I did! i was 8 years old when i lived in San Diego and saw it 4 times in theaters, i became a Batman fan thanks to this movie as i read the comics, ate the cereal, saw the rest of the movies in theaters, had the action figures, had the NES game, T-shirts, movie magazine, cards and more.
It was a memorable experience for me! too bad the only good movie of the original movie series was Returns while Forever and Robin sucked ***. Good thing Nolan rebooted the series into something better.
Posted by logan5 (Member # 1467) on :
I saw it when it came out. Loved it back then. Now I see it as a good movie, but not great. It was still a major leap for superhero movies. 'Returns' was the best of the sequels (and arguably better than the first Batman).
Posted by Chris the CandyFanMan (Member # 3197) on :
I wanted to see it, but didn't quite get the chance, although I did get to see roughly the first half of it on HBO the following year before I had to go to bed (9 was usually the latest allowed on school night at age 8; I was wiped out at that point anyway regardless). Although Returns was better (and the Penguin has always been my favorite Gotham heavy anyway, so that was in its favor in the first place), it still holds up well today and is thoroughly enjoyable (I believe PBS will run it Saturday evening if anyone's interested).
Posted by Devolution (Member # 1731) on :
Devolution here,
Yes, I saw it in the movies. I was 14. It was so cool. Didn't love Returns at first, now I can appreciate how good it actually was.
We are DEVO
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
I remember two things about "Batman":
It had so much hype because of Jack Nicholson's participation as the Joker and the controversy surrounding the selection of Michael Keaton as Batman.
It was a decent movie, but it just didn't deliver quite like I expected.
Posted by Secret Admirer (Member # 3574) on :
I was 10 and it was AWESOME. I collected the Topps movie cards (still have them) and I think Taco Bell had collectible plastic cups. I even dressed up as The Joker, Jack Nicholson style, for Halloween that year.
Posted by noikz (Member # 1000) on :
I saw Batman when it came out in London when I was 12 although it wasn't my choice that day and I've never really been a fan of any of the Batman movies.
I remember it was the first UK movie release to be awarded a "12" certificate and that day was the first time I ever ate at a McDonalds too, fun facts. Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
quote:Originally posted by Secret Admirer: I was 10 and it was AWESOME. I collected the Topps movie cards (still have them) and I think Taco Bell had collectible plastic cups. I even dressed up as The Joker, Jack Nicholson style, for Halloween that year.
I think we just learned that Secret Admirer's true identity is really Christian Slater who idolizes Nicholson in a similar fashion.
Posted by Chris the CandyFanMan (Member # 3197) on :
Anyone wonder if the character would have worked as well if Robin Williams had handled it, as had been the plan at one point?
Posted by J2ME (Member # 5728) on :
I also remember seeing this at the cinema. I was actually only 11 at the time, so the whole 12 certificate was a complete joke.
I still prefer it over 'Returns'.
Posted by Zombo (Member # 8405) on :
Saw it opening night in San Jose...great crowd, they cheered, they clapped, they laughed...a very enjoyable experience!
Posted by HarryCanyon (Member # 9143) on :
Say Valley, what do you think of Batman Returns, Mask of the Phantasm, Under the Red hood and the recent Nolan movies?
Posted by Kash (Member # 297) on :
The media made such a big deal about the 12 certificate that the cinema Gestapo turned me away at the door! 'How about Karate Kid III?, she asked...So me and about six other losers were stuck watching Ralph Macchio fight an angry chipmunk and trim Bosani trees whilst everyone else had all the fun. Another reason to hate that sequel!
Eventually saw it on video: Liked it a lot. It was the first serious comic movie since Superman II and Keaton was brilliant as Batman.
I still have all that Bat memorabilia as I bought into the hype with great enthusiasm: T-shirts, comic tie-in, poster, a novel, Topps trading cards, figures and even those mini candy sticks with a Joker card on the back of the box.
If I had to rate the live action Batman films...
1. Batman Forever (always a controversial choice)
2. Batman Begins (refreshing reinvention).
3. Batman ("I am the night").
4. Batman: The Movie (1966) (ADAM WEST, Shark repellent spray, Lee Meriwether, Burgess Meredith, Cesar Romero; its like the 60s' never ended!).
5. The Dark Knight (should really be higher on the list, but hype and endless adulation overlooked the slow pace and somewhat unstructured storyline).
6. Batman Returns (or Catwoman: The Movie, as its known amongst men).
7. Batman & Robin ("Looks like its going to be a Big Frrrrrrrrrreze!", you could feel the collective slump of a packed movie theatre audience: 'Looks like its going to be a looooong night').
Posted by HarryCanyon (Member # 9143) on :
What about Batman Mask of the Phantasm, Batman: Sub-Zero and Batman Under the Red Hood?
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
Kash .. "Batman Forever" #1?
