The best summer movie season ever is now over.

[Adolfo]

Thor wasn't mind blowing or anything, but damn. Green Lantern was putrid.

GL was not that bad...I could think of many films that were more Putrid

 

[IrishJedi]

Thor wasn't mind blowing or anything, but damn. Green Lantern was putrid.

I honestly rate them fairly close to each other quality-wise. THOR would probably get the slight edge, but not by much.

 

[ProgMatinee]

I don't dislike them, really. I just literally have no interest. I'm not a big fan of the Fantasy/Scorcery genre in general. Just never really appealed to me.

Hmm. IMO the franchise transcends the fantasy genre as much as Star Wars transcends the space fantasy genre. Its not cheap fare to be lumped in with crap films. Should be pretty enjoyable for people who aren't "magic" fans and by people who like good film.

I thought Thor was pretty good. Much closer to quality of Captain America, Iron Man and Avengers than Green Lantern.

 

[Khev]

Congratulations, you've just made your daily unrelated Star Wars analogy.

Unrelated. Pshaw. TPM was a perfect example of a movie that had nothing going for it artistically other than what DiFabio credited to Batman.

Actually, Batman '89 did have a lasting impact. As DiFabio stated, it showed that you don't need one of the muscle-heads to star in a major action film, and it absolutely informed the production design pallets of most superhero films after it. That's not superficial, it's tangible.

And the Anton Furst Batmobile is hardly superficial either.

All of that is the definition of superficial. So Batman showed that you could make a weakling look muscular by designing a suit with muscles. Big whoop!

Listen to you guys. "The car was awesome. The music was awesome." True, sure, but nobody says that about *real* classics as their defining characteristics. Why is Aliens* a classic? Because of nothing more than its music and a badass looking APC troop carrier? No way. The movie was freaking thrilling from darn near start to finish and its three years older than Batman and its still thrilling today. The extra things like Weaver's Academy Award nominated performance, her pioneering girls kicking ass in mainstream summer tentpole movies, awesome vehicles and set design are just icing on the cake. With Batman you guys keep mentioning nothing but the icing, and I really think that proves my point.

* there I referenced a non-SW movie so quit your *****in'

 

[RyanSD]

Things do get better with age I think. Also, nostalgia holds the greats in high regards, but lets not forget that a lot of crap and mediocrity came out in the 80's too, we just tend to forget it with time.

There does seem to be a widening gap between the 'blockbusters' of the 80's and early 90's compared to the late 90's up through now in terms of real 'classics'. I can't think of too many films released in the past 5 years or so that are going to be considered 'classics' the way we consider things like Raiders or Die Hard a classic, i.e. a genre defining film. Of course a lot of that has to do with the difference in Hollywood between then and now as well as the general audience today.

 

[ProgMatinee]

I have to agree that 89 Batman is pretty awful. It got hype because it was the first half decent superhero movie since Superman II.

 

[Khev]

I have to agree that 89 Batman is pretty awful. It got hype because it was the first half decent superhero movie since Superman II.

Yeah, I think a lot of people latched onto it because it was simply the best Batman movie ever made, and that got entrenched because it *remained* the best Batman movie all the way until 2005. That dubious "best" ranking is what cemented it as a "great" or "classic" film to a lot of fans it appears.

 

[crows]

You see what Nolan has done to us, people? He tears us apart!!!

Damn you to hell, Nolan.

 

[IrishJedi]

Yeah, I think a lot of people latched onto it because it was simply the best Batman movie ever made, and that got entrenched because it *remained* the best Batman movie all the way until 2005. That dubious "best" ranking is what cemented it as a "great" or "classic" film to a lot of fans it appears.

I loved Batman in 1989 and while I don't exactly love it today (indeed there are dated and over-the-top aspects that don't age well) I still like it a lot and consider it a "classic" superhero film. Certainly the most notable film from Summer 1989. It wouldn't be anywhere near the top of my all-time list, but it's on it. I kinda dig the theatrical (stage-play) aspects of it and love the "dark deco", gothic mood. And while it's not as good a movie overall, it's actually a better Batman movie than TDKR.

 

[karamazov80]

Eh. . .I wouldn't agree with that. Neither Nolan nor Burton really took a great deal from the comics in their films, but in my book, having a Batman that can barely move is gonna lose out to the guy who is reasonably mobile/athletic when you're trying to compare them to the comic character. Even as a kid I hated that Keaton wasn't able to actively move around.

 

[IrishJedi]

Eh. . .I wouldn't agree with that. Neither Nolan nor Burton really took a great deal from the comics in their films, but in my book, having a Batman that can barely move is gonna lose out to the guy who is reasonably mobile/athletic when you're trying to compare them to the comic character. Even as a kid I hated that Keaton wasn't able to actively move around.

