Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)



Plot Synopsis: A new restart of the "Batman" franchise under the helm of "Memento" Director Chris Nolan and more in tone with the early "Batman: Year One" style comics. As a boy a young Bruce Wayne watched in horror as his millionaire parents were slain in front of his eyes, a trauma which led him to become obsessed with revenge but his chance is cruelly taken away from him by fate. After disappearing to the East where he seeks counsel with the dangerous but honorable ninja cult leader known as Ra's Al-Ghul, he returns to his now decaying Gotham City overrun by organised crime and dangerous individuals manipulating the system whilst the company he inherited is slowly being pulled out from under him. The discovery of a cave under his mansion, and a prototype armoured suit leads him to take on a new persona, one which will strike fear into the hearts of men who do wrong - he becomes, Batman. In the new guise, and with the help of rising cop Jim Gordon, Batman sets out to take down the various nefarious schemes in motion by individuals such as mafia don Falcone, the twisted doctor/drug dealer Jonathan 'The Scarecrow' Crane, and a mysterious third party that is quite familiar with Wayne and waiting to strike when the time is right.

Amazon.com
Batman Begins discards the previous four films in the series and recasts the Caped Crusader as a fearsome avenging angel. That's good news, because the series, which had gotten off to a rousing start under Tim Burton, had gradually dissolved into self-parody by 1997's Batman & Robin. As the title implies, Batman Begins tells the story anew, when Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) flees Western civilization following the murder of his parents. He is taken in by a mysterious instructor named Ducard (Liam Neeson in another mentor role) and urged to become a ninja in the League of Shadows, but he instead returns to his native Gotham City resolved to end the mob rule that is strangling it. But are there forces even more sinister at hand?

Co-written by the team of David S. Goyer (a veteran comic book writer) and director Christopher Nolan (Memento), Batman Begins is a welcome return to the grim and gritty version of the Dark Knight, owing a great debt to the graphic novels that preceded it. It doesn't have the razzle dazzle, or the mass appeal, of Spider-Man 2 (though the Batmobile is cool), and retelling the origin means it starts slowly, like most "first" superhero movies. But it's certainly the best Bat-film since Burton's original, and one of the best superhero movies of its time. Bale cuts a good figure as Batman, intense and dangerous but with some of the lightheartedness Michael Keaton brought to the character. Michael Caine provides much of the film's humor as the family butler, Alfred, and as the love interest, Katie Holmes (Dawson's Creek) is surprisingly believable in her first adult role. Also featuring Gary Oldman as the young police officer Jim Gordon, Morgan Freeman as a Q-like gadgets expert, and Cillian Murphy as the vile Jonathan Crane. --David Horiuchi

DVD Features
The first disc is filled out by the theatrical trailer and a Jimmy Fallon-starring Batman Begins spoof from the MTV Movie Awards. The second disc consists of eight featurettes (about 105 minutes total) on a variety of topics. "The Journey Begins" covers the early stages of the movie, including the casting and how director/co-writer Christopher Nolan brought in co-writer David S. Goyer for his comic-book expertise. "Shaping Mind and Body" covers Christian Bale's fight training, and other featurettes discuss the sets (the Batcave is shown being constructed out of wood and sheets), the Batman costume, the Batmobile, the monorail sequence, and the hazards of filming in Iceland. All the behind-the-scenes featurettes are solid but somewhat routine, and while "The Journey Begins" is the widest overview, there's not really any centerpiece documentary (all are 8 to 15 minutes, and there's no Play All option). Interviewees tend to be the same throughout: Nolan, Goyer, Bale (the only cast member to get much face time), and other crew members (it's nice to hear from the stunt people).

Potentially more interesting to fans is "Genesis of the Bat," which covers the comic books that influenced the film, including The Long Halloween, Neal Adams's Ra's Al Ghul from the '70s, Dennis O'Neill and Dick Giordano's The Man Who Falls, and Frank Miller's Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns. Interviewees include DC Comics editor Paul Levitz and artist Jim Lee, but the latter's involvement eventually degrades the featurette into a pitch for DC's All-Star Batman line. A nice bonus to the Deluxe Edition is a mini comic book (DVD case-sized) that has Batman's first appearance (Detective Comics #27), The Man Who Falls, and a 48-page excerpt from The Long Halloween. (Once you get a taste of Halloween, you'll want to pick up the full-length, full-size version.) Filling out the disc are overviews of four gadgets and eight characters, DVD-ROM features, and a variety of poster-art concepts. To get to the features menu, you have to scroll through a multi-page Goyer-scribed comic book, which is a good read, but you can't skip it the next time you want to watch the second disc. Note that the comic book is also viewable in French, and the second disc offers a French menu and French (but not English) subtitles for the featurettes. --David Horiuchi

Product Description
Batman Begins explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight's emergence as a force for good in Gotham. In the wake of his parents' murder, disillusioned industrial heir Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels the world seeking the means to fight injustice and turn fear against those who prey on the fearful. He returns to Gotham and unveils his alter-ego: Batman, a masked crusader who uses his strength, intellect and an array of high tech deceptions to fight the sinister forces that threaten the city.

