I'm Getting Too Old For These Hits

Now that we're into the final quarter of the year, I better start cracking down on these films I've had sitting in my to-watch pile for a while now, so the next few posts will most likely be on those movies.

Today, it's the last DC Universe Original Animated film of the year, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1.

An adaptation of the classic Frank Miller book, The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 is about a world where Batman retires from crime-fighting after the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin. A decade after said retirement, Gotham's gotten worse and Batman can't take it anymore. He dons the mantle once again, despite his advanced age, and sets out to reclaim the city.

I actually managed to procure my own copy of the comic the other day, though I have read it several times via a copy from the library. I've already spoken a little about it in my Batman comic recommendations list, but for those who haven't read it yet, it's a fantastic Batman comic, and the best Frank Miller work I've ever read (though that's not hard since he wrote All-Star Batman And Robin, which is a travesty except for the art). OK, it's not perfect (Frank, why do you hate Selina Kyle?) but what is?
The dialogue remains true to the characters, the concept of “does the world need a Batman?” gets fair representation on both sides and there are a few great images that you will never get out of your head, either because they're awesome (Bruce's fight with Superman), or horrific (the last time you see the Joker. Yeah...). So as you can imagine, both films have a LOT to live up to, considering how influential the story was.

Part 2 is expected to be released early next year, but until then, let's see how Part 1 fares.

For anyone who has read the comic, the end of the film is roughly at the same point as the end of the second issue, but the final scene of the film is actually taken from earlier in the comic (more on that later)

In all honesty... the film's actually very underwhelming, given what we're adapting here. Don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible film, not in the slightest. It's just, considering what the comic presents us with, a lot of it is lacking in this adaptation. I wasn't expecting this film to reinvent the wheel or anything, since Batman doesn't need a reinvention after having had one at the hands of Nolan and his talented cast and crews for the latest films, but I'm not quite sure the creative team for this knew exactly what impact the dialogue had for the book.

That's my biggest problem with the film right there: the lack of internal monologue. The comic is heavy with the internal monologue, a lot of which works well. Frank Miller really got the Batman character down, as well as the Joker, and it's one of the few times he's written Superman with respect. Each of them gets at least one memorable monologue and it's Frank at his best (we try not to speak of The Dark Knight Strikes Again... though personally, I don't hate it but it gets too bogged down in politics and is less about Batman than it is the other DC heroes.)

So, to discard some of the top-notch writing, simply because it's spoken in the character's heads and not as actual dialogue, it takes away from the experience.

For example, early on, Bruce Wayne gets mugged by a couple of mutant gang members and reconsiders his opinion on Joe Chill, who he used to consider the lowest of the low. The movie cuts that, and anything Bruce thinks about while in his Batman gear.

But by removing the fantastic writing, audiences who haven't read the comic won't get what Bruce is trying to achieve. Yes, seeing old man Bruce beating up mooks is still fun, but the dialogue just added so many layers.

The scene I mentioned above is also one of my favourites, definitely within the top five moments of the comic for me. Three of my other favourites won't appear until the second part, and as for my other, I'll save that for when I hand out praise, because that scene is actually done well.

Another gripe I have is that the animation looks too colourful for its own good. I mean, the Gotham of the comic wasn't devoid of colour, but it certainly didn't look as bright and cheerful as the film's version. Well, cheerful may be the wrong word, but it just looks lonely, as opposed to looking like a craphole. Or, even more of a craphole than normal.

I get that they may be trying to appeal to a more general audience, and thus things have to look a little less... depressing, for lack of a better word, but considering how these are straight to DVD, and more often than not an adaptation, it's not exactly going to bring people in en masse. So, the majority of people buying these are familiar with the source material, or at least know beforehand that this is an adaptation.

That being said, I still did enjoy the film on its own merits and there are things I need to praise:

While all the voice acting is good, the two stand-outs are, naturally, the voices for Batman and Robin (Peter Weller and Ariel Winter, respectively).

Yep, Robocop as Batman. I've long since considered Clint Eastwood for the role when I was hoping for a live action adaptation, but hey, Peter Weller's a good choice for the cartoon. He's grim and stoic, as a Batman should be, but one that's weary, and he's a good fit.

Ariel Winter, best known for her role in Modern Family, is more than capable of voicing Carrie Kelly, who in herself is a refreshing character (especially with Frank's track record with women. Ho boy... no pun intended, by the way). Ariel voices Carrie with a lot of spunk, confidence and determination, something I definitely give the thumbs-up to.

But if there's one thing I praise more than any other, it's how my favourite scene from the book was handled.

In the comic, Harvey Dent is seemingly cured of his Two-Face persona once and for all, with his face restored. But after this announcement is made on TV, he disappears. Not long after Batman reclaims the mantle, he confronts Harvey, who admits that he is now one man... Two-Face. “Both sides match...”. The panel in the comic even shows Harvey Dent, with his face now resembling Two-face completely, even if physically he looks like the old Harvey Dent. Two-Face has taken over, and he has come to terms with that. Batman can do nothing but sympathize and be left just a little bit disappointed.

And in the movie, the scene is just as brilliant. Wade Williams, who was Black Mask for a previous Batman DCUAO production, Under The Red Hood (and Bellick in Prison Break), voices Harvey and for what little screen time he gets, he makes the most of it. The scene is no less powerful, and nothing has been lost in translation. Harvey is still a broken man, a man who can't change, even as the world has changed around him. Much like Batman. Fantastic scene, just fantastic.

