The Batman Poster story begins many years ago, back when I was still interested in regular movies. It was the summer of 2005, and I was looking for something to keep me occupied while my friends and I were on holiday. For whatever reason, that particular summer had a strange collection of fantastic films to offer, with the likes of Batman Begins, Spiderman 3, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith joining the Summer of Love in the cinemas.
One of my friends had suggested that I check out the new Batman film, and I decided to give it a try. After all, what’s the worst that could happen? I’m not usually one to turn down a comedy, and the trailer for Batman sounded pretty amusing. However, I wasn’t expecting a deep and meaningful movie experience, and I wasn’t quite prepared for what I was about to see. After the screening, my friends and I sat and talked for a while, and I remember one of them asking me if I liked the movie. To which I replied, “No, I didn’t really like it…It was bizarre.”
The next day, I woke up and quickly grabbed my phone to check for some late-night news, when I saw that there was a new tweet from Batman himself, containing a link to the trailer for The Batman Poster. At first, I thought it was a mistake, but when I clicked on the link I was met with a streaming video of the trailer, which has now been removed, along with several other trailers for a variety of films.
The next few days were a whirlwind of excitement as I scoured the internet for more information on this mysterious new film. Little did I know that this would be the beginning of a long and winding road, filled with intrigue, speculation, and a whole lot of speculation. Was Batman launching a full-blown franchise? Could this be the start of an entire cinematic universe? Who was this mysterious Mr. Smith, and why did he want to interview Batman? Was it all a ruse, and was he really just trying to sell newspapers? There were just so many questions, and for a while, there wasn’t a clear answer.
The Twitter Frenzy
With the summer of 2005, and the rise of social media, stories spread like wildfire, and within minutes of the trailer’s release, everyone knew about it. Soon after, people began to flood my Twitter page with questions, and it wasn’t long before I was forced to set up a special “ask me anything about The Batman Poster” Twitter account. The response was incredible, with people sending in theories, asking for clarification on certain points, and generally just trying to figure out the plot.
Soon after, a few dedicated fans began to tweet about the film on a regular basis, sharing their thoughts and analysis along with the occasional image or two. When it came down to it, I wasn’t exactly sure why they were so obsessed with this obscure little film. However, it was all part of the fun, and I began to see more and more people getting into it. It was like a collective fever had gripped the internet, and with the help of a few interested friends, I began to see the funny side of all this. It was like a weird episode of Scooby-Doo, where the characters go mad trying to figure out the mystery of The Batman Poster.
Theories, Interpretations, And Opinions
Over the course of the next few days, dozens of theories, interpretations, and opinions were put forward as to the meaning and significance of The Batman Poster. The most popular theory at first was that Batman was in fact, a character from Justice League, and the poster was a mashup between the logos for that particular League team and the character. Others believed that it was referencing Lost Boys 2, while still others thought it was a parody of superhero films. There were lots of different ideas, and it was all exciting to think about. Unfortunately, as with many good ideas, there was also a downside. It wasn’t long before the whole thing became somewhat exhausting, as I began to get bombarded with questions about The Batman Poster on a daily basis. Naturally, I didn’t have the answers. Nobody did. This was, and still is, a huge mystery.
Mysterious Mr. Smith
One of the first people to question the validity of Batman’s claim to be the subject of the film was the journalist, and self-promoter, Mr. Smith. It was he who first saw the trailer and felt that it was odd that Batman would be featured in a movie that wasn’t about him. To Mr. Smith, any sort of publicity was a good publicity, and it wasn’t long before he (or someone else) had created a Twitter account in the journalist’s name, with the express purpose of trolling the film’s fans. Mr. Smith went on to do his best to debunk all of the theories and ideas surrounding The Batman Poster, often replying with elaborate jokes and sarcastic remarks. Naturally, this annoyed a lot of people, and for a while, it seemed like he was winning the war of words.
However, there were still lots of people out there who believed in the theory that Justice League had been attacked by aliens, and they were fighting for survival. One of these people was an account called @AliensRise, which is now directed at Mr. Smith. To this day, they still believe that Batman is in fact, an alien, and that the whole film is some sort of elaborate alien propaganda machine. To this, Mr. Smith has yet to reply.
The Verdict
Ultimately, it wasn’t long before I stopped trying to keep up with all of this. Like many others, I too began to lose interest in the film, not because it was bad, but just because it was so bizarre. However, the sheer volume of responses forced me to conclude that there was definitely something strange happening with The Batman Poster. For whatever reason, it really struck a chord with the internet, especially the younger generation. It was like this bizarre mashup of all these different influences collided to create something new and exciting. Ultimately, it was a case of too much information. Sooner or later, all this speculation was going to overflow, and we were going to find out what was actually going on.
The trailer for The Batman Poster is actually quite boring in terms of plot, which makes sense, because who wants to sit through a long movie just to find out what happens at the end? The fact is we probably wouldn’t even be having this conversation if it weren’t for all the hype that surrounded it. Without all of that, I wouldn’t even know what the hell it’s about, and who cares anyway, right? Well, for those who do care, here’s the trailer, which is surprisingly entertaining.