DVD Features:
DVD ROM Features:Batman Begins Mobile Game Demo & Weblinks
Documentaries:Genesis of the Bat: Batman Incarnations from the Mid-1980s to the Present The Journey Begins: Creative Concepts, Story Development and Casting Shaping Mind and Body: Fighting Style Gotham City Rises: Production Design Cape and Cowl: The New Batsuit The Tumbler: The New Batmobile
Documentary:Path to Discovery: Filming in Iceland Saving Gotham City: The Monorail Chase Sequence
Easter Eggs
Featurette:Confidential Files Character/Weaponry Gallery
Interactive Menus:INNER DEMONS COMIC: Explore the special features through an exclusive interactive comic book
Other:Exclusive collectible 72-page comic book Detective Comics #37 - the very first Batman story Batman: The Man Who Falls - a classic story that inspired Batman Begins Batman: The Long Halloween - a chilling excerpt that also inspired the film
Photo gallery
Theatrical Trailer



Review: Flesh and Machinery

Christopher Nolan and his co-screenwriter, David Goyer have chosen to postpone the crossover of Bruce Wayne (a soulful Christian Bale) into Batman until half way through the new "Batman Begins."

And this is a crucial and important step that Nolan puts off until Bruce walks the earth in search of his own personal nirvana... in a sort of Christ-like journey to understand himself and his place in the world after his parents are brutally murdered. It is also from this quest that he acquires the knowledge and skills necessary for him to become a warrior, ready and able to combat the ills and rid his town Gotham of all evil-doers.

Nolan's "Batman Begins" is a more macho, masculine film than were the previous movies, which is not to take anything away from Tim Burton's elegiac, gothic and visionary takes on this story. But Burton's world is/was/ and will always be the world of the dreamer: his Batman is more sinned against than sinning. His Batman needs love and understanding while Nolan's wants and needs justice and revenge more than anything else: even the sultry Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes proves to be of little interest to Batman save a chaste kiss at the end of the movie. It's interesting to note that in the previous Batman films we had big beautiful bombshells like Kim Bassinger and Nicole Kidman as the so-called love interests while here, in Nolan's vision we have a more scrubbed clean, working class (Rachel is an assistant D.A.) heroine: a woman who is as interested in righting wrongs as is Batman and not merely someone meant as an adornment to the suave debonair Batman of Val Kilmer, George Clooney or Michael Keaton. It's an important and telling shift from woman as a plush toy to one who is, not only beautiful but also smart and dedicated to a cause other than self-promotion and self-satisfaction.

Christian Bale's Batman is real..i.e. a genuine, fleshed-out, beautifully written movie character: he is conflicted, he makes mistakes, he trusts the wrong people at times and he pays for his mistakes. It is a remarkable casting coup to have Bale in this role particularly since of late he has been playing a spate of radicals...i.e. in "The Machinist," in which he transforms himself into a skeleton...literally. As Bruce Wayne/Batman, Bale dons the mask, assumes the persona, not out of a lust for power but out of a fervent belief that good will always triumph over evil: several times in this film he is brought to task for his trust in the basic goodness of people and one of his mentors ( Liam Neeson as Ducard) even goes so far as to ridicule Bruce as sentimental and weak for it. Though Ducard is his mentor and sensei, this relationship proves to be fraught with ambiguity as the movie progresses to the climax.

What is a Batman film without its villains? But this film is devoid of the cartoon craziness of the Riddler or the Joker. Here we have Cillian Murphy (so good in "28 Days Later") as a scary-as-hell The Scarecrow, alias psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Crane, who spews his psychedelic paranoia and psychosis on an unsuspecting Gotham. His "stuff" is more thrilling and frightening than anything that the aforementioned villains could ever muster.

"Batman Begins" is not only a physically gorgeous film, it is also an emotionally and ideologically complicated one. It wears its heart on its sleeve, yes...but it also has the brains and a profoundly strong back and pumped up physicality to back it up.

Review:
Batman flies high in excellent BEGINS

Since his first dramatic appearance in Detective Comics in 1939, Batman has grown to become a pop-culture icon. From movie serials in the 40's, to a classic campy TV show in the 60's, to a solid animated series in the 90's, fans have thrilled to the super heroics of this unique character. However, as a film franchise, he has brought results that were somewhat less than impressive creatively. While the Tim Burton directed films, BATMAN and BATMAN RETURNS were stylish and dark, they also suffered from plot holes you could drive a Batmobile through. Then Joel Schumacher introduced a Day-Glo sensibility to the Dark Knight in BATMAN FOREVER, before drowning the character in ludicrous costumes (a Bat suit with nipples???), pun-filled foes, and whiney sidekicks in the lousy BATMAN & ROBIN. By then, Batman as cinematic property had become a laughingstock. Fortunately, indie film director Christopher Nolan reinvigorates the franchise in glorious form in BATMAN BEGINS, a reboot of the Batman legend that, for the first time, puts the focus squarely on our hero and not on the over-the-top villains of past films. Nolan also bases the film in a strong semblance of reality that allows the audience to not only accept the possibility of the winged vigilante, but embrace it as well.

