I'm bored and depressed, so what does that mean? PERFECT TIME FOR BLOGGING :D
And so, I looked over my comic collections, action figures and dvds searching for a topic to blog about when I came upon the best comic film of all time, one which many may not regard as the greatest, and I thought to myself; "**** it, I'll right about that". And so here we go, my analysis and reasoning behind why the following film is not only the best film based on the Heavenly medium that is comic books, but also one of the best films ever crafted in general. And no, it's not The Dark Knight.
When looking at a film, one must take many factors into consideration. But you're not an idiot, you know this, so I'll firstly provide a very vague explanation as to what made this film so brilliant.
Primarily, this film is an emotional character study at its core. Sure, there is a decent plot and a phenomenal side cast, but the primary focus lies solely on one character and what motivates them. However, this isn't an origin story. It is, fundamentally, a story about loneliness and hopelessness. This film takes us to the inner most depths of a person's pain and anguish, and then takes us even further. The action is, of course, great, this is a comic book film, but that all, if you'll excuse the awful 50's saying, plays second fiddle to the motivations of this sole character. The film is about self-actualisation, and the idea that one event does not define a person, but that one event can cause a person to define themselves.
The acting, music and presentation are all top-notch, and the writing is elegant and well-paced. In fact, this film does more in 70 minutes than The Dark Knight does in 150.
Guessed it yet? There can, after all, be only one true contender;
Bruce Wayne's parents were murdered before his eyes and so he decided to become a dark omen of the night in the guise of a bat and fight crime. It's the most well-known origin story in comics (with the exception of Superman's), but it does leave one wanting more. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm shows us the man Bruce became after his parents death; a Harbinger of Loneliness. He had defined himself as an island, in a direct contrast to Meditation XVII. Happiness, love, companionship; these were concepts alien to the Wayne heir, his sole purpose in life was now to prevent what had happened to him from ever happening again. How would he accomplish this? Through fear.
But you know all this, it's standard Bruce-Batman origin story stuff. What Phantasm shows us is that Bruce had a chance at happiness. He fell in love with a charismatic and beautiful young woman by the name of Andrea Beaumont. And through fate or chance, she was stolen from him. Bruce's single chance at redemption was gone, and with that, Bruce Wayne lost the final vestiges of hope. And when there is no hope, Batman gives us hope.
Ok, I'm tired. I'm going to stop there. =)
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