Interested in Film, Television or Video Game reviews, how about Music, Comics and general opinions on the above? Then you've come to the right place. Enjoy.
Unfortunately, the review of the original TV show is going to have to wait a little bit, that one needs more time.
Up until this point, I haven't had any direct experience with 1966's Batman TV series. I've seen the references, the memes, and all the talk on the show, but I've yet to fully experience it in any capacity. I'm probably not alone in that department, it came out in 1966 after all, I wasn't born until 29 years later. Surfice to say, not even the greatest of memes could have prepared me for what I'd gotten myself into with a movie 50 years later. Well, let's see where this rabbit hole goes.
A few things before I start. First, what does it take to get an R18 rating for people in America, this is MA15+ along with Deadpool. Also: Two timely movie reviews in a row? Does this count as a comic review? It's directly based off a comic, that's good enough right? No? Well I'm doing it anyway. Regarded as the backstory of The Joker, armed with an all star cast and crew "and an R18 rating" in America, seriously? Regardless, this got attention, this got hype, did it deliver?
The overly long name for the review of the overly long movie is entirely intentional.
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. What many regard as the most dissapointing movie of this year. Panned by many, though more people wanted to see it, so many debate weatehr Ghostbusters is worse. Some think I may not have much to say about the movie that hasn't already been said. But, my view of the movie? Well, let me tell you what I think, and probably in less time then the movie itself. Oh and one thing, spoilers ahead.
No idea why, but for some reason the concept reminds me of the last part of Acadeca
One final jab at Dawn of Justice, as this the last DC thing I'm doing for a while. It should come as no surprise that a part of the inspiration for Dawn of Justice is The Dark Knight Returns, and while I'm not reviewing the comic, I do want to review the animated movies. And yes, I said movies. There are two parts to this. So let's just go in order
So here we are, the big one, in terms of tv shows. The uniting of the Justice League, the coming together of DC's greatest heroes in the shared DC show universe. Unlike something like The Avengers and the MCU, this wasn't as big of a deal back then, as far as I can tell (keep in mind I was 5 when this show first aired, so I'm going off of what I could/ couldn't find online), but it is one of the few most remembered. Batman and Superman worked well on their own, and recycling footage apparently worked, so lets bring them together properly, with more characters to boot.
Very quick, a lot of people have brought it up online, so I won't go into detail. Yes, the 3D animation is ugly, no its not the rest of the show, thankfully. The intro for Unlimited is better animation wise, but doesn't pack that same punch the original did though, so pick your poison.
However, being honest, there isn't much to say that wasn't brought up in Batman the animated series, Superman the animated series, or Batman Beyond, with the only part being the pacing. From what I've seen for this review, which is just over a season, all the storylines are multiple episodes long. There's no one episode plots, everyone taking two, or even three, which I think works in part. It does mean that nothing feels rushed, and with a cast this big, you need that. But the individual episodes might help with the pacing, making the two or three episodes more of an event, rather then just a 40 minute episode. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it is more tedious to watch multi part episodes, it just never feels as bad because they're more like events, so to get them all the time here is a bit of a drain if you marathon them.
If you liked the Batmen shows and you liked Superman, then you'll like this if you haven't seen it already. I know its a cop out, and I'm sorry for that. I have something to make up for it though coming soon.
Before getting to the big one, allow me to make a quick detour for a moment to bring you this spinoff. Set several decades after Batman the Animated Series, to try and make something akin to what the comics industry was doing at the time... and I'm sure comic book fans can already tell where I'll be going with this. So lets tackle Batman Beyond... or "Batman of the Future" as it was known here... not as catchy, is it?
I couldn't resist doing an April Fools this year, and I'm both sorry, and not sorry for the lame joke. I do however admit Rising Rainbow came out better then the Rick Roll. That one was last minute after all,
I've stated a few times now that I personally prefer DC's animated projects over their Live Action ones, and while I do plan to cover more in the future, for now, lets take a look at some that many remember from their childhoods... I don't because I was too young at their prime, but still. Up first, the one that started it all, and one of the cartoons that has probably helped inspire much of children's television to this day, Batman: The Animated Series.
The end of the Dark Knight Trilogy, at last. But, where do you go from the critically acclaimed "masterpiece" that is The Dark Knight? Well, for me, The Dark Knight wasn't flawless, still good, but not flawless, and this movie is seen as many to be worse... Primus help me...
Regarded as the best in the trillogy, and has gone down in infamy thanks to their lead villain dying of depression thanks to his role in the movie, sufice to say, people were happy with how it turned out. At the time, I was too, though times change, so lets see if it still holds up.
Welcome to the Detective Comics Mini Movie Marathon, or D.C.M.M.M for short. With DC now finally deciding to play catch up with Marvel in terms of a cinematic universe, I figure it might be interesting to see how they've gone with that concept previously. At first, we're covering the beloved Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, then the live action Green Lantern, and then the start of the DCCU, Man of Steel... This is going to be fun... oh yeah, it can't be, no comedy policy for these movies, dam.
So what to do with two prisons ruined because of the Joker? You build a wall around a portion of the city and shove all the criminals into there. I can't imagine how much of a brilliant plan that is. Well, let's see how badly Batman comes to wreck this "ingenious plan" with Batman Arkham City.