Most fans already know the story of how wealthy Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) loses his parents when they are slain during an attempted robbery, but the movie also tells how he chose the bat as his symbol, as well as the steps needed to become the avenger of the night that he turns into. Disillusioned and frustrated by Gotham City's corrupt judicial system, the young Wayne goes abroad to study the criminal mind. Later, while locked in an Asian prison, Wayne is recruited by the enigmatic Ducard (Liam Neeson), who offers him a path in which to focus his anger and hone his skills. Wayne eventually joins his new mentor as a recruit in the mysterious League of Shadows, headed by the sinister Ra's Al Ghul (Ken Wantanabe). Eventually, Wayne realizes that he cannot follow the League's extreme methods of dispensing justice and returns to Gotham to forge his own way. It soon turns out that Wayne's return is just in time as Gotham falls prey to a fear epidemic engineered by the twisted Dr. Jonathan Crane AKA "the Scarecrow" (Cillian Murphy) and a familiar figure from Wayne's past.

From the top on down, this film is blessed with a solid cast that adds wonderfully to Nolan's vision. As the title hero, Christian Bale blows all other Batman portrayers out of the water with his intense and scary take of the role. This is a Batman that you not only fear, but can relate to as well. In fact, he turns in the definitive performance. Michael Caine adds warmth and humor as Wayne's trusty butler, Alfred. Liam Neeson does a great variation of his usual mentor roles as Ducard, a man with his own surprising secret. As an assistant DA and Wayne's childhood friend, Katie Holmes does a nice job with what is basically a thankless role. Cillian Murphy makes for a perfectly creepy Scarecrow, while Morgan Freeman is solid as usual as the man who provides Batman's wondrous car and gadgets. Gary Oldman is wonderfully cast against type as Jim Gordon, one of Gotham's few honest cops. The scene in which he drives the tank-like Batmobile is a sheer delight.

The screenplay by Nolan and David Goyer (who wrote the BLADE films) is awash with characterization and motivation...something that you don't see in many comic book films as a rule. In fact, you get so engrossed by the proceedings that you almost forget that you are watching a "superhero" film in the first place. The special effects are used to enhance the story and not overpower it, while the set design pictures a Gotham that is a unique cross of Chicago, New York and Hong Kong. If there is a flaw, it lies in some of the fight sequences. Done in close-ups and quick cuts, they can get frustrating for those who want to see more of Batman's fighting style. However, this is very minor since the story never ceases to grasp your attention.

In the end, Nolan and his superb cast and crew succeed in achieving what was once thought impossible: the resurrection of a film franchise that, if not dead, was at least on life support. As a result, Batman is once again flying high and BATMAN BEGINS is a film that I wholeheartedly recommend.




Batman Costume Affecianado Update:

Warner Home Video will release Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997, a new two disc special edition set featuring the first four Batman movies (Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin) on October 18, 2005. Each of the four movies will also be available as stand alone movie DVDs. Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997 special edition set and the individual movies will be feature new digital transfers with the special edition set including 18 hours of additional bonus content including commentaries from directors Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher, cast & crew interviews, new documentaries, making-of featurettes, and 9 music videos from Prince, Seal, and the Smashing Pumpkins. The four films have grossed $1b+ worldwide, with combined DVD and VHS sales totally near $650m (50m+ units).

Batman: Cover to Cover : The Greatest Comic Book Covers of the Dark Knight (Batman) (Hardcover)

From Publishers Weekly
This dazzling collection of pop-art miniposters spans six decades of readers' fascination with the costumed hero. The editors selected roughly 250 from among the more than 2,000 covers done for Batman-themed publications. Batman has huge advantages as a graphic image. For one, the character has wonderfully dramatic looks—a swirling cloak, an inhuman mask and a grimly clenched don't-mess-with-me jaw. He also lends himself to strikingly lit, foreboding night settings. Regardless of what a particular story is about, he's always been a comics artist's dream subject. Consequently, though the book is organized loosely according to subjects, such as "Fearsome Foes" and "The Batman Family," it also takes pains to include examples of covers from different eras, featuring interviews with some of the artists who created the covers. Famous comics and media people from Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan to actor Mark Hamill also get to choose a favorite cover and explain briefly why they chose it. Fortunately, the editors have resisted the temptation to print a huge number of covers reduced to matchbook size, so these selections are large enough to appreciate. From Brian Bolland's hyper-detailed realism to Alex Toth's b&w minimalist rendering, this book does a good job of showing how much fun artists have had designing this comic book icon. (May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review:
Riding the wave surounding the relaunch of the Batman film franchise, I was looking forward to this book moreso, than I would have been, say, a year ago. I must say the book, Batman: Cover To Cover, is much more than just something that chronicles the nearly 70 year history of the Dark Knight through covers from his monthly titles. It's a book that will satisfy the fanboy, as well as, the novice, who thanks to Batman Begins, might be jumping into the world of the character for the first time.

