Does everybody need Batman?

I’ll state this now. This isn’t an article about how Batman is THE comic book character and how everybody else is second to him. It’s probably true. This is about the news that we won’t be getting a pure Man of Steel sequel, but instead a team movie called apparently Batman Vs Superman.

I enjoyed Man of Steel, it achieved to a similar degree, what Batman Begins did eight years earlier. It reintroduced a classic character back into the mainstream after a time away and a dud film.

Leaving the cinema after Man of Steel, I talked as much about what I had just seen, as much as what would come next. The fallout from the battle of Metropolis, Lex Luthor, Clark at the Daily Planet, Jimmy Olsen, Clark and Lois, the list goes on. I was looking forward to Superman getting his own version of The Dark Knight.

I didn’t want Batman to turn up in this film, or any other Justice League character and take over. Let Superman establish himself with this generation of fans first and build his world like The Dark Knight trilogy did with Batman. Unfortunately it looks as though those films were a one off deal, now everybody wants team ups and cross-pollination.

But lets look at this from a different angle. Batman and his world has always, for most part, been contained to Gotham. Albeit with the odd trip every now and then. His city is teaming with great characters, that easily number in the hundreds. He doesn’t need outside characters like Superman or Wonder Woman to come in, he has a character that can be fitted to any theme or plot already there, be it a rogue or an ally.

Can the same be said of Superman? He doesn’t have the same kind of varied Rogues gallery that Batman does, or even the vast array of supporting characters. He has the same core group of rotating characters that appear regularly, but there is only so many times you can reinvent the same character.

One character that is important to Clark is Bruce. They are good friends and talk openly, but Bruce is unafraid to challenge Clark. He is probably one of the few people who isn’t afraid of the Clark the person, he undoubtedly respects him and his powers, but he knows he is a good person.

Bruce has this kind of relationship with a number of characters, Alfred, Dick Grayson, Gordon even Selina all challenge him regularly in what he is and does.

With the next film it’s safe that some point Bruce and Clark are going to come to blows. It may not look like his fight with Zod, it will probably be more like something out of Alien. Striking up close and quickly then disappearing. Kryptonite will have to be involved. Because after seeing what Man of Steel showed Clark being capable of, a straight up fight would look stupid.

The reason for a fight between Bruce and Clark is that we already watched the alien threat with Zod and it’s unlikely that we will see that again in this film. Hopefully Luthor will be involved as some kind of manipulator challenging Superman on the destruction of Metropolis.

I hope that despite Batman and his presence in this film, it remains a true Man of Steel sequel. I want more of this Clark Kent, they opened up this world and I want to see it built upon. If this world includes a Batman, then let it be one that must adhere by this world and its rules. He shouldn’t be a main character, maybe similar to the amount of time Joker had in The Dark Knight. He should be in it to entertain us, but also to teach Clark something about the people he has sworn to protect.

Looking at one of basic differences between the characters. Batman thrives when he is silent and unseen, striking quickly and without warning. Creating fear. Superman thrives in the limelight, he is there to inspire. He needs to be seen. Keep Batman in the shadows and Superman in the sun.

One hurdle this film with have to overcome is the early days of the Bruce and Clark relationship, something we rarely see in the comics. More often than not, we see them as long established friends, they may not agree with each other. But they understand each other and their methods.

This film doesn’t have that luxury and maybe it could work to there advantage. We get to see their early conflicts and first fight. What we don’t get, and shouldn’t get is their history.

By just confirming that Batman is going to appear, Warner Bros have pretty much guaranteed themselves a billion dollar film. But it should still be a Superman film. Apparently Man of Steel didn’t make as much as they hoped for, which is why Batman is appearing in any form at all. For the record this is information I have heard through articles and podcast, don’t take it as gospel.

