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Check out this rare trailer! Some good outtakes in it too and different cuts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRxzDFzZQGc&feature=related

I havent seen this and am going to buy it. Which version would be best to get, region 1 or region 2?

I see the R1 version is 76 mins long, where as the R2 version is only 73! Is the R2 version cut?

Check out this great article. Brilliant read!!!

www.retrojunk.com/details_articles/4508/

Just bought this book off ebay. Cant wait for it to arrive! Has anyone else got it? Is it any good?

As much as I'd like a 20th Anniversary of Batman on DVD with a lot more extras, the question on my mind is - what more can they do?

I thought the special edition of Batman was the biggest tribute to Batman WB has ever done. It was great. Even when I watch it now I cant believe how much effort was put into it. So why all the complaining on here? What else can they add?

I seen the BBC documentary on youtube, if anything I agree that should be on a new dvd, but what would you guys as fans like to see on it? (involving Batman 89 now)

PS New stuff would be good suggestions, not things we have already got and seen....

I was wondering if someone can advise me on a decent Batman Cowl to buy?

I want to get a good one to display, but dont want to pay a fortune, but nor do I want some cheap plastic version. Can any of you fine fellows point me in the right direction?

Or even tell me of the ones you have and what is the best?

Cheers!

Does the Region 1 Batman Returns DVD have the commentary by Tim Burton?

I have The Greatest Joker stories ever told, the original edition. I also bought the 2008 edition, but have not looked at it until this morning. And to my surprise Jokers origin story is not in it!! The Man In The Red Hood has been ommitted!!

I was a bit disgusted at this, as I think this story is a major and important story in the evoulution of the Joker,and cant understand how they could concieve of deleting it from the book.

Then I got thinking. Is this another stunt by DC/WB because of the release of TDK? Are they now ereasing the origin of the Joker, because their new film does not have an origin, or Nolans Joker's origin would not be the same as the comics!?

I always wondered why Burtons commentary was not on the R2 DVD, and now I find out that the stupid BBFC cut it out!! Again proving the british treat us like children. Anyhow I just watched the aerosol can scene on youtube and its ridiculas they cut out a 2 second scene! Thus us losing a Tim Burton commentary!

But my question is this - I heard they are re-releasing the original Batman films on DVD in march again and I was wondering does anyone know if that scene will be reinstated with the Burton commentary just like the blue ray disc??

Hey guys,

I just secured myself a complete original score for Batman, 39 tracks, 2 disc's, on ebay.

Now I dont know what quality it is. It seems fan made. But If it is decent, I will consider doing copies for people on here.

Its in the post, (hopefully!) So I'll keep you posted.

Hey Reevz,
loving your behind the scenes pics from Batman man! Looking forward to seeing more. Where did you get them?

In TDK when Gordan captures the Joker and says "we got you you son of a bitch" when the Joker falls on the ground does anyone think this is a reference to the end of Batman 89 when the Joker is laying at the bottom of the cathedral.

Now you can see all of Jokers body. But the way he is laying from what we can see is identical - the way his right arm and head is.

Maybe I'm looking too deep. But just a thought.

Check it out guys!! Bit pricey. I was offered this from Forbidden planet a few days ago for ?80!! 30% discount! But in 3 days it has went up to over ?100. Shows you how many people are buying it.

I still wouldnt pay ?100 for it.

http://www.forbiddenplanet.com/products/37280?affid=NEWSLETTER&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=image&utm_campaign=20080829-The_Joker_plus_other_villains_and_Heroes

Empire Magazine are doing an online poll for next months edition - 500 Greates Movies Ever Made. You have to vote your top 10 films.

I vote Batman as my number 3 (Behind Jaws and Psycho). They then said they are doing a limited 100 special edition covers of 100 different movies! I went on line to get a Jaws cover, and to my surprise one of the 100 was Batman Returns!!!!

So I searched for Batman!! Not there!! I was totally surprised by that! Has Batman returns been voted higher than Batman??

TDK was there with  the Joker on the front. So it got me thinking, are people now dismissing Batman? Its a worrying thought for me a diehard Batman 89 fan. But I think its great that Returns is up there! Does it mean that Returns is becoming more popular with time? A cult classic maybe?

For me Returns is one of the greatest sequels ever made! But Batman is my favourite. So get on and vote for Batman people!!!!!

Why has the book 'The Art Of The Dark Knight' not been released in Ireland or the UK yet?

In fact no TDK book has come to think of it, not even the novel!!

