The Best Reboot of All Time? Video Essay - Batman Retold Reimagined Rebooted

[Silver Nemesis]

My ideal Batman reboot would basically be a live-action adaptation of the 90s animated TV series, both in terms of characterisation and tone.

My dream DC cinematic universe would be along the same lines. I'd like a series of films visually patterned after Alex Ross' work and tonally aligned with the Bronze Age comics and the DCAU. I'd ditch the sculpted muscle suits and bring back the simple iconic fabric costumes of yesteryear; trunks et al. This would of course require all the actors to physically match the characters they were portraying, which means scrawny wimps need not apply (unless they're playing Plastic Man). The World's Finest would ideally look like this:

I'd ditch the post-Nolan preoccupation with realism and have all locations follow the stylised art deco aesthetic of the DCAU. My cinematic DC universe would be intentionally removed from reality. Gotham would be an expressionistic fusion of gothic and neo-fascist architecture, while Metropolis would be a utopia combining elements of futurist and neo-classical forms. Again, I'd use the works of Alex Ross and the DCAU as a visual template, as well as the art of Tim Sale and the Fleischer Studios Superman films.

 

I'd aim for a balanced PG or PG-13 tone. Careful not to veer into excessive campiness or self parody, but equally careful to avoid humourless grimdark that only appeals to adolescent males. There'd be wit, drama, action, romance and suspense in equal measure. Meticulous care would be put into the scripts, with only one or two villains per film, and strong plots in which the heroes' personal arcs serve as central throughlines. I'd also take care to avoid underwritten supporting characters, instead trying to ensure each minor player is adequately developed so the audience has a reason to care about them. I'd avoid having characters make gratuitous cameos in one another's films, and I wouldn't shoehorn in plugs for other movies unless they could be organically integrated into the existing plot (so no after credit cameos from Sam Jackson).

I don't have a problem with recent Batman and Superman films using original scores, and I understand the logic behind them doing so. But I probably would revive the iconic John Williams and Danny Elfman themes for Superman and Batman. The audience would get fired up upon hearing them, and they'd help orientate the overall tone towards my preferred tastes. In terms of action, I'd avoid CG animation in favour of practical effects and real stunts.

Of course there's no way in hell my dream live action Batman is ever going to get made, and I'm resigned to that fact. It would probably only appeal to die hard comic fans anyway. But this is how I'd like it to be done.

[johnnygobbs]

I agree with everything you've said Silver Nemesis, save for one caveat.

As a fan of film music, I'd prefer brand new scores and soundtracks rather than the reutilisation of the, admittedly iconic, Williams and Elfman scores (although I can see the benefit in tying the Donner/Reeves and Burton/Keaton franchises together this way).

In fact, even as an occasional critic of the current DCEU, one element I must give Man of Steel unequivocal praise for is Hans Zimmer's soaring, uplifting, and memorable Superman theme, that comes very close to the doing the seemingly impossible and almost matching the Williams score.  As long as inventive and inspired composers still exist, I hope they will continue to make new superhero scores that will one day deserve to be considered in the same bracket as Williams and Elfman's work.

[Silver Nemesis]

I'd still want original scores, only I'd include new arrangements of the iconic themes; incorporating the classic leitmotifs into otherwise new soundtracks. I don't have a problem with the other Superman and Batman scores that have been composed over the years, and I'm not for one second suggesting Schumacher, Nolan or Snyder should have reused pre-existing music in their films. But for me, a truly definitive take on Batman and Superman needs to have the best music available. And IMO that means Williams and Elfman.

I like the original themes for Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and the Nolan Dark Knight trilogy. But ultimately they're ephemeral themes associated with one specific interpretation of those characters. By contrast, Williams' Superman theme has been used for the Donner films, the 1988 animated Superman series, Bryan Singer's Superman and Smallville, while Elfman's Batman theme was used for the Burton films, Batman: The Animated Series, the Batman OnStar commercials and Lego Batman. These iconic themes transcend any one particular interpretation, encapsulating the essence of the characters in a way the other themes simply don't. They have the weight of the characters' history behind them. And I'd like to embrace that in my DC cinematic universe.

One final thing I forgot to mention about my dream Batman movie – I'd honour Batman's no kill rule from the comics. Yes, he's killed people in the past. But the 'no kill' rule has been canon since 1940. It's featured in around 90-95% of the comics and has been a cornerstone of Batman's dominant characterisation for most of his history. We've seen killer Batman far too many times already. I'd give the audience something new and finally get Batman's moral code right. I know a lot of Batman movie fans don't care about this point, but the comic fans have been waiting far too long to see this aspect of the character represented accurately on screen.