Let’s compare box office grosses for “origin” films since 2000. Man of Steel made rough $650m. Only Spider-Man (2002) which made $821m and The Amazing Spiderman(2012) which made $752 have done better. One of which was reboot. It was close to doubling Batman Begins Box office and look what happened with that films sequel.

Man of Steel wasn’t as well received as Batman Begins, but there was room to fix that in the sequel, most notably the camera work. Keep it steady this time.

At some point Batman and Superman will have to work together, this is as guaranteed as the fact that they will fight each other. I just hope the climax is kept to a pretty much solo Superman effort. Or at least getting a ending similar to The Dark Knight, where we get an action finale then a character climax, where Batman could show up. Swapping Gordon and Dent for Superman and Lex.

I still want to see Clark do things no one else can.

Just please, if nothing else. Change the title. Maybe Man of Steel: Worlds Finest, anything but Batman vs Superman.

Clark may need Bruce. But he is still Superman.

The Dark Knight Rises

Spoilers for this film as well as Batman Begins and The Dark Knight could crop up, so be warned.

The first time I saw it, I got pretty choked up, but managed to hold it back, the second time I saw it was close and I could feel the tears coming but somehow they were kept back. The third time, if there is (there most likely will be) I can either see myself not being as affected or quietly weeping in the darkness, no doubt worrying the person next to me. This may sound like an exaggeration for a “comic book” film, but when you are as invested in the main characters, ones that you have spent three films following, then this kind of reaction to the last ten minutes of the film is understandable, at least to me.

Once again spoilers will follow. Also for those who haven’t seen the previous two films in the series (Batman Begins and The Dark Knight), they are essential viewing as a number of plot points, etc, are dependent on what occurred these two films.

The basic plot of The Dark Knight Rises picks up eight years after the lie, Batman has been gone for that time and Bruce Wayne has spent the last three years holed up in Wayne Manor, ala Howard Hughes. Gotham has eradicated organized crime as a result of the ‘Dent Act’, but the two men responsible for the city’s peace, Gordon and Wayne are straining under the pressure of what it cost them. Unknown to both of them, a revolutionary army led by the terrifying Bane is heading to Gotham, ready take advantage of a out of shape police force and an arrogant city.

As with these previous two films, The Dark Knight Rises would be nowhere without the central performance of Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne/Batman, one of the key aspects that has set this series apart. In what is being considered his best performance of the trilogy Bale takes the character of Bruce, who has always been the primary focus of the films, from his lowest point (twice), through numerous emotional revelations and weighty scenes, back up to his highest, giving us an arc in this film that parallels the combined one he goes through in the previous two films. Physically, Bale brings more to the character, as it is needed for the story, than we have seen before, especially early on as Bruce is still nursing what I assume is the affects of the events at the event of The Dark Knight. To be fair, so would you after that ordeal. Supporting himself with a cane and putting on a show for the world, despite barely leaving Wayne Manor where he has painted himself as the recluse.

Similar to the other performances he has given, some of his best moments are silent moments where he conveys the pain and loss that has dictated his whole life through his eyes and facial expressions, never over or underplayed, it is a performance that perfectly portrays both sides of the Bruce Wayne character. Will he receive the Academy nomination that some people have touted him for? It’s unlikely because of the film he is in and the way there are perceived, but this is a character that I personally have been pulled into and have invested in, both in terms of time and emotions, because of Bale’s three performances.