What is up?
WB have been marketing this thing for over 8 months and I havent seen hardly any merchindise!

Have they messed up? Indy 4 had a sh1t load of stuff out the week of its release!

This  was on IMDB. Its is interesting. I do share a lot of his points.

I found the film to be entertaining but I had major problems with the script, which I felt was poor and seriously contrived. Too many things happen at exactly the right moment to move the plot along instead of just flowing naturally.

The main problem for me is this: Christopher Nolan has constantly emphasized that his Batman vision is based on realism; as such, the film should adhere to the rules of the universe it creates, and this doesn?t happen in The Dark Knight.

It?s not a case of just sitting back and being entertained by a comic book movie; The Dark Knight is - for all intents and purposes ? set in reality, but it completely ignores the rules that it sets itself. As a result, the impact of the film is severely dampened in my view.

Using the excuse that ?all movies have flaws so stop over-analysing? is major cop-out. The flaws in TDK took me out of the movie and could not be ignored. In fact, I would go so far as to say the script is an insult to the intelligence at some points, yet people are calling for it to win an Oscar!

And the following should be read in light of the fact that I am a huge Chris Nolan fan. I loved Batman Begins and Memento is a modern day masterpiece. Insomnia and The Prestige are also superb movies. In my view, The Dark Knight is Nolan?s worst movie.

Here are the problems I had with the film:

1. The bank raid

The school bus just happens to break through the wall at the exact moment that the last remaining bank robber is holding a gun on the Joker. How is everything so perfectly choreographed that the robber ends up in the exact spot he needs to be to get hit by the bus? Not realistic at all.

Then, the school bus drives out of the bank at the exact right moment to join up with a huge procession of other school buses! And there just happens to be a space for the bus to enter. Again, completely unrealistic. For this to happen, everything from the beginning to the end of the raid would have to happen with split-second precision and timing with no room for error.

Impossible, as there are too many variables at play. For example, the gunshot-toting bank manager. That was unforeseen and put a crimp in their plan. Yet despite this, everything *still* runs like clockwork.

I also disliked the way the Bank robbers explained the plot as they set up the raid, talking about who gets a cut and about the Joker. Was this necessary? This kind of obvious explanation is so patronizing. The whole sequence would have been more effective without any of the blatant expository dialogue.

This kind of ?hey folks, this is what?s happening!? dialogue plagues the whole film. Another prime example is when Ramirez tells Gordon about the Joker card with three sets of DNA. Gordon responds: ?The Joker is trying to tell us who he?s targeting?/

Well, no *beep* That is OBVIOUS. But because we as audience members are so stupid, we apparently need a line of dialogue to ram it home.

2. Scarecrow scene

Batman jumps from the top level of the parking structure and lands on an escaping SUV. What happens? The SUV is crushed AND the impact of Batman makes it stop. GIVE ME A BREAK! Batman is only a mere mortal. He would have bounced off the car and wouldn?t have even made a dent in the roof.

Yes it?s a cool scene but it really bugs me because it suggests that Batman has super-powers, which he doesn?t. Nolan seems to pick and choose between when Batman is just a man and when he has extraordinary strength. He should remain consistent and not devalue the character just for the sake of a cheap money shot.

3. Marone court scene - how did a gun get in the courtroom ***Retracted: Explanations given***

4. The Hong Kong section

Completely overblown and overwritten. There are simpler ways to grab Lau and bring him back to the US. Why grab him in his office building?! Does he live there? I think not. Batman could nabbed Lau *far easier* at his residence and with less personal risk and expensive planning.

But of course, the Nolan?s have to come up with something spectacular and wildly unbelievable for the sake of spectacle.

5. The Rachel/Dent/Wayne triangle.

I hated the fact that Rachel was in a serious relationship with Dent yet she still kissed Wayne on the balcony at that party. This made me lose respect for her character because she is basically cheating on Dent. Rachel is supposed to be this strong, moral woman with inalienable principles, yet she cheats on someone she clearly loves.

The triangle didn?t need to be written this way; it would have been better if Bruce went in for the kiss and Rachel pulled back. In my view, the Nolans destroyed the integrity of the Rachel Dawes character.

6. Commissioner Loeb?s death.

Right at the moment Gordon arrives with news of the threat, Loeb decides to have drink, and dies right at the moment Gordon is figuring out where the DNA could have come from.

Okay, it?s possible but it?s just so contrived! Loeb obviously knew of the threat before Gordon got there because there were cops all over the place. So why not have a drink before that? Well, he has to die when Gordon is there for dramatic effect, so the writers contrive that to happen.

