THE Batman?
In honor of Batman Day, here’s what I posted on Facebook after seeing The Batman earlier this year …
I watched the new Batman movie, and I didn’t dislike it, but I wasn’t all that thrilled with it either. What’s most disappointing is that it continues the tendency of live-action Batman movies to fall into one of two broad categories: overly campy or overly dark.
Both approaches have something to offer. The Adam West show and movie were fun in their absurdity, but that was never the definitive take on Batman. The first two Christopher Nolan movies were great serious movies, but that wasn’t a definitive take either. The Tim Burton movies were somehow very campy and very dark at the same time, and they ultimately feel more like Tim Burton movies than Batman movies. (Batman v. Superman simply needs to be stricken from the record.)
As many Batman fans will tell you, the greatest adaptation of the character is Batman: The Animated Series from the early ’90s. No other on-screen version has so perfectly synthesized all the best elements of Batman into a single, timeless package—and one that’s completely appropriate for late-elementary kids while maintaining enough substance to entertain adults.
That animated Batman has his roots in the comics of the ’70s through the early ’90s (the monthly books, not stuff like The Dark Knight Returns, which has inspired some of the darker takes we’ve seen).
In The Animated Series, he’s a serious, driven, heroic Batman who’s presented neither as a parody nor as a deeply damaged, borderline psychotic individual who might be doing more harm than good. He’s dealing with his pain and channeling it toward productive ends. The pain still exists, and it still drives him. But he’s not on the verge of a breakdown, and he remains capable of human relationships.
As far as the new movie goes, without giving away specifics, I like the idea it ends on, which could lead into a sequel that’s closer to what I’m looking for.
But this is one dark Batman movie. I’ve never seen such a sadistic, deadly Riddler. I did like this Catwoman, though, who felt like a younger version of the character from her early 2000s solo series, which was an excellent book.
If not for the Christopher Nolan movies, I might have liked this new movie better. But I feel like I’ve already seen this general type of Batman movie already, and it's time for one that can appeal to both a kid and adult audience, one that focuses on him being a straightforward, self-made superhero.
Play it straight. Take it seriously, but not too seriously. And just show him struggling against tremendous odds to help people in need. (Explosions and citywide catastrophe not required.)
If you enjoyed the new movie, I’m glad you did. I’m probably just especially picky when it comes to this character.
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