This Is Batman

This is Batman. The one true Dark Knight who we(the post - 1987 Dark Knight Returns generation)have grown up with. And this movie simply blew me away, by shattering all expectations by actually lived up to its incredible hype. The single most mistreated and tweaked comic book character, who, due to the very same reason, became an pop culture icon, Batman, has spawned nine movies, three TV series, and thousands of comic books that transcends the border from noir detective, sci-fi opus, to melodramatic soap. Originally envisioned by creator Bob Kane in 1939, Batman was a grim and gritty vigilante who at times killed criminals at will. During World War Two, Batman team up with Superman to battle Facists and Imperialist. By 1950s, after the war, the villains became sci-fi monster from outer space, eliminating the original noirish tone altogether. Along came the infamous TV series that defined "Campy" in the 60s, starring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as "Holy @#%*" Robin, singlehandledly transforming the whole genre, including the Batman comic, to infinite silliness for what seems like forever(evidently seen from my previous entry). Until Neal Adams's brilliantly dark portrayal of the physique of Batman surfaces, giving us a hint of great things to come : The return of the one true Dark Knight, in 1987's epic "The Dark Knight Returns" by Frank Miller (now obscenely famous for Sin City), which, together with Alan Moore's much celebrated "Watchmen" teaches the world to the term, "Grim and Gritty", and influence the whole generations to come. Followed by Miller's Batman : Year One, we see no shortage of good Batman stories (at least, for most of the times) throughout the years, as good reads like "The Long Halloween" emerges. But unfortunately, that remained true only for the comics, as Tim Burton's much anticipated "Batman" opens in 1989. I know, I know, many, and boy do I mean many folks, love the flick, but I supposed quite a good lot of them would agree with me that by the time "Batman Returns" in 1992, penguins with rocket launcher flying around Gotham's skyline proved to be far too way out. But to all our surprise, just when we thought it couldn't get any worse, then came the third installment of the franchise, "Batman Forever", and followed by, the final nail to the coffin, "Batman and Robin", whose gloriously much-celebrated campism and stupidity kills the franchise. Batman suit with nipples. Yeah, right. So, we got the trilogy of Psychology Neurosis complete. First, it's Memento, with amnesia being the key, followed by Insomnia, and closed by Phobia, which is the integral center of Batman Begins. The origin of Batman has been recounted for numerous times. But never had it been given such depth. For the first time on screen, we have been brought back even before the murder of the Waynes took place. And yes, it matters. But there are more, we were also served with what happened after the tragedy. It had always been a case of only "then" and "now" for the previous incarnation of Batman. "Then" being the Waynes' murder, and "now" being Bruce Wayne in his prime, dishing out his Batman role in his most professional way. Which further add up to the campish, unrealism of the much-joked-of notion of a millionaire playboy, masquerading in the night as a vigilante dressing like a bat. By filling up the details, it all starts to make sense. As a kid, we have seen Superman making us believe that a man can really fly back in 1978, then as an adult, we were thrilled to spectacular comic book greatness watching Spider-Man swinging into action in your friendly neighbourhood New York City in 2002. Equally awe-inspiring as the above mentioned two classic scene, would be the Dark Knight, standing still on a rooftop, hovering above Gotham. It's that simple, but as I said, This Is Batman.