And of course, Loeb and the judge die at exactly the same time! Please?

7. Bruce?s party

How does Bruce know of the triple threat to Dent/Loeb and the judge? There is no way he can know! Gordon would not call him with the news as he has no connection to Wayne. If Gordon was going to call anyone, he would call Dent on his cell-phone to let him know, would he not? Dent has to have one, surely?! Batman is set in the cell phone age so the idea that Dent doesn?t have one is ridiculous.

Also, Bruce was at the party with everyone else, so the chances of his listening to a police radio are slim at best. Besides, what would prompt him to be listening to police radio broadcasts in the middle of a party?

Bottom line: There is no way that Bruce could have known, yet somehow he does know. And on top of this, he manages to get to Dent and hide him seconds before the Joker appears. How convenient!

This is really shoddy writing and anyone with an ounce of objectivity will agree.

8. Bruce?s superhero strength.

*Retracted. Perhaps the gun was just dismantled instead of broken up.

9. The Joker crashing Bruce?s party.

The Joker?s mission is to find Harvey Dent. Well, he?s not that hard to find! Earlier in the film, he?s been in public many times. So why didn?t the Joker just nab him outside the courthouse or on the street or at home? Why wait till he?s at a party in Bruce Wayne?s penthouse *after* announcing to the world that Dent is a target?

Of course, the whole thing is horribly contrived so that the Joker can throw Rachel off the roof. This could have been written in a far more realistic way.

10. Rachel and Batman falling off the roof.

I can just about buy the fact that the fall was broken by Batman?s wings, but come on! Not even a scratch on Rachel? Ever so slightly beyond the realms of possibility I feel.

11. Fingerprints on the bullet sequence.

It was great to see Batman in Detective mode but this entire sequence was convoluted in the extreme. The fingerprint on the bullet led Batman to a room about the funeral procession, which was actually a decoy to hide the fact that the Joker was in the firing squad?!

It?s so badly written it?s unbelievable, and it doesn?t make sense. Furthermore, Bruce arrives in the room and finds those men tied up at the exact moment the shooting is going to take place. Again, horribly contrived.

12. Commissioner Loeb?s funeral.

We?re expected to believe that with hundreds of Cops around and ridiculously tight security that the Joker managed to worm his way into the Police honour guard?! Didn?t anyone notice the guy with the huge scars on his face?

This scene is ridiculous and unbelievable. It?s not beyond the realm of possibility, but with everyone *expecting* some kind of assassination attack and the Cops on alert, it?s just laughable that this could take place.

13. Gordon?s faked death.

This plot development really is an insult to the intelligence. Why was it necessary for Gordon to fake his death? The Joker already thought he was dead, so there was no way that he knew of Gordon?s plan to capture him. It makes no sense whatsoever.

Also, why would you put your family through the worst trauma imaginable when they were not even at risk?! Gordon says he faked his death because his family was at risk but this is utter nonsense. Why? Because the Joker thinks Gordon is dead. If he?s dead, he?s not a threat ergo his family is not at risk.

Even if Gordon thought his family *could* be at risk, why not just get them out of the city and the state and into protective custody? Surely this is better than making them think he was dead?

This is disappointingly lazy writing and really undermines the integrity of the story in my view. Look at it from Gordon?s point of view: Everyone already thinks he?s dead as he was shot down in public. As a result he can easily maneuver without attracting attention.

14. Revealing the true identity of Batman.

The midsection of the film with the Joker pursuing Dent in the SWAT van thinking he?s the real Batman is really weak from a story point of view.

First of all, why would the Joker purse Dent in a completely impractical and hard to maneuver super-truck?! Yes, it makes for a great action sequence but it?s a stupid choice of vehicle.

And can someone please explain exactly how a multi-tonne truck flips over so easily after snagging on some metal wire?!

It?s a great action set-piece but once again it?s let down by bad writing in my view.

And where exactly did Gordon come from? It?s like he just popped up from a hole in the ground. Batman rounds the Joker and crashes the bat-bike and there?s no one else around. The joker approaches Batman then all of a sudden Gordon?s is there?! Ridiculous.

15. Did Dent know about Gordon?s plan?
***Retracted: Explanations given***

16. The Joker?s escape.

The Joker is Gotham?s most notorious and wanted criminal, yet they leave him *uncuffed* and guarded by a single Cop?! And of course, the Cop just happens to have a suspect temperament, which the Joker manipulates.