Review:
I don't know how they did it. But somehow the editors at DC Comics selected roughly 250 covers from a pool of about 2,000 for the 240 page coffee table tome. The sections of the book focus on different aspects of Bat-mythology. Among my favorite chapters is the one devoted to the myriad of villians over the years, that have plagued our hero. There are also essays and commentaries written by the creative folks responsible for bringing the character to life in various forms, detailing how they were inspired by, and in turn infuenced others. You'll read words from Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan, TV's first Batman Adam West, the voice of the Joker, for the landmark 90's animated series, Mark Hamill, as well as comic book talents Neil Gaiman, the great Alex Ross, Brad Meltzer, Mark Waid, Jeph Loeb, Brian Bolland, Paul Levitz, Sheldon Moldoff, Jim Lee, Jim Aparo, Neal Adams, Jerry Robinson, anong others. Not only do these folks know their history but the insight into the characters that they offer is lots of fun.

Review:
A great book...

I just recently received this book,and I can tell you it is well worth having. True, there are definitely some covers that are missing (in my opinion all of Jim Lee's covers should have been here from the Hush series. OUTSTANDING!!!) A beautifully done book to add to your Batman collection. This book does not cover all of Batman's many comic book covers, but this was not to be expected. Instead they point out some of his most daring and bold covers. Batman has had the benefit of being drawn by some of the greatest comic book artist ever. I beleive you will find it truly amazing how each one has their own distinctive style on creating the Dark Knight. So make sure you own this one. You won't be sorry. Hey, maybe they'll make a volume 2.

Well first, it's Batman; that might be enough reason to buy it, even for the price. (I'm a collector anyway, so what's some bucks?) Anyway, it features a number of cool and "forgotten" covers done over the 65+ years of Batman being in comics. I was even surprised some of the covers of War Games got in, really nice. There are some well-written commentaries too, by artists and editors and the like, and what cover they picked.

The cover of the book itself is great. I thought it was just a hardbound book; it turns out, the dust jacket reveals some more to it. I was in awe when I opened it, well done.

My only rant, not all of the covers I wished to be there was not there. Well, that's how it is. Tec#700 and Strange Apparitons, I think, should've been in the list. Well, all in all if you have the money and would really have something to keep for a number of years, get this. Well, if not, I hope you can browse through it when you get a chance. It would be great.




Batman Illustrated, Vol. 2

Review:
One of Adams' early triumphs involved revitalizing one of comics' greatest icons. In the waning days of the TV series Batman, which depicted the character as a genial battler against silly, costumed villains, Adams and some sympathetic writers returned to the crime fighter's roots as a dark creature of the night driven to avenge his parents' double murder. Besides conjuring a noirish atmosphere (intensified here by good recoloring), Adams goosed up the thrills with exciting, kinetic fight choreography. The 1970s stories reprinted in this attractive, pricey hardcover range from moody ghost stories set in haunted houses to more traditional superhero scenarios, such as the trilogy in which Batman fights the Man-Bat, a scientist transformed into a giant flying fiend. More than three decades after these comics first appeared, Adams' conception of Batman remains the template for today's renditions of the Caped Crusader.

With the possible exception of Strange Apparitions, Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams Volume 2 is the best Batman book currently available and is vastly superior to volume 1 of the series. The improvement lies in the quality of the writing, because, while Neal Adams' artwork was unquestionably brilliant in volume one, most of the stories in that volume were tripe from the typewriter of Bob Haney, whose stories were often, for lack of a better word, goofy. Volume 2 begins to reprint the stories where Adams was teamed with writers worthy of his talent, and Adams talent is unsurpassed. This book consists of tales by two of the greatest writers (O'Neil and Robbins) in Batman's illustrious history, and the man who is, without a doubt in my mind, the greatest artist in the history of the comics medium. Anyone with even a passing interest in comics should consider Batman Illustrated Volume 2 must reading, because it shows what a great character Batman can be in the hands of the right talent.

That is not to say the book is perfect. I found some it somewhat off-putting that Adams decided to redraw and "improve" some of the artwork. There isn't much tinkering, just a panel or two here and there, but to be honest, I found the original work to be superior in every case. Of course, Adams is the artistic genius and I'm just a reader, so I will defer to his judgment. However, none of the stories after "Paint a Picture of Peril" appears to have any redrawing, so I guess that isn't really a major problem.
Volume 2 contains the following stories:

"You Can't Hide From a Dead Man" Batman attempts to find Deadman's killer in this team-up. Although not great, the story is not that bad, which is surprising considering Bob Haney's authorship. Still, one of the weaker stories in the book and, fortunately Adams last work with Haney. My main complaint is that I've always loved this tale's splash panel and Adams apparently redrew it. The original was better.

"Secret of the Waiting Graves" Adams first collaboration with writer Denny O'Neil is the story that broke Batman out of the TV mode and returned him to his roots as a grim avenger of the night. Quite simply, it is one of the greatest stories in Batman history. Highlights include the Batman's rescue of a policeman who is plummeting from a hot-air balloon and the scene where a drugged Batman fights off an attack from a group of falcons. While the creature of the night Batman on display here may seem cliché to modern readers, the story must have been quite a shock to the audience used to Adam West-ish TV show high-jinks. Graves is one of the two best stories in the book. I can't recommend it highly enough.

