I always
used to hate movie novelisations as a kid and found them pointless. I’d usually
have the film on video and couldn’t understand the point of reading a long,
slow, duller version where I had to build the image up in my head.
As I’ve
gotten older I’ve had a lot of nostalgia for stuff from my youth and I recently
purchased a lot of Batman novelisation audiobooks off eBay (curse you eBay) and
transferred them from tape to mp3. Here’s my thoughts:-
Batman (1989) read by Roddy McDowall
At around 90
minutes this is a little shorter than the movie it’s based on. Roddy McDowell
is a nice choice given that he played the Bookworm in the 60s series and voiced
the Mad Hatter in the animated show. His high pitched, slightly camp voice
makes him more suitable for the Joker and Vicki Vale than he does for Bruce
Wayne and Batman. It’s not an especially dynamic reading and definitely could
have been improved. It sounds a lot like McDowall is reading his lines for the
first time. Overall, it’s fine but no real surprises or additional scenes.
Batman (1989) novelisation read by Nathan
Pierce (unofficial release 2016)
This is an
unofficial recording made by a YouTube group called Audiobooks for the Damned
who record themselves reading old movie novelisations unabridged. At 5 and a
half hours this is very slow compared to the movie. It’s a straight read
through of the novelisation by Craig Shaw Gardner. Hilariously it’s unedited
and a few times Nathan slips up and swears to himself. Don’t let your kids
listen to this. One interesting element is that it includes one of the cut
subplots from the film in which the Joker defaces a statue of John T Gotham (the
founder of the city) with his own face. If you go looking through some
background material on the film you will find that
they did build this statue but never shot the unveiling scene.
Batman Returns (1992) read by Michael
Murphy
NOTE: No
youtube version of this. You’ll have to find the tape.
Spread over
2 tapes this is around 2 and half hour. A little more than the film’s runtime.
Michael Murphy plays the role of the mayor in the movie. He’s actually really
good and has a much more suitable voice for Bruce Wayne and Batman. Again, no
major additions here though there are one or two extra sleazy puns from the
Penguin. This is actually really enjoyable and probably the most recommended of
all the audiobooks.
Batman Forever (1995) read by René
Auberjonois
Again, this
uses one of the cast. Auberjonois played the small role of Dr Burton in the
film. He’s a decent narrator but like McDowall suits the villains more than the
title hero. A few extra lines here and there. Strangely, it begins with a
flashback of Edward Nygma being bullied as a kid at school and vowing one day
he’ll get his revenge. I’ve always wondered if this was ever part of the
script. Overall, a good reading and at 2 and half hours, it’s about the right
length. One thing I always liked is that it opens with Danny Elfman’s superior
score rather than Elliot Goldenthal’s.
Batman & Robin (1997) An Audio Action
Adventure
This one is
the odd duck. Rather than have someone narrate the novelisation they chose to
do it as a radio play with sound effects. The voice artists, uncredited, are
super cheesy and very over the top (not unlike the movie). The recording also
boasts “special 3D sound effects” which are really grating. It even drops the
Elliot Goldenthal score for some cheesy stock library music. It’s a real dud.
The only saving grace is that it’s 35 minutes.
That’s all
for now. Expect some more Batman-related stuff in the future.
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