Batman Fanfilm Straddles The Fine Line Between Stupid And Clever

How did Batman get from being a goofy, grey-suited guy in the 60s to the grim avenger of the night in the modern day? Nobody ever thought to ask that question because these have all been simply different takes on one fictional character, and not part of one long narrative. Well, nobody ever thought until now; the fanfilm industrial complex needed another reason to make a Batman short, and they came up with the idea of showing how Adam West became Christian Bale.

Why am I sharing this with you? Because this fanfilm occupies a spot on the spectrum of satire that is so oblique I can't quite tell how much the filmmakers are kidding. I mean, they're definitely kidding on some level - "How much do you love Dick?" is a good sign this isn't straight-faced - but there's also an element of weird seriousness, especially in the action stuff. I said this on Twitter, but it bears repeating: the tone of the whole short is exactly like how you act when you make a pass at a girl and she rebuffs it and then you give her the whole, "Oh, of course we shouldn't date, I was totally kidding!" act. 

I have to admit, there is something off-kilter in Batman: Evolution that really appeals to me. This is one of the few fanfilms I've seen that comes close to passing my sniff test of value - is it saying something about the property as opposed to simply playing with the toys? 

Anwyay, I thought it was weird and it's a slow news day.