"Silent Night of the Batman" This tale of Batman singing Christmas carols (?) while his image inspires Gotham's citizenry is the only lame tale in the book. Still, Adams artwork shines and that last panel of Batman swinging through the city is awesome.

"Paint a Picture of Peril" is one of the weakest O'Neil/Adams collaborations. The story isn't bad, but the team would produce other work that was far superior. Batman confronts an insane madman who steals valuable works of art based on their resemblance to his lost love. Reportedly, O'Neil based his story on Orson Welles' Citizen Kane. Every picture of Bruce Wayne in this story seems to have been redrawn from the original. In fact, this is the story that Adams seemed to tweak the most.

"Challenge of the Man-Bat" The premier chapter in the Man-Bat trilogy is Neal Adams first collaboration with writer Frank Robbins. The full three-part story has always been one of my favorite Batman sagas, although this first part is the weakest of the three. Scientist Kirk Langstrom takes a Bat-extract to heighten his senses, but is transformed into a hybrid of a human and a bat. The only real flaw in the story is the page where Batman confronts the Black-out Gang and admits to them that he tracked them with a device that enhanced his hearing, allowing the Gang to plot an escape. Why would he do that? Still, one bad page can't ruin 15 excellent ones.

"Man or Bat" The second part of the Robbins/Adams Man-Bat trilogy is probably the most exciting. Langstrom searches for a cure as he continues to grow more savage, while Batman tracks him. This story introduces Langstrom's fiancée, Francine, who tries to help Batman in his quest. Action packed and top notch!

"Ghost of the Killer Skies" is an excellent murder mystery in which Batman tracks a killer on the set of a movie about World War I fighter pilot (and DC character) Enemy Ace. There are a couple of panels where Denny O'Neil gets a little too political for my tastes, but otherwise another fine O'Neil/Adams collaboration. By the way, the panel of Batman leaping over the World War 1 plane to grab a roll of dynamite is simply beautiful.

"Marriage: Impossible" (aka the Bride of Man-Bat) is the thrilling conclusion of the Man-Bat trilogy by Adams and writer Frank Robbins. Now driven totally insane by his transformation, Langstrom makes Francine take the Bat extract to prove her love for him. Perhaps it is a bit melodramatic for today's audiences, but I love this story. I think it has a great "70s horror movie" feel, and I love the splash page. Also, while it may seem far-fetched that someone would turn themselves into a human bat for love, I think I have known people that were probably that stupid.
"Red Water, Crimson Death" may be a bit confusing to people unfamiliar with DC's House of Mystery title. The story serves as a Batman/House of Mystery "team-up" and is narrated by Cain, who "told" all the tales in HOM. The actual plot deals with a vacationing Batman summoned to action to expose a gang of criminals staging fake haunting in an Irish castle in an attempt to cover their schemes. I can't say I was crazy about the ending, but otherwise a very entertaining O'Neil/Adams thriller.
"The House that Haunted Batman" is a great idea that could have been executed better. This is an early story by writers Len Wein and Marv Wolfman, both of whom would improve greatly over their careers. Of course, Adams art is, as always, excellent. This story is still FAR superior to anything DC is putting out in any of the current Bat-titles, and the only thing that knocks the story from being great to merely good is the ridiculous death trap.

"A Vow from the Grave" is the story that writer Denny O'Neil sites as his best collaboration with Neal Adams, and I certainly wouldn't disagree with him. This story is another murder mystery with Batman tracking an escaped killer through a nearly deserted town inhabited only by a group of circus freaks. To be honest, it is one of the two best stories in the book, "Secret of the Waiting Graves" being the other, and is one of the greatest in Batman history. Highly recommended.

Okay, here's the scoop. I have been collecting comics for over 35 years. I have all of the individual books that are in this volume (as well as volumes 1 and 3). All of the stories are now collected together.

1) This compilation of Batman stories and covers is outstanding.

2) The new coloring is gorgeous.

3) To younger comic fans exposed to the current field of writers and artists: if you want to see THE definitive Batman, that is, how a comic book story should be told and drawn, buy this volume. Period.

As a fan of the work of Neal Adams, it pains me to say that this book is almost ruined by Mr. Adams own modern re-coloring efforts. I respect his idea to re-color using modern technology, however his coloring style and technique seems amateur compared to most professional comics colored today. He disrespects his own line work and rendering abilities by over-shading every last detail with blurry, ultra blended, and overly dark color. No panel is left untouched. Areas where a flat color would be ideal, Mr. Adams chooses the opposite route-even going so far as to adding photographs (of clouds and moons, etc.) and using a number of bad Photoshop filters. Luckily, the numberous cover illustrations scattered throughout the book seem to be somewhat spared from this insanity.

As for the comments by "alex" about the over-saturation of the colors-I think this is actually a result of the paper stock (ONE OF THE GOOD POINTS OF THIS BOOK IS THE PAPER USED-a wonderfully textured uncoated stock). Had this book been properly colored, the effect would have been gorgeous. What a shame.

I really hate to criticize one of my heros this way, however I think it's important for this criticism to be voiced. If enough people complain, perhaps Neal will leave the coloring to the pros in subsequent volumes.

Batman - The Animated Series, Volume One (DC Comics Classic Collection)


Amazon.com
Warner Brothers' Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995) remains a striking, stylized program that helped to revitalize the familiar comic book hero. Drawing on such diverse influences as Frank Miller's graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns, the Fleischers' Superman cartoons of the early '40s, and contemporary Japanese animation, the filmmakers stress interesting designs and cinematography. The Caped Crusader prowls a sinister, Art Deco-styled world of tall verticals, sharp angles, silhouettes, searchlights, and grid-like shadows cast by window frames. Its visual pizzazz eclipses Filmation's pallid kidvid, The Batman/Superman Hour (CBS, 1968), which ran off and on in various incarnations through 1981. Many of the same artists worked on the Batman animated features (e.g., Mask of the Phantasm (1993), Batman Beyond--The Movie (1999)), which display similar strengths and weaknesses.

Ironically, Batman: The Animated Series looks better in stills than it does in motion. The artists fail to stylize the movements of the characters to match the dramatic settings, as Genndy Tartakovsky and his crew did in Samurai Jack. Batman uses sophisticated computers to combat the well-known villains--the Joker, the Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Catwoman--as well as some less celebrated baddies: Manbat, Clayface, The Mad Hatter. The bad guys cram a lot of plotting and scheming into each 22-minute episode, but the violence is kept to a broadcast standards minimum.

The Dark Knight's First Knight easily ranks as the most interesting of the extras. Producers Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski recount the genesis of the series, and show their mini-pilot, which is more violent and more fully animated. If the complete episodes had matched the pilot, the series would have been much more exciting. (Unrated, suitable for ages 8 and older: violence, mild grotesque imagery) --Charles Solomon

Warner Bros. started releasing episodes of the award-winning "Batman: The Animated Series" (BTAS to fans) on DVD in miserly single-disc editions containing four or five episodes apiece. Fan complaints and common sense have finally made Warner Bros. realize the potential of this acclaimed and hugely popular series and have released the first volume of episodes in a deluxe package: 4 discs, 28 episodes. The shows are presented in production order, with a few variations to put the multi-part episodes together. The sound is an improved Dolby Surround 2.0, and the picture is beautiful. There are some extras -- not a huge amount -- but the real feature here is the shows themselves. There has rarely been an animated show that has achieved this level of quality writing and artwork. Heck, rarely do LIVE action shows achieve this sort of quality!

BTAS was released as children's programming originally, but the animators, directors, and writers turned it into something of adult complexity (not that kids don't love it too, but adults tend to be the biggest fans, mostly comic book lovers). Freed of the constraints of selling toys, the filmmakers created an intricate show that was true to the dark, psychological side of Batman and his adversaries. Instead of sticking to boring formulas usually associated with animated TV shows, the writers made sure each episode was something unique, and kept drama always at the forefront. The animation is spectacular and fluid, the action scenes have a kick to them superior to many movies, and the orchestral scores contribute to the feeling of something special.

Not all the episodes are great, of course, and some of the early ones in this package show the creative team struggling to discover the direction and tone of the show. But most episodes are good to excellent in quality. The writing team did a spectacular job at fleshing out minor baddies like Mr. Freeze, The Clock King, and The Mad Hatter into the full-fledged great villains with complex motivations. The voice work by familiar TV and movie actors also raises the quality of the characterizations. For many people, Kevin Conroy IS Batman...his dark, edgy voice is forever rooted to the character.

Here is a breakdown of the episodes and features on the four discs:

DISC 1: Contains episodes "On Leather Wings," "Christmas with the Joker," "Nothing to Fear," "The Last Laugh," "Pretty Poison," "The Underdwellers," and "P.O.V." The first episode is the best on this disc, with Batman facing the fearsome Man-Bat. The show really hit the ground running, but the immediate follow-ups are a bit weak. "P.O.V." has moments of interest because of its unusual structure, and "Nothing to Fear" has a great finale, but the two Joker episodes are particularly poor; the show hadn't quite figured out its style yet. Also on this disc is commentary by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski for "On Leather Wings," and a two-minute demo they did to sell the look of the series.

DISC 2: Contains episodes "The Forgotten," "Be a Clown," "Two Face (Parts 1&2)," "It's Never Too Late," "I've Got Batman in My Basement," and "Heart of Ice." The last is one of the most popular episode of the series, introducing the fantastic re-imagining of Mr. Freeze as a tragic figure. "Two-Face" is also a superb villain origin story. The other episodes are minor, with a poor Joker and Penguin episode, but "It's Never Too Late" is an interesting non-super-villain story. The bonus feature on this disc is a great 18-minute documentary about the series, with interviews with the producers, writers, and some of the actors. There's also audio commentary on "Heart of Ice" with Timm, Radomski, and writer Paul Dini.

