New to DVD and VOD this week: LEGENDS OF THE KNIGHT
Brett Culp’s look at the inspirational power of Batman debuted at the San Diego Comic Con this Summer. In addition to other comic convention engagements, the doc has since had scores of benefit screenings around the country.
Culp’s film is not so much about Batman as it is about the influence that character can have on real-world individuals. Forgetting his billions, Bruce Wayne’s story – childhood trauma channelled into a mission to combat crime and serve the public good – in contrast to either Clark Kent’s fantastical background as a super-powered orphan from a destroyed planet or Peter Parker’s accidental bite from a radioactive spider, has a relatively ordinary, relatable core that can resonate with anyone, and that’s what Culp primarily focuses on here. Beyond the love letters to the character offered by Bat franchise film producer Michael Uslan or influential comic book writer/editor Denny O’Neil, the film profiles several ordinary individuals who have theoretically been inspired by the character. Some are quite obvious, such as Petaluma Batman, a college kid who patrols his small California community in a homemade Batman outfit and stages fights with Petaluma Joker to entertain or raise money for charity; or Lenny, a successful businessman who converted his car into a Batmobile and visits sick kids in hospitals around the US dressed up as Batman. Other subjects, however, are too tangentially connected to Bruce Wayne’s alter ego, such as Jill, a young journalist with MS, or Daniel, a young man with one leg, so their inclusion here feels forced. The film’s survey structure and overemphatic score makes this feel a bit long for what it is, but Culp’s overarching idea, that “we are all Batman,” is a likeably earnest, if fairly simple, message. Incidentally, the film is not associated with either DC Comics or Warner Bros, which accounts for its somewhat awkward title, not quite the official Bat-nickname of “The Dark Knight.”
