It's been a pretty rough week for me overall. Briefly caught a bit of stomach flu and realized that I need a new mattress but on the bright side, I saw a bunch of Batman movies so I can't really complain that much.
MOVIES:
Batman (1989)
Tim Burton's 1989 reimagining of the Caped Crusader is considered a classic for a good reason. The beautiful Gothic structure of Gotham City, Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson's excellent performances, Danny Elfman's iconic score, etc. The second half is definitely weaker than the first in my opinion, the revelation of the Joker being the murderer of Bruce's parents feeling rushed and the final confrontation not using much of Kim Basinger's Vicki Vale other than being the typical damsel in distress archetype, but this is still a great movie that earns its reputation.
Batman Returns
Free from the studio's control, Burton goes completely off the rails in the sequel to his 1989 film, not so much a Batman movie as it is a twisted character study chockful of German Expressionist imagery and Freudian energy. Michelle Pfeiffer and Danny DeVito are the standouts in an excellent cast as Catwoman and Penguin, and Danny Elfman's score reaches new heights, especially during the climax. This is definitely a bleaker movie than the '89 film and not suitable for children, but it's also the better movie overall.
The Batman
Taking as much inspiration from '70s crime thrillers as it does from various Batman media, Matt Reeves' adaptation exceeds expectations. Robert Pattison may very well be the best live-action Batman, capturing the character's imposing stature and detective side as well as his arrested development, and is buoyed by an impressive supporting cast led by Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano and Colin Farrell. Greig Fraser's cinematography depicts Gotham in a way that is unique from other films and Michael Giacchino's score is suitably grim yet epic. The film falters a bit in the third act, as it's climatic set piece diminishes the neo-noir atmosphere the movie had going for it, but it also serves as an excellent capper to Batman's character arc. It's definitely up there with Batman Returns and The Dark Knight for the best Batman film and a film I'm looking forward to revisiting in the future.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let me know in the comments!
No comments:
Post a Comment