First and Foremost - HAPPY NEW YEAR FOLKS!
It's the last day of 2009, and in a few hours, we usher in the new year and look forward to more days of prosperity and good blessings. While there's so much to look forward to in the next 365 days, I tend to reminisce about the past and remember the good times the last 10 years have brought to me. In regards to that subject, I wanted to post down and note some of my favorite stuff, to commemorate a decade's worth of inspiration, creativity, and awesomeness. As a start to things, I will delve into the recent media history and influence of one of the most popular Superheroes the world has ever known - The Batman.
The character of Batman has always fascinated me with the fact that he was a superhero with no superpowers, relying instead on his own strength, intelligence, and skills to combat crime and defend the innocent as a "creature of the night". Billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne witnessed a tragedy in his childhood that changed him forever - the murder of his own parents to a man with a gun. Making an oath that night, he swore to eliminate the criminal element that took their lives, training himself to his physical limits over the years and finally garbing himself under the guise of a Bat - a predator of the night and an creature that represented fear above all else. Armed with his own unique traits and technology acquired from his own given resources, Wayne became The Dark Knight - an avenger of the innocent and defender of Gotham City.
I've come to know about the Batman's legacy through extensive reading and study on the medium through which he was introduced on 70 years ago - published comics. His adventures early on were chronicled to be that of a silent warrior stalking criminals from rooftops and alleyways, and delivering safely to the hands of the police after apprehending them. Those adventures constantly evolved and devolved over time, making less of a menacing figure and then reverting him back to his dark roots as the years went on. There were several stories to tell about Batman over the decades that could arguably be all milestones in the caped crusader's career, but what is probably the highlight of this particular decade is Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee's 12 issue run on the Dark Knight entitled "Batman: Hush". Known for its action packed storytelling and uber dynamic artwork, the series became a critical and commercial hit for DC, renewing Batman's popularity and propelling Loeb and Lee to stardom. The titular new villain Hush was also introduced in this series, and has since served as deadly adversary to Bruce Wayne/ Batman to this very day. Of course, The Caped Crusader has constantly faced down threats and fights with all of his might, and even with Wayne's apparent death in R.I.P, the legacy of the Batman endures with fiery determination.
On the subject of Films, 2005 rebooted the once dormant Batman film franchise, and British director Christopher Nolan was tasked with reigniting the popularity of the hero in movies by taking him back to his dark natured roots. True enough, he came up with an origin flick that explored the birth of the character and more of the man behind the mask, and the end result was "Batman Begins". British actor Christian Bale was cast as Bruce Wayne/ Batman, and his performance was just one of sheer excellence. Bale was meant to play the role, and he lived up to it by showing dedication and intensity in his work, both in and out of the batsuit. Then you had a selection of big Hollywood co-stars joining Bale - Michael Caine as Wayne's faithful butler, Alfred; Gary Oldman as the Batman's trusted friend and ally, James Gordon; Morgan Freeman as Wayne's confidante and armorer, Lucius Fox; and Katie Holmes as Bruce's love interest, Rachel Dawes. Cillian Murphy and Ken Watanabe added some criminal satisfaction to the film in their roles as Scarecrow and "Ra's Al Ghul", but the real foil to Bruce's heroism was that of his mentor and later greatest nemesis Henri Ducard, later revealed to be the real Ra's Al Ghul, who was portrayed by the great Liam Neeson. Putting all of these talents together and working on the lines of the script by Davis S. Goyer made Begins a highly successful hero film. We had a movie that had an awesome Batman and explained the origins of his suit, gadgets, and even the Batmobile! Batfans couldn't be happier with the results, and true to the spirit of hero movies, a sequel was hinted and expected, and three years later, the world would witness something extraordinary...
Following up on Begins was no easy feat, but Chris Nolan knew that if he was making another film, it would have to be absolutely better than the first film. With a bigger budget and bolder vision guiding him, Nolan set to work on his Bat-Sequel - aptly titled "The Dark Knight". He reunited his original cast, save for Katie Holmes, who did not return as Rachel Dawes and was replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal, and added a new talent to play Batman's greatest nemesis, The Joker, on film - Australian actor Heath Ledger. Known for his method acting approach, Ledger was tasked in making this version of The Joker a "schizo, psycho, insane criminal with zero tolerance whatsoever", and after months of brainstorming and practice, he came off with a performance that wasn't just mesmerizing to audiences - it was also brilliantly scary. Indeed, Heath's performance as the Clown Prince Of Crime was legendary, and along with the amazing pacing of the movie and co-star power of the other new acting addition Aaron Eckhart, who plays Harvey Dent/ Two Face, TDK became a financial and critical success, sharing a top spot in the list of the world's most successful movies to date. However, tragedy would strike the film, as after completing his scenes for the film, Heath Ledger unexpectedly passed away from "accidental toxic combination of prescription drugs". This sad turn of events left a mark on his fellow cast and crew members, and TDK's marketing campaign had to be adjusted a little to compensate for his untimely passing. Nevertheless, the film continued on as scheduled, as Chris Nolan wanted every inch of Heath's work to be seen by audiences around the world, dedicating the film to his name as well as a stuntman who also died on set from an accident. Upon it's release on July 2008, TDK became a phenomenon, and the world saw just how much impact a movie of its caliber can be, even if it is initially a superhero flick. Popculture comic writer Kevin Smith even noted the film as "The Godfather II of Superhero films", so with that being said, Batman's legacy in this decade is rock solid.
All Hail The Batman... and Happy New Year!
