Batman Beyond (2018)

Details
Batman Beyond is a 2018 movie by Warner Brothers studios and DC Comics. It is directed by Tim Burton and stars Michael Keaton, Chris O,Donnell, Javier Bardem, and Alicia Silverstone. Warner Brothers announced in November 2014 that an untitled sequel to the 1997 Joel Schumacher movie Batman and Robin was going to be made. In May 2015 Tim Burton was announced as director and just three weeks later Batman Beyond, the old batman comics and television series, was confirmed as the title. Tim Burton directed the first two movies in the series, Batman and Batman Returns, before Joel Schumacher took over in 1995. In August 2015 it was confirmed that Michael Keaton would "Put on the cowl one last time", teased on the official Warner Brothers twitter. Two days later Chris O'Donnelll was casted to return as Robin, and Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl. Javier Bardem was announced to have been casted as Scarecrow, while nobody would take on the role of Alfred or Commissioner Gordon. Production for the movie began in October 2016, and in January 2018, the first teaser trailer was released, along with a first sneak-peek at Batman's suit. A full trailer was released in March, and a second one was uploaded in July. In September it was revealed that the running time for the movie would be 2hrs 51mins, the longest superhero movie of all time. The film was first viewed by critics on October 30th and 31st, before the movie's worldwide release on 7th November 2018. The reviews were positive, ranking 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, the best in the series, and 3rd best Batman movie, behind The Lego Batman Movie (90%) and The Dark Knight (94%). It came out on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital download in Febuary 2019.

