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Author Topic: Batman: History on the Big Screen (Part 1)  (Read 4309 times)
Darth Knox
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« on: January 29, 2017, 05:53:00 PM »

First appearing in Detective Comics issue 27 in 1939, Batman has gone on to become arguably the most popular superhero in the world. He has had 9 live action movies to date so far and Collider Video's John Schnepp breaks down the history of The Bat's big screen appearances.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwInCHQQQd4&amp;t=189s" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwInCHQQQd4&amp;t=189s</a>
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scifidude79
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« Reply #1 on: January 31, 2017, 04:57:18 PM »

Awww, he didn't say too much about the 1940s serials.  Good watching, I have them both on DVD.  (they're really cheap on Amazon)  The 1943 serial brought us great series staples like the Batcave and skinny, helpful Alfred.  (no lie, he was an overweight coward in the comics up till then)  The 1943 serial being shown on TV in the early '60s is also what led to the 1966 TV series.  (hence, all of the serial-like cliffhanger endings)  The 1949 serial, entitled Batman & Robin, is still good watching, though not as good and twice as corny in spots.  Though, it's still better than the film of the same title.  Wink

Anyway, I enjoyed this video.  I learned a few more things about some of the false start projects over the years.  I knew Batman was in development hell in the late 1970s and early 1980s, I just didn't know some of the people involved before the pure gold team-up of Tim Burton, Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Danny Elfman.  Ironically, Elfman, who is now one of the top movie composers, was Burton's choice and not the studio's, hence them pushing Prince onto Burton.  That split is why the movie had two soundtrack releases, Elfman's dark and gritty music that really sets the tone, and Prince.  Anywho, I look forward to part 2 of the video.  Cool  I'm just glad Ivan Reitman wasn't allowed to direct and cast Bill Murray as Batman.  That probably would have been a massive flop and may have put the series into a place it couldn't return from.
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Darth Knox
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« Reply #2 on: January 31, 2017, 05:04:10 PM »

Awww, he didn't say too much about the 1940s serials. 

Because this was just about the movies. Shame it had to be omitted, but, you know, some days you just can't rid of a bomb! Grin
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scifidude79
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« Reply #3 on: January 31, 2017, 05:11:02 PM »

That's seriously my favorite line from that film.  Grin

If it's just about live action movies, the name of the video should be Batman: History of Live Action Feature Films.  Just saying.  Personally, I think there have been some great animated films too, but many of them are DTV releases.  I actually love the DCAU movie Batman & Mister Freeze: Sub Zero.  That was done as a companion piece to Batman & Robin and was supposed to get a big release.  However, Batman & Robin tanked so badly and the DCAU producers didn't want to be associated with it, so Sub Zero got a quiet DTV release, despite being the better film.
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Darth Knox
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« Reply #4 on: January 31, 2017, 05:14:32 PM »

That's seriously my favorite line from that film.  Grin

It is one of the most quotable lines in movie history. And let us not forget the Bat Anti-shark repellant!  Grin

If it's just about live action movies, the name of the video should be Batman: History of Live Action Feature Films.  Just saying.
Well it does say "the big screen" which has always been cinema.

Personally, I think there have been some great animated films too, but many of them are DTV releases.  I actually love the DCAU movie Batman & Mister Freeze: Sub Zero.  That was done as a companion piece to Batman & Robin and was supposed to get a big release.  However, Batman & Robin tanked so badly and the DCAU producers didn't want to be associated with it, so Sub Zero got a quiet DTV release, despite being the better film.
He did briefly mention Mask of the Phantasm and The Killing Joke. And if you include animation then the video will go too long. Although, there are quite a few videos on youtube that do compare all the animated Bat-shows and films.
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scifidude79
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« Reply #5 on: January 31, 2017, 05:28:12 PM »

Well it does say "the big screen" which has always been cinema.

Serials were shown on the big screen, in cinemas, usually on Saturdays.  They were a way for kids (and some adults) to go watch a short show before the days of TV.  But, yeah, I know he meant movies.  Still, the serials were the way of the 1930s/1940s, as far as getting superheroes onto the big screen.  Studios didn't want to bankroll big superhero films back in those days, so they went the serial route.  Serials were incredibly cheap to produce, even compared to the movies of the time.
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Darth Knox
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« Reply #6 on: January 31, 2017, 05:36:53 PM »

Exactly. Serials aren't movies and Batman 1966 was the first Batman movie on the big screen. And it was AWESOME! As you know, it was only thanks to Superman (1978), Batman (1989) and then later with X-Men (2000), Spiderman (2002) and Batman Begins that studios recognised that not only could they invest big budgets in these films, but they could be taken seriously and be financially successful.