Visuals

Following in the footsteps of Heath Ledgers Joker was never going to be an easy task. Even picking a character from the rogues gallery who can match The Joker on a pure idea/concept level is difficult enough, without having to find an actor who can give a performance that was as engrossing as Ledger. Luckily Nolan and Goyer chose a character that couldn’t be more different from the Joker, in Bane. A massive physical presence, who is more than capable of matching Batman in a fistfight. Portrayed as somewhere between a modern revolutionary and a cult leader. Hardy brings a completely new take on the character to anything we have seen in any version of the character we have seen. Gone is the luchador mask and venom (a drug in the comics that cause Bane to physically increase in size and strength) replaced by terrifying mechanical mask that administers a pain medication constantly. Equally charismatic and frightening, Hardy shows the character as a man capable of convincing people to devote themselves totally to him, willing to give their lives in an instant at one of his commands, then switching to a cold killer who will go through anybody who stands in his way. He certainly isn’t as fun as the Joker to watch, but he isn’t supposed to, you are supposed to be scared of this character, to hate him, yet at certain times be enthralled by his personality. His is one thing that seems to have gained some sort of negativity. At times it can be difficult to hear, but this seems to be as much about the films sound mix as the cinema (I have seen it in two different cinema’s, one got it right and I could hear everything, the other didn’t and some lines were muffled), his accent is interesting, no doubt a mix of the mask and the characters history and the places he has been to. But ultimately the voice and how you feel about it and hear it, is a very subjective like or dislike.

She is never referred to as Catwoman, just Selina Kyle, but you would have been living in a cage to not know that this is Catwoman. One of Batman’s most important and long running characters, it was great to see her brought to life in an accurate portrayal, no dead cat zombie lady in this one. Many didn’t feel that great when Anne Hathaway was announced. How stupid they must feel, or at least should feel now. Like her character in the film, she does steal scenes in this; one bar sequence is so perfectly Selina Kyle that it blows any would be complainers away, not to forget her entertaining introduction at Wayne Manor with Bruce and Alfred. Like both Bale and Hardy, Hathaway brings a great physicality to the role, more than capable of holding her own against a few thugs, she also uses her body to convey her different personalities whenever she doesn’t say anything, once again, her first two scenes demonstrate this perfectly. Finally, yes she does look like Catwoman and Selina Kyle and there are “ears” as part of the cat suit.

Following in the footsteps of the previous two films, The Dark Knight Rises moves at quite a pace once it gets going, which results in them being able to get a lot of story into the films mammoth running length of 164 minutes, most of which would be hard to cut down or eliminate. As a result for the most part the story is engaging and considerably tight, this is probably the most loose and free flowing of the trilogy, the end game is set up relatively early on and obstacles put in front of the protagonists. There is one factual error involving the kind of stocks/options purchased by one character at a point in the story, which during the film doesn’t take you out of the moment due to what comes before and after it, but after the credits roll it does stick out at you. But the fact that they have tried to incorporate something like this in a “comic book” film should be praised, even if it is a little off and if this is the only issue I can really find in the film that I can say that I am completely happy with that.

Talking about the plot and building on saying that it is the most free of the trilogy is meant to be taken positively, as it allows them ask questions and introduce ideas into the narrative, much in the same way as The Dark Knight and Inception, allowing each audience member to takeaway different things from the film and being allowed to leave with their own answers, conclusion and meaning from the story and characters.

As with Bale, Gary Oldman’s Jim Gordon is one of the cornerstones’ of this series, his role is slightly diminished compared to the one in The Dark Knight, but not by a large amount, once again he proves to be one of Gotham’s heroes. Here, Oldman plays Gordon as man who has paid the price for the lie that he and Batman built together to save Gotham, now eight years on, without his family with a desire to resign and admit the truth to everyone. As with the previous two films, Oldman brings the character in a complete way, giving us a man who you can see is physically crumbling and who can’t stand what the people of Gotham think of his “friend” as he puts it. It’s hard to give more detailed praise of the performance of the character other than it is completely believable and that when you see him on screen it, is Jim Gordon you see, not Gary Oldman.