Also, kudos to the creative team for managing to slip in a reference to Carrie's parents being stoners. Even with an M rating down here, I still expected any such references to be omitted. But nope, the “”I was tripping the whole time” line made it in. That actually shocked me. Carrie's parents are... well, slack. Very bohemian and all “down with the establishment”, which in itself was great commentary, about loose style parenting.

All in all, a very good effort, but lacking the punch of the spectacular dialogue found within the comic. But not a waste of your time, and still better than other Batman related fare like The Batman Vs. Dracula and Batman And Robin. 3.5/5

(P.S one other thing to praise though... the final scene. It was actually in the middle of the first issue, but as a segway to Part 2... oh man, wise choice. No spoilers, but one word sums it all up nicely: “Darling”. If you've seen it, you know what it means and what's coming. Part 2 could end up being the superior installment, and hopefully they'll fix the mistakes they made with this one, especially when it comes to my remaining favourite scenes)

The Manic Pixie Dream Girl, In All Her Glory

Can't remember the last time I did a movie review (well, it would have been last month or so when I saw Total Recall, which I can't... totally recall).

So, it's time for another. This time, a little film called Ruby Sparks.

Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano) is a young writer who's suffering from writer's block. Under direction from his psychiatrist, Dr. Rosenthal (Elliot Gould), Calvin writes a short story, only instead of being about his dog, like he was supposed to, it ended up being about his dream girl, a girl by the name of Ruby Sparks (Zoe Kazan). Ruby actually comes to life, through means unknown, and Calvin loves the idea of having his dream girl become literal. At first...

(Spoiler warning, I will go into heavy detail about the final act).

I'll cut to the chase: I loved this movie. When I left the cinema, I left feeling like I had seen something wonderful and magical.

A lot of this is going to go into the philosophical aspects of the story and finale, so I want to go over the characters first.

I'll start with the supporting characters, since a lot of them don't get a great deal of screen time, but what little they do get, they make the most out of.

Annette Bening and Antonio Banderas play Calvin's mother, Gertrude, and her boyfriend, Mort, and both are just a hoot, but especially Banderas. He's just so relaxed and easygoing, you can be yourself around the guy and he won't judge you. He's forgiving and inviting and it's one of the best uses of a supporting character in recent history.

And Elliot Gould, oh, I love this guy. I wish he'd get bigger roles these days, but even for the... what is it, 10 minutes he's on screen, I was still overjoyed. He's still as witty as ever.

But it's the two leads that sell this movie. Paul Dano is relateable and it's fantastic to see him in a leading role (his best known roles to this point are arguably Little Miss Sunshine, directed by the same team who directed this gem, and There Will Be Blood). As emotional as his creation gets, he matches it with the appropriate response, but even when coming off as distant or even controlling, he's still sympathetic.

But the biggest applause must be held for Zoe Kazan, who runs the gamut of emotions. Whatever Calvin writes her to do, she does, and Zoe is able to pull off each transition brilliantly. She's able to invoke a reaction from the audience regardless of mood swing.

The ending, however, is where I give the film its biggest compliments. So, for the next few paragraphs, spoilers will arise.

Calvin eventually tells Ruby that she is a product of his mind, and demonstrates it through a series of sentences that Ruby then enacts right in front of him. He decides to free her from being her creation and let her live her own life.

The ending just unfolds so beautifully. From the music reaching a crescendo right along side Ruby's acting out of Calvin's commands to the performances of Dano and Karzan, the ending just has so much to love.

Thematically, there are so many moments of fridge brilliance to behold.

Throughout the movie, Calvin has been trying to control Ruby, by writing in new “canon” for her character, relating to their relationship. By freeing her at the end, he is, in his own way, creating a “death of the author” concept. Now that Ruby is a part of the world, she has a life of her own. No matter what Calvin intended, he has no say in her personality any more. She is to be interpreted for herself as she is, not how he wants her to be seen.

At the same time, she is still a reflection on himself, before he “releases” her. One of the commands he issues through his typewriter is that Ruby bark like a dog, while another has her repeatedly claim “You're a genius. I'll love you forever”. Not only does this scene reach the emotional zenith for Dano and Karzan (with the way she was saying it, looking like she was about to cry, I actually wanted to scream at Calvin “Enough! You're hurting her, can't you see that?!” and it was at this point that I knew I loved this movie), but it's a callback to an earlier theme, of Calvin hating to be called a genius. By debasing her, he is debasing himself. He is using those words to confront his own insecurities and flaws.

The whole movie is just a beautiful experience. Even the little things to think about, like despite the fact that Calvin pretty much controlled Ruby, he still gave her the initial spark of independence to begin with. He could have written her as being some submissive bimbo who has literally no mind of her own, or a robot used purely for sexual urges, but he didn't. So right from the start, he viewed her with love and respect, much like an author who treats their novels as something special, and not just something to squeeze out for quick cash.

Combine this with themes like the idea of images, and people in love with ideas of other people (quite literal in this case, another reason I love this film) and you have a film experience like none other. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for something special. Such an emotional impact this film left on me. 4.5/5