DISC 3: Contains episodes "The Cat and the Claw (Parts 1&2)," "See No Evil," "Beware of the Gray Ghost," "Prophecy of Doom," and "Feat of Clay (Parts 1&2)." The show was clearly taking off at this point; only "Prophecy of Doom" is a poor episode. "Beware the Gray Ghost" brings back Adam West to the Batman series, and is one of the most inspirational of all the episodes. "Feat of Clay" contains stunning animation, and "Cat and Claw" gives us the wonderful relationship between Batman and Catwoman. The bonus feature is a Batcave tour, basically a few screens of text and some connected montages of images from the show.

DISC 4: Contains episodes "The Joker's Favor," "Vendetta," "Fear of Victory," "The Clock King," "Appointment in Crime Alley," "Mad as a Hatter," and "Dreams in Darkness." Two lesser villains, Clock King and Mad Hatter, become the focus of great episodes. "The Joker's Favor" is one of the best Joker episodes, and introduces Harley Quinn, who would become one of the show's most popular creations. The two Scarecrow episodes aren't much, however. The bonus feature is a plug for some of the other DC heroes.

One warning: If you buy this package, be prepared to see your free time get drained away! It's impossible to stop watching episodes once you start, and most of them reward multiple viewings. Recommended as a MUST for all animation and super-hero fans.


But the episode list I've seen are still some excellent episodes of season one, plus commentaries. A far cry better than the 2-4 episode disks they've been teasing us with for years.

'The four-disc set of Batman: The Animated Series Vol. 1 will include 28 episodes of the dark knight. The series will be presented in Full Screen just as it was on TV and will feature stereo sound tracks.

Commentaries for select episodes by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and Eric Rodomski will be part of the extras. As well as, Batman: The Legacy Continues featurette, Dark Knight's First Night featurette, Tour of the Batcave and trailers for Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, Challenge of the Superfriends, and Justice League: Star Crossed.

This potential episode list is according to our friends (...)

Disc 1: "On Leather Wings" (Commentary with Bruce Timm, Paul Dini & Eric Rodomski), "Christmas With the Joker", "Nothing to Fear", "The Last Laugh", "Pretty Poison", "The Underdwellers", and "P.O.V.". FEATURETTE: "The Dark Knight's First Night".

Disc 2: "The Forgotten", "Be a Clown", "Two-Face (Part 1)", "It's Never Too Late", "I've Got Batman in My Basement", "The Cat and the Claw (Part 1)", and "Heart of Ice" (Commentary with Bruce Timm, Paul Dini & Eric Rodomski). FEATURETTE: "Batman: The Legacy Continues".

Disc 3: "See No Evil", "The Cat and the Claw (Part 2)", "Two-Face (Part 2)", "Beware the Gray Ghost", "Prophecy of Doom", "Feat of Clay (Part 1)", and "Feat of Clay (Part 2)". FEATURETTE: "Tour of the Batcave".

Disc 4: "Joker's Favor", "Vendetta", "Fear of Victory", "The Clock King", "Appointment in Crime Alley", "Mad as a Hatter", and "Dreams in Darkness". TRAILERS: "Other Super Hero Favorites" (promos for Challenge of the Superfriends, Justice League - Star Crossed, and Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman).'

eing put together for both movies. What they are exactly, I've still yet to get any news on, but you can bet we'll at least get a good documentary or making-of featurette going over every aspect of the movie (sets, costumes, music, etc.). So you can either buy this set and get nothing but the movies themselves, with poor picture and audio quality and no extras to speak of, or wait just a few more months. As for Batman Forever and Batman & Robin...that leads me to my second part on why you shouldn't bother with this set. Do you honestly consider those movies to be part of a a Batman movie "legacy"? Honestly. Batman & Robin is only widely considered as the worst superhero movie to ever exist- beating out the old Captain America and even more recently- Elektra. Batman Forever, while not completely benal, was still below average. I'm not going to be a Tim Burton fanboy and say the movies needed him to be good, but Christ, even Paul W.S. Anderson couldn't have made them any worse.

The Batman Legacy (Four Film Giftset) (1992)

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
For fans and newcomers, this boxed set holds a great collection, including all four great movies. The first in the series, Batman (1989), and arguably the best of the four movies, exudes the moodiness of the Dark Knight's character. Tim Burton's direction and Michael Keaton's rendition of Batman are an electrifying combo. Together they capture the sinister atmosphere of Gotham City and Batman's darkness. Jack Nicholson as the fiendish Joker and Kim Basinger as the resourceful and gorgeous Vicki Vale lend their charm. Three years later, in 1992, Burton and Keaton reunited for Batman Returns. This time our pointy-eared hero has to combat two villains: Danny DeVito as the disturbed and freaky Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. In Batman Forever (1995), Joel Schumacher gave his direction to the story with Val Kilmer under the cape. Kilmer keeps the moodiness but adds a little panache to his rendition. His archenemies this time are the Riddler (Jim Carrey) and Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones). Luckily, he enlists the help of the Boy Wonder, Robin (Chris O'Donnell). The final movie in the series, Batman & Robin, is great eye candy, and this time Schumacher returns with George Clooney as the leading man and Chris O'Donnell again as Robin. Together Batman and Robin battle the icy Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger), with a little help from Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone). Delve into the Gotham City world with the Dark Knight to protect you, and don't forget to make lots of popcorn for this Batman marathon. --Samantha Allen Storey --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Description
This 4-title boxed-set contains all of the titles in the Batman series, including: Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin.

