Batman VS Two Face

Holy alter ego!

Batman VS Two Face comes as an unexpected heartwarming homage film that digs deep not only into the hearts of the original TV show but, also into the hearts of many Batman fans. Adam West will always remain as one of the most important actors to bring to life the caped crusader. I vividly remember turning on the Tele to watch the many reruns of a series that started 15 years before I was even born (I'll save you the math, I was born in 1981). I for one, will always agree/defend that Adam West will always be the best Batman. Despite the campy humor the show had, West's deadpan delivery was so perfect that he could convey his love for justice with a ridiculous "Let that be a lesson. In future, be more careful from who you accept free lemonade." as much as Christian Bale could with an entire "It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me" monologue. 

Last year marked the 50th anniversary of the Batman TV show, and to celebrate a legacy larger than life, DC Comics & Warner Bros. decided to bring the series back to life in the form of Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders an animated movie that became an instant hit, thus pushing producers to make a sequel. 

William Shatner as himself!

What do you mean with "beam us up"?

The prequel breathed new life into the concept by bringing in the voice talents of most of the original cast with Adam West, Burt Ward, and Julie Newmar, reprising their roles. The film not only was a pitch-perfect extension of the '66 series, but brilliantly satirized just how much darker the portrayal of the "Dark Knight" has become ever since. Earlier this year, we lost our contrasting "Bright Knight" when Adam West passed away, but not before lending his voice to a sequel that will mark his last time donning the bat cowl to save the day once more.

"Batman Vs. Two-Face" doesn't satirize like its predecessor, but fully embraces the original series' campiness, with one concession: the inclusion of a villain considered too dark and gritty for the series at the time. According to legend, Clint Eastwood was all set to take on the role of Two-Face before studio execs thought he'd scare off young viewers and put the kibosh on it. In "Batman Vs. Two-Face", Professor Hugo Strange, another villain who never appeared on the TV series, is working on an "evil extractor" to rehabilitate Gotham's greatest criminals. He's aided by another now- popular villain, one not created until the early 90's, in a cameo role. Strange, naturally, is portrayed with an impersonation of the German mad scientist voice Peter Sellers perfected for Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb." Unfortunately for Strange, his assistant, and Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman's greatest enemies have the ability to raise their evilness on command and, through their combined malevolent cackling, cause the devise to overload, splashing the D.A.'s face with the liquid manifestation of evil and transforming him physically and mentally into Two-Face.

Professor Hugo Strange.

Gallery of rogues.

The opening credits montage shows Batman and Robin waging war on Two-Face as if he were just another villain on the bi-weekly roster of the series. When we return to the film proper, Bruce Wayne has found a way to restore Dent's face as well as his law career. But when King Tut and Book Worm, two villains who existed solely in the universe of the TV series, pull off heists with all of the trademarks of Two-Face's plots, Batman and Robin have to try to figure out how Two-Face can co-exist with the seemingly cured Harvey. It's a mystery with a simple solution, but the movie's not about detective work: it's about revisiting a Gotham where the swinging 60's never ended, and where the police force exists only to toggle the Bat Signal on and off, because they wouldn't know how to bring a jaywalker to justice without the intervention of the Dynamic Duo.

Sorry, Clint, but William Shatner should have always been the first choice for Two-Face. Not only was he a familiar face on TV screens of that era, but no one else shared Adam West's love for the dramatic pause the way he does. He makes the menacing villain gel well with the campy universe, his distinctive cadence fits the squeaky-clean prosecutor, while he adds just a little bit of a growl to portray the darker aspects of the character. And there will never, ever be another Adam West. Only he could make a visit to the window of Catwoman's prison cell to share a kiss, read some poetry, and remind her how many months are left until her debt to society is paid seem so endearing.

Good VS Evil.

Alex Ross art.

Youthful ward Dick Grayson's maternal aunt gets giddy at how intimate Bruce and Dick seem, winking and nudging at rumors about the relationship that have persisted since the 60's, but she also gets giddy seeing Bruce and Harvey together, at one point all but pressing their faces together and telling them to start making out. Taking from other popular adaptations of the Two-Face character, Bruce and Harvey are portrayed as being old friends, in spite of the fact that the D.A. never even got a namedrop in the original series. It makes for a sort of love triangle between Bruce Wayne, Harvey Dent, and Dick Grayson, and pays off with a sweet little moment of Batman declaring just how rock solid his relationship with the Boy Wonder is.

