As I write this, my dad’s in the living room watching Daredevil and I’m wondering what happened to Jennifer Garner’s career. (Answer: Ben Affleck)
So it got me thinking. What Superhero movies do I actually like? Can I even come up with five? Not really. But I do like me some Batman movies.
Now, I know nothing about the comics; literally all I know are the Tim Burton movies, the series from the ‘60s, and the Christopher Nolan reboot. So, if you happen to be a Batman aficionado, I apologize and you will hate my list. Except for number one. Everyone will probably agree with number one.
Note: There is a dearth of Batman Begins on this list. The reason is simple: I don’t like it. When I first saw it, my friend turned to me after it was over and said, “You do realize that wasn’t a comedy, right?” I can’t help it. I can’t take Christian Bale’s Batman voice seriously. I get the whole covering up the sound of your actual voice thing, but it’s so cheesy. And the worst part is, unlike the series from the 1960’s, the cheese is unintentional. Yell at me all you want, but my opinion still stands: Christian Bale has a terrible Batman voice.
#5: Batman & Robin
You might think that this is a joke. That I actually enjoy Batman & Robin, especially over Batman Begins. But, you know what, I do.
Come on. It’s hilarious. First off, let’s talk about Arnold Schwarzenegger for a minute. “What killed the dinosaurs? The ice age!” and “Allow me to break the ice. My name is Freeze. Learn it well. For it's the chilling sound of your doom.” And of course “Tonight's forecast... a freeze is coming!” Add in Arnold’s voice and it’s just comedy gold.
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| This is even funnier. |
#4: Batman (1989)
Michael Keaton is by far my favorite portrayal of Batman. And I liked Vicky Vale and all, but the winner is Jack Nicholson. Could they have found a better Joker at the time? (Note: We all know what number one is going to be and why, but bare with me here on the whole Joker front.) Like, seriously, I don’t think they had to do the prosthetics.
#3: Batman (1966)
Two words: Shark repellant. Two more words: Adam West. One word: Camp!
Need I really say more?
#2: Batman Returns
My whole scale for rating these movies seems to have a lot to do with the villains. I mean, you need a villain in order to have a hero, right? In this case, it’s Catwoman. I’ve always liked her. She’s my favorite superhero villain pretty much ever. (Well, no, maybe Mystic is my favorite… but that’s another list for another day.)
And, come on, Christopher Walken!
A little off topic: So, there’s this webcomic I read called Shortpacked! that features Batman a lot. It’s where the title of this post comes from (you’ll have to check it out to understand what I am saying.). Anyway, talking about this movie made me think of this comic:
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| Click on the picture to see it full sized. |
#1: The Dark Knight
This one is so obvious that I don’t even feel the need to talk about it. So I’m not going to, because I think it speaks for itself.
Note: If for some reason you haven't seen it and you don't know what the pencil trick is, it will probably be a little disturbing.
Funny that you HATED Begins but loved TDK. I know a few people like that. I guess it makes sense. Begins is slow and plodding and really a lot of fan service for die-hard fans.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'd argue that Batman (1989) deserves a place above Returns. Returns was good but too often corny and sagged under its own weight. Two villains proved too much for Burton. At his core he's a great director, but not much else. Returns is the better LOOKING of the two films. It's lessy muddy, the shots are clearer, it's obvious that Burton knows what to do with Batman and Wayne on screen, but is totally clueless about any other depth in the character.
Either way, good list! Looking forward to the next top five!