djbarasan

I won't labour on about the obvious facts, such as "I'm a huge Batfan" or "This is the first time Batman was put on the screen since the campy '60's show", as you are all probably aware of that. I'll simply cut to the chase, and say that this movie is a good film. Not amazing, not brilliant, but definitely good.

The director, Tim Burton, creates a highly stylised Gothic version of Gotham City, in which crime and deception reign over good and decent moral values. Enter the Batman, alias Bruce Wayne (Micheal Keaton), who will do everything in his power to bring right and justice to the dark and dirty streets of the terrorised metropolis. Encountering the psychopathic criminal-turned-lunatic Joker (Jack Nicholson), and love interest Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger), Batman attempts to save his city from the threat of the Joker's "Smilex" gas and defeat the clown prince of crime for good.

That synopsis, from a comic fan's point-of-view, sounds fantastic, doesn't it? And back in 1989, I doubt anyone had seen anything quite like it. It was the yang to the "Superman" (1978) yin. Today, however, we are blessed with a more matured sense of super hero film, such as the "Spider-Man" and "X-Men" series'. "Batman", in retrospective comparison, leaves you with a worrying taste of 'violent camp'. People insist vividly that the film is more adult and took the character and his world more seriously than the 1966 television series, but the film boasts Nicholson prancing around a museum, spray painting over the pictures and Keaton hanging upside down, like a bat, as a form of 'humourous meditation'.

Having said that, the acting from the two lead characters is fantastic. Keaton is patchy as a rather hesitant Bruce Wayne, but manages to shift easily into the dark and mysterious Batman persona to give a solid performance. Nicholson is faultless, as he usually is in title roles such as these. Basinger is little more than a scream machine, and manages to pander to the damsel-in-distress role successfully... whilst Micheal Gough (Alfred Pennyworth) and Pat Hingle (Commissioner James Gordon) present an interesting secondary cast, which would be camped up to no end in future sequels. Finally, Robert Wuhl (Alexander Knox) and William Hootkins (Lt. Max Eckhardt) play two of the most vile and uninteresting characters to appear in cinema, playing sleazy and boring '80's cast types that have little to no relevance to the plot or to the Batman mythos itself (outside possible one off roles). A very varied cast.

Accepting the fact that this film revolves around "style over substance" is the key to enjoying it. Burton may not be able to direct Sam Hamm's uninteresting and unquotable script that well (Nicholson uses his incredibly performance to create the most memorable quotes), he does deliver an amazing work of architecture in the form of the amazing set-built Gotham City, and Danny Elfman gives the film a most amazing and awe inspiring score.

In conclusion, worth seeing at least once, but unless you're a fan of Tim Burton or Jack Nicholson, it's probably better to rent, rather than buy.

Possibly my favourite series of all time, El-Hazard: The Magnificent World combines fantasy, sci-fi elements, and comedy into one neat story-driven package.

The basic plot is that 4 people from Earth (3 students and teacher from a Japanese high school) are warped to a strange and fantastic world, known as El-Hazard. Throw in a bit of "Prince and the Pauper" style cross dressing, Marx Brothers references and some "old skool" anime elements, such as magical powers and beautiful girls, and you're in for a great animated ride.

There's a lot to like about this series, but a few of my favourites include the maniac character, Katsuhiko Jinnai, the on-going action and adventure scenarios, and the dramatic Eye of God storyline.

I couldn't really see any down sides to the series, to be honest, but being at my most critical, I'd say some people would be annoyed by Fatora's character ("some" meaning "most") and others would probably be a bit uncomfortable with the risque situations that give the series an excellen t sense of humour.

To point out some more obvious things; the series is rated at PG-13, so it's really suited for teen/young adult viewers. Also, the excellent English dubbed version of the series knocks the original Japanese into dull inferiority.

The ending (and many other scenes in the series) should not be spoiled for anyone, prior to watching, as it was a genuine pleasure to watch.

Absolutely classic. A must see for anyone. 10 out of 10.