The Dark Knight

[Jingus 0]

I actually liked Returns better than the first Batman. I really liked the Batman/Catwoman love/hate relationship, and Michelle Pfeiffer's performance as Selina was awesome. Plus, Christopher Walken. The only thing I really hated about the movie was their vision for the Penguin; which was unfortunate, considering he got more screentime than any other character.

 

Anybody know where I can get the Batman: The Complete Anthology boxed set that came out a few years ago for cheap? Everywhere I look, it either isn't carried anymore, or people are charging nearly double what it is worth.

Well yeah, that's what happens when you look for a Batman anthology on the very week that the most successful Batman movie of all time comes out.

 

Batman and Robin > Batman 89

 

I'm serious.

You're completely fucking insane. Batman and Robin was quite possibly the single worst comic book adaptation of all time.

[AmericanDragon 0]

Batman and Robin was quite possibly the single worst comic book adaptation of all time.

 

And yet it's still more entertaining than Burton's shitty Batman 89. I'm guessing most of you who hold Batman 89 in such high regard haven't seen it in its entirety in over 5 years. It's a terrible movie.

[Anakin Flair 0]

Anybody know where I can get the Batman: The Complete Anthology boxed set that came out a few years ago for cheap? Everywhere I look, it either isn't carried anymore, or people are charging nearly double what it is worth.

Well yeah, that's what happens when you look for a Batman anthology on the very week that the most successful Batman movie of all time comes out.

 

Yeah, I know. I'm just kind of shocked that Warner didn't put it back out there for the very same reason.

[Jingus 0]

When did I ever say I hold the first one in high regard? Especially when in the post right before yours I said I liked its sequel better? Yes, I have seen the 89 Batman in the last five years. Specifically, about three years ago. I also saw Batman and Robin last night. It was a fucking horrible piece of shit with absolutely no redeeming value and not one, not one moment which actually entertained me in any way. It wasn't even "so bad it's good" in the Adam West vein, it was just goddamned worthless.

[AmericanDragon 0]

When did I ever say I hold the first one in high regard? Especially when in the post right before yours I said I liked its sequel better? Yes, I have seen the 89 Batman in the last five years. Specifically, about three years ago. I also saw Batman and Robin last night. It was a fucking horrible piece of shit with absolutely no redeeming value and not one, not one moment which actually entertained me in any way. It wasn't even "so bad it's good" in the Adam West vein, it was just goddamned worthless.

 

Arnold's ice puns alone are more entertaining than Burton's Batman and Elfman's fruity carnival music. I also like Returns more than Batman 89 because of Pfeiffer and Walken but you're seriously trying to say that Shumacher's campy Batman and Robin is a worse adaptation than the carnival freakshow of a movie that Burton calls Batman Returns?

[foleyfanforever88 0]

I saw The Dark Knight again last night, and I now like it more than Batman Begins, even if it is only because of Ledger's Joker.

[RedJed 0]

Batman and Robin was quite possibly the single worst comic book adaptation of all time.

 

And yet it's still more entertaining than Burton's shitty Batman 89. I'm guessing most of you who hold Batman 89 in such high regard haven't seen it in its entirety in over 5 years. It's a terrible movie.

 

I just actually just saw it (first time for a good 3-4 years) last week again, so there goes that theory. It still holds up extremely well, even compared to Batman Begins, IMO.

[Brett Favre 0]

Every Batman movie before Batman Begins sucks ass. Well, that's feeling I get after watching Batman Begins, then Dark Knight. It's ew after watching some of the oldies.

[RedJed 0]

What's the hate for Batman Returns? It was always one of my favorite Batman movies.

 

I was just comparing it to the 89 Batman, like someone mentioned, it's more "loose" in its' execution or something, keep in mind I said Burton deserves to be dug on A BIT for Returns, as it still wasn't horrible by any means, just a little less memorable and throroughly entertaining to me, compared to the first one.

 

I do like Batman Forever a bit more than Returns, though. But by no means would I say Batman & Robin is anything special, much less better than Returns, or any of the other Batman movies, for that matter.

[Jingus 0]

you're seriously trying to say that Shumacher's campy Batman and Robin is a worse adaptation than the carnival freakshow of a movie that Burton calls Batman Returns?

YES

 

 

Absolutely. Infinitely worse. A godawful piece of shit. My easy go-to answer if anyone ever asks me what the worst comic book movie of all time was.

 

 

And you're in the far minority in this argument. Checking around online: at rottentomatoes, 89's Batman gets a score of 69%, while Batman and Robin racks up an impressive 12%. On IMDB: Burton = 7.6/10, Schumacher = 3.5. Batman broke box office records with over $250 million in domestic ticket grosses; Batman and Robin lost money, only taking in a bit over $100 million, and if you adjust the difference in inflation between 1989 and 1997 the difference between the two is even greater. Batman was so successful that it started a whole new movie franchise; Batman and Robin was such a universally hated bomb that it killed that previously-successful franchise for several years.

[Nighthawk 0]

My easy go-to answer if anyone ever asks me what the worst comic book movie of all time was.

 

Don't worry, no one ever will.

[Jingus 0]

Actually, it's happened before. I am a nerd, and easily congregate with others of my species.

[Nighthawk 0]

Well, it's wrong anyway. The answer is Judge Dredd.

[Anakin Flair 0]

Naw. Judge Dredd is in the 'so bad it's mildly enjoyable' category, especially if you've never read the comics and have nothing to hold hte movie to.

[Nighthawk 0]

Well, I was factoring that in. It's not only a horrible movie, it's incredibly unfaithful to the actually pretty badass comic. There are plenty of Batman comics as bad or worse than Batman & Robin.

[Jingus 0]

Hmm. You may have a point there. Whatever faults Batman and Robin might have, and they are legion, at least "and co-starring Rob Schneider!" was not among them.

 

 

Still, my basic point stands. I'm mildly shocked that in a thread about the best Batman movie ever, we have someone very seriously defending the worst Batman movie ever. Well, not including the old serials from the 40s which probably none of us have ever seen anyway.

[AmericanDragon 0]

Hmm. You may have a point there. Whatever faults Batman and Robin might have, and they are legion, at least "and co-starring Rob Schneider!" was not among them.

 

 

Still, my basic point stands. I'm mildly shocked that in a thread about the best Batman movie ever, we have someone very seriously defending the worst Batman movie ever. Well, not including the old serials from the 40s which probably none of us have ever seen anyway.

 

I'm just saying that all four of them are at the same shitty level.

[Exslade ZX 0]

Well since we're somewhat off topic. I'll chime in with, the interweb is amazing. Anybody feel like watching The Dark Knight again? (starts at 6:22 PM)

 

Usually if I watch movies online, I tend to stick to torrents. I wasn't really aware there were people who streamed movies. I don't know why, just thought I'd share. Who knows how long it'll be up though.

[Jingus 0]

6:22 in what timezone? Since it's already past that everywhere on this continent. I poked around that site a little, I'm still not sure exactly how it works.

 

I'm just saying that all four of them are at the same shitty level.

See, I can't even agree with that. Even though Returns is the only one I flat-out liked, I'd still count Batman and Forever at least as guilty pleasures. But and Robin was so much spectacularly worse than all the other movies, I seriously can't understand how anyone could possibly enjoy it.

[DarKnight 0]

I'm just saying that all four of them are at the same shitty level.

 

You are absolutely right. Time has not been kind to those movies. The Dark Knight is by far the best Batman movie, and I even think after watching Batman Begins a bunch of times, that the previous series is very inferior. Batman Begins will really open your eyes to how bad that previous series was. You also notice how bad it was if you read graphic novels like Year One, Long Halloween, and The Killing Joke. Does anyone else feel now, that Batman 89 is a worthless movie?

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Batman 89 is the only one that I would actually consider good out of the original four, and regardless of what people think these days it is still one of the most thrilling comic book adaptations out there. Batman Forever is decent for what it is and there are some really good things in that film, in particular Kilmer's Batman is the best of the three, but there were so many missed opportunities there. Walken & Pfeiffer's performances save Returns but the story is idiotic and those two succeed pretty much in spite of the script. Batman & Robin is a joke, but at least it is better than Catwoman which is just as stupid as B&R and yet painfully boring as well.

 

Obviously the most recent two films are the best in the franchise, but I really feel that Batman 89 gets far too much criticism. Vale & Knox were useless and the Joker killing the Waynes subplot felt tacked on, but other than that I thought it was great. Nicholson's Joker is still up there with McKellan's Magneto and Ledger's Joker as one of my favourite comic book movie villains.

[Exslade ZX 0]

6:22 in what timezone? Since it's already past that everywhere on this continent. I poked around that site a little, I'm still not sure exactly how it works.

 

I'm just saying that all four of them are at the same shitty level.

See, I can't even agree with that. Even though Returns is the only one I flat-out liked, I'd still count Batman and Forever at least as guilty pleasures. But and Robin was so much spectacularly worse than all the other movies, I seriously can't understand how anyone could possibly enjoy it.

Well it's already streamed in finished, but what I linked to was the archives. Where it started at 6:22, whatever the time zone on the vid is. Just click the little clock in the middle of the video, and a calendar will come up. And type the time in. (although, for some reason, the hour before keeps coming up. So just type in 7:22 or something, and use the next/previous button to find where it starts.)

[bobobrazil1984 0]

When did I ever say I hold the first one in high regard? Especially when in the post right before yours I said I liked its sequel better? Yes, I have seen the 89 Batman in the last five years. Specifically, about three years ago. I also saw Batman and Robin last night. It was a fucking horrible piece of shit with absolutely no redeeming value and not one, not one moment which actually entertained me in any way. It wasn't even "so bad it's good" in the Adam West vein, it was just goddamned worthless.

 

Arnold's ice puns alone are more entertaining than Burton's Batman and Elfman's fruity carnival music. I also like Returns more than Batman 89 because of Pfeiffer and Walken but you're seriously trying to say that Shumacher's campy Batman and Robin is a worse adaptation than the carnival freakshow of a movie that Burton calls Batman Returns?

 

What a strange statement, referring more to the disbelief in your question. You DO realize that in the internet population at large, Returns is far more highly thought of than Batman and Robin, and that Batman and Robin is considered by most to be by and far WAY worse than the other 3 (even if Forever is sometimes lumped in as one of the shitty ones - in fact that's how bad B&R is thought of, that people lump in BF JUST BECAUSE it had the same director), right?

[Blade2kxx 0]

Batman and Robin > Batman 89

 

I'm serious.

You're completely fucking insane. Batman and Robin was quite possibly the single worst comic book adaptation of all time.

 

Superman IV, Elektra, and Catwoman say hello. B&R is God Awful, but there are a couple moments where it ventures into So Bad it's Good territory. Those three previously mentioned... nope.

 

[ChrisMWaters 0]

Batman and Robin > Batman 89

 

I'm serious.

You're completely fucking insane. Batman and Robin was quite possibly the single worst comic book adaptation of all time.

 

Superman IV, Elektra, and Catwoman say hello. B&R is God Awful, but there are a couple moments where it ventures into So Bad it's Good territory. Those three previously mentioned... nope.

Which catagory does Supergirl fall into?

[cabbageboy 0]

I'll freely note that Batman and Robin is easily the worst Batman movie ever made, but yet why is it I find myself more willing to watch it than Returns? Returns is obviously a better made film with a couple of decent performances, but it is the epitome of Bruce Wayne being reduced to a bit part player and has ideas in it as dumb as anything in the Schumacher movies (only there it was meant to be cheese).

 

I used to be pissed at Bane's portrayal in B & R, until I actually read all of Knightfall in a trade paperback and saw what a huge pussy the dude is.

 

As far as Judge Dredd goes, oh man. At the time I thought it was a typical kinda weak Stallone movie but go back and check it out sometime. It is hysterically bad. Not to mention it completely misses the point of the comics. I can't help but think Judge Dredd could have been a kick ass Paul Verhoeven movie though.

[Twisted Intestine 0]

What about Spawn? Am I the only one who hated that movie? Though, I just saw it for the first time within the last year... I'm sure it was better when it first came out.

[Blade2kxx 0]

Batman and Robin > Batman 89

 

I'm serious.

You're completely fucking insane. Batman and Robin was quite possibly the single worst comic book adaptation of all time.

 

Superman IV, Elektra, and Catwoman say hello. B&R is God Awful, but there are a couple moments where it ventures into So Bad it's Good territory. Those three previously mentioned... nope.

Which catagory does Supergirl fall into?

 

Supergirl? Meh. Seriously, it's a meh movie. It's plainfully average-to-bad, but it's still much, much, much, much better than Superman IV. I hold that film as the WORST comic movie of all time.

[Bay Harbor Butcher 0]

Mask of the Phantasm easily blows away Burton and Schumacher’s Batman movies. It still holds up well, which is something I can’t say about the other four. I’d also rank Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker and Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero above Burton and Schumacher’s movies.

 

I had fond memories of Burton’s Batman movies until I revisited them three years ago. I thought both movies didn’t hold up very well and that was before I saw Batman Begins.

 

I revisited Batman ‘89 and Batman Returns a few weeks ago to see if my opinion would change, and I found them to be worse than before. My biggest complaint is probably the poor treatment of characters.

 

- Bruce Wayne never really comes across as a self-absorbed and somewhat irresponsible playboy. That persona is supposed to be one of the main reasons people wouldn’t suspect Bruce to be Batman.

 

- Jim Gordon is a minor character. He’s treated as an afterthought. He’s basically a generic police commissioner who happens to be named Jim Gordon.

 

- The Penguin as a deformed freak living in the sewers. It’s too much of a departure from the comics.

[DarKnight 0]

had fond memories of Burton’s Batman movies until I revisited them three years ago. I thought both movies didn’t hold up very well and that was before I saw Batman Begins.

 

I revisited Batman ‘89 and Batman Returns a few weeks ago to see if my opinion would change, and I found them to be worse than before. My biggest complaint is probably the poor treatment of characters.

 

- Bruce Wayne never really comes across as a self-absorbed and somewhat irresponsible playboy. That persona is supposed to be one of the main reasons people wouldn’t suspect Bruce to be Batman.

 

- Jim Gordon is a minor character. He’s treated as an afterthought. He’s basically a generic police commissioner who happens to be named Jim Gordon.

 

- The Penguin as a deformed freak living in the sewers. It’s too much of a departure from the comics.

 

You hit the nail right on the head. I too used to like those movies when I was young, but after you watch Batman Begins, you go back and watch them, and you start to realize that those movies aren't any good. The reasons you listed are all true. The Dark Knight is really the first Batman movie to depict Bruce Wayne as a dim-witted Playboy, and there was a funny scene when Gordon talks to him after the car crash: Bruce: You think I should go to the hospital? Gordon: You don't watch the news too much, do you Mr. Wayne? I too think it was embarassing that Gordon was an inept nobody in the previous series. And the Penguin's depiction was a slap to the face to comic fans.