This town needs an enema! -The Joker
I love Christmas. My DVD collection always grows this time of year, often exponentially. This year was no different. Santa Claus brought Captain Larby the Red Sox World Series collection, The 40-Year Old Virgin and Batman - The Motion Picture Anthology (1989-1997). The latter will be the subject of this diatribe.
To date, Mrs. Larby and I have only watched Batman (1989), by far the best of the bunch. My Christmas wish list didn’t specify the entire gift set because, quite frankly, I don’t care for the other three movies. Nevertheless, I now own them all. To be fair, Batman Returns is a decent flick. With Tim Burton at the helm, the Dark Knight and Gotham City maintain that dark, moody edge. Not to mention the fact that I would recommend any movie where Christopher Walken makes an appearance, let alone a leading role. But let’s face it, Joel Schumacher swooped in to direct the final two installments and completely ruined the franchise. Don’t blame Kilmer or Clooney, Uma or Kidman, Schwarzenegger or Carey. Blame Schumacher the schmuck.
But I digress.
Tim Burton hit his prime with the first Batman. I mean, can you possibly imagine a more perfect live action film based on a comic book? Everything from set design, to costumes, to Danny Elfman’s brilliant score help this story leap right off of those colorful storybook pages and on to the screen. Furthermore, DVD’s were invented for certain movies, and this is one of them. It took Warner Bros. far too long to release this treasure, but I don’t hesitate to say that it was worth the wait. First of all, the movie looks fantastic. It is crisp, clean, and despite the dark lighting and nocturnal action sequences every scene is clearly discernible. And the aforementioned score, by my personal favorite score composer, is treated to a much deserved DTS track. Simply scintillating. Technically speaking, this DVD gets 5 out of 5 Peg Legs from the Cap’n.
Does the movie stand up, even after 16 years?
First of all, HOLY SHITE! Just typing that gave me more gray hairs. This movie is already 16 years old?! Ouch. I remember, as if it were yesterday, walking to the theater with my boy Mike V., barely able to contain our excitement. Hold on, I need a shot of Metamucil…okay, good to go.
The answer to the above question is yes: It stands the test of time. In fact, of all the films released in the subsequent 16 years that tried to adapt a comic book world, this remains the best. The best. Let’s list the reasons, shall we?
• Danny Elfman. Seriously. I have this score on my iPod. I love it.
• Michael Keaton. Come on, people? He made a great Bruce Wayne and perfected that pursed lips thing while donning the mask. His performance is underrated.
• Jack Nicholson. Not that you would, but if you had any doubt as to whether or not he was the right guy to play the Joker just watch the scene where he interacts with the fried corpse of a Gotham City mobster:
“Your pals…they’re not bad people. Maybe we oughtta give them a couple of days to think it over.” [shakes head] “No?” [looks surprised] “Grease ‘em now? Well, OK. You are a vicious bastard Rotelli, and I’m glad you’re dead!” [Joker cackle].
• Jack Palance. Yes, that guy! He provided Jack Nicholson with one of the best lines of the movie, as the Joker grabs his henchman Bob and does his best Jack Palance imitation:
“Remember [deep breath] you [deep breath] are my number 1 [deep breath] ah-guy.”
• The Batcave. Yes, Bruce Wayne’s mansion is huge and he has crazy statues and two-way mirrors in it. But the Batcave is where the action is. I particularly like the perch where he parks the Batmobile. Easy there Batman, one more foot and that car is plunging into the depths of hell.
• Michael Gough. You know, Alfred. He was great. Pay close attention to the scene where he first bumps into Vicki Vale. The dirty old chap is looking straight down her dress. And finally,
• Prince. Wha? Oh yes, a couple of Prince tunes made their way into this movie. Creepy musician writes creepy songs for a creepy director making a movie about a creepy man in a bat suit. Perfect.
All kidding aside, I really love this movie and I’m psyched to finally own it on DVD. In fact, I’ll say it’s a must-own. Why else would I ramble on for this long? Thanks, Santa!