John Blake, what a mystery he was prior to the film, having probably even more speculation about his character and who he really was. Who he becomes is something that I won’t completely talk about; I will save it for another blog. When Gordon-Levitt was first announced, the way his character was announced made it seem like he would have a secondary role in the film, acting as Gordon’s assistant. But as the film plays out, we see his character grow in stature, especially after things in Gotham go wrong, Blake establishes himself as a vital figure not just to the resistance, but also to everyone in the city. In a role that could have been played awkwardly and arrogantly by a lesser actor and honestly after seeing Gordon-Levitt play the role, I cannot imagine anyone else in the part, one scene early on with Bruce Wayne, featuring a monologue of his, could have come across as more of a plot point than a genuine character moment that starts his and Bruce’s relationship and shows to us just what this police office is capable of. Some people may guess where his character arc will end, even without any knowledge of the Batman mythology. Without doing it, Nolan gave us his interpretation of a critical character to Batman, the only thing I would have changed is his name, but I will say no more.

One of the main issues some people seem to have with The Dark Knight Rises is the sound, certain lines of dialogue seem to drowned out at time by the score, but it seems to vary from cinema to cinema and how their sound system is set up. There were a few moments in The Dark Knight that this issue, but were subjective to the cinema, yet they were resolved for the DVD release. My biggest piece of advice would just be to give the film your complete attention and you should have no problem.

To sum up then, is The Dark Knight Rises as good as it’s predecessors? Especially The Dark Knight, well that depends on your own personally preferences and how much you are willing to invest in the film and its characters emotionally. It may not be as fun as The Dark Knight or as a tight as Batman Begins, it is more sprawling and asks bigger questions and with any ending, it will draw more attention and opinions good or bad, as is the problem when someone brings a conclusion to a character who has never had his story end before. I for one enjoyed it immensely; it is a great ending to Bruce Wayne’s story and Nolan’s trilogy. Go and see it, ideally watch all three films close together to really get the whole story, then make up your own minds, just don’t go in hoping for your ending, theirs’ is most likely better.

Passing the Cowl

Come this August we will see Christian Bale’s last performance as Batman and Bruce Wayne, and the speculation will be begin as to who will be the next man to don the cowl. Not only will the task of bringing the character himself to life in a new and interesting way, but they will also be following an actor who has arguable given us one of the definitive portrayals of the characters numerous different personalities in believable and engaging performance.

When looking at the role of Batman you have to consider, it could be argued that it can be broken down into three separate personalities or aspects to the character. These being, Batman, Bruce Wayne as only Alfred sees and the Bruce Wayne that the rest of the world sees and judges. For the sake of ease of reading, I will refer to the private Bruce Wayne, purely as Bruce, and the other public Bruce Wayne as Wayne.

Briefly going through these different aspects of the overall character, the Batman part of the character is self explanatory in what is generally expected. Next comes the Bruce character, the one which is arguably the true Bruce Wayne, and which he keeps secret only showing it to Alfred, as it gives us an insight to pain that he feels over the loss of his parents, and often shows us the extent of the burden of being Batman has taken upon him. This was one of the main strengths and stand out part of Bale’s performance. Finally, is the Wayne aspect, which is often used as a distraction by Bruce, to keep people from suspecting him, and for comic relief moments, as he is often portrayed as being arrogant and sometimes oblivious to the wider world.

As mentioned by David S Goyer in an interview for Batman Begins, it was easy to find an actor to play either Batman or Bruce Wayne, but very difficult to find many that could play both, which was why Bale was cast, a decision that was well received by almost everyone. So once again, the creative team will once again have to embark on a search for someone who can provide the physique of the character, but also show a wide enough range to make him believable.

When considering the kind of casting you would need for Batman, it would be easy to just merely claim that it should go with an unknown actor and end the argument. As unlike some comic book roles, Batman can easily attract the best actors around, both because of the weight and stature of the character, but also because of the instant boost it can give to a career. Looking back at the last four men to play Batman, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney and Bale, neither of them were unknowns, all of them were well known, with a solid body of work, maybe not necessarily in genres that normally preside being cast as Batman. I am referring mainly on how people reacted when Keaton was cast, after doing a number of comedies, something none of the other three have done many of.