If the Joker is in a locked room, why would there need to be a Cop inside the room with him?! Also, why was there no one stationed outside guarding the room? We can surmise that there wasn?t anyone guarding because if there was a fight going on, surely the guard would have heard it from outside?

Again, everything happens at exactly the right time. The guy with the bomb in his stomach starts having convulsions just as the Joker escapes from the cell and asks for his phone.

All this is dependant upon having a single cop guarding the joker inside the room who loses his cool, allowing the Joker a chance to escape. Laughably contrived.

And of course, the guy with a bomb in his stomach just happens to be captured and in jail at the exact time the Joker needs him.

17. The idea that the Joker ?planned to be caught?.

After Rachel dies, Gordon is angry at himself and says ?he wanted us to lock him up in the MCU?. So, let me get this straight: the massive chase scene through Gotham which culminated in Gordon capturing the Joker was really part of the Joker?s grand scheme as he ?planned? to get caught?!

Can anyone else see how ridiculous the script is?! So many things are illogical or not thought out well enough that it?s actually quite amazing.

18. Reese revealing the true identity of Batman.

Now this plot development is just insultingly bad. So, Reese goes on TV and says he?ll reveal the truth about Batman. Meanwhile, the scene is intercut with the Joker in a warehouse burning his half of the mob?s cash.

Then, *in the very next scene*, the Joker is calling into the TV show and threatening to blow up a hospital if someone doesn?t kill Reese!

How does the Joker go from burning money in a warehouse, to finding a TV, watching the show then calling up with his hospital threat in a matter of seconds?!

It is IMPOSSIBLE, yet we are expected to just swallow the writers think we?re idiots who would never question the story.

So, if the Joker decides to blow up a hospital in response to Reese?s TV ploy, how does he and his mob manager to rig the place with gas canisters and explosives *in broad daylight* without being seen?

Come on! This is beyond ridiculous. And it?s not about suspension of disbelief, it?s about not treating your audience like morons. There is *no way* on earth that in this day and age of heightened security that an entire hospital could be rigged to blow in broad daylight and no one saw a thing!

And the entire building was pulverized ? imagine the amount of explosives and petrol canisters needed to do that kind of damage.

And again, what?s going on with the timeline? The Joker is burning money; somehow finds a TV to watch; calls in and threatens Reese; wires a hospital and visits Dent all in the space of the same day and seemingly within a few hours?

Unbelievably poor writing.

One other thing ? the Joker has been trying to unmask Batman for the entire film, so why would he object to Reese going public with Batman?s identity? Wouldn?t the joker welcome this?! God, it?s amazing how senseless the screenplay is.

19. Sal Maroni?s confession.

After Gordon visit Dent, Maroni just happens to be in the hospital and just happens to have an attack of conscience and tells Gordon where to find the Joker?! It?s so pathetic and contrived I can?t even believe it!

20. Harvey Dent?s turn to the dark side.

For a start, the whole Dent story should have been saved for Part 3 instead of just being crammed into TDK. There wasn?t enough time to develop his fall into evil; it all happens in about 5 minutes

For 90 minutes, Dent is portrayed as this morally upstanding man of principle, yet all it takes for him to become evil and almost turn into a child-murderer is the death of his girlfriend and facial disfigurement Granted, such horrible things would have an impact on him, but child murder?! Give me a break.

The rushed nature of Dent?s descent to the dark side cheapened his character and turned him into a caricature. I thought the whole point of Harvey Dent was that his psyche fractured into two distinct beings, yet none of this was illustrated in TDK.

21. Batman?s sonar scheme.

Lucius Fox says something along the lines of ?You took my sonar concept and applied it to every phone in the city?. Someone explain to me how this is possible! Given the sonar technology has to be embedded in the phone itself (as we saw when Fox was in Hong Kong and left his sonar phone at security), are we expected to believe that Batman has the technology manually implanted into *every cell-phone in the city? ? a city which, incidentally, has 30 million inhabitants, according to Fox.

If it wasn?t manual, then how is this mass cell-phone scheme to be explained? Wireless technology?! I can?t get over how appallingly bad the script is! Once again, it?s a case of the writers coming up with something that sounds cool but not explaining it at all and expecting us to just accept it without question.

This sort of thing just takes me out of the movie. I don?t just go to the movies and sit there like a moron and not think about what I?m watching, but it seems like many people just did exactly that, which probably explains how a film with such an atrocious script is considered by many to be one of the best films ever made!

