Batman: Dead End (2003)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Sandy Collora

Writer:

Sandy Collora (written by)

Genre:

Short | Action | Crime | Fantasy | Thriller

Plot:

The Joker has escaped from Arkham and Batman must once again bring him in - once and for all. Unfortunately for the bat, there is something even more sinister than the Joker waiting in the alley for the dark knight detective.. |

Plot Keywords:

Super Villain | Infra Red | Based On Comic Book | Very Little Dialogue | Xenomorph

Cast

Clark Bartram	...	Batman
Andrew Koenig	...	The Joker
Kurt Carley	...	Predator #1
Jake McKinnon	...	Alien
Dragon Dronet	...	Left Predator
Patrick Magee	...	Predator #3

Runtime:

8 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Montauk Films

Trivia:

Filmed in four days.

Quotes:

Male newscaster: [radio reports are heard while Batman is suiting up] Murder and mayhem in Gotham City; evil mastermind 'The Joker' has once again escaped the Arkham asylum...
Female newscaster: [newscaster is downed out by another voice] This is Shannon Comb reporting for Arkham asylum, where the scene can only be described as grim. Two guards brutally beaten, and criminal mastermind 'The Joker' has escaped from his maximum-security cell. At this time Dr. Harley Quinn Is still missing. Police Chief James Gordon could not be reached for comment.

Movie Connections:

References Aliens (1986)

Back to the roots

This amazing short film from Sandy Collora brings Batman back to his roots. In just 8 minutes, it delivers the goods in a way that four feature films couldn't.

The grey tights and leather ensemble is absolutely perfect...a great representation of the original Batman costume circa 1939 (before the yellow oval and the switch from black to blue). The white contacts were a nice touch and really brought the "comic book" feel to the surface. Clark Bartram fit the suit perfectly and really had the Batman mannerisms down.

Andrew Koenig as the Joker was very good, as well. I liked the fact that they didn't use a mouth prosthesis like the one they put on Jack Nicholson in the '89 Batman movie. All they really needed was someone with an insane grin and wild eyes...and Koenig definitely fits the bill in that area. And the nose prosthesis was very much in keeping with the comic book Joker, without being too over-the-top. Someone here has said that Koenig was too young to be the Joker, but he was actually about 33 when the film was made, so I think he's about the right age to play Batman's arch-nemesis. And putting him in a straitjacket for the duration was a great touch.

As for the Aliens and Predators...I wasn't all that interested in that aspect, but the costumes and effects are incredible and the fight scene between Batman and the Predator is pretty great, as well.

But the best thing about this film is the visual conception. There are no big sets and most of the action is confined to one very simple location...a "Gotham City" alleyway. And that simplicity is a very strong point. It's also relentlessly dark and rainy, as a Batman film should be. The best shot is an aerial shot, showing Batman crouching after having leapt to the street, his cape surrounding him like a black pit...which shrinks to envelop him as he slowly stands. To me, that shot was straight out of the comics...or out of the excellent FOX animated series. I never thought I'd see that sort of cinematography in a live action Batman film.

In fact, I never thought I'd see that sort of anything in a live-action Batman film...the portrayals of Batman and the Joker are better than what the feature films have to offer. Here, we have a Batman who could actually be a physical threat and a Joker who is completely insane (and skinny). We have a Gotham City that is oppressively dark and rainy. We have a Batman costume that hearkens back to the 1939 original...and the leather gloves, cape, and cowl just look amazing on screen.

We need to get Collora to direct a feature Batman film. The feature film probably wouldn't (and shouldn't) include Aliens and Predators, of course, but this style and vision is exactly what the Batman series truly needs.