Now I would like to mention a name of who in my humble opinion should be considered by the next creative team. Ryan Gosling. Now depending on what direction the next creative team want to go, in terms of story, be it a reboot, and picking up when Batman is established (there really is no need to go and do another origin film, Batman Begins has that taken care of), or if they change their minds of a reboot, and pick up after the end of The Dark Knight Rises, if it’s still possible, then Gosling physically can pull of each possible direction.

In terms of acting ability, Gosling is more than capable of portraying three different aspects of the character. The three roles that demonstrated this were Drive, The Ides of March and Half Nelson. In regards to Drive, a character who spoke very sparsely, only when it was absolutely necessary, and who demonstrated a violent physicality, which would he need for the fistycuffs that crop up in any Batman film. In Half Nelson, we saw a vulnerable and flawed man, who at times couldn’t control an addiction that had a control over him, and could ruin him. Finally, in The Ides of March, we saw the more arrogant and uncaring man who at times, I felt, thought himself better than those around him, something that the Wayne character possesses, and needs to keep his relevancy.

Obviously, there is a chance that Gosling would have no interest in the role at all, and I am by no means saying that he is only one capable of playing Batman. There may be some young actor out there, who after one or two great films will be propelled to the top of the list, or an actor everyone knows will suddenly show a jump in ability, and catapult himself into contention.

Finally, like Bale, having Gosling as the next Batman, would really help the new creative team to build a great cast around their leading man, like Christopher Nolan has done with his Dark Knight trilogy, bringing in the best actors possible to bring the world to life, and give characters a weight and presence to them.

Whatever happens, it’s unlikely that we will find out who will don the cowl for a good three to four years, and even then, that could be wishful thinking. But if I had my way, it would be Ryan Gosling, pulling it on and disappearing into Gotham City.

Completing The Circle: The Dark Knight Rises

About two weeks ago the first trailer for The Dark Knight Rises arrived in theatres (if you went to see Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows) and online through the film’s bare facebook page. Before I was even aware it was out there, and friend of mine asked me what I thought of it, at the time I was somewhere where I had no chance of seeing it. For the next day I thought about what could possibly be on it, I didn’t want to ask and have it tainted for me. I wanted to go press play, knowing absolutely nothing about what I was about to see.

Before I go any further, there are no spoilers what so ever in this piece of writing for The Dark Knight Rises, as I don’t know any, and don’t want to know any.

The trailer is obviously very heavy on the end of a journey theme. One of the final images of the trailer is of the cloud filled bat symbol descending onto the dark city of Gotham. There are two ways to look at this, if you were to read into this imagery, and take it as being at all relevant to the overall plot.

Firstly, there is the, Batman will die at the end of the film way of thinking. Secondly, you could go that it is Batman saving onto the city and finally earning the trust of all its law-abiding citizens and it’s officials. Both at this time are perfectly plausible from a story point of view, more so the later as it would directly continue the story on from The Dark Knight where Batman sacrificed himself for the good of city, regarding Harvey Dent’s post accident business.

As Christopher Nolan has alluded to “bringing the story full circle”, then maybe this is the scenario we could see playing out in the story. Bruce Wayne finally achieving what he set out to do all those years ago when he returned from his seven-year absence. To become something that the people of Gotham could have faith in, and look up to, knowing that he is there to protect them from any danger. The trailer uses some dialogue from Batman Begins where Ra’s Al Ghul talks about what Bruce could be capable of, “making himself more than a man, and by doing that becoming a legend.

I am aware that the term Legend can be used in many different ways when referring to any kind of person, fictional or real. While the use of the line The Dark Knight Legend in the trailer could be seen as a way of merely stating that this is the end of this particular story, what I believe will probably be known as The Dark Knight trilogy, and the hyping the last instalment of a franchise always helps to get people into the cinema (look at The Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lord of the Rings numbers), it could also mean that by the time the credits roll Bruce Wayne may be dead.

The trailer throughout doesn’t hold much joy for both Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon, who is the character we see the most of. Gordon lays in pain and talks to a mysterious man for majority of the trailer, by what Gordon says and the way in which it is edited, we are led to believe it is Bruce Wayne, as he talks about the Batman coming back. No doubt, if this is an actual scene from the film, then Bruce more than likely has told Gordon who he is. The image of Gordon, who has suffered throughout the series, despite being the genuinely good man is a shock, and no doubt that was the point of using this for the trailer.

As I mentioned earlier, Gordon has suffered throughout the series, no more so than in the finale of The Dark Knight when his family’s future is decided on the flip of a coin by Harvey Dent. However, the state he is in on that hospital bed, is something else entirely. It’s more akin to severe beating or someone involved in a vehicle accident. By using a bit of comment sense, it wouldn’t be far to imagine that Gordon has had a run in with Bane, having to deal with him without Batman.

But the most shocking image of the trailer is saved for the last one or two seconds. It shows Batman staggering backwards, exhausted as Bane pounds into view up a flight of stairs, from our point of view, full of energy. It’s clear to see that this shot was chosen for a specific reason, it puts the idea of Batman dying as a very real possibility. However, knowing Christopher Nolan’s history with his Batman films, and their trailers, this shot could not even be from the last act of the film. Neither the trailers for Batman Begins or The Dark Knight had imagery from the finales in them. By finales I mean the siege of the Narrows or the Monorail fight in Begins or the skyscraper siege and coin toss sequence in Knight. This is however my assumption, and me going off what we have seen previously.

It is here I must admit to their being maybe a slight whiff of a spoiler, by my own fault I came across three set photos from the shoot in Pittsburgh.

If you don’t want to know anything, like myself then please jump to the next paragraph. Which features two pictures of Batman and Bane in a different location, fighting again, and which could make be the finale, if you take into consideration the contents of the third. Which feature neither Batman nor Bane, but certainly gives one or two clues away. Nothing though that any fan of Batman with a decent amount of knowledge of the characters history and the full cast list wouldn’t be able to put together if they had some spare time on their hands. Without knowing anything, I did think it was one way for them to link some characters together, and it seems at least going from this picture that I could be right.

Something to take into account when considering what the death of Batman would mean. Would the citizens of Gotham stand up and defend themselves and each other, making the city a better place, riding itself of crime and corruption. As much as we would all like to believe a city would do that, it would be unlikely. Gotham would quite possibly regress to what it was, but with the more dangerous criminals also in the mix. Christopher Nolan at times, especially with his Batman films encourages us to think about the possibilities after the film ends, the Joker card a prime example. How would Gotham fair with Batman gone, if the Joker were to escape or one of the other rogues emerged. The possibilities go are endless.

With the news that Warner Bros. will reboot the Batman franchise after this film coming out earlier in the year it is hard to say what the Nolan’s and David Goyer have in store for us this time next year. We don’t even know what kind of reboot they mean, it could be route that Marvel have taken with Spiderman, and starting a fresh with a knew cast and crew, or they could be just be passing the creative responsibility onto a new team, albeit with Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas serving as producers. This character especially in this version continuity has proven very popular, and it would be a strange decision for everyone involved to merely step away from it. Batman is one of the few comic book characters that has always been able to attract the big names, both in front of and behind the camera, and given the success of the first two, and it’s a safe bet to say the third, then attracting another talented team would not be difficult.

The one fear is that Warner Bros are rebooting Batman so as to one day put together their own team-up movie with the Justice League, as a way of rivalling Marvels The Avengers. Why they would want to do this, I have never understood, a good Batman film will always do better that these kind of films in both financial and critical terms.

Will we see Batman die next summer and become a legend that the people of Gotham look up to when they are lost or their city is in danger? Or will we see Batman finally become Gotham’s protector, accepted by all.

We’ll have to wait to next July to find out.