Batman: The Opposition Part II

Cliched, he may be; flat, he is not: Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze has the beginnings of a sympathetic terrorist, someone Fox's 24 might feature; that is, if he hadn't fallen in a vat of subzero chemicals. His backstory is well documented, and his emotional reasons are well covered and he is, actually, well-portrayed by the former Govenator. Schwarzenegger's inflections and delivery of the campy lines fed to him by the writers were spot on. However, it's hard to emotionally connect in most of the face-offs with law enforcement and our superhero team when all of the lines come off lame. But in between, there are tender moments that any husband might have for his dying wife, and in the end the good man he was resurfaces for a moment when Batman finally gets through to him. In addition, despite having two women throw themselves at him, he's fiercely devoted to his wife. Everything about him, including his motives, are pure human, so it's easy to engage in his story. As a foil to Batman, however, he brings little to the table, as he's just the "creature of the week." Everyone seems to pass up on Antonio Diego, aka Bane, mostly because he is a beast in the end. But his backstory is covered: a death row convict, he's the subject of dangerous human testing and turned into something less than human. He's adopted by Poison Ivy and serves as her sidekick and enforcer. We can't relate to him because he's a robot and has no emotions. His strength is the only thing he has, and there's no reasons behind his poundings. Despite Uma Thurman's brilliant, sexy, and unforgettable portrayal of Poison Ivy and her highly nerdy alter-ego, Dr. Pamela Isley, her character comes off "over-the-top" like Mr. Freeze, The Penguin and Tim Burton's Joker. Poison Ivy's Gotham City entrance is one of my favorites in the series as it displays everything she is: seductive, theatrical and irresistible. The character is little else, except perhaps homicidal, leaving everything up to her "charms." But there's nothing truly human about her, so can we relate to her? Maybe not. To her credit, she is a proper threat to Batman & Robin: she incites discord between the partners, nearly separating them, driving a hole in the armor of Gotham's protective shield, giving room for the city to fall. Liam Neeson's Ra's al Ghul, however, is a perfect foil. As head of a cult of extreme vigilantes, he is an uncompromising zealot whose ideals are his life. His past is fleshed out when Bruce Wayne believes he's recruiter Henri Ducard: his path was decided when his wife was murdered. He's without compassion; without emotional sway, doing anything to ensure his goal. He's not without morals: having a choice to choose the principles of right and wrong. He chooses to only see his ideals, as if brainwashed; except that he's the brainwasher. And when Bruce chooses compassion and honor, Ra's is blind to all other explanations and beliefs. His League of Shadows is a blind jihad alone with no charity or mercy. And justice, mercy, compassion and honor is what makes Batman and Bruce Wayne heroes. Ra's al Ghul is the picture of what Batman could have been, had the honorability of his alter-ego, Bruce Wayne, failed to intervene. Another brilliantly portrayed, over-dramatic, inappropriate foil is Dr Crane's Scarecrow (Cilian Murphy). Clearly an attempt to homage a part of the comic book's overly bizarre attributes, Dr Crane is a scientist whose only interest is pleasing his client, Ra's al Ghul. He does his work and creates the weaponized form of the toxin spread through the city, but there's little humanity in him and his reasons for complicity are unclear. As a threat, he's only physically and chemically capable of stopping Batman, and, by proxy, Wayne himself. Nolan's Two-Face is contrastingly polar to Schumacher's. Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent is created by Lieutenant (and later Commissioner) Gordon, Batman and Bruce Wayne to be Gotham's White Knight, placing him on such a high pedestal that he becomes vulnerable. And the Joker exploits his celebrity status, arranging a no-win situation in which Batman must save Dent instead of Rachel, creating the monster that is Two-Face. Her death destroys his faith in justice; he becomes a believer in absolutes, in black and white morality, with no mercy. And his motives are human, unlike Schumacher's: he's grieving and has lost his faith, something that happens to real people all the time. His story is emotionally strong; we grieve that he loses her, but his downfall is inevitable because brightness is impossible in Gotham City. And he's operating under the radar, just like Batman; so, when Batman finally does fight him, he's reluctant to finish him. This one's a worthy adversary for Batman in all respects. And onto my favorite: Nolan's Joker. Perhaps the most iconic comic book villain in recent cinematic history. His backstory is purposely inconsistent, always beginning with "do you want to know how I got these scars?" and changing with each iteration. His devotion to chaos is beyond radical; he's a zealot for chaos and will do anything to practice his faith. He says himself that he's not a planner, he just rolls with it. The madness that is our social climate after the 9/11 attacks makes us Americans understand The Joker's extremism better than if this film was made before then. The late Heath Ledger comprehensively develops this with such power, swagger and complexity that it is crystal clear what Nolan's Joker is all about. And because he's someone so devoted to chaos, and Batman with Bruce Wayne is so organized and careful and devoted to justice and honor, he's the perfect foil; better than the rest, all the rest. For me; a film doesn't work unless the development of the villain is done with care, thought, and is worthy of the hero's efforts. Nolan's The Dark Knight has done that comprehensively and Aaron Eckart and Heath Ledger put the fullness of their craft behind Two-Face Harvey Dent and The Joker. Which is why the film works so well and why I'm caught up in the story and emotionally connected with all the characters and I get goosebumps every time I see it. **** Coming Soon: Superheroes, Sidekicks and their Friends