I know I have already reviewed all four "Batman" movies individually, but I won't shy away from reviewing this boxed set containing all of them. I actually bought all the films in the boxed set rather than separately, but I decided to review them individually because I was too lazy to write a full review of the boxed set. Tonight, I feel like I'm able to write a thorough review of it, so here goes nothing.

"Batman" (1989, PG-13) The first film in the series was directed by modern day cinema wizard Tim Burton. Michael Keaton takes on the role of the title character and his alter ego Bruce Wayne. In it, the Dark Knight is a vigilante hero out to thwart the criminals that plague Gotham City. The problem is, most of the citizens of Gotham think he's just as bad as the thugs he's beating up. However, their opinion changes when they get a load of the Joker (Jack Nicholson), aka former mobster Jack Napier. The Joker is out to poison Gotham City with his lethal Smilex gas, the same chemical that left him horribly disfigured in a duel with Batman. Meanwhile, Batman's alter ego, millionaire Bruce Wayne, is struggling with his secret life, which gets in the way of his blossoming relationship with beautiful photojournalist Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger), who The Joker also has his eye on. The plot may seem cluttered from a distant point of view, but all the elements mesh together perfectly and the film is excellent.

The cast is great. Keaton is the definitive Batman (slightly better than Christian Bale). A lot of people scoffed at him being cast for the role, but their opinion changed when they saw his brilliant performance. Kim Basinger wasn't amazing, but she put in a very good performance. And Jack Nicholson was excellent as The Joker. He doesn't carry the film or steal the show in any means whatsoever, but he portrays the character to the hilt but never overdoes it. This is truly one of his best roles ever. Add to that an outstanding supporting cast that includes Robert Wuhl, Billy Dee Williams and Jack Palance, as well as stunning special effects and visuals, and the series is off to a great start. 5/5

"Batman Returns" (1992, PG-13) Three years after the successful first venture, Tim Burtons gets behind the camera again while Michael Keaton dons the cape and tights once more in this brilliant sequel, which is every bit as good as the original. In it, Batman has to face off with not one, not two but three villians. First, there's the Penguin (Danny DeVito), aka Oswald Cobblepot, a grotesque, birdlike man abandoned by his parents as an infant, who has teamed up with crooked businessman Max Shreck (Christopher Walken). Together, they plan to get Oswald elected mayor of Gotham and drain the city of its energy supply. And then there's Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer), the former Selina Kyle, Shreck's secretary who he supposedly killed after finding out his plan. To make matters worse, Bruce Wayne, Batman's alter ego, and Selina have become romantically attracted to each other when they're beating the crap out of each other. This brilliantly written plot culminates in an unforgettable showdown with all four main characters.

The cast, like the last one, is flawless. Keaton is once again amazing as Batman/Bruce Wayne. He's even better here than in the first one. Michelle Pfeiffer sizzles as Catwoman/Selina Kyle, exuding sex appeal and putting on a showstopping performance. Danny DeVito was born to play The Penguin by physical features (well, height) alone. But his performance is so convincing that he could be seven feet tall and still put on a great performance. Christopher Walken is great as always. The supporting cast includes Pat Hingle and Michael Gough, who return to their respective roles (Commisioner Gordon and faithful Wayne butler Alfred), as well as cameos by Jan Hooks, Vincent Schiavelli and Paul Reubens that give this film extra kick. 5/5

"Batman Forever" (1995, PG-13) All good thing must come to an end, and this film proves it. Keaton walked out of it after he was refused a larger salary, and Burton only co-produced this mess. The directing reins were handed over to veteran schlockmeister Joel Schumacher, who stripped away the first two films' gothic elements and turned Gotham City into Camp City. Val Kilmer takes on the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne, and plays the role with about as much appeal as a city sidewalk. Nicole Kidman is very pretty but a stiff love interest, Tommy Lee Jones is a terrible Two-Face and Chris O'Donnell is woefully bad as Robin. Jim Carrey plays The Riddler and carries this film on his back. He is the only good actor in this film. Though a little over the top at times, the role is tailor made for him and he is the film's saving grace. 2/5

"Batman & Robin" (1997, PG-13) I don't even want to go into this mess. Read my individual review. 0/5

Should you get this boxed set? Only if you want to be able to buy all the movies in one trip and see how the films' evolution (deevolution?). Otherwise, just buy the first two and go to the movies and see "Batman Begins".

Being a Batman fan since I was a kid, it was interesting to see these films again after I got the box set. The only reason I felt this set deserved 4/5 stars is because of Batman & Robin, although I found it entertaining, it seemed the corniest out of the set. However, for those of us who always enjoyed Batman, if you haven't already, I would definitely recommend adding this set to your collection!

Bottom Line: The Set Is a Must for Most of us, however, I'm curious to see if the collection will be revamped with the future addition of "Batman Begins"?