Rivero

Sorry but Batman is far from the second best ever. The best thing about the movie is by far the wonderful set design and the noirish atmosphere that Burton gave the film. Keaton was good, but they turned The Joker- who was a sadistic, lethal psychopath in the comic- into a fat clown. Nicholson was more interesting as Jack Napier than he was after the transformation. And Kim Basinger was terrible. I don't know who in their right mind thought that KIM BASINGER and MICHAEL KEATON would make a good screen couple. Just look at them together, for Chrissakes. Totally unconvincing when she falls for him in the movie and they have absolutely ZERO chemistry together. And last but not least.......there's Prince. Not knocking the guy personally, you can't deny that he has talent whether you like his music or not. But having songs by Prince plastered all over a BATMAN movie automatically knocks it out of contention for any best-anything related to comics. Prince on a Tank Girl movie? Sure. The early Men in Black issues? Could work. Batman? NO.

Rivero

Apparently you missed Sam Mendes' Road to Perdition and Bryan Singer's original X-Men.

clarkkent

Ill agree that the music wasn't that great and Kim Basinger wasn't the best choice but come on, can you name a comic movie with a great soundtrack or a perfect leading lady. Don't say Spiderman either, just don't. Michelle Pfifer was the best leading lady but unfortunately/fortunately she was cast as catwoman. No way was Nicholson a clown as the Joker. That was the best comic villan portrayal yet. Nobody has come close, not even Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, and I love me some Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor.

Rivero

Precisley! I don't know why people were so quick to heap praise on Nicholson in this movie. He turned The Joker into....well....a joke.

clarkkent

Not necessarily true. He is always portrayed as a kind of...well...joker. He plays jokes and fools around a lot. Problem is, if you don't laugh, your dead. Thats why he was always scary.

Rivero

Yes, I can name a comic movie with a FANTASTIC soundtrack: John Williams' awesome score for Superman. Just watch the beginning credits with that music in full effect, the music makes you completely pumped up for the film before you even see a single minute of the actual movie. And as for Spiderman, as a long-time Sam Raimi fan I have no qualms about saying this is probably the most overrated comic-book movie EVER.

jaeufraser

I'll name one more comic book movie with a great soundtrack...Batman. Yeah yeah, prince had music in the movie. But in context, I think the Prince music was used well, and pretty much always used as source music, not score music. In fact it wasn't even really in the movie much.

But Danny Elfman's score for Batman is fabulous. Simply a stunning soundtrack that sits right next to John William's score for Superman (imo) in terms of quality and effectiveness.

Knocking Batman for having bad music? Sure, the Prince music ain't my favorite, but that was more like a marketing inspired by album anyway. The music in the film, at least the movie music, was excellent and sported a truly great theme.

fumanstan

I agree, Batman's theme definitely rivals Superman's.

Supermallet

I think Batman Returns actually has better music than Batman. The main theme is the same, which is what was really so great about the first score, but the music for the rest of the film is so much more varied and textured. Elfman did some really interesting things relating to Catwoman, for instance.

As for Prince, there's something about watching giant balloons parading around downtown Gotham set to the song "Trust" that makes me all warm and gooey inside.

I think, if anything, Nolan's Batman will probably be most like the first X-Men. A solid movie that focuses on the characters, with a few special effects showcases. However, it's a shame that we won't have the amazing Gotham from the Burton Batman movies, because those sets made Gotham its own character.

Also, The Scarecrow is an awesome villain. Can't wait to see him done on the big screen.

And, for the record: I love Spider-Man AND The Hulk. I think Raimi got Spider-Man right. Yes, he's a teenager and has the problems a teen has, but for the most part, Spider-Man wasn't (for a long time) a really dark comic. The Hulk was always about the struggle between Banner and The Hulk, and I think Ang Lee did that comic justice.

Rivero

I agree that the Batman score is good, I forgot to mention it in my original post. The Batman Theme is awesome. It's the Prince songs that were inserted into the film against Tim Burton's wishes that don't work and date the film. In a Rolling Stone interview Burton did in 92 he said he couldn't even watch those scenes when it was released. At least it wasn't Macy Gray.

Gatsby

I agree... Road To Perdition is a great comic book film. I like the second X-Men however

kedalto1

Just wondering why everyone is saying no villians. The script has Ra's Al Ghul and The Scarecrow...

QuiGonJosh

Apparently its a matter of a frickin opinion...I love RtP...hell I own the comic...but I just dont think of it has a comic flick...and while I love X1...its just too short to have much of a point...X2 was far better...maybe I should have said best Superhero flick...

Dr. DVD

Whoever said it, Daredevil is not one of the best comic book adaptations ever. In fact, I rank it with LXG as an example of how wrong a comic book adaptation can go.
That said, I am going to keep myself in check for this one. Nolan is a good director, but with $150 million invested, you can bet that the studio will be looking over his back the whole time and twisting his arm to make adjustments.

QuiGonJosh

I said DareDevil is one of my fave comic adaptions...and I stand by it...

Hokeyboy

How dare you have the unmitigated gall to express your own opinion?!?!?

You better goose-step along with the program, mister!

QuiGonJosh

lol

TheNightFlier

I love the idea of Neeson as Ras Al Ghul. I can already here him saying "Detective..."

I hope it's not effects heavy and Batman doesn't drive a Batmobile with a spinning flourescent gyro in the middle of it. I'm not worried at all, Nolan has shown he is more than capable of making a good movie. The idea of bringing the detective and investigating aspect back is great.

As for Batman..If Bale puts on some more mass, I can see him being a great Wayne and Batman. Another plausible guy for Bats is Neal McDonough if he dyes the hair and grows it out. He's got the acting chops and build for it.

Rivero

Daredevil is the epitome of everything I find wrong with Hollywood comic-book movies.

clarkkent

Amen to that brother! Amen!

ckolchak

i finally broke down and watched DareDevil for the first time a few weeks ago.

there was possiblity there, but they tried to do way too many good things at once, and consequently didn't give anything as depth as it should have/could have gotten.

as anyone who has read the run of DD that the movie tries to reference can tell you, there was just too much that was missing to make it anything but a disappointment.
and the fact that the film shot its wad already with some epic storylines was a major disappointment.
the Elektra arc alone could have merited three films -
-film 1: courtship
-film 2: conflict
-film 3: her death/final confrontation with bulleseye

or even just condense it to two films.
but for her death to have menat anything, they really had to establish the character far more than they did.
ultimately, using her like that just throws her away for a cheap thrill.

i was surprised i didn;t hate it as much as i was expecting, but seeing how much they almost got right, just made it a bigger disappointment.

Scot1458

I agree. The Daredevil DVD was on ebay 10 seconds after I got done watching it. In fact, I think I enjoyed LXG even more.

Two other good comic book movies nobody has mentioned is The Shadow and The Phantom.

Both great adpations.

jasonbird

To tell you the truth, with so much history behind all of these
characters, opinions are going to be all over the place. I think
after time, small things that people complain about are forgiven.
Even back in the days of Superman the movie, there were things
I used to wish that they would've done or not done. Same with
Burton's Batman. That's the problem with comic book movies...
the stories been around so much that everyone has their
expectations set. Many people don't realize how well Ang Lee
captured the feel of the clasic Hulk (of the Hulk smash era). If we
make our minds up now on how this Batman film should be, I
can promise you'll be disappointed. Go in to see Nolan's version
and you might be pleasantly surprised (that's what you have to
do when reading comics and new writers/artists come on board).

Jason

And for the record, Hulk was the best comic adaptaion yet (IMO)

Breakfast with Girls

I know this may be hard for you to believe, but some people who hate Hulk have very real and valid reasons that have nothing to do with their intelligence or attention span.

Anyway, the biggest fears I have with the new Batman are the $150 million dollar budget and if there is more than one villain.

veritasredux

Bale's physique in "American Psycho" was one of the most athletic I've ever seen in a Hollywood film. I loved Keaton, but if you're looking for a muscular Batman who looks like he performs gymnastics on his days off, Bale is your man.