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...

Star Trek, The Original Series

An old VHS Star Trek ad.

Star Wars and Star Trek, two space operas that changed the world of Science Fiction forever. One would do it in the late 60's via TV, and the other,  in the late 70's via the big screen. Millions of fans rejoice today for each, or both and it's been a fifty some years journey that doesn't seem to have a final mission. To be fair, Star Trek came first but, before it there were many serials attempting to captivate audiences with adventures in worlds far away. 

My family is mostly the Star Wars kind, but I have a profound nostalgia bond with Star Trek also. Having watched the original series on re runs, made my childhood a lot happier. To this day I remember asking my dad to build me a wooden U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701. I also remember making my own battles with homemade cardboard spaceships. When the movies came out I wasn't old enough for the theater but my dad would rent them for me as soon as they became available in the unforgettable VHS format. With all these fond memories I couldn't possibly  forget to mention the magnificent Star Trek The 25th Anniversary Edition Nintendo (NES) game! hours of playing it! magnificent action and astonishing graphics for an 8 bit console! The game was so well developed that you actually felt you were inside an episode of the series instead of playing a video game. Luckily for me, and for many, I can still play that sweet game through a fantastic NES emulator, oh boy, just typing these words have me craving for the game again.
 

The magnificent crew.

The legendary bridge.

Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner in perhaps his larger than life role) is the audacious, impulsive, and womanizing Enterprise commander. In almost every episode he has some gorgeous new love interest, seldom exhibiting much restraint! Kirk frequently engages in physical hand to hand combat with his opponents, torn shirt & sweat being common. Yet he does manage to come up with some bold and brilliant moves such as his legendary ruse, the Corbomite Manouever. Perhaps his primary task is serving as referee between the constantly sparring First Officer Spock and ship's doctor, Bones McCoy.

The heart of the series is Mr. Spock(Leonard Nimoy), the half Vulcan First Officer and ship's Science Officer. Actually however, Spock would maintain that he is the HEAD of the series, since he prides himself on his unfailing logic and lack of emotion. The inner conflict between his logic driven paternal Vulcan half and his emotional maternal human half form an ongoing theme. Spock possesses two useful Vulcan abilities, the neck pinch and the mind meld. The most engaging character interaction is between the logic motivated Spock versus the highly emotional ship's physician, Dr. Leonard (Bones) McCoy, who is basically a country doctor in space, a humanitarian leery of all this newfangled gadgetry. McCoy is famous in the Trek world for his expression, 'I'm a doctor, not a ----' (many phrases have been used here).

Black beauty and girl power all in one stunning character.

Live long and prosper.

Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott is a hot tempered Scotsman with a fondness for his native country's whiskey. Scotty constantly bemoans that he 'cannae change the laws of physics' all the while working assorted engineering miracles with the warp core and anti matter this or that. As for Communications Officer Uhura, she is most notable for her regular phrase, 'Hailing frequencies open, Sir.'

To be sure, some of the episodes have less than brilliant plots, notably Spock's Brain, though the character interactions always compensate for any inadequacies. However, some ideas were masterful, including The Enterprise Incident, The Menagerie, and City on the Edge of Forever. The series took on issues of overpopulation (The Mark of Gideon), social class disparity (The Cloud Minders, with its clever cloud city, Stratos), and racism (Let That Be Your Last Battlefield), which involves laughable hatred between two races, one black on the left side & white on the right, the other race vice versa. I personally enjoyed The Naked Time (Nurse Chappel admits her love for Spock), A Taste of Armageddon (computer war), This Side of Paradise (Spock frolics), and Is There in Truth No Beauty? (the Medusan ambassador's incredible ugliness causes madness in the hapless onlooker). However, my absolute favorite is unquestionably the absurd Amok Time, with Spock's ridiculous pon farr mating strife.

The unforgettable original Enterprise!

Laser Beam!

The Enterprise crew consists of a racially diverse group, with its black Communications Officer Uhura and Oriental helmsman Sulu. The ship's navigator, Chekov, is Russian...quite a revolutionary idea for that Cold War era. The cast are perfect in their roles, including William Shatner (Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Spock), and all the others. Special tribute to the late Deforest Kelly (McCoy) and James Doohan (Scotty), who are sadly missed.

This is the series that gave us such technologies as the transporter, tricorder, and cloaking device...high tech weaponry including phasers and photon torpedoes...futuristic games like three dimensional chess...miracle drugs such as cordrazine...and gourmet delicacies like Saurian brandy & Romulan ale. Some of the gadgetry gave a sneak preview of such later real life technology as computer floppy discs. 

Hands up Star Wars fan!

Dressed for the occasion.

In addition to the highly logical Vulcans, Star Trek gave us glimpses of such alien species as the honour driven Klingons and the sneaky Romulans (the Federation's two primary enemies), also the xenophobic Tholians, the reptilian Gorn, and many others. It treated us to the endearing rock like, silicon based Horta and the cute & fuzzy but all too prolific Tribbles (which caused no end of Trouble). And it acquainted us with such planets as Sarpeidon, Eminiar & Vendikar.

In the episode Metamorphosis, we were all introduced to the heroic Zephram Cochrane who invented the warp drive way back in 2063. In constant demand is the dilithium vital to the warp engine's functioning. Star Trek also acquainted us with the United Federation of Planets, Starfleet & Starfleet Academy, and the Federation's much vaunted strict rule called the Prime Directive, which is frequently mentioned but universally ignored! 

Wish I had this Entreprise in my collection.

Star Trek is simply an incredibly fun and entertaining science fiction series, though it was hardly appreciated back in the 1960's when it originally aired. Fortunately, it lives on today in re runs (DVDs, Blu Ray and on demand also), giving Trekkies the ongoing excitement of regularly 'boldly going where no man has gone before'. Live long and prosper, everyone! 

Here's the Season 1 intro:

Here's season 2 intro:

And the ending:

Plus the Pilot episode (The Cage) with very different actors in key roles:

The Classic Nintendo (NES) Star Trek: The 25th Anniversary Edition game: