This box set contains the first 4 Batman films, and the great thing about this box set is that it is cheaper than buying the films individually, and it chronicles the change in the Batman genre, from dark and moody (Burton), to more slapstick and comic-book like (Schumacher).
And so we begin with Batman (1989). This is not an origin story, like Batman Begins, instead, the film picks up with Batman already well established as a masked vigilante, putting the fear of God into Gotham's evil doers. Meanwhile, a malevolent, and evil criminal mastermind known as The Joker is terrorizing the Gotham City populous.
With the police at a loss, and the public hope fading, a hero steps from the shadows to clean up the city. Little does Gotham City know that their favourite winged avenger is none other than billionaire entrepreneur Bruce Wayne.
Cue much bating between the two nemeses, and attempts at winning over the public, with one too many innocent deaths thrown in for good measure. Eventually leading to the capture of
Wayne/Batman's love Vicky Vale, by The Joker and a bell tower showdown.
Batman is a very dark affair, but watching it, even now, it's not difficult to see why this film became (at the time) one of the top 10 highest grossing films ever. Burton paints a dark, decrepit, devastating Gotham City, whilst Michael Keaton was born to play the dark knight. Jack Nicholson, as usual, steals the film with one of the great super-villain displays, as the demented Joker.
Next to Batman Returns, which sees the return of Burton at the helm, and Keaton behind the mask. Returns is an equally dark affair, with Max Shreck (the brilliant Christopher Walken), the city millionaire, dumping chemicals into the sewage system. The Penguin (Danny Devito), although with a dark and tragic story (dumped in the sewers as a baby and mutated by exposure to Shreck's chemicals) is actually a rather comic character. His "downtime" in the sewer with his pet penguins is amusing,. However, his motive remains dark; wreak revenge on every first-born in the city.
Michelle Pfeiffer, in a career highlight role steals the film as the effortlessly sexy, but damaged Selina Kyle, who, after been thrown from a top storey window by her boss, becomes Catwoman.
Overall, despite the good villains, and well written script, the film is a little more empty than the first, with too much happening all at once for the viewer to fully absorb it.
Then we move to Batman Forever, where the gothic quirkiness of Burton is out, and the slapstick, comic book style of Schumacher is in. Jim Carrey's Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face are much camper, less imposing villains than the Joker. Their masterplan? Use airwaves to steal people's intelligence.
The main problem, however, is the villains have now become more interesting than the hero. Val Kilmer only half delivers, and is a shell of the broody, interesting Keaton. There's also too much superfluous eye-candy; Nicole Kidman's sexy, but ultimately pointless Dr Chase Meridian.
Chris O' Donnell joins the fray, as Robin, initially part of a circus act called the Flying Grayson's, turning the now questionably named "Dynamic Duo" into something of a circus act.
Ultimately though, Batman Forever is good, harmless, stylish, family fun, and much better than it ought to be.
Finally we have Batman and Robin, the film that almost destroyed Batman , and ensured it would be a full 8 years before we were to see the franchise resurrected in the form of Batman Begins.
Teaming up Mr Freeze (Arnold Scwarzenneger surely paying the rent) and Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman), the big bad plan here is to freeze Gotham City in the hope that Freeze can find a cure to reverse the illness ravaging his wife. Hmmm! Schumacher seems as though he's lost his way, and is aimlessly allowing the action to unravel all around him, totally oblivious as to how to save this farcical affair.
But the worst is yet to come...Perhaps the most unforgivable part of Batman and Robin is the horribly mistcasting of George Clooney as Batman. Clooney, usually a good actor, just cannot make things work as the winged avenger. He is horribly bad, as Bruce Wayne, and even more inept as Batman himself, cemented by the fact that even Chris O' Donnell out acts him here.
This film proves that assembling many talented (if not popular) stars together in the same film, does not guarantee a successful film, despite what Warner Brothers may have thought at the time.
And then there's the nipples on the suit....
No extra features of any note, just the four films.
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Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
BatmanThanks to the ambitious vision of director Tim Burton, the blockbuster hit of 1989 ... more
delivers the goods despite an occasionally spotty script, giving the caped crusader a thorough overhaul in keeping with the crime fighter's evolution in DC Comics....
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
BatmanThanks to the ambitious vision of director Tim Burton, the blockbuster hit of 1989 ... more
delivers the goods despite an occasionally spotty script, giving the caped crusader a thorough overhaul in keeping with the crime fighter's evolution in DC Comics....
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon...
This DVD Box Set Includes:Batman, Batman Returns:Gotham City faces two monstrous criminal ... more
menaces: the bizarre, sinister Penguin (Danny DeVito) and the slinky, mysterious Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer). Can Batman (Michael Keaton) battle two formidable f...
![The Batman Legacy (Batman/Batman Returns/Batman Forever/Batman and Robin) [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78493800.jpg "The Batman Legacy (Batman/Batman Returns/Batman Forever/Batman and Robin) [DVD]")
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Jul 28th, 2008
very helpful by (100%):