This was a long time coming. I was actually planning on doing this during my absence for the Comedy Festival, where I'd also cover Arkham Origins... that never happened. I wanted to do it before Arkham Knight, didn't happen. Then I tried to fit it in before the PC version re release... that didn't happen. So now consider this as the lead up for when WB Games get the PC version up to an actual standard deserving of its price tag. It's time for us to put on the cape and cowl and enter the Madhouse. Welcome, to Arkham Asylum.
As with what I did a few months ago for Age of Ultron, I intend to do a DC marathon to cover, not just the subject of this, but the other "DCCU" film, and what's coming out in a few hours on here, Suicide Squad (First impressions, not review. Do you think that someone who sucks at timely reviews overall, and is a nobody in comparison to others would get something like that this early?). But for now, the start of the flood of content for today, because I'm insane. Part one of six in today's marathon of content, because I'm insane (I'll check myself into Arkham later): Batman vs Superman.
Even before the Nolan films had come out, I highly doubt I’ll be able to
go up to anyone, ask them if they’ve heard of Batman and not get a Yes in some
form. While this may not be recent, it’s a great way to introduce the other
aspect of Opening Impressions, it’s not limited to currently airing seasons,
just what I’m currently watching and I’ve got something to say on the matter,
so... The Batman.
It has been 75 years since Batman first appeared to the world. One the two mascots of DC Comics and one of the most well known superheroes of this day an age thanks to the overall success of his appearances in other mediums (including the Adam West TV show nowadays, the animated TV shows including Batman the Animated series, Batman Beyond and Justice League, the Nolan films (in particular The Dark Knight but I'll save that one for latter) and the Arkham games) it isn't surprising that DC would want to celebrate it somehow. Several animations have been released this year to celebrate the anniversary including the one below...
and the subject of this review: Batman Assault on Arkham. Time to let the Rouges out, the madhouse is open.
My apologies for the delay on this one, I've been preoccupied for the morning.
Ah Lego, the innocent toy loved by children and hatted by wallets everywhere (some countries more so then others). It never ceases to amaze me what people have been able to make with the toy. From basic houses, to cranes, to armies of mass destruction, to a semi livable house (as long as water isn't involved). Everytime I think I've seen it all, something new comes out either from Lego themselves or from a fan that catches my interest. Nine years ago, Lego put out a Star Wars themed Lego game focusing on the plot of the prequel trilogy. The game itself is a lot of fun even if you don't know what star wars is or hate the prequel trilogy. Since then this model has been used in other games including 2 more Star Wars themed games (not including the complete series game that had all 6 films), Indiana Jones, The Lego Movie and of course the super heroes games for Marvel and DC. While I have enjoyed the first Lego Batman game, I never picked up the second one (at time of writing) as what little difficulty it had was, from what I've seen, removed when you could play as Superman early on in the game. So why has Lego Batman 3 taken my interest?
To look at the graphics would be a waste of time. Each of the games uses a fusion of Lego and world themed scenery for its levels, with the Lego generally being used on things you can break for studs (in game currency), collectables or to move on in the level and this is no exception. The art style still works for what it needs to do and I wouldn't change it.
Gameplay wise, if you're a DC fan, then your going to love this. While the core gameplay is exactly the same as every other Lego game using this model, the DC coat of paint has made this new and refreshing. The character selection for this is "If its a DC character, you can play as them" The Justice League, Lex Luthor and the Joker, Adam West (with a level inspired by the old Batman TV show), Super dog and more (the Lego games tend to have a very, very, very large roster of characters), the game will primarily take place on the Lanturn home world (i'm not a big Green Lantern fan... don't judge...), the level shown off at E3 was a assult on the villain occupied Watch Tower.
So why am I excited for this? Because I'm a nerd and while I might not be a GL fan, I am a fan of Batman and the Justice League in general. Will I pick this up? Yes... after I've played Batman 2 because this is a continuation of it. Will I review it? Yes. Speaking of reviews, there will be one next week. I am done with the impressions, the next review will be Kickassia.
It would appear that Rocksteady has been busy during the development of Arkham Origins. Earlier today they announced the conclusion to the Batman Arkham series, Batman Arkham Knight. They have been working on this title since the release of Arkham City and from the trailer, it would appear that their going out with a bang. Scarecrow looks to be the main villain in this game with Two-Face, Penguin and Harley Quinn also working on this plan. The setting is going to be one year after Arkham City and will have a bigger world then Arkham City, but I am not sure about it being bigger then Arkham Origins. One thing that has been confirmed is that you can finally, FINALLY drive the iconic Batmobile, which now has a design resembling several past iterations such as the Animated series and the Tumbler from the Nolan films. A Pre-order bundle was also released which allows you to play as Harley.
While I might not have a next gen console yet (this is being released for PS4, X-Bone X-Box One and PC) I am still very much looking forward to this game and will pick it up as soon as I have a PS4 (but first comes the PS3 for the two Kingdom hearts final mixes, and the WiiU for Smash 4). I do hope that you can play as Robin this time though as he was fun in the Arkham City DLC, Harley Quinn's Revenge.
Also, total number of times Arkham appears in this post: 10
