy IS Batman, as far as I’m concerned. For anyone who gripes about the voice of current live action helmer Christian Bale…listen to Conroy in the role. I’m sorry, but NO ONE does Batman like him. Kevin has a gravitas and a resolve that is both mysterious and dark yet inexplicably heroic. And when I say loyal, I mean it. The dude has logged more hours as the dark knight then anyone…providing the voice of Batman in various outlets from 1992 right up to the “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies” DVD feature this past year.

“I am vengeance…I am the night…I AM BATMAN!”

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Other standouts of the cast throughout the show include the vengeful tinge of Michael Ansara as Mr. Freeze…the regal nobility of David Warner as Ras’ Al Ghul…the goofball absurdity of Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn and the sensual grit of Adrienne Barbeau as Catwoman.

Of course Batman’s most potent foe is also a high point in the form of Luke Skywalker himself. With a manic energy that perfectly balances the kooky clown with the psychotic killer, Mark Hamill’s kinetics as the Joker are absolutely palpable…easily stealing scenes from Kevin left and right.

Aside from the main players on the show, there was also a wonderful revolving door of guest stars and cameos throughout the series.

The one that probably stands out the best is former “Batman” actor Adam West…conveniently playing a type-cast washed up actor named Simon Trent; known only for his role as TV super hero The Gray Ghost. In “Beware the Gray Ghost,” Trent takes up his iconic role and teams with Batman when one of the plots from the series is made real in Gotham. It’s just such a great nod to West and the legacy he made his own with “Batman” back in ‘66.

Others are a bit more subtle…like Heather Locklear, hot during the period for her turn as she-devil Amanda Woodward on “Melrose Place” playing Lisa, a fling of Bruce Wayne’s in the episode “Prophecy of Doom”…or “Robot Chicken” co-creator Seth Green’s appearance in “I Am the Night.”

Every single member of the cast, tailor made for their iconic roles, accomplishes their task of populating and flavoring the world of Gotham City around them.

And what a world it is.

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Aside from the Art Design, another of the key elements in the success of “The Animated Series” absolutely HAS to be its excellent approach to and handling of the musical score.

Headed by late composer Shirley Walker, the series took a turn from other animated programs by doing the unthinkable and pulling it off.

Treating every episode like its own mini-motion picture, nearly every single one of the initial 85 episodes produced for FOX was given its own score…performed live and recorded by a 30-piece orchestra!

Since most cartoons resort to stock music cues or overtly garish ‘cartoonish’ musak, the idea of having each episode’s score preformed by orchestra just gave the series an added richness that is rarely afforded animated programming.

Standout scores from the series include the trombones and high strings of the pilot episode “On Leather Wings,” the moody somber flute material for the two-part “Two-Face” origin episodes and the hauntingly child-like tinkering of symbols for the Mr. Freeze theme in “Heart of Ice.”

The show eventually won an Emmy for ‘Outstanding Music in an Animated Program’ for Shirley’s jazz-fueled score for the episode “A Bullet for Bullock.”

Another great component of the series is the fact that it in turn succeeded in giving back to the Batman mythology.

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Prior to the series, the villain Mr. Freeze was nothing more than a crook with an ‘Ice’ gimmick.

But in the episode “Heart of Ice,” writer Paul Dini crafted an entirely new origin involving Dr. Victor Fries (still pronounced ‘Freeze’), a brilliant Cryogenics authority who has built a machine to sustain his terminally ill wife Nora, keeping her cryogenically frozen until he could discover a cure. Caught in a lab accident involving the coolants that powered the machine, Fries’ body was horribly mutated…now making it impossible for him to live outside of a sub-zero environment without the aid of his power suit.

This origin, created in 1992 for a character from 1959 has since become the official DC Comics origin for the character. Paul Dini won an ‘Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program’ Emmy Award for his “Heart of Ice” screenplay.

Dini is also responsible for being the creator of the notoriously likeable Harley Quinn. Created merely to be a female cohort for the Joker, Quinn has since come into her own with fans around the world. Since the series, she to has become part of the comic book universe…even getting her own ongoing comic back for a short period at the beginning of the past decade.

Gotham Police Officer Renee Montoya, also created specifically for the series, has also gone on to become part of the comic books.

Of course for all its drama, “The Animated Series” is not without its playful side…equipped with a wonderful sense of humor when necessary.

One of funniest episodes HAS to be “Almost Got ‘Im,” in which the Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, Killer Croc and Poison Ivy dish out stories of their own respective run-ins with Batman while playing a game of Poker. I mean where else can you find an action show that decides to center an entire episode around the plot point of bad guys sitting around a table swapping ghost tales of their encounters with the hero? Genius!

Another resides in the Paul Dini penned episode “Harlequinade,” where Batman teams up with Harley Quinn in order to track down the Joker before he sets off a nuclear bomb in the city. The klutz that Harley is, it’s hilarious to see the chemistry between her and Batman…played very much like the comedy duo of the screwball and the straight man (think Abbott and Costello but with costumes).

Of course thanks to taking nods and inspiration not just from comic books…but from action and science fiction films as well…the series has a tremendous sense of momentum in its action set pieces, performed on the grandest of scales when necessary.

“The Demon’s Quest,” a two-part story written by legendary Batman writer/editor Dennis O’Neill, involves the official introduction of Ras’ Al Ghul into the series (after a small cameo at the end of “Off Balance”). Taking its cues from previous Ras’ related stories, the stakes of the conflict reach far higher than Gotham City…and Batman is forced to travel everywhere from Calcutta and Malaysia to the Sahara Desert in order to prevent Ras’ from igniting global genocide.

The episodes have a little touch of just about everything…from “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (admittedly the follow up Ras’ episode “Avatar” is even more “Indiana Jones” inspired) to the James Bond films and are very high octane in their scope of storytelling.

For all its action and heroics, one of the shows strongest points is that it…unlike other incarnations such as “The Batman” or “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” actually risked having entire episodes that didn’t feature a single one of Batman’s colorful adversaries. In fact, some of them are down right gritty…full of film noir atmosphere and gangster nuisances.

A standout episode early one most likely has to be “POV,” in which a Police Raid gone bad is told in three varied accounts by Officers Bullock, Montoya and Wilkes while they’re being interrogated about the screw-up…as well as Batman’s involvement.

There’s also “Baby Doll,” where Batman and Robin confront a former child TV star gone psychotic over the failure of her attempted career as a dramatic actress…or how about “Appointment in Crime Alley,” which finds Batman making rescues and thwarting a white collar crime to blow the neighborhood off the City map while on his way to an annual pilgrimage back to the spot where his parents were murdered.

When all was said and done at the end of “Batman: the Animated Series” and its run on FOX, the quality of the series and its attention to poignant, adult storytelling had been rewarded with a grand total of 8 Emmy Awards.

Today, and in some ways even more so than the likes of “Superman: The Movie” or “The Dark Knight,” the show is the prime example of what can be accomplished within the realm of translating comics to film or television…I’d argue quite confidentially that it’s the best example of taking a comic book character out of the pages and putting him on a screen.

Whether you’re watching the pilot episode or a random episode in the thick of the show’s third season, you can instantly get into it…becoming dazzled by the action and theatrics while also becoming emotionally invested in the characters.

With vibrant music, nightmare noir backdrops and an attention to detail and aesthetic the likes of which animation may never quite see again, “Batman: The Animated Series” will forever remain a pinnacle in the character’s history…and my personal favorite interpretation of Batman in film or television.

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EDIT: Double Post
 

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