The thing is, we all know that the two big boys in the comics industry are Marvel and DC. And while Marvel have had years of success with the MCU, having each phase meticulously planned out Warner Bros has been sitting back twiddling it's thumbs. They now feel like they have to play catch up, hence all the rushing.
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scifidude79
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« Reply #7 on: January 31, 2017, 05:49:58 PM »

Just don't mention Marvel's movie efforts before Blade and you're good to go.  Cheesy
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Darth Knox
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« Reply #8 on: January 31, 2017, 05:50:56 PM »

Just don't mention Marvel's movie efforts before Blade and you're good to go.  Cheesy
Well that was New Line and I really liked Blade and Blade 2 (Trinity was awful)
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scifidude79
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« Reply #9 on: January 31, 2017, 06:07:43 PM »

New Line, but also produced by Marvel.  Just saying.  Trinity is OK, but you can tell Wesley Snipes didn't really want to be there.  He really phoned it in.  He and Kris Kristofferson felt the movie series should have continued to follow the exploits of Blade and Whistler, not bring in any of the other characters from the comics.  The producers/director disagreed, so Snipes basically acted like a spoiled child throughout the whole thing. (didn't talk to them on set, that kind of thing) At least Kris Kristofferson didn't.  But, yeah, it more or less killed the series.  I guess the fans felt the same way.

Back to DC, one would have thought they'd have learned by now what happens when you rush things.  There's a reason why "fools rush in" is a saying.
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Darth Knox
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« Reply #10 on: January 31, 2017, 06:18:28 PM »

New Line, but also produced by Marvel.  Just saying.  Trinity is OK, but you can tell Wesley Snipes didn't really want to be there.  He really phoned it in.  He and Kris Kristofferson felt the movie series should have continued to follow the exploits of Blade and Whistler, not bring in any of the other characters from the comics.  The producers/director disagreed, so Snipes basically acted like a spoiled child throughout the whole thing. (didn't talk to them on set, that kind of thing) At least Kris Kristofferson didn't.  But, yeah, it more or less killed the series.  I guess the fans felt the same way.

Back to DC, one would have thought they'd have learned by now what happens when you rush things.  There's a reason why "fools rush in" is a saying.
Produced by Marvel because it's a Marvel character. That doesn't make it a Marvel movie. If New Line wanted to do something with the character that Marvel didn't like, Marvel had no say (like with X-Men at Fox and Spiderman at Sony). Depend how you classify a "Marvel" movie. For most people that means the MCU.

And Trinity was awful and fraught with problems from the get go and it showed in the film. But these things happen all the time in movie making.

I am currently watching Collider Movie Talk which is streaming live on Youtube as we speak and they have described the DCEU as the Brundelfly of comic book franchises (a piece falls off and they "we're okay". Another piece falls off and they say "It's fine").  Whether people agree or disagree with that sentiment, it made me choke on my dinner when they said it I found it so funny
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scifidude79
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« Reply #11 on: January 31, 2017, 06:23:15 PM »

OK, New Line then.  My point was that you needed to ignore movies with Marvel characters produced before Blade.  They stink.  The Punisher with Dolph Lundgren is probably their best effort, but that's not saying much.  Of course, they mainly did small screen stuff before The Punisher.  But still, even some of their stuff like their made for TV Captain America films in 1979 stank.
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Darth Knox
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« Reply #12 on: January 31, 2017, 06:29:33 PM »

OK, New Line then.  My point was that you needed to ignore movies with Marvel characters produced before Blade.  They stink.  The Punisher with Dolph Lundgren is probably their best effort, but that's not saying much.  Of course, they mainly did small screen stuff before The Punisher.  But still, even some of their stuff like their made for TV Captain America films in 1979 stank.
Only a handful of superhero movies before 1998 were actually any good. The majority, like you said, were really really bad. (Still makes me smile that some people didn't know that Blade was a Marvel character).

I think it's funny that Batman 66 is beloved and yet Batman & Robin (a spiritual successor to the 60s series/movie) is considered one of the worst movies (not just comic book movie) ever.
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scifidude79
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« Reply #13 on: January 31, 2017, 06:42:44 PM »

I love how shocked people were when Deadpool was rated R.  "The first Marvel character movie with an R rating."  Um, no, that would be The Punisher.  Then there was Blade, Blade II, Blade: Trinity, The Punisher again and Punisher: War Zone.  All before Deadpool, all rated R.  (not all good, mind you, but rated R)  And, of course, none of them made by Disney.
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scifidude79
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« Reply #14 on: January 31, 2017, 06:47:23 PM »

The Batman 66/Batman & Robin popularity thing comes down to the times.  In the 1960s, most everything on TV was corny. TV shows all had campy moments, Batman just went to the extreme.  Even the comic books were like that, so it was basically an adaptation of the comics.  DC comics got back to being serious in the '70s, so the films got serious too.  Batman & Robin went against the grain of what was being done with comics at the time, hence being a bomb.  You have to go with the times.  Plus, it was the fourth film in a series that started out dark and gritty.  It just doesn't gel with the rest of the series, especially all of the corny one-liners in it.
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