|
|
Superman Store
Super
Hero Collectibles |
|
|
Rating:  -
There are two DVD box sets that contain the Batman movies of Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher - The Batman Legacy and The Batman Motion Picture Anthology. My advice is to see these movies ahead of time, and buy the ones you like individually. I GUARANTEE YOU WON'T WANT TO BUY ALL FOUR MOVIES - unless of course, you're a DVD collector like me, who loves DVD extras. A serious DVD collector will not buy The Batman Legacy - they'll shell out some extra coin to get The Batman Motion Picture Anthology. That box set comes with 18 hours of extras. The Batman Legacy doesn't have any good DVD extras, so movie buffs won't be interested in getting that box set. But if you don't care about DVD extras, and just want to acquire all four films, you may as well get The Batman Legacy.
As a fan of the Batman comics, I can recognize a lot of problems with all four movies. The first two were directed by Tim Burton, and are generally well-liked today. But the last two were directed by Joel Schumacher, and they're generally reviled by everyone. These Batman movies show what happens when a popular series is put in the hands of a director with a completely different vision, who ultimately destroys the series. THAT is the lasting legacy of this series. The series lost a lot of steam after Schumacher made Batman Forever, a movie that alienated a lot of Batman fans. Then Schumacher made Batman & Robin - and the series lost all credibility after that movie came out. In the case of the Harry Potter movies, Chris Columbus (who directed the first two Potter movies) said he wanted to ensure that the next Potter director would not stray too far from the style of his first two movies - and he cited this Batman series as an example of what he hoped to avoid.
Burton's movies are enjoyable - but a little ridiculous. Some of the villains and goons were a bit too cartoonish for my liking in Batman Returns, but they're WAY too cartoonish in the Schumacher movies. However, the character of Batman in Burton's movies is perfect. Batman may be a hero, but the character is so dark and gritty that there's a real malevolence to him. The Kilmer and Clooney Batmen didn't have that malevolence - so viewers won't experience the sense of awe and wonder that Keaton's Batman evoked from them.
Harvey Dent (Billy Dee Williams) is in the first Batman movie. He doesn't turn into Two-Face in this movie. I figure they wanted Dent to appear in this movie with the hope of making him a villain in a future sequel. Williams doesn't add much of anything to this movie - but it would have been AWESOME if Burton had Williams play Two-Face in a Batman sequel. Too bad Two-Face doesn't appear until Batman Forever, when Schumacher took over. Even though Batman Forever is a sequel, Schumacher completely ignores Williams' portrayal of Dent, and cooks up a completely different character for Tommy Lee Jones to play. In a Burton movie, it's safe to say that Williams would be playing a leaner, meaner and less eccentric Two-Face than we saw in Schumacher's movie. The first Batman is also the only movie of the series where the villain's goons are cool - but they would have been cooler if they kept their old fashioned mobster appearance of fedoras and trenchcoats. The goons in Batman Begins are ninjas - and there are few things on Earth that are cooler than ninjas.
Batman Forever was a rude awakening for those of us who expected the Batman series to retain the same style as Burton's movies. Schumacher and the writers didn't know how to make a good Batman movie, and Kilmer was miscast as Batman. Batman didn't deserve the title of 'World's Greatest Detective' in Batman Forever. He should've done some investigating into Nygmatech when he suspected that "the box" could be used for evil purposes. Batman certainly dropped the ball that time. Anyway, Schumacher was trying to make Batman Forever a much more lighthearted film. Then he made the travesty that is Batman and Robin, which is like an updated remake of Batman: The Movie and the Adam West TV series. And for the record, I'm a big fan of the Adam West TV show. That show was a product of its time. But IT'S NOT suitable for this day and age - Schumacher should've known better. But I imagine he was a huge fan of the TV series, and this was probably his way of paying homage to it. Another serious problem with his movies was the way the villains were portrayed. Bane, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, The Riddler, and Two-Face were all too obnoxious and/or annoying for my liking. I expect The Joker to behave like a clown, but TWO-FACE and MR. FREEZE? What was Schumacher thinking?
Let me put it this way. If you loved Batman and/or Batman Returns, you'll probably be able to tolerate Batman Forever, but you'll HATE Batman and Robin. If you love the Adam West TV show, you might like Schumacher's movies. But it's hard to say, because Batman & Robin is a terrible movie, whether you like bright and cheerful superhero movies or not. Fans of the Batman comic books will appreciate Burton's movies, dislike Schumacher's movies, and LOVE Batman Begins - but that movie isn't a part of this Batman series, so it's not in this DVD set.
I myself will be getting the Anthology - I'd LOVE to hear the commentaries from Schumacher. I'm curious to hear what he was thinking as he made those movies. Thank God Batman Begins came along - the start of an entirely NEW Batman series. Now I can forget about Schumacher's movies, and all the problems with Burton's movies. I like Burton's two movies a lot. But Christopher Nolan's NEW BATMAN SERIES will become the best comic book movie series of all-time. Mark my words.
