Gee, that's a real shame. Though I really do think you overestimate the love for Nicholson's Joker. He really wasn't that good. He was Jack Napier, but he was no Joker. Besides there is speculation that there won't even be an origin for the Joker in The Dark Knight. His origins are disreputable anyway, because he's always the one telling the story. No one knows how it really happened, and he sure won't be telling the truth anytime soon.
I think the reason the third Turtles movie tanked had to do with the horrible story not the premise. It could've been very easy to swallow, they just wrote a bad movie. I'm going to get very tired of the film series if they just fight mutants and Shredder every time out. Mainly because although he's a great villain, he was never meant to be so strong in the long run, and over-reliance on him is just going to wear thin real quick. Plus, there's only so many times a canister of mutagen can just fall off the back of a truck.
As for Batman, it's not just their apperance but the nature of their powers. It's going to be really hard to portray mind control for the Mad Hatter, or the complex tragedy of Mr. Freeze plus him walking around in a suit keeping him below freezing while he's also carrying a freezing gun. Poison Ivy's extreme immune system and manipulation of plants. And if no one buys these top listers, they're definitely never going to buy Firefly, The Ventriloquist, Ragdoll, King Tut, Clock King, or possibly even the Riddler. They're going to have to lighten up on the reality for the sake of the longevity of the series. Plus to increase enjoyability in my opinion. I actually think the most enjoyable live action Batman was Forever, because even though it botched many things, it was the only one that wasn't too over the top for its own good, or convinced of its own seriousness. I really hope Dark Knight is a return to the Bat's pulpy roots.
I'm actually quite tired of this push for realism in films all the time. Especially nowadays when there are so many things that can be done.
As for rules and boundaries, I see what you're saying. But actually I think it differs from movie to movie. The Mummy films would be weird if aliens came out of the blue, but if a werewolf, vampire or stitched monstrosