Film Junk Premium Podcast: The Batman Saga

Posted by on July 18th, 2012   Filed under: Featured, Film Junk Podcast, Premium Podcast

With Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy finally coming to a close, it’s time to go back to the Batcave and revisit all of the various incarnations of Batman we’ve seen on the big screen over the years. From the colourful and campy 1966 movie to Tim Burton’s gothic early ’90s version to Christopher Nolan’s current classics, we cover them all here in our longest premium podcast to date. We also debate such juicy topics as our favourite Batmobiles, Bruce Wayne’s worst love interests and Alfred’s perverted proclivities, not to mention exploding sharks and, of course, Prince’s Batdance. How campy is too campy? How many villains are too many? Are Christopher Nolan’s previous Batman films both pretty much perfect? And what the hell is McGregor’s Syndrome anyway? Wait’ll you get a load of this.

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This series of premium podcasts was created to help support the regular weekly Film Junk Podcast. Head on over to Bandcamp and download full episodes for a minimum donation of just 99 cents. As always, let us know if you experience any technical difficulties or if you have any other suggestions for future specials. Thanks for your support!



  • Bob Bobson

    Threw $20 your way, thanks!

  • patrik

    I’ll throw in an extra 2 bucks for the length of this.. It probably sounds gay and I’ll admit I am slightly intoxicated but I fucking love you guys! Every single one of you, I’d love to hang out with guys like you. Unfortunately my friends are nothing like you guys in terms of interest in movies and it’s a shame for me..

    I do listen to other podcasts as well but I wouldn’t pay or donate to any other podcast than yours, you guys are sooo much fun. Ok, enough with the love fest, the show mush go on. And on and on until you reach at least 1000 episodes if I have my wish.

  • Appreciated very much, thank you. I won’t tell you how much I donated, as that would be like mentioning the cost of a gift…bad form :)

  • Bob Bobson

    @James: I see your point, and I don’t disagree, but (personally) I do it so someone can one-up me — and brag about it! Who benefits from this? Our favorite podcasters :)

    (Just saw your avatar — it’s a shame Wolves got relegated)

  • mushroomyakuza

    Popping on this bitch right now. Keep up the fine work, gents.

  • Matt

    Can’t wait to listen to this one. The Batman movies have the most variety of any of the superhero franchises. I think it is really cool that there are so many different takes on the character of batman out there.

  • Steve

    It’s good to brag about the amount you’re donating because it encourages others to one up you, thus giving our beloved FJers more money.

    I’m donating $20. Someone top that.

  • cy ed

    Paying double since I owe you guys for that outstanding Spidey premium pod. Keep em coming.

  • Thank you for ranking Batman and Robin better than Forever. I say that the only people who like Batman Forever are people that haven’t seen it in a LONG time. At least you can have a good time watching B&R. Forever is just annoying.

  • Jeremy B

    Been waiting for this one for awhile! Thanks for the hard work and insight! Hope the $10 helps!!

  • kyri

    I must say that this was by far the most enjoyable special episode to date.

  • Jay

    Upping my contribution from 20$ to 30$ for this one!
    Started with 5$ for the first premium. Hope those contributions help and you get to feel the love and appreciation of the community…

  • Matt

    A bit surprised no one mentioned the scene in batman returns where the penguin bites a guys noses. Even in the universe of the film, I find it really weird that no one in Gotham bats an eye at a mayoral candidate biting a guys nose in public. Super weird. When I saw the movie in theaters I was like 6 years old and it really did freak me out a little bit.

    Also I really love the circus freak gang in Batman Returns. Really cool enemies like the skeleton mask guys riding dirt bikes, and the monkey guy with the machine gun.

    Also a bit of trivia. They actually had a working title for the direct sequel to batman and robin. It was called “batman triumphant.” It was indeed supposed to have the scarecrow as the main villan.

  • James

    Actually Bob I admit it was a bit ” douche” of me to say that and your ploy appears to work, so well done Sir. And yes, my beloved Wolves got relegated but sadly deserved it.
    Haven’t ad time to listen yet as got tied up last night… Looking forward, sounds like a good cast…thanks again, guys.

  • Thanks for the donations, guys. Hope you have as much fun listening as we did recording it!

  • Kasper

    The more FilmJunk the better!

  • Another great premium! Entertaining and insightful from beginning to end. I never knew Greg had such a hate-on for Tim Burton. But I guess it’s the same way people don’t get why I hate the Nolan franchise.

  • Bob

    Got it. Haven’t listened yet. Tried to pay in pesos but that wasn’t an option for me so I paid in a lesser currency.

  • Amazed nobody mentioned one of the worst moments from the Nolan films. The part at Bruce’s party in Batman Begins where a woman approaches him and says “Oh Bruce, there’s someone you simply have to meet. Am I pronouncing this right? Mr. Ra’s Al Ghul?” Then Bale and Neeson begin to have what seems to be the most intense conversation at the party and the woman just walks off for no reason. It’s badly written (why on earth must Bruce meet this man?), badly structured (why does the woman just walk away) and just bad (“Mr. Ra’s al Ghul!”). Please tell me I’m not the only one who notices this.

  • Kasper

    You guys are crazy with your view on the 90’s Batman films. The two Tim Burton films are barely watchable – horrible, horrible movies. Meanwhile the two Schumacher movies are also terrible, but at least they work as unintentional comedies. I especially love Batman & Robin in that aspect.

    Moving on to trilogy cred – I 100 % agree with Frank and obsess about it just as much. I want literally nothing to change movie to movie, or it loses something with me. I was – and still am – incredible annoyed by the needless replacement of Katie Holmes. Replacing actors is only okay if the original portrayer dies. I could listen to an entire podcast just discussing things like this.

  • Kasper

    Oh! And whoever edited the episode had a missed opportunity for the opening – the best Batman theme is (in my opinion) the version from the 90’s animated series, which is also the best iteration of Batman there is.

    I really low the low-key start until the whole thing blows up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEx9r5enZsk

  • I had read that Batman: The Movie was only made because the producers were trying to sell the TV series overseas and this would increase their chances.

    I have to agree that Batman & Robin is more enjoyable than Batman Forever. Both are terrible movies but Arnold’s Mr.Freeze is cheesy goodness whereas Jim Carey and Tommy Lee Jones are unbearable as Riddler and Two face.

    Speaking of Two Face, Nolan got the character right, unlike Schumacher’s version. In Batman Forever, he is Two Face in appearance only. He’s supposed to be a conflicted character, torn between good and evil letting the flip of a coin decide someone’s fate. Yet, in the movie, he never show’s his good side (character wise, not physical side) and even when the coin comes up in favor of his victims, he goes against the coin and kills them. This completely renders Two Face as a one dimensional character, where there is no inner struggle with his morals and ethics. Two Face is not supposed to only be a description of his physical appearance. Schumacher fail.

    Both Burton versions still hold up today and look great.

    One problem I had with Maggie Gyllenhaal replacing Katie Holmes (apart from Frank’s point) is when the Joker crashes the party at Wayne Manor and Rachel (Gyllenhaal) catches Joker’s eye and he says, “Well hello, beautiful!” I could see him saying that about Katie Holmes but not Maggie. Not that maggie is hideaous, she just would not stand out in a crowd.

  • Dave

    Awesome! You guys always keep me guessing. Surprised that you guys hated Batman Forever over B&R. I guess that one can be chalked up to having nostalgia for a bad movie. Oh, and that annoying gossip chick from the Schumacher films – Bob Kane’s widow. Choke on that!

  • Steve

    It could take me a while to get to this because I want to re-watch most of the films first, but I am very much looking forward to it. Thanks guys!

  • antho42

    [b]The Dark Knight Rises[/b] — Is it a perfect film? No. It is a great blockbuster? Yes, it is. Tonally, The Dark Knight Rises rises above its predecessor in the trilogy, because it manages to balance the grounded in realism and comic book aspects into a tonally coherent work. In fact, though it still attempts to ground itself in reality, this is the most operatic and most bombastic of the Batman films. And, dear lord, does operatic work with the superhero genre. After all, at its true core, Batman, and the superhero genre, is inherently a ridiculous concept. I loved the ridiculous voice of Bane and Michael Cain’s constant hamming it up, crying speeches.

    In recent years, the JJ Abraham’s school of film-making has gained currency. The film moving so fact to one scene to the next that the audience barely has time to register the illogical steps taken by the characters. This is evident in the 2009, Star Trek film. While Nolan does this, he does it with so much more panache that it transcends the narrative, editing weaknesses associated with this modern form of film-making. The Dark Knight Rises is a pure cinematic experience. It is a film that needs It is a film that needs to be experience in the big screen. Even the hand to hand fighting sequences– an area that Christopher Nolan has struggled with in the past — are exemplary; they are reminiscent of the slow light saber fights in the Old Trilogy.

    The biggest problems with the film is that it does not developed the relationship between Marion Colitard’s character and Bruce Wayne well enough; it feels too force. Another major problem with the film is the Howard Hughes segment, it which it is they only portion of the film that drags.
    [b]Rating: 9 out 10[/b]

  • Not much to add. Great podcast guys!

    By the way, the name Siouxsie from Siouxsie and the Banshees is pronounced ‘Soo-see’. The sound ‘oo’ being the same as the ‘oo’ in too. Also, Sioux is the name of a Native American nation, and is pronounced Soo, which is where the spelling comes from.

    Edumacated? Good. :P

  • JohnnyBlazed

    Please please please, for the love of god please filmjunk crew please include Live and Let Die in your James Bond podcast. Please!!!!
    please? please, please? pretty please please? thanks I love you.

  • JohnnyBlazed

    Please don’t let me down. Please include Live and Let Die in the Bond podcast yeah?
    You’re going to right?
    I knew it!!!, you guys are the best!!! :o)

  • JohnnyBlazed

    Of course they’re gonna do Live and Let Die in the Bond podcast ya dummy!
    chill dum dums

  • Zac

    Before I make a donation for this podcast, I was wondering how safe and secure Bandcamp was, and if anyone has had any problems with it in the past.

  • JohnnyBlazed

    One time they tried to make a fraudulent purchase on my credit card, but I checked and they were just trying to order the Live and Let Die dvd from Amazon, so I told the fraud squad to drop the charges.

  • Zac

    But seriously no problems?

  • Ronald Godwin

    Awesome show as always, but you guys owe it to yourselves to watch Batman Mask of The Phantasm.

  • Oso Jugo

    I just revisited this premium and at one point Frank is really talking up the logo for Burton’s Batman for its striking originality. It then occurred to me that the bat on the title card of Tod Browning’s Dracula is pretty similar to Burton’s logo. Is there any chance that Burton and company hijacked it? https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0670724f17880cedd4051b23a129aa674313842052bd3e33dda3e2cb6745d141.jpg

  • Oso Jugo

    …of course Batman is essentially a superhero version of Dracula anyhow. Lives alone and tormented in a gothic mansion up on the hill. Lures young women and men to his home to seduce them or help them transform into some bat or cat creature like himself, and then has them do his bidding. Like Jay said in the premium, Max Shreck is a reference to Nosferatu, and for my money, Burton’s Penguin is a Nosferatu inspired make up job as well.

    I did a quick google search and found this: https://media.gunaxin.com/nosferatu-connections-batman-returns/167380