ultimatefan
The Batman must come back
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2001
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So, I´ve had more time to think this over and put all my thoughts together, and this is what I´m thinking...
- On it being "cliché", "not innovative or fresh": Being fresh isn´t only about completely redefining cinema as we know (we´re lucky if we can say there were two movies that got even close to that in the last two decades). There are different ways of being fresh. One of them is mixing different genres that usually don´t mix. When Batman 89 did thirties retro noir, that in itself was nothing new, but mixing it with the superhero/comic book genre was. What BB hinted at and TDK is going full on is mixing the seuperhero genre with the gritty dramas of the seventies, like French Connection or Dog Day Afternoon, and now adding in a Se7en-like serial killer drama (given the take on Joker they´re going for). In that sense, it´s okay that it uses typical elements of these genres, as it was okay for B89 to use elements from old gangster movies, it´s how all those different elements are combined together in the final product that will make it fresh (again, a recurring theme here, not judge the forest for some trees).
- On it being "average", "plain": Making the right dialogue isn´t always about giving your character the witty zingers. In some moments, the best way to say things or to keep the story moving is stand back, restrain yourself and just be straight to the point. Embellishment can become distracting, can become overwriting. A good example is Kevin Smith, who admittedly tends to wrap his movies around the witty banter between his characters because that´s his strongest skill. But sometimes it´s not the one that serves the story. Sometimes an explective gets the job done better than a Shakesperian sonnet.
- On it being "cliché", "not innovative or fresh": Being fresh isn´t only about completely redefining cinema as we know (we´re lucky if we can say there were two movies that got even close to that in the last two decades). There are different ways of being fresh. One of them is mixing different genres that usually don´t mix. When Batman 89 did thirties retro noir, that in itself was nothing new, but mixing it with the superhero/comic book genre was. What BB hinted at and TDK is going full on is mixing the seuperhero genre with the gritty dramas of the seventies, like French Connection or Dog Day Afternoon, and now adding in a Se7en-like serial killer drama (given the take on Joker they´re going for). In that sense, it´s okay that it uses typical elements of these genres, as it was okay for B89 to use elements from old gangster movies, it´s how all those different elements are combined together in the final product that will make it fresh (again, a recurring theme here, not judge the forest for some trees).
- On it being "average", "plain": Making the right dialogue isn´t always about giving your character the witty zingers. In some moments, the best way to say things or to keep the story moving is stand back, restrain yourself and just be straight to the point. Embellishment can become distracting, can become overwriting. A good example is Kevin Smith, who admittedly tends to wrap his movies around the witty banter between his characters because that´s his strongest skill. But sometimes it´s not the one that serves the story. Sometimes an explective gets the job done better than a Shakesperian sonnet.
and you make a good point on chopping genres. 