Plot
It's 2018, twenty-one years after the events of Batman and Robin. Only, Gotham City has been destroyed. Bruce Wayne lives in the desert mountains outside of the broken Gotham all alone in a small shack. After the unknown drug that caused Gotham to tear itself to shreds finally did it's job by destroying the city, Bruce has lost his friends and family, assuming they died in the horrific event. With no other option, Bruce now kills and hunts in the desert, breaking his no-killing rule he had as the city's caped crusader. Ashamed, he goes out at night as nightmare Batman, every gangster, criminal, and villian's worst fear, to bring justice to the little left of the life he has. One day when he is being chased down by criminals in the desert, he is saved by a mysterious black figure who has been following him for months. This time, Bruce decides to chase down the figure, who runs off. After a long journey, Bruce is led to a small metal hut. He walks inside as nightmare batman, investigating the hut. When searching a box he finds a batman logo, just before the figure appears. Batman wants answers, and the figure takes off his mask to reveal Dick Grayson, Robin. At the same time, Barbara Wilson, Batgirl, walks through. Bruce faints and wakes up in a bed alongside Dick. Shocked, Bruce asks how any of it is possible. Dick reveals that he, Barbara and Alfred escaped safely as they were in the batcave. Alfred was infected with the unknown gas and died saving Dick and Barbara. They retreated to the desert where they stayed, living together. Dick would go out as vigilante Red-X and Barabara would work on the computers for him as Oracle. They would rob people and steal, to pay for food. When they heard about nightmare batman, they followed and studied him. Disgusted at what his partner had become, Bruce left in disbelief. Following him home, Dick finally convinced Bruce to just stay for the night, as it would take hours to make it back. That night Bruce, Dick and Barbara talked about old adventures they had together in Gotham, and Bruce was slowly coming closer together with his old friends. When Bruce revealed he now killed for survival, Dick and Barbara agreed to forgive him if he would forgive them, and put their troubles behind them and live together as a family again. Bruce turned down the offer, offended, but was persuaded when they said they would help him on his vow to track down whoever was responsible for the destruction of Gotham. All of the time they had been carrying crucial information. They said the man was called Doctor Jonathan Crane, and was a Gotham drug-dealer who was the first one to sell the substance that destroyed their home. After a long night of computer research, Barbara was able to track Jonathan down using both of the pair's findings put together. Bruce agreed to work with Dick and Barbara just this once to stop Crane. When Batman and Red-X arrived at the old factory in the desert, it seemed abandoned before they were ambushed by infected civilians who were attempting to kill them, but after a while, Dick realised they were only going after Batman for an unknown reason. With Batman refusing to take down the infected civilian, Red-X got his hands dirty by killing them all. Bruce was horrified and said he had taught Dick better than to harm the innocent, no matter what the situation. Oracle claims there is a heartbeat right in front of them, but Bruce and Dick say otherwise. Before they know it, Batman and Red-X start hallucinating and are infected with the gas. Jonathan Crane reveals himself, but the pair are helpless. Crane states that it was him after all who was responsible for the destruction of Gotham. Batman forces on his built-in gas mask and escapes from the window with an unconcious Red-X. Crane orders the infected to chase down Batman and Red-X. A chase follows in the dark desert, Batman jumps onto their buggy with Red-X in his arms and only just escapes. When he returns, Dick is dying, and needs treatment. Barbara begins to remove the patch of poison on his skin, but he leaps up, trying to choke Bruce to death. When he is hit with a pole by Barbara he stumbles down, but gets up quickly. Bruce and Barbara run, as Bruce hides Barabara in closet, telling her that it's him that the infected Red-X is after. Not wanting to, he has no choice but to fight Red-X. The battle takes place all the way throughout the building. As the fight goes on, Batman begins to take the upper hand. After Dick stumbles to the ground, Bruce lands a number of punches, while Dick screams out in pain. Bruce is not aware of what he is doing, and in the end, he kills him. The dead body of Dick lies down on the ground. Bruce realises what he has just done and is in shock as he looks down at the blood on his hands. He begins to cry in agony at his own murder of his sidekick. A hallucination of Jonathan Crane appears from the shadows, taunting Bruce, asking him what he fears most in the world. Bruce doesn't reply, and instead cries for hours. Eventually Barbara comes through to spot Bruce holding Dick's body outside. In disbelief, she runs off, terrified while also crying. Bruce tries to stop her, but she calls him a monster, and a killer. She takes off broken-hearted leaving Bruce all alone. Bruce sits up all night, depressed, thinking about what he had just done, eventually realising he now has no family. He keeps on drinking until he passes out. In his dream, Jonathan Crane continues to taunt him, telling him about the murderer that he is. When he wakes up it is morning, but he remembers he is all alone. In another scene Jonathan Crane meets up with drug-dealers in the desert. He talks of weakening the Batman by making him commit his biggest fear, murder. They use this as an opportunity to send out the fear drug to Barbara Gordon, who is still grieving from Dick's murder. When Bruce learns this from a criminal in the desert he interrogates who used to work for Crane before the destruction of Gotham, he goes after Barbara using the bat-tracker, before it's too late. When he arrives at Barbara's location, she is gone. He searches the entire building but she is nowhere to be seen. He notices that Barbara's tracker is moving, and follows it through the desert. As he gets closer, more infected civilians chase him down. He out-runs them, and arrives at a chemical warehouse where the drug is being made. The door is locked, so he grapples up to the top of the building. When he gets there, he spots something strange. He uses a sonic batarang to clear the fog and the building is revealed as Wayne Enterprises. He uses his secret passage into the destroyed bat-cave. He walks in, as memories begin to flood in. Just as he steps forward, Crane appears, with a drugged Barbara in chains. He goes on to tell him how it's all his fault, and he shouldn't blame the drug for Dick's murder. Bruce struggles to cope, and staggers to the ground. Jonathan reveals that the drug was created to make the user fear the Batman. That was why Batman was blamed for Gotham's destruction and Dick's death. Barbara is unleased, and goes after Batman. Jonathan urges Batman to kill her, just like he killed Dick, that it's the only way to end it. Bruce refuses to put up a fight, and Barbara ends up almost killing him by scratching and biting. Bruce limps back, as Jonathan orders Barbara to kill him. Bruce screams in her face reminding her of who she is. She doesn't listen and begins beating him. Bruce continues to remind her of her true self as she beats him to death. Just as Batman is about to die, he takes off his mask, telling her that he is Bruce Wayne, her friend. With the mask off, Barbara's fear is instantly gone. Jonathan is outraged and jumps down to kill Batman himself. A badly injured Bruce tries to escape but is injected with multiple doses of the fear drug. He begins twitiching and screaming as Jonathan taunts him. Barbara suddenly breaks Jonathan's wrists. She then goes on to shove on the Batman mask onto the screaming Jonathan. Instantly Bruce leaps up, tearing up Jonathan. Barbara regrets her decision, and tries to pull Bruce back, trying to stop him killing again. But suddenly Bruce collapses to the ground and stops moving. Barbara starts screaming, desperately doing CPR on him. With his last breath, Jonathan tells Barbara that Bruce is dying before handing Barbara a gun, telling her to put him out of his pain. Jonathan dies, as Bruce continues to twitch in pain. Barbara wipes tears from her eyes. She holds up the gun, says a final goodbye to Bruce, and shoots him. She falls to the ground in pain, crying. She tears the fear drug needles out of Bruce's suit, reminding herself that he died saving her. She finally sits down on a rock in the cave, and lets all of the tears flow. Two years later, she is working in a company to revive Gotham. Every day they plant trees and grass in hopes of someday having a live, populated city again. Outside the shack, there are three graves, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Alfred Pennyworth. After her encounter with the fear drug she now uses a wheelchair. She and workers rebuild Wayne Enterprises in new Gotham City. The final scene shows her putting on the Batman mask, before the credits roll.

Information
Running Time: 2hrs 51mins

Director: Tim Burton

Main Cast:

Bruce Wayne- Michael Keaton

Dick Grayson- Chris O'Donnell

Barbara Wilson- Alicia Silverstone

Jonathan Crane- Javier Bardem

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