Is it cold in here?...oh hang on a sec... no...no my mistake, that shiver would be the fan boy chill that has continued to run up my spine all day. Why do I have a chill? I hear you ask, well that would be due to the fact that last night I was privileged enough to get an exclusive showing of the finale for Jonathan Chiovitti’s fan saga Batman: Reign of Fate. If you have not seen the previous five episodes, then I urge you to do so right now at
http://www.loosenoose.ca/.
Being a long term Batman fan, I am always sceptical when someone comes along with a film based on the Caped Crusader, whether that be professional or fan made (Joel Schumacher or Pitof anyone?), but straight from the first chapter, Chiovitti demonstrates that he has a knowledge and a passion for the world of Gotham far greater than that of the average film maker.
Ultimately Reign of Fate covers the detective side of Batman’s nature, taking him back to his roots. There are still very strong elements of the crime fighting Batman, but Chiovitti’s incarnation clearly demonstrates that the Guardian of Gotham has enough brain to match his brawn. The series contains homage throughout including references to the 1960s Batman, but it is the tone of the animated series that shines out clearest of all. In my opinion this is due to the excellent casting choices made, particularly with the characters of Batman (Shaughnessy Redden) and Commissioner Gordon (Ron Fountain) who share many of the vocal qualities of Kevin Conroy and Bob Hastings. For me, it was these qualities that made me believe this was an accurate portrayal of Gotham, simply because these are the voices I hear in my head whenever I open up a comic.
The film soon sets up a sort of “Who-dunnit?” as it drops breadcrumbs for Batman and the audience to follow. And although the mastermind of the plot remains anonymous until the very end, Chiovitti is more than willing to offer his acting talents as iconic Bat rogue, The Penguin. He brings a wonderful amalgamation of Burgess Meredith’s squawking squire and Danny Devito’s twisted, tortured animal rescue bird to the part, maintaining the perfect balance of charm and vulgarity.
The flip side to Cobblepot’s disfigured form would be the stunning Sarah (Mercedes Leggett) who at first is introduced merely as a love interest for Batman’s alter ego Bruce Wayne, but within minutes rids the viewer of any preconceptions. The cast of characters is topped off by councelman Hamilton Hill (Robert Ouellette) who is really the icing on the cake. Hill has always been one of those characters I’ve personally wanted to see be transformed from art into flesh for a very long time. What can be said of all Reign of Fate’s characters is that no book can be judged by it’s cover.
A few words must also be said about the Batsuit, which was not simply bought from some god forsaken fancy dress store, but created by David Pea specifically for the series. The suit is a very intricate one, and what’s great is that Chiovitti uses shadows in a very affective manner to reveal it’s details one segment at a time over the course of the story.
In conclusion, I have a lot of admiration for what Chiovitti has been able to achieve, turning in not only a great Batman story, but also one heck of a visual feast, that I cannot find much fault with. My only real criticism is that Warner Bros. is not taking much note of the fan film community. Chiovitti is proof that fans can make great motion pictures based on the character they love; and it is out of this love, this desperation to do the source material justice that gives them the upper hand on a lot of what Hollywood is churning out.
Episode 6 of Batman: Reign of Fate in now online@
http://www.loosenoose.ca/