BATMAN SOARS (1989 - 1997) Ultimate Trailer

[Silver Nemesis]

Apologies if someone has already posted this, but I thought it was a beautifully edited trailer for the Burton/Schumacher series that deserved its own thread. For those of us who grew up with these movies, and remember the hype, the trailers, the tie-in albums, toys, Happy Meals, videogames and comic adaptations, this offers a pleasant dose of nostalgia.

[thecolorsblend]

Just when I thought Goldenthal's hero march was going to be ignored...

Great find. I like anything that pays tribute to that original franchise.

[The Dark Knight]

I enjoyed that. There's no denying how rewatchable all four of those movies are. How they provide different shades of light while maintaining a two hour runtime. Getting them all released roughly every three years also helped make that period what it was. Actors came and went but the show went on.

[Silver Nemesis]

Just when I thought Goldenthal's hero march was going to be ignored...

I'm glad they included Goldenthal's theme. IIRC Elfman's score was used in the original trailers for both BF and B&R, so it's authentic to use it here. But it wouldn't have been a complete tribute to that era if they hadn't used at least some of Goldenthal's music.

I enjoyed that. There's no denying how rewatchable all four of those movies are. How they provide different shades of light while maintaining a two hour runtime. Getting them all released roughly every three years also helped make that period what it was. Actors came and went but the show went on.

The two-hour runtime is something I've come to appreciate. It's satisfying how all four movies clock in around the two-hour mark, which is the perfect length for a Batman film.

And you're right about the interval between each film. As with the classic Star Wars movies, that three-year gap allowed the filmmakers enough time to craft the movies they wanted, and for audiences to become hungry for the next instalment. The one time they didn't wait three years was Batman & Robin, and the rushed production resulted in a less successful film.

That said, the older I get the more I enjoy B&R. Nostalgia is clearly a factor here. But let's be honest – it's not the worst Batman movie ever made. It was back in 1997, but there have been far worse Batman-related movies since. To name but a few, I'd rank Catwoman, Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey below B&R. There are some animated Batman movies I'd rank below it too, such as The Killing Joke adaptation from 2016. Bottom line, B&R is a fun guilty pleasure that has nostalgic appeal for nineties kids and fans of the Silver Age comics. It's the weakest film in the Burton/Schumacher series, but it's still more entertaining that most recent CBMs.

While the Burton and Schumacher Batmen are now canonically separate, I often still like to think of them being the same character. The Flash could serve as a coda to that entire series. How to reconcile the inconsistencies? Well, Bruce not knowing who Superman is, despite mentioning him in B&R, could simply be a case of his memories being scrambled when he was shifted into the Flashpoint universe.

Harder to reconcile is the final scene with Clooney. I'd just ignore that and act as if the original ending, featuring Keaton, is canon. It adds more weight to Batman's return if we know this version also had a Robin and Batgirl, and that he saved Gotham from Two-Face, Riddler, Poison Ivy, Bane and Mr. Freeze. Of course the Batgirl movie would've made Keaton's Batman totally incompatible with Silverstone's Batgirl, but these are all just head-canon musings anyway.

[thecolorsblend]

In an alternate reality where Nolan's trilogy never happened, a movie like B&R getting released in 2013 or 2014 probably would've been a big success.

While the Burton and Schumacher Batmen are now canonically separate, I often still like to think of them being the same character

Same. I would argue that was even Schumacher's original intent. Or maybe it was his mandate from on high, who knows? But I rather like the idea of Bruce gradually coming to terms with his trauma.

[The Dark Knight]

The two-hour runtime is something I've come to appreciate. It's satisfying how all four movies clock in around the two-hour mark, which is the perfect length for a Batman film.

The two hour runtimes indicated they were mainstream audience friendly despite any variation in tone. You were going to have a straight to the point adventure full of comic spark. I like the Nolan and Reeves films but there's no question they're promoted as more elevated adult oriented. The Batman Part II will surely have a similar runtime to the first, and I'm hoping it doesn't turn people off - especially those who weren't sold on the overall approach to begin with.

That said, the older I get the more I enjoy B&R. Nostalgia is clearly a factor here. But let's be honest – it's not the worst Batman movie ever made. It was back in 1997, but there have been far worse Batman-related movies since. To name but a few, I'd rank Catwoman, Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey below B&R. There are some animated Batman movies I'd rank below it too, such as The Killing Joke adaptation from 2016. Bottom line, B&R is a fun guilty pleasure that has nostalgic appeal for nineties kids and fans of the Silver Age comics. It's the weakest film in the Burton/Schumacher series, but it's still more entertaining that most recent CBMs.

B&R is definitely not the worst. The fact the content has become so engrained into pop culture, even if in a mocking way, has to mean something. So many films come and go without making any impact. People will watch B&R for pure entertainment and at the core that's what film should be all about.

While the Burton and Schumacher Batmen are now canonically separate, I often still like to think of them being the same character. The Flash could serve as a coda to that entire series. How to reconcile the inconsistencies? Well, Bruce not knowing who Superman is, despite mentioning him in B&R, could simply be a case of his memories being scrambled when he was shifted into the Flashpoint universe.

That works. All the Keaton content we see in The Flash happens in a distorted timeline, so I'm willing to ignore everything that happens from that perspective. The Supergirl rescue sequence is one of his best action sequences on film, but I don't think that scene is worth being in a film with Ezra Miller.

[Silver Nemesis]

Same. I would argue that was even Schumacher's original intent. Or maybe it was his mandate from on high, who knows? But I rather like the idea of Bruce gradually coming to terms with his trauma.

I like that idea too. Whether or not Schumacher regarded his films as a continuation of Burton's universe, the studio and general audience certainly did. At least when they first came out. And when viewed in that light, there is a clear character arc for Bruce across the four films.

B89: Bruce sets out to avenge the murder of his parents and succeeds. Having done this, he tries to live a normal life as Bruce Wayne with Vicki Vale. At this point he's mostly Batman, but is still trying to salvage something of Bruce's life.

BR: Bruce isn't healed by vengeance but is instead left with a fragmented psyche, torn between his compulsion to be Batman and his failure to live a normal life with Vicki. He sees Catwoman heading down the same path and thinks they can heal each other, but he fails to prevent her from self-destructively seeking vengeance as he did. At this point he's 90% Batman and has almost entirely given up on being Bruce.

BF: Bruce sees Robin walking the same vengeful path that he and Catwoman did, but this time he manages to prevent Dick from succumbing to the same misery as he and Selina. In helping Dick, he also heals his fragmented psyche and reconciles the two halves of his identity for the first time. He's now comfortably both Bruce Wayne and Batman, with neither persona dominating the other and both coexisting harmoniously.

B&R: Bruce is happy for the first time. He knows when to don the tuxedo and when to don the cape and cowl, and he's no longer confused. He adopts a mentor role to guide Robin and Batgirl away from the pitfalls his younger self stumbled upon. His future looks bright.

When you look at the series like this, it does have a happy ending for Bruce. He starts off damaged and unstable, but by the fourth film he's healed and attained an almost Adam West-level of serenity. You can also map the evolution of his moral code onto his character arc, with his more violent and lethal years coinciding with the unhappier periods of his life. The more stable and at peace he becomes, the more restrained and nonlethal his methods.

That works. All the Keaton content we see in The Flash happens in a distorted timeline, so I'm willing to ignore everything that happens from that perspective. The Supergirl rescue sequence is one of his best action sequences on film, but I don't think that scene is worth being in a film with Ezra Miller.

Miller's presence really does contaminate the movie. I think people would be more willing to separate the artist from the art if he was great in the role, but he isn't. I'm still waiting on those fan edits that will truncate his role and expand Keaton's. The studio must know there's a hunger for such fan edits, which would explain why they haven't released the alternate endings, even though Muschietti said they would.

Another way of viewing the Clooney ending is that Clooney's Bruce is the Keaton Bruce, but just looks different for some reason. So maybe the original timeline went B89, BR and then the adventures hinted at by the costumes glimpsed in Batman's armoury.

Then after Barry reboots the universe the timeline is altered so that the post-BR adventures are replaced with the Schumacher movies, which is why Bruce ends up looking like Clooney. The Wikipedia page on Keaton's Batman lists all five movies as starring the same version of the character: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Wayne_(1989_film_series_character)

Not that Wikipedia determines canonicity or anything, but it shows that there are other people who still regard the Schumacher and Burton films as being connected, with The Flash serving as a legacy sequel to all of them.

[The Joker]

Whether or not Schumacher regarded his films as a continuation of Burton's universe, the studio and general audience certainly did. At least when they first came out. And when viewed in that light, there is a clear character arc for Bruce across the four films.

I'm sure that's how Schumacher saw it. BF and B&R was made during an era that wasn't preoccupied with "shared universes", or even "universes" to be perfectly honest. That sort of market hadn't been cultivated yet with either audiences or the brass behind the studios (especially if there's even a modicum of credibility with Kevin Smith's recollections dealing with Warners about his time on "Superman Lives"). I'm certain Warners, and men of Schumacher's generation, simply took the Eon Productions viewpoint with Bond, and considered his films a continuation of Burton's Batman.

These days it seems like everything has to be segmented, and parceled, but back then, not so much. At least from my recollection.   

Another way of viewing the Clooney ending is that Clooney's Bruce is the Keaton Bruce, but just looks different for some reason. So maybe the original timeline went B89, BR and then the adventures hinted at by the costumes glimpsed in Batman's armoury.

Then after Barry reboots the universe the timeline is altered so that the post-BR adventures are replaced with the Schumacher movies, which is why Bruce ends up looking like Clooney. The Wikipedia page on Keaton's Batman lists all five movies as starring the same version of the character: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Wayne_(1989_film_series_character)

Not that Wikipedia determines canonicity or anything, but it shows that there are other people who still regard the Schumacher and Burton films as being connected, with The Flash serving as a legacy sequel to all of them.

The Clooney ending really seems to come across as wanting to compartmentalize Clooney's Batman as seperate from Keaton's, but with it only really being there to illicit a chuckle, I don't really think about it too much. I watched "The Flash" recently again (well the Keaton Batman/Calle Supergirl scenes mainly), and while there's no getting around that the movie is a mess, there are moments to enjoy. I do remember thinking it was weird hearing Keaton remark, "These are the humans we came to protect?", when the team is first engaging Zod's army, and Miller responding, "They don't know we're here to help." or something along those lines. Seems to me that bit of dialogue should have, ideally, been reversed. As it makes Keaton sound like he's the one who's detached from this timeline, and the stranger in a strange land, rather than Miller's Flash from the DCEU timeline.

Course, this isn't a movie that should be overly analyzed. It had to endure quite a bit until it was finally released. There's definitely a imaginable documentary that could be made about the chaos. Along the lines of the one's made about Superman Lives, Roger Corman's Fantastic Four, the 1996 Doctor Moreau, ect.