my belief is that the Burton/Shumacher movies got worse with each one. B89 was a great movie, BR was a damn good movie in it's own right, BF was tolerable, and B&R was deplorable. that is still my opinion, but i think i am going to stop acknowledging those final two as batman films.
i was watching BF on TV the other day (and please none of those "movies are better on DVD than on TV" arguments, b/c it is not like Boyz in tha Hood, where major editing is involved), and i noticed that there is no redeeming factor or incentive to watch this, except for Nicole Kidman (the soundtrack is aight, too). i used to think it was cool how they tried to pay homage to the show with the "Holy Metal" scene, but they played it out when they had Robin explain it ("Y'know, holey?"). C'mon now.
there is nothing distinct about this movie. the Burton films had his trademark eeriness and darkness, and his trademark gothic aura, like GOTHam is supposed to be. the city is not supposed to be neon, regardless of what 50s and 60s comics you read. and whereas his films strayed a little from the comics, i'm alright with that, b/c the comics change all the time so it is okay to take liberties, as long as keep the tone and the mood the same.
this being said, i still like B66. how, you ask, since it is just like BF & B&R? B66 was a campy parody, yes, but it still payed respect to the show. BF & B&R did not do that. they were what they were in an effort to appease the marketing demographic, not the fanbase and the serious movie-going public. (i guess most movies are guilty of this, though, seeing as they are made to make money.) **** the fast-food companies, **** the toy companies, and **** WB for giving into them. if they would have just stuck with original formula, the movies might not do as good at the jump, but they will have a longer-lasting impact then the two shumacher crapfests, which might sell toys, but people will look back at in disgust.
anyway, the franchise (as a whole--all six movies included) is not a total wash. i still hold B89, BR, B66, & BB near and dear to my heart, and those other two can do nothing to change that, except to appreciate them more.
my two cents.
i was watching BF on TV the other day (and please none of those "movies are better on DVD than on TV" arguments, b/c it is not like Boyz in tha Hood, where major editing is involved), and i noticed that there is no redeeming factor or incentive to watch this, except for Nicole Kidman (the soundtrack is aight, too). i used to think it was cool how they tried to pay homage to the show with the "Holy Metal" scene, but they played it out when they had Robin explain it ("Y'know, holey?"). C'mon now.
there is nothing distinct about this movie. the Burton films had his trademark eeriness and darkness, and his trademark gothic aura, like GOTHam is supposed to be. the city is not supposed to be neon, regardless of what 50s and 60s comics you read. and whereas his films strayed a little from the comics, i'm alright with that, b/c the comics change all the time so it is okay to take liberties, as long as keep the tone and the mood the same.
this being said, i still like B66. how, you ask, since it is just like BF & B&R? B66 was a campy parody, yes, but it still payed respect to the show. BF & B&R did not do that. they were what they were in an effort to appease the marketing demographic, not the fanbase and the serious movie-going public. (i guess most movies are guilty of this, though, seeing as they are made to make money.) **** the fast-food companies, **** the toy companies, and **** WB for giving into them. if they would have just stuck with original formula, the movies might not do as good at the jump, but they will have a longer-lasting impact then the two shumacher crapfests, which might sell toys, but people will look back at in disgust.
anyway, the franchise (as a whole--all six movies included) is not a total wash. i still hold B89, BR, B66, & BB near and dear to my heart, and those other two can do nothing to change that, except to appreciate them more.
my two cents.
So many stupid things in B&R. heh.
