Hot Toys Announce Batman Returns License

[batfan08]

I think comic relief is not only important in films, it's realistic and natural. In real life, even in the most dire situations, people can find a way to crack some jokes to ease the tension, or even just take their minds off of whatever bad stuff they're going through for a moment. Humor is one way we humans cope. As the saying goes "If you don't laugh, you'll cry."



Great post. Have you ever read Will Brooker's "Hunting the Dark Knight"? It's a very dense read, but the argument of the book (what I got from it) is very close to what you just said. Batman is too big to be put in the box of being ONLY dark, serious, gritty that has become the default "true" version of Batman for many modern fans. This "Batman = Dark ONLY" boundary for the character has been tightly controlled and encouraged by the DC Editorial Board + WB Studio Execs in the type of Batman films and other media they have green-lit for the past several decades. Anything that does fit the mold (Denny O'Neil/ Frank Miller/ Burton / Nolan / B:TAS /Arkham Games etc) is praised to different degrees as "getting Batman right". While the stuff that doesn't toe that line is summarily rejected by fans and downplayed by the WB (West /Schumacher etc) It's only in recent years that this trend has loosened up a bit, with the light-hearted animated Brave and Bold and WB's recent embracing of the 60s Batman in new mechandise and a comic series.

I haven't, but now, I'm very intrigued, and you've definitely just put it on my radar. Batman is great, and, like you said, he's too great to be chained to a single interpretation.

 

[DiFabio]

I completely agree about Batman: The Brave and the Bold. That's not "dark" and "serious" and I think that's a great interpretation of Batman. The writing is very good and they obviously "get" Batman with it's humor.

The 60s show isn't a grimdark Batman either and it's also one of my favorite interpretations.

On the other hand though, just because it's "Batman" doesn't mean it's good in my opinion. Sometimes you can go too far I think, on either end of the spectrum.

 

[jye4ever]

How can one like the 60s but not BR.

BR is just a sooped up BR, minus some characters.

 

[DiFabio]

How can one like the 60s but not BR.

BR is just a sooped up BR, minus some characters.

Wuuuuuuuut

 

[jye4ever]

Wuuuuuuuut

IDK

isn't it.

Batman running with a bomb would fit in just fine in BR.

It's 60s redo with better effects.

 

[DiFabio]

Wait, do you mean Batman Returns or Batman and Robin?

 

[jye4ever]

Wait, do you mean Batman Returns or Batman and Robin?

Yup, B&R.

I forgot the &

Holy crap, they're both BR.

 

[Maglor]

There's a difference between not liking a movie/series which is fine, and straight bashing it. You really didn't see any humorous moments in the Nolan movies? What did you want exactly, slapstick, belly-aching laughter comedy? Then of course you'll be disappointed. Some of the funniest moments in both the Burton and Nolan series were muted, or morbid comedy, not laugh out loud stuff. Joker laughing over an extra crispy charred body "I'm glad you're dead!!" Yeah...HILARIOUS stuff right there, great for kids as well as adults, right? It's just as dark as the Joker's "magic trick" or "tryouts" scene in TDK...except that they actually graphically show the results of the Joker's violence on his victim's body in Batman 89.

In both series, the funniest stuff warrants at most a chuckle, Batman is not a comedy. The interactions between Alfred and Bruce are the best. Yes, the Nolan movies are grittier, but to say there are no humorous moments in the Nolan series however much you prefer the Burton series, shows either a willful ignorance of the lighter, funny parts...or just a total tone-deafness/lack of sense of humor.

A few of the moments that the entire theater chuckled during TDK:
"It was a BIG dog."
"...and your plan is to blackmail this person? Good luck."
"Accomplice? I'll tell them the whole thing was your idea."

Sorry that these subtle jokes and light moments didn't do anything for you, but plenty of people found humour in the writing and delivery of these scenes.

Don't forget: "Didn't you get the memo?" and "Jesus, your face, I thought you were dead? 'Half.'"

Also:

"Let her go."

"Very poor choice of words. mwhahaha!"

A lot of good moments there. Some are more wry humor ("half"), and others are genuine moments of levity.

Many moments with Ledger on screen result in a giddy sort of laughter for me, just because his character is so brilliantly done.

Yeah, I mean, the Burton films were just as dark as Nolan's films back in the day, if not moreso in some instances, but I think people mistake the way they embraced the more fantastical elements and didn't take the grounded approach that Nolan did for them being more "light hearted" in some respects, which really isn't the case.

I mean the "your nose is gushing blood" joke in Returns was like dark, dark, for a Batman film.

Seriously gruesome, but that one does make me lol.

I appreciate that man... And I hope you don't think my little tirade reply to haytil was in any way referencing you.




Well, I'm not Batfreak... But here's a few I still laugh at from the Burton films (and do indeed find funnier, but that is my opinion):

-(Batman)"You weigh a little more than 108"
(Vicki) "Oh really?"

-(Joker)"...My face on the one dollar bill."
(Vicki) "You must be joking"
(Joker) "Do I look like I'm joking?"
(Vicki) *shrugs* "Well...."

-(Joker)"My balloons...He stole my balloons! Why didn't somebody tell me he had one of those.... Things. Bob- Gun". *shoots Bob*

-(Penguin)"True. I was their number one son, and they treated me like number two."

-(Catwoman) "I thought you were just going to scare the Ice Princess?"
(Penguin) "She looked pretty scared to me!"

-(Clown Goon) "I mean, killing sleeping children. Isn't it that a little, uh..."
(Penguin) "No! It's a lot uh!"

-(Penguin)*After choosing a non-lethal umbrella* "Ah, ****... I picked a cute one."

Many. many more for me. Those just popped in my head.

Most disturbing moment in Burton's movies, for me. Still really bothers me, and I have never found it funny.

Ah... He did? I have him on ignore now, so I didn't see that.

Oh well. He can have his fun. I love my kids, my kids love me... that is all that matters.

As for exposing them to all Batman... I am. They started on West, then Schumacher & the Animated Series... Blaze is old enough for Burton, Keaton still has a few years. When they hit their mid-teens, then they can watch Nolan, as I think that is an appropriate age. See, I never said they couldn't watch the Nolan films. Just that they weren't geared towards their current ages (Keaton is 6, Blaze just turned 11), and I, as a parent, am mindful of what I want my child exposed to at certain ages. When the time is right, of course they can watch Nolan and judge for themselves.

Sallah

Good call.

And I have no issues with your parenting choices.

 

[lava206]

"Where does he get all those wonderful toys" used to have me in stitches when I was a youngster.

 

[Double J]

A personal favorite line of mine from 89 Batman "nice outfit" . But it sounds awesome in Jacks voice.

 

[DarthDiggler]

"Where does he get all those wonderful toys" used to have me in stitches when I was a youngster.

Always liked that line too.

A few years later Mallrats made me love that line even more.

 

[jye4ever]

My favorite line in Forever and B&R is "The End"

 

[DarthDiggler]

My favorite line in Forever and B&R is "The End"

Well done, sir.

 

[Batfreak]

It's subtle humor. At least, that's my opinion; it's not supposed to warrant a laugh, or even a chuckle, but it does add a little levity to some otherwise serious stuff.

that's what I mean, the humour is so subtle that is barely passes as humour. I much prefer "YOU DIDNT INVITE ME SO I CRASHED!" to "you didn't get the memo?".

forgive me if I like to also laugh along with a comic book movie rather then be stonefaced throughout because the film takes itself so seriously.

its funny that I should hate marvel movies so much. most people tell me "you like funny scenes and comic book action? watch a marvel movie". that's probably true, they would be todays equivlant of 90's batman then anything. the problem wit that is, I DONT LIKE MARVEL HEROES. I grew up watching batman and superman, they are like my idols as far as superheroes go. if im gonna watch a "comic book movie", it has to have these 2. I did enjoy Spiderman 1 and Ironman 1, but that's it, im not into marvel people. but in recent years, the batman and superman films have gotten so drab and boring that I just have lost all interest. I don't care so much about how accurate to the comics a movie is, its how I feel about it, like any movie, that means the most. did it capture my imagination? did it have a movieing musical score? was the iconography there? for me, the new ones missed this entirely. they aren't nearly as fun and cool and the originals.

 

[Cap'n Cook]

Nolan humour > Burton humour.

 

[DGTWoodward]

I got "Didn't you get the memo?" as sarcastic rather than humorous. And though I did not like how the Mr Earle character treated Fox, he wasn't actually a bad person and was only moving a major company towards a stock flotation. He might have hated Fox but he may just also have loved Wayne Enterprises.

It just seemed snippy and petty to treat the CEO, who had moved the company forward through the years when Wunderkind Wayne was too busy shoving his head up his own arse, that way.

In this case the 'humour' such as it has been described, seemed very mean.

 

[Cap'n Cook]

Earle was a complete tool to Fox with that very line, hence the second usage.

Seemed fair. Also I think he was involved directly in the 'missing' Wayne tech.

 

[DiFabio]

Earle was originally supposed to be more of a villain type character that wished Bruce was dead, but that's not how it plays out on screen. They cut out a lot of that stuff.

I never even understood what was so "bad" about him in the actual movie. Based on what we see, he's not even a bad guy and seems to genuinely care about Bruce and the company.

 

[VintijDroidGutzz]

This thread needs an enema.

 

[Lee in MI]

Hmmm, maybe I should rewarch. The guy came across as a tool to me. He seemed like a slimy corp cog who was only interested in money, wanted both Bruce & Fox out of the way and made moves to that end.

How is he a character to sympathize with