A new Batman fan film has just hit the web that any caped crusader fan could enjoy. The project is no Nolan masterpiece of course, but it also is not low class by many standards. The short 30-minute feature written and directed by Aaron Schoenke was created on a budget of only $27,000. While that is not a lot of dough against Hollywood standards, this project shows quite a bit can be done with that sum of money.
The short is called "City of Scars" and follows Batman as he tries to recapture The Joker after he escapes from Arkham Asylum. Similar to The Dark Knight, Batman is pushed to his limit by the insane Joker and his lust for chaos. I do not want to delve into the details of the project, and would rather you watch it for yourself. Check it out below, and look for my thoughts after.
As I said before, I will appreciate anything Batman related, especially a project with a different take on the superhero. I think it was bold using The Joker as the villain in City of Scars, but the character completely missed with me. I am pretty sure Heath Ledger ruined The Joker for anyone trying to play the character for our generation. No one can compare, measure, or even play on the same court as Ledger. So in my opinion, why even try? Especially considering you have to use an amateur-ish actor to play the part. Paul Molnar, the guy who attempts The Joker, hardly came across as scary, perverse, or even a lunatic. The best bet would have been to use a different villain, though I do commend Schoenke for trying. With The Dark Knight so fresh on our minds, using The Joker was the first mistake in this project.
The only other things that bugged me were small things that go hand in hand with the small budget. The cheap and hokey looking batman suit was distracting at times, but I can't hate on something like that on a low budget project like this. For having such a small budget, I was impressed with the environment created by the production team. Arkham Asylum, the Bat-Cave, the carnival, and even the hospital all helped the viewer to actually believe they were watching a decent Batman tale. Another huge plus for me was the inclusion of the villain Scarface and Harley Quinn. Scarface was always one of my favorite Batman adversaries as he stemmed from the demented mind of his puppeteer.
This video was definitely worthwhile. The ending for the film and for The Joker was anti-climatic, but I think the best dialogue in the project is Batman calling it just that. I think this short video would have been more successful with a different villain besides The Joker causing havoc, or maybe just a different actor playing the character. Either way, this project went a long way on such a small budget. I'm curious to hear others thoughts on the video, post them below.
Source: Slashfilm
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