Rating:  -
After many years of waiting, the Batman franchise from 1989-1997 finally gets the much needed DVD treatment it deserves. Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology consists of the four pre-Begins big screen treatments of the world famous comic book icon. Fully restored and remastered and each film in special 2-disc editions, each packed with hours of cool extra features including trailers, documentaries (Including a fascinating history of Batman and serial documentary that spans the conception, creation, and release of all four movies), music videos, and commentaries all packed together in a cool collector's box. Although Burton and Schumacher's takes on the Dark Knights ultimately resulted in a mixed bag of movies ranging from good, to bad, to ugly, this is none the less a box set that no collector, movie buff, comic book junkie or Batman fan should be without.
The four movies contained in this set are Tim Burton's original 1989 summer hit Batman and his sequel Batman Returns followed by Joel Schumacher's follow-ups Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. For the sake of completion, I offer my reviews on each of the movies (in the traditional four star rating system):
Batman (1989) ***
Jack Nicholson and Michael Keaton square off as the deranged Joker who plans to run Gotham City into the ground and the one caped superhero that can stop him. The huge summer blockbuster endures as a museum piece of 1980's pop culture and one of the wildest popcorn romps since the original Star Wars. Danny Elfman's fantastic score and the wonderfully surreal visuals courtesy of Tim Burton and Anton Furst (who won an Oscar for his work on this film) result in a fun-filled action movie that excells in style, but sadly lacks in substance and, at times, coherence. Fortunately the cast and visual decadence help keep the film grounded. Followed by Batman Returns.
Batman Returns (1992) ***
Keaton returns as the Dark Knight and this time he's up against a deformed and demented sewer-freak (Danny DeVito) and a mousy secretary turned sultry and dangerous Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer). Darker, nastier and more twisted than its predecessor, Burton outdoes his own previous achievements in visual style and assembles an unforgettable cast (including a show-stealing performance from Christopher Walken) for a solid follow-up. Unfortunately the movie suffers the same problems with substance as the first film did. The plot is at times muddled and confusing, and the characters never quite reach their full potential. However, Batman Returns is enjoyable for much the same reasons as the film before it. Followed by Batman Forever.
Batman Forever (1995) **
In the third installment, Batman (played by Val Kilmer) battles Two-Face and The Riddler (Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey), woos Dr. Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman) and sees powerful promise in Dick Grayson (Chris O'Donnell). The movie shows potential in a dark corner of Bruce Wayne's memory and his relationship with his love interest Meridian and his sidekick-Robin-to-be Grayson. Unfortunately director Joel Schumacher shines the brighter spotlight on the painfully over-the-top villains (both of whom are miscast), garrishly contrived action scenes, and flashy special effects which are at best overkill, and at worst an eyesore. Followed by Batman & Robin.
Batman & Robin (1997) 1/2*
The infamous fourth film in the Batman franchise stars George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Uma Thurman each in one of the worst performances of their careers as Gotham's dynamic duo and the villains they face off with: Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy. Even more inane is Alicia Silverstone's performance as Batgirl. The film also suffers from Schumacher's over-the-top, often campy direction, and Akiva Goldsman's script is a combination of static cheese and painfully unfunny one-liners. The film is devoid of any humanity of its predecessors, and the "plot" is so incomprehensible, it makes the other movies look like Shakespearean tragedies. The movie does have some camp value, but it gives serious Batman fans every reason to revolt.
To those that have already seen the movies and know what to expect, I heartily recommend this set for the bonus features alone. Even the lesser Batman movies are worth investing money in for the special 2-disc treatment. For those that haven't seen the movies yet, this set is a great introduction to growing fans of Batman and between the movies and extra material will provide well over 24 hours of entertainment and information. From the discs themselves to the big box they come in, this is one cool collection that I highly recommend.
And of course don't forget Batman Begins.
Rating:  -
We bought this for our action hero fan (our 5 year old boy) and he loved it. It was a great gift of all the favorite Batman movies.
Rating: -
Batman and Batman Returns are the real meaning of Batman and how a Batman film should be made. Batman Forever and Batman and Robin were some of the worst superhero movies I haver ever seen. Batman Forever is not comepletly terrible but Batman and Robin was a peice of trash. In Batman Forever and Batman and Robin they were tring to make them funny and it made the movies just turn out plain bad. I sure wish Tim Burton would have directed Batman Forever and Batman and Robin because he did a great job on Batman and Batman Returns.
Rating: -
This set is awesome and a must have for any Batman movie fan. You have the Great (Batman), the Good (Batman Returns), the Decent (Batman Forever), and the Ugly (Batman and Robin.) All four films have brand new digital transfers and remastered DD 5.1 surround sound in addition to an excellent DTS mix as well. The special features are all great, especially the 5 part documentary "The Shadow of the Batman" which is featured on each disc. Some also feature many of the music videos from the respective soundtracks from artists such as Prince, Smashing Pumpkins, Jewel and many others.
I highly recommend this set to everyone!!
|
|
|
|
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
|
|
Superman Actors and
Actresses Posters and Photos
check out these sections for lots
of great images that you can have for your own wall. Find out how
each actor or actress relates to Superman.
Actors
Actresses
Movies
Television
Shows
Classic
Superman Posters Superman
the Movie
Superman
II Posters Superman
III Posters Comic
Book Posters
Your Favorite
Super Hero Posters
Batman Captain
America Fantastic
Four
Green
Hornet Incredible
Hulk
Spiderman
Steel
Supergirl
Swamp
Thing Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles
Wolverine
Wonder
Woman X-men
|
|
|
