Our History with Batman

[DocLathropBrown]

I'm covering this on my own blog (http://goo.gl/x6j9Re), and thought I'd open it up to the community here.

This is a thread for us to reminisce about what Batman has meant to us for the length of our fandoms. Whether lifelong or new! How did you get into Batman? What are some of your fondest memories?

Dig deep and take a trip back in your life and share it with the rest of us!

[riddler]

I'll do my memories in a different format; how I saw and perceived each film individually

Batman 89 , I'm sure I'd seen it several times between 89 and 92s a child I was of the "newer is better mentality" so once Batman returns came out I no longer had interest in the original. I probably didn't see the original film again for another 15 years or so. The first time I got it on any home video was the 20th anniversary on blu ray which I will watch for the first time next week (I was initially holding out for the 25th anniversary version but after all the complaints including having David Goyer participate in the special features I chose the 20th anniversary). The odd thing is that while I abandoned it as a child, this one is one of my two favourites along with the Dark Knight.

Batman Returns: this was the first one I owned on video, got it on VHS for christmas 92 and watched it religiously for about 2 years. Again with my 'newer is better' mentality I stopped watching it once Batman Forever came out. I watched the VHS once with my young cousins around 1998-99 before giving it to them for christmas. Around 2007 I bought it on DVD which I sold around 2012. I still enjoy the film on repeated viewings but acknowledge it's flaws more than the original.

Animated series; watched it quite a bit around 1992-93, haven't watched them since (I don't watch animated things unless they're intended for children)

Adam West versions; around 1993 they started re-broadcasing this show on cable and I did watch it quite a bit as this was the version my parents grew up with, renting the movie for the first time that year. At the time I didn't really understand the character and how it's not quite a true representation of it (though I have no doubt it may have saved the character). I still haven't seen the series on TV since about the mid 90's but did decide to buy the movie in 2014 on DVD and did meet Adam West and Burt Ward that same year.

Batman Forever: this was the first Batman film I rented (well my dad did) in 1995, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I'm a big Jim Carrey fan and from the TV show the riddler became my favourite villain. I rented it again around 2002 and bought the DVD around 2005. Last year I upgraded the DVD to blu ray (which I haven't watched yet but will shortly). While I know it's flawed It's probably the most well rounded Batman Film; not depressing like some of the others but not too silly like the Clooney or West versions

Batman and Robin; this was the first Bat Film I saw in theatres. While I didn't hate it, at age 14 I knew it was over the top and it was the first time a Batman film came out that I didn't consider "the best one yet" though I do remember the initial reaction was not nearly as negative as what it would become. I saw it again on a rental around 2006, watched it a few times as a gag since then. I don't consider it a terrible film but it's one of only two batman films I have never owned and never plan to. Watching it now, it is a nice change of pace every now and then from the other films.

Batman Begins: I wasn't initially keen on it at first. I followed it but thought the origin concept was kind of boring and I was a fan of the Robin character and kind of sad that he wouldn't be a part of it. I saw it in 2005 in two parts (half at my friends half on TV), I found it kind of boring for the first half but enjoyed the second half. After watching the dark knight and enjoying it so much I did rent this one once as I'd forgotten quite a bit of it. I watched it last year and enjoyed it reasonably well, I believe I've seen it 3 or 4 times in total. Along with Batman and Robin it's the only other Batman film I have never owned (though I wouldn't rule it out). I guess at this stage I'm just tired of Christopher Nolan in general and don't like where he eventually took the character.

The Dark Knight: I saw this one in theatres and was blown away, I bought it on DVD (since upgraded to blu ray) and watched it more times than I can count. Now after the dark knight rises came out, I did actually find that I enjoy this one less as it exposed Nolan's flaws. I'll still watch it on occasion but it doesn't have the same effect on me as it once did.

The Dark Knight rises: I could honestly spout off an entire essay citing the extent I hate this film. It's not even that it's a terrible film, it just accentuates all the things I didn't like about Christopher Nolans films: the horribly designed batman vehicles, lack of editing, petentiousness, lack of overall entertainment value, scenes and concepts dragging on, Bale (while being a good Bruce Wayne) being an awful Batman, endless monologues. I've watched it twice since theatres, once just to see how I felt on a repeated viewing, once when I did the character analysis on this site and I wouldn't be surprised if I never end up seeing it again.

Batman vs Superman: Saw it last week and enjoyed it quite a bit. I do plan on getting one of the blu rays to see the extended cut.

I did also start reading the comics around 2012 (which gave me more of an appreciation for Burton and even Schumachers films and less for Nolans) .

[Catwoman]

This is a great idea. I'll do mine tonight