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Meh Nolan just took a different approach. I think at the time the way he went about it was right frankly. I think the character needed something a bit more grounded to get away from the Schumacher crapfest that was Batman & Robin and to wash that bad taste out of people's mouths. I like some of the more fantastical elements of Burton's Batman but I liked a lot of what Nolan did with his films too. It's cool if you're a Burton fanboy but let's be honest his films aren't the be all either. There are plenty of things with Burton's movies that you can nitpick too if you really wanted. Plus Burton wasn't even a fan of comics in the slightest and basically acted above the medium. He probably only did it because he thought it was something cool for his goth interests. Don't get me wrong I do like the original film he did but mostly because he didn't have much control over it and was more a hired hand director. Overall I think most interpretations of Batman on film thus far have brought some good things and some bad things to the table and I enjoy most of them (with exception to Batman Returns and Batman & Robin, both of which have very little redeeming values).

Ironic, since he said his favorite batman story was the killing joke....and he is an illustrator...many illustrators are comic fans too because of the medium....I guess it's possible he only started reading the comics to research batman, but he seems to have gotten the gist of batmans mood...unless that was all keaton....
 
Ironic, since he said his favorite batman story was the killing joke....and he is an illustrator...many illustrators are comic fans too because of the medium....I guess it's possible he only started reading the comics to research batman, but he seems to have gotten the gist of batmans mood...unless that was all keaton....
It's possible he familiarized himself with some things before making his film but I doubt he's a fan. He was quoted one time as saying that anyone who knows him knows that he would never read a comic book. Kevin Smith talked about it one time at length in one of his specials because they had (have?) a feud for a while.

 
It's true though - Burton DID mention in a board meeting that he wanted to use The Killing Joke as inspiration for B89.

It's in the Shadows Of The Bat Documentary. :duff
 
He may have used certain inspirations from comics but to me that quote makes a lot of the things wrong with the Burton films make sense.
 
It's possible he familiarized himself with some things before making his film but I doubt he's a fan. He was quoted one time as saying that anyone who knows him knows that he would never read a comic book. Kevin Smith talked about it one time at length in one of his specials because they had (have?) a feud for a while.

I think anything taken in the context of a feud needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

The fact is there is evidence that Burton was familiar with the source material, and other sources that suggest he wasn't.

I don't think any outside determination can be made.
 
Nolan gave up a little too much in terms of the fantasy element. Ra's wasn't 600 years old, Gotham was Chicago, Bruce Wayne didn't make his own tech. It's bland and joyless for the most part. It's not that 89 can never be toppled, but it set a very high standard because it had so much going right for it at the right time. Bale was a better Wayne, but Wayne will never be as cool as his alter ego. Ledger might have been more psychotic, but he wasn't as funny or as playful as Nicholson. Zimmer might be adequate but Elfman has more talent in his pinky toe. I'm not poo-pooing just to poo-poo. Let's get real! If you want to dethrone 89, you're gonna need more than a pencil trick and magical plot devices you're not allowed to see through. As for Affleck, stoic superheroics just aren't part of his acting repetoire. He's too halting, introspective and emotional. He will have to reinvent himself, but what's crazy is he already did as a director.

Those are too deep, I just take the best and enjoy each and everyone of them as I can, I LOVE Batman Forever and Batman and Robin just as equal as the Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Begins, THe Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. Even the classic batman movie has a soft spot for me.

I agree with all of this so much. Nolan is just much too grounded for my taste. Its not that I don't think his movies are any good, but I just don't see Batman as being realistic which is why Gotham City was created in the first place. Its a city where the fantastical elements of Batman can be believed and accepted. When Nolan turned Gotham into Chicago it just felt so wrong.

I think Burton understood it best, that in order for Batman to work you got to make Gotham right. And in my opinion he did. It was gothic, dark, and gritty all in one. It felt like its own city, with nothing borrowed from anything else. I even think Schumacher understood this more than Nolan, and I think his movies do not get the credit that they deserve. They are not nearly as dark as Burton's but they are so much fun.

I personally think Batman '89 is the best Batman movie of all time. Keaton killed it as Batman and Nicholson was the best Joker ever. His was so much funnier than Ledger's. I think Ledger gave a great performance as a psychotic madman, but he needed to be funnier. But believe it or not my favorite Batman movie of all time is actually Batman Forever. I think its so underrated. It does go lighter and a bit campy which I understand that not everybody likes, but it actually has some dark tones to it which I think people overlook (Bruce's haunted memories, Richard Grayson's parents being murdered in front of him). Kilmer is actually my favorite Bruce Wayne of all-time. I like him better than both Keaton and Bale. And I think Batman & Robin gets way too much flak. Its meant to be over the top and campy, but its also so much fun. Its way more fun than all of Nolan's combined.

