Batman
Well-loved and probably the most famous reboot in the superhero flick world, Batman is super cool. Ok, we're not talking about the shift from Adam West to Michael Keaton, though this was a major step in the genres evolution.
Keaton directed by perennial quirkster Tim Burton gave Batman a dark edge and ignited a taste in the mainstream for be-suited champions of the people. Despite doubts surrounding Keaton's ability the 1989 Batman was a huge success both at the box office and with critics, a situation that continued with the 1992 sequel Batman Returns. However it was after this the franchise lost its way as both Keaton and Burton stepped aside. It still turned a profit with Batman Forever and Batman And Robin, but artistically these were lacking.
It was rebooted in full-blooded glory though with the arrival of Christopher Nolan at the helm and Christian Bale in the cowl. Based on the comics of Frank Miller's, reboots in their own right, the tone was changed and it worked on just about all levels. The only real question mark was over the unnecessary bass levels of Bale's voice for the Dark Night...
The reboot is a trilogy that is about be completed with the release of The Dark Night Rises and it's promising to be a summer smash.
Spider-Man
Spiderman has come a long way from the 1977 feature and it's sequels that were essentially a re-edit of the TV show. Advancements in CGI techniques led the horror director Sam Raimi to step up and claim he could do justice to the web-slinger and the New York City he occupied. It turned out he was right.
Raimi's success led him to direct a trilogy, Spiderman, Spiderman 2 and Spiderman 3 working with Tobey Maguire in the title role and a consistent cast to play all the supporting characters. The three films dominated at the box office witheach one setting opening day records. However, while the first and second instalments are considered significant critical successes the third entry suffered negative reactions from most corners.
And it is at this stage the franchise is being rebooted for a second time, almost simultaneously with the plans for Spiderman 4 being cancelled a new cast and director were announced for the The Amazing Spiderman. The film was released on July 3rd 2012 starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and with Marc Webb directing... is it going to be successful? Can the man whose directorial debut was 500 Days Of Summer pull it off? Only time will tell...
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