I don't like the lacking movement of the rubber suits, either. But Batman '89 is absolutely closer in tone to the comics (and the characters) than TDKR.

 

[crows]

the one thing I hated about the Batman 89 movie was the horrible Prince music, Horrible, horrible placement of the famous artist of the time,
it would be like if Dark Knight or Dark Knight Rises had songs by Lady gaga, while Bane dances around.... pathetic,

makes me cringe every time i see it....... AWFUL.... God Awful
[ame]https://youtu.be/p-c-pRsZR9g[/ame]

 

[IrishJedi]

the one thing I hated about the Batman 89 movie was the horrible Prince music, Horrible, horrible placement of the famous artist of the time,
it would be like if Dark Knight or Dark Knight Rises had songs by Lady gaga, while Bane dances around.... pathetic,

Yeah, that I agree with. And, actually, I hated it then too (probably because I was a metal guy and didn't care for Prince ). And that stuff probably accounts for most of the reasons Khev and others hate the movie.

 

[Khev]

the one thing I hated about the Batman 89 movie was the horrible Prince music, Horrible, horrible placement of the famous artist of the time,
it would be like if Dark Knight or Dark Knight Rises had songs by Lady gaga, while Bane dances around.... pathetic,

makes me cringe every time i see it....... AWFUL.... God Awful
https://youtu.be/p-c-pRsZR9g

But true. Totally jarring, even then.

 

[crows]

this would be the 2000 equivalent:

[ame]https://youtu.be/gIyLtXQu5Ro[/ame]

 

[IrishJedi]

Imagine Ledger Joker air-guitaring to Linkin Park while driving the stolen GCPD car. Or busting into Wayne's fundraiser for Harvey Dent with Black Eyed Peas.

 

[karamazov80]

I don't like the lacking movement of the rubber suits, either. But Batman '89 is absolutely closer in tone to the comics (and the characters) than TDKR.

Which comics are you referring to specifically? I read a lot of Batman comics in my day, and apart from some of the Elseworlds type stuff (and maybe the early stuff from the '40s pre-Robin) never got a Tim Burton vibe from those comics. I might actually argue Nolan's "realistic" universe was closer to the comics, though I would only say it was closer in relative terms to Burton. Neither felt like the comic brought to life in the way that the Animated series did.

I do like that Nicholson Joker was more like the comic version. But Penguin was nothing like he was in the comics, nor was zombie Catwoman, or Bruce Wayne for that matter. I guess Alfred was more similar, but. . .who cares about that?

In the Nolan-verse, I think the Wayne was more comic-like, as was Ra's, but all the other villains were just Nolan creations that superficially resembled their comic counterparts. Well, Catwoman was sorta kinda similar.

 

[IrishJedi]

Which comics are you referring to specifically? I read a lot of Batman comics in my day, and apart from some of the Elseworlds type stuff (and maybe the early stuff from the '40s pre-Robin) never got a Tim Burton vibe from those comics. I might actually argue Nolan's "realistic" universe was closer to the comics, though I would only say it was closer in relative terms to Burton. Neither felt like the comic brought to life in the way that the Animated series did.

I do like that Nicholson Joker was more like the comic version. But Penguin was nothing like he was in the comics, nor was zombie Catwoman, or Bruce Wayne for that matter. I guess Alfred was more similar, but. . .who cares about that?

In the Nolan-verse, I think the Wayne was more comic-like, as was Ra's, but all the other villains were just Nolan creations that superficially resembled their comic counterparts. Well, Catwoman was sorta kinda similar.

I'm not going to get into Batman Returns, because that's always felt more like a Tim Burton movie to me than a Batman movie (that same way, incidentally, that TDKR is more of a Chris Nolan movie than a Batman movie).

And I completely disagree with the notion that Nolan's Wayne is closest to the comics. The whiney titty-baby that wants to quit being Batman at the drop of a hat (and, in fact, does... twice)? The Wayne that apparently cares more about fighting the mob and protecting white collar Gotham than going after street thugs and protecting everyman victims? Not even close.

 

[Khev]

I'm not going to get into Batman Returns, .

That Batman was the most pathetic of all. He didn't pursue big time OR small time crooks that were probably causing havoc on a nightly basis. He literally sat in a dark room *doing nothing* unless Gordon gave the order to turn on the batsignal.

At least TDK made reference to him not always responding to the signal on account of him being "busy" apprehending whatever criminals we want to imagine on any given night.

 

[IrishJedi]

Again, I'm not here to defend Batman Returns.