22. The ferry face-off.

Once again, another example of ridiculous and contrived writing. When exactly did the Joker have time to rig two ferries with 100 barrels of fuel?! We know its 100 someone on one of the ferries says so.

And how could 200 barrels of fuel be loaded onto these ferries without anyone noticing?! The Ferry plan only came about at the last minute so it?s not like it was along-standing plan giving the joker plenty of time.

The whole idea is completely laughable and unrealistic, with no concern for the logistics of how something like that would be set up. Once again, for the sake of a ?cool? scene, the writers threw logic out of the window.

23. Batman?s sonar vision.

When batman faces the Joker, his sonar vision momentarily fails and this causes him to lose his bearings, allowing the Joker to attack.

Why?!

Earlier on in the sequences, Batman switches between soar vision and normal vision. When the sonar fails, why doesn?t he just use his own vision?! Of course, we need a reason for the Joker to overpower batman, so the writers use the failing sonar vision as plot device to allow that to happen.

It?s ridiculous and once again it does not make sense! The writers are again treating the audience like morons, hoping we?ll be too wrapped up in ridiculously convoluted multi-level action to notice.

24. The Joker overpowering Batman.

After Batman?s sonar vision fails, the Joker somehow beats the crap out of Batman and manages to hold him down with a steel bar. Given the fact that Batman has been portrayed as almost superhuman for the preceding two hours (including easily subduing the Joker during interrogation), how is it possible that all of a sudden the Joker is stronger.

It?s so stupid I think my head is going to explode.

There are lots more minor things that compound the stupidity of the script, but I?ll leave those out for now.

I?d be very interested to how those who love TDK and rate it 10 out 10 justify the things I?ve highlighted above.

It?s not a case of nit-picking. The script is simply rubbish and treats the audience like a bunch of morons. I find it embarrassing that people think a film with a script this bad is the best film ever made! It?s laughable that people who don?t think about the film properly have elevated it to number 1 in the IMDB top 250.

I don't begrudge people their love affairs with TDK - if you love it, then good for you, but the things I've highlighted are serious story flaws that cannot be glossed over just because Heath Ledger put in a good performance.

Yes, it?s entertaining but it?s nowhere close to the best film of all time.

And Superman is still the best superhero movie of all time.

Here is Batman #1 from 1940, how it should have been!!! I put together the final confrontation from Batman (1989), the cathedral fight between Batman and the Joker using only pictures from the Batman #1 1940 comic! (give or take 2/3 pics) Its strange how it fits togther and is another reminder how Tim Burtons Batman was heavily influenced by Bob Kanes original comics. Sorry about the blurry pics!

So can someone please answer me a question?

What era is Ledgers Joker based on?

I have read the original, as in 1940's (which I find if it is to be wrong, because I have read them and from what I have seen isn't the same.)
I have also heard 'The killing Joke'?

Or is he a new carnation?

And for those that think Nicholson was a 'prankster Joker' which I have read as well I want to do an exercise and list his killings in Batman that we know).

(As Jack Napier)

Thomas Wayne
Martha Wayne
Lt. Eckhardt

(As the Joker)

Carl Grissom
Rotelli
Vinnie (Gangster - also the cops and other gangsters killed at the City Hall)
Kelly Walker
Amanda Keller
"3 Mysterious Deaths at a beauty parlour"
Becky (News Reader)
'Joker Claims 13 Lives'
"6 new deaths"
People in Muesem?
Alicia (Did she jump or was she pushed? I ythink the Joker pused her out the window. He lied in Vicki's apartment)
Bob

So 34 visible people kiled by the Joker/Napier in Batman. And thats not counting all the people killed at the city hall or in the muesem or at the 200th Anniversary festival. Also god knows how many more killed by smylex in the beauty products.

So my question is, how was Burton's Joker not a mass murderer!!!??? And why are people saying he was portrayed as a harmless prankster?

Of course he had a flamboyant dark funny side to him, thats why he is the Joker. My fear is that in TDK, that the humor is completley removed from him. If this is the case, then he's just another psycho killer we've seen in so many thrillers already.

I was in a local shop today and I saw the standard Batman Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

But what was interesting was the sticker on the front of the case-it said: 'A Selection Of The Music From The Motion Picture'

Could this be an indication that WB intend to release a complete recording of the Batman Soundtrack??

I have never seen this before. What to look for next is if the CD becomes hard to get and out of print......

Here is my Joker model of Jack Nicholson from Batman.