If I could reboot Batman though I would make it more like the Arkham games. Its Gotham is in my opinion the best interpretation I have ever seen anywhere. The game is also dark and fun. The 2 Things I think Nolan missed out on the most.
 
Batman is my favorite character, any time he is on screen is always a plus, trying to find a realistic batman is nearly impossible, trying to find the perfect suit is crazy, spandex, or rubber, how about Kevlar covered suit? Batman is cool either way, what makes up for it though is his gadgets and vehicles...


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There is no right or wrong, we all just have our own personal tastes. Every comic book character evolves over time. Personally I enjoy all things Batman and every era. I've read tons of comics from 1940s to DC52. I've seen all the movies, tv shows, animated series. I just enjoy every one of them for their own reasons but mainly because of the character batman. Sure I like some better than others, but it doesn't matter really. Just as long as Batman is out there to be watched or read then that's all I care about. Nolan vs burton is just our own personal taste. If you think one did it better than the other that's just your own opinion. To me they were both fantastic and I don't see a point saying one was better than the other because they are both different and amazing in their own way.
 
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There is no right or wrong, we all just have our own personal tastes. Every comic book character evolves over time. Personally I enjoy all things Batman and every era. I've read tons of comics from 1940s to DC52. I've seen all the movies, tv shows, animated series. I just enjoy every one of them for their own reasons but mainly because of the character batman. Sure I like some better than others, but it doesn't matter really. Just as long as Batman is out there to be watched or read then that's all I care about. Nolan vs burton is just our own personal taste. If you think one did it better than the other that's just your own opinion. To me they were both fantastic and I don't see a point saying one was better than the other because they are both different and amazing in their own way.

Well the reason the argument over who is better is worthless is because not only are they different types of stories/themes but they were made during different times which means that they were created with different mindsets. Burton's movies were dark and gave every reason to think that they would only get darker, so the studio found someone who would take it into a different direction with Schumacher. He bombed it and the studio eventually found someone who could get it away from campy. If Burton hadn't been there, Schumacher would have never been there which means the batman reboot would have been done by someone else entirely. Nolan makes movies a certain way, that's why he was qualified. It's not like there's only one way to make a Batman movie and every director chimes in to give it their best shot. He was willing to do Batman if he could do it his own way. If the studio wanted something else, that would be determined by what came before it so there really is no point in arguing over which film is better. Totally different animals. Burton was doing something completely unlike Batman '66 and Superman. Not to mention he followed it with Batman Returns, which is a very good movie. When was the last time you saw three main characters so well balanced in a movie? Don't forget Nolan wasn't really able to give Two-face justice in his movie but then again, the films called for different stories, so once again, no point in discussing it.
 
What's kinda funny is that I don't particularly care for many of Burton's movies now. 89 was right before the near obsessive use of Johnny Depp, the blonde muse motif (which may have been started by accident with Bassinger) and the oddball goth style which has worn out it's welcome (for me). He was still largely an unknown even after the Pee-Wee movie and didn't have the clout to indulge himself the way he has over the past 20 years. It's the one time I actually think producer interference helped the project. Returns was great, but indications of where Burton was headed were certainly there.
 
Well the reason the argument over who is better is worthless is because not only are they different types of stories/themes but they were made during different times which means that they were created with different mindsets. Burton's movies were dark and gave every reason to think that they would only get darker, so the studio found someone who would take it into a different direction with Schumacher. He bombed it and the studio eventually found someone who could get it away from campy. If Burton hadn't been there, Schumacher would have never been there which means the batman reboot would have been done by someone else entirely. Nolan makes movies a certain way, that's why he was qualified. It's not like there's only one way to make a Batman movie and every director chimes in to give it their best shot. He was willing to do Batman if he could do it his own way. If the studio wanted something else, that would be determined by what came before it so there really is no point in arguing over which film is better. Totally different animals. Burton was doing something completely unlike Batman '66 and Superman. Not to mention he followed it with Batman Returns, which is a very good movie. When was the last time you saw three main characters so well balanced in a movie? Don't forget Nolan wasn't really able to give Two-face justice in his movie but then again, the films called for different stories, so once again, no point in discussing it.
:goodpost: i liked everything you said, but i liked TDK Two-Face. What I liked about Nolan's is he took inspiration from a lot of great comic books and then combined it with his brilliant film making and story telling. Burton's almost had a comic book quality to it, very surreal, very stylistic. Both are amazing. 89 was on cable this morning. Still a fantastic movie after all these years :)
 
I can't even comment on how annoyed I am, waiting for something on these figures.
 
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