Writer Harlan Ellison wrote a treatment for an unproduced episode of Batman (1966). The treatment was adapted as a comic book in 2015, "Batman '66--The Lost Episode", by writer Len Wein, pencils by José Luis García-Lopez, inks by Joe Prado, colors by Alex Sinclair and lettered by Wes Abbott. The story title was "The Two-Way Crimes of Two-Face". Although there was early speculation that this film would be based on the above mentioned unproduced treatment, that is not the case. The animated movie tells its own original story.

To the bat-poles!

Caped Crusaders about to go kick some ass.

While there was a significant number of acting crossover between the Star Trek (1966) and Batman (1966) series, William Shatner is the first regular "Star Trek" cast member to perform on the original "Batman" series. The role of Harvey Dent/Two-Face was previously played by Billy Dee Williams in Batman (1989) and The LEGO Batman Movie (2017). Williams also appeared in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). This makes Two-Face the third Batman villain to be played by both a Star Trek and a Star Wars cast member. The role of the Joker has been played by Mark Hamill and Brent Spiner; and Ra's Al Ghul has been played by David Warner (himself a veteran of both franchises) and Liam Neeson. However, Harvey Dent's transformation into Two-Face took place in Batman Forever (1995) where he was played by Tommy Lee Jones.  

Batman VS Two Face world premiere was held on October 8, 2017, at the New York Comic Con. The screening was part of a panel that included William Shatner; Burt Ward; supervising producer/co-screenwriter James Tucker; producer/co-screenwriter Michael Jelenic; and director Rick Morales. The film is already available on digital, DVD & Blu Ray format everywhere.

An early draft of the film screenplay included the character Poison Ivy, who never appeared in the original Batman (1966) series. In addition, Early in the production there were plans to include an end-credits sequence that would have included a cameo by Wonder Woman, based on the television series Wonder Woman (1975) that starred Lynda Carter. The segment was dropped and was never animated.

Batman & Robin protecting the bookworm?

Catwoman teaming up with Two Face?

Anyway, anyone old enough to remember the original 60's Batman TV series will love this. It's great that this movie mirrors the 60's show i.e. it has the old batmobile & the original voices from Batman, Robin & Catwoman. Another former Catwoman Lee Meriwether also has a small part. William Shatner does an excellent job as Dent/Two face and the whole movie embraces the tongue in cheek wackiness of the original series. This must've been one of the last projects Adam West was involved in prior to his death. All I can say is that he went out on a high. 

A number of Batman animated films have been released in recent years, featuring different iterations of the character as presented in comics and movies - from the Dark Detective approach to much lighter interpretations. This is the second film to use the characters and tones of the 1960s television series and was fortunate to get Adam West and Burt Ward to recreate their roles.

The writers and animators have carefully considered the construction of their animated world with many nods to the TV series, including the presentation of some of the villains from that show (King Tut and the Bookworm among them)as well as the arch, perhaps slightly camp approach of the original. This is built upon somewhat for a modern audience with a number of double entendres and self-aware moments. Dialogue is also reflective of its inspiration with Robin's frequent declarations beginning with the word Holy and Batman's reference to his younger colleague as Old Chum.

The wonderful opening sequence.

The hammer of justice!

West sounds much older and a little frail but is able to be commanding when required and gets the tone of his delivery consistent with his original interpretation. Ward's voice has not aged a day. The perhaps surprising casting of William Shatner as Two Face / Harvey Dent works wonders as, despite being many years older than the character he is playing, he manages to sound appropriate for the role and conveys both the camaraderie of his character with Bruce Wayne and a capacity for evil.

The plot is really little more than a string of set pieces to present these fondly remembered characters but functions well despite this. Animation is of a high standard with diverse backgrounds and detailed character stylings.

Ending with a tribute to the "Brightest Knight" Adam West this is an effective exercise in nostalgia for those who remember the first television incarnation of Batman with warmth and fondness. 

Here's the movie trailer: 

A sneak peek:

Adam West, thank you for bringing Batman to life. May you rest in peace bright knight...