Eject! , Eject!, .. watch the canopy! Posted by Helen_S (Member # 5804) on :
I feel like I've entered the twilight zone. Forever no 1 and the greatest superhero film at no 6
Somebody make it stop Posted by Kash (Member # 297) on :
quote:Originally posted by HarryCanyon: What about Batman Mask of the Phantasm, Batman: Sub-Zero and Batman Under the Red Hood?
From the three you've mentioned Harry, I've only seen Batman Mask of the Phantasm, which was superb for its time. Some of the other decent Batman cartoon movies were Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, Gotham Knight and Batman vs. Dracula (which was OK).
Posted by Helen_S (Member # 5804) on :
Love Gotham Knight Posted by logan5 (Member # 1467) on :
quote:Originally posted by Helen_S: I feel like I've entered the twilight zone. Forever no 1 and the greatest superhero film at no 6
Somebody make it stop
Hold on to me! This is just a villainous trick!
Posted by Kash (Member # 297) on :
Valley, Helen, Logan; Glad to see you're all taking it so well!
Allow me to explain, Batman Forever is a great balancing act between darkness and light. Director Joel Schumacher owes his career to the '80s hence the liberal use of day-glo colours and neon lit sets. Its Goth meets Art Deco meets Graffiti meets the ghost of Bob Switzer on speed.
I'm a Val Kilmer fan: He’s an excellent Bruce Wayne / Batman. Even Nicole Kidman, normally a bit of a bore, is at her slutty best and Forever was probably the last Batman film with a sense of humour, since JS had a mild irreverence towards the source material. The difference between mild irreverence and utter contempt is the difference between Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.
Its also the most symbolic of all the Batman films: Illuminati motifs aplenty, Two face represents the right-left political paradigm (i.e. two sides of the same coin), whilst The Riddler uses 3D TV to literally suck the life out of Gotham City.
"Holey rusty metal, Batman!"
Posted by Kash (Member # 297) on :
quote:Originally posted by Helen_S: I feel like I've entered the twilight zone. Forever no 1 and the greatest superhero film at no 6
Somebody make it stop
Helen, I love Catwoman in Batman Returns (who doesn't?) and I love Tim Burton's style BUT my main problems with this movie are: The scarier you try and make a Penguin with a missile look, the more comedic it actually becomes. And the worst offence of all IMO: You're Tim Burton, you've shown great taste by casting Christopher Walken, you’ve SECURED his services as an actor in your movie. GIVE HIM A DECENT PART: Killer Mouth, Gentlemen Ghost, somebody from the cannon at least. Don't hire Walken and then relegate him to second tier villain status, it's a travesty.
This man CANNOT be sidelined!
Posted by HarryCanyon (Member # 9143) on :
What do you think of Batman Begins and Dark Knight?
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
Kash.. I was somewhat joking.. count me as a fan of "Batman Forever". I enjoyed Val Kilmer as Batman.
Now if you had listed "Batman & Robin" #1 .. then your wingman status might be questioned. Posted by logan5 (Member # 1467) on :
I actually quite liked 'Batman Forever' too. My strongest memory is Jim Carrey as Riddler.
I also agree that Walken playing second-fiddle to DeVito and Pfeiffer didn't seem right.
Posted by Chris the CandyFanMan (Member # 3197) on :
Forever worked well enough for me; perhaps if they'd kept in the deleted scenes shown on the DVD and made Two-Face more like his comics self, it would have fared much better in the long run. Kilmer did the best Bruce Wayne of the original series (although Keaton was the better Caper Crusader), and Carrey fittingly stole the show, showing why he was unstoppable in his prime. And although Schumacher shows frequently that he has no grasp of how physics actually work, in this case they have a good enough story that you don't mind it, unlike his subsequent effort--if it could even be called that--where absolutely everything went out the window.
I wouldn't exactly consider Walken's Returns character second string; if nothing else by sheer screen time alone, he can certainly be classified as a major character. And while the image of penguins with rockets on their backs may be more comical than necessary, consider that that was probably the Penguin's last gasp attempt at revenge against the city; with everything else thwarted by our hero, he was digging deep for whatever he had left to throw at Gotham, and for whatever reason, that happened to be it (now where he got all those rockets in the first place raises a few questions, but since when do anything supervillains do make logical sense, then?). And what would the film by without his rousing "Go get them" speech to his "children?" ("FORWARD MARCH!! THE LIBERATION OF GOTHAM HAS BEGUN!!!!!").
Posted by Kash (Member # 297) on :
quote:Originally posted by Valley: Kash.. I was somewhat joking.. count me as a fan of "Batman Forever". I enjoyed Val Kilmer as Batman.
Now if you had listed "Batman & Robin" #1 .. then your wingman status might be questioned.
I'd have to demote myself, turn in my wings...
Logan: "Sorry to hear about Kash. He was a good man" Valley: "Still is a good man" Logan: "Yeah, that's what I meant".
Posted by HarryCanyon (Member # 9143) on :
You outta see Batman Under the Red Hood, it's awesome.
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