Movie Review
July 18, 2028 — The latest installment in the Batman franchise puts the Caped Crusader in his most precarious position yet, as he fights to save his reputation after being framed in a sting operation designed to nab pedophiles.
As Batman Besmirched begins, Batman is in the batcave training Robin (15-year-old Banana Martin, son of Gwyneth Paltrow and rocker Chris Martin) when he is summoned to a schoolyard on Gotham City’s upper west side. When he arrives, he is greeted by an undercover police officer and a news crew, and promptly arrested.
Yes, normally Batman would easily escape the handcuffs of Gotham’s finest, but this aging hero, still being played by Christian Bale, has slowed down a bit.
Baffled, Batman calls the Batcave from the Gotham jailhouse, and asks loyal butler Lloyd (Alfred has died) to look into the reasons for his arrest. Robin and Lloyd (Richard Gere doing the sorriest excuse for a British accent since Kevin Costner played Robin Hood) discover that the Joker is the mastermind behind the plot to get the Dark Knight off the streets.
As the story unfolds, we learn that the Joker is the president of the North American Man-Boy Love Association, and that he has increasingly affectionate feelings for the Boy Wonder, who he hopes to woo now that Batman is out of the way. (The story still provides no clear answer to Batman's ambiguous relationship with Robin, but it's clear that the Joker is jealous.)
After Batman Forever and the disastrous Batman and Robin forced the franchise into a long holding pattern back in the 90s and early 00s, the Caped Crusader has been able to continue dazzling movie fans for more than 20 years, much like the James Bond films did in the 60s and 70s. And until this film, Bale has managed to keep the sober hero looking buff and spry as he’s aged. But it may be time for Bale to bail. In this film, the 54-year-old actor's movements are stiff and appear to be hampered by a girth that is now starting to emerge.
Meanwhile, Michael Jackson has taken on the role of the Joker with relish -- on par with previous portrayals by Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger and far above Dane Cook's version in the 2018 film Bedtime for Batman. As he approaches the age of 70, Jackson is still devilishly animated.
Sure, given the plotline and the Prince of Pop's history, this casting of the Joker role is a blatant form of typecasting. But it works. Jackson is spot on with his portrayal of the Joker's mix of gleeful madness and forbidden longing, and his look is authentic -- especially given the fact that he only had to dye his hair green for the role and didn’t need to worry about face makeup.
Batman Besmirched opens in theaters and on the Web today.