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Batman '89 SE DVD review

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DMczaf

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http://www.batman-on-film.com/opinion_jett_review_batman89se.html

This feature is pretty self-explanatory - it is a the history of The Batman from his 1939 debut, through the various incarnation (comic book, movies, TV, cartoons, etc.) of The Dark Knight over the years, right up to The Batman that exists today. What is great about this segment are the interviews. You’ll get to see Denny O’Neal, Kevin Smith, Frank Miller, Jeanette Khan, Paul Dini, Les Daniels, Tim Burton, Stan “The Man” Lee, and many, many others. The late, great Bob Kane is featured talking about his creation. The different looks and variations of The Batman throughout his 60 + year history are depicted - from the gun-toting vigilante of 1939, the space-traveling Batman of the ‘50s, the campy Batman of the 60s, to the dark Batman of the shadows that we all know today. They are all there.

This is a must-view whether you know everything about the Caped Crusader, or nothing at all. In fact, this is something I would show someone that doesn't understand why you dig The Batman.
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This feature is actually broken down into 3 parts. Part 1, “THE ROAD TO GOTHAM CITY,” is a detailed history of the10 year plus process of bringing Batman to the big screen. In “THE GATHERING STORM,” we get an inside look at the production of BATMAN and the hype - better known as Bat mania - over the film that began brewing prior to the June ‘89 release. And in “THE LEGEND REBORN,” the release of the film and its legacy is depicted.

The interviews that are included in all three parts are absolutely fantastic. Making appearances are Tim Burton, Michael Uslan, Peter Guber, Sam Hamm, Michael Keaton, Stan Lee, Kevin Smith, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Bob Kane, Robert Wuhl, Pate Hingle, Michael Gough, and many others. All share their experiences in making BATMAN and discuss the affect that the film had on them personally, the entertainment world, and the world itself.

There are also many behind the scenes shots made prior to and after filming that I assume have never been seen publicly.

This was my favorite part of the “extras” and I’m sure that many of you will feel the same way.
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It didn’t change my mind about the film - I didn't like it any more or less that I did previously. But I did find my appreciation for it greater than I realized. While it is has its faults (My take on this can be found in my BATMAN ‘89 RETROSPECTIVE), it is still one of my favorite films of all time. As I have said before, I am of the opinion that BATMAN's greatest achievement was showing the world that Batman was not a comedy and there was more to the character than "POW, BIF, and Bam!"

This DVD should be a part of every self-respecting Bat-fan’s collection.
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Sounds cool. Batman has always been one of fav comic character (I used to dress up as Batman for Haloween when I was younger). The extras sound awesome, so I'll probably pick this up. The only problem is thje Begins has changed my opinion of the old movies, but I think the first one is still worth owning.
 
A terrible review as far as A/V quality is concerned. ^_^

I need to know how it compares to the original disc (which anything would look better, really), and if the 5.1 tracks have been remixed.
 
It's still my favorite Batman movie ever...

I seriously have gone on a DVD boycott until they release affordable HiDef DVD's so I don't have to re-buy a massive collection (I think I'm still at less than 50 DVD's total I think), but I might just make an exception for this, Begins, and Revenge of the Sith...
 
Aaaah shit. They're making me want Batman on dvd simply for the features. Batman Begins is the definitive Batman movie, this is simply a half way marker in taking him, that later deteriorated into camp again. Begins was the resurrection and finished the job. BUT. I do like some scenes and pieces of Batman. Far and few between, but the surgery on Joker's face was really cool. Wrapped up the way it was in a similar manner to Two-Face in DKR, I liked the doctor and horror style of it. But the character was not Joker. Batman was CERTAINLY not Batman. It's that simple. I can't wait until Begins sequel, so we could get a fully realized Joker live action flick.
 
What they need to include so I can jump at it day one (which I'll probably get it then anyway), is include that Diet Coke commercial that was in the original video release...

"just for the taste of it, Diet Coke... ahhhh"...
 
Alcibiades said:
What they need to include so I can jump at it day one (which I'll probably get it then anyway), is include that Diet Coke commercial that was in the original video release...

"just for the taste of it, Diet Coke... ahhhh"...
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Was that the one with Alfred?
 
I think I haven't seen the first Batman in over half a decade and after Begins I would imagine it would even be even less favorable when I watch it again.
 
Haha, yep, that Diet Coke commerical was cool. I remember that, along with the Daffy Duck/Bugs Bunny "Buy Warner Bros. merchandise" ad.
 
That Diet Coke ad was at the beginning of the Batman VHS.

That Batman documentry is sounding pretty sick...hopefully it's torrented so I don't have to buy it, though if it's cheap enough I might grab it anyway. BUT ONLY FOR THE DOCUMENTRY!!
 
One of the best extras on this particular DVD is “THE COMPLETE ROBIN STORYBOARD SEQUENCE.” If you were not aware, Robin was going to be included in the film at one point. As filming progressed, the character was cut from the film. This segment shows the storyboard of the scene that would have included Robin. What’s great about it is that it is set to music, sound effects are added in, and Batman and The Joker are voiced by Kevin Conroy and Mark Hammil respectively.
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Damn! The extras on this sound better than the ones on the Begins set.
 
I'm not ashamed to say it, Batman '89 is my favorite comic film and one of the best films of all time. Batman Begins was merely okay. Nothing can top the atmosphere that Tim Burton created, in my opinion. This upcoming DVD is a dream come true for a fan like me. I tried to get all the stuff I could about the making of the film back in 1989, the best of which being the book "Batman: The Official Book Of The Movie" which provided some nice behind the scenes photos, storyboards, and other tidbits. Jaws may have started the phenomenon, but Batman cannot be overlooked for it's importance in the history of the summer blockbuster.
 
Error Macro said:
I'm not ashamed to say it, Batman '89 is my favorite comic film and one of the best films of all time. Batman Begins was merely okay. Nothing can top the atmosphere that Tim Burton created, in my opinion. This upcoming DVD is a dream come true for a fan like me. I tried to get all the stuff I could about the making of the film back in 1989, the best of which being the book "Batman: The Official Book Of The Movie" which provided some nice behind the scenes photos, storyboards, and other tidbits. Jaws may have started the phenomenon, but Batman cannot be overlooked for it's importance in the history of the summer blockbuster.
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I concur
 
Error Macro said:
I'm not ashamed to say it, Batman '89 is my favorite comic film and one of the best films of all time. Batman Begins was merely okay. Nothing can top the atmosphere that Tim Burton created, in my opinion. This upcoming DVD is a dream come true for a fan like me. I tried to get all the stuff I could about the making of the film back in 1989, the best of which being the book "Batman: The Official Book Of The Movie" which provided some nice behind the scenes photos, storyboards, and other tidbits. Jaws may have started the phenomenon, but Batman cannot be overlooked for it's importance in the history of the summer blockbuster.
Click to expand...
I disagree strongly, but I don't want to turn this into a Begins vs. Burton's Batman thread. I'm buying this for the extras only tried to watch this movie after watching Begins and simply could not get into it.
 
The superhero movie bar has been raised much too high. I watched the original the other night and it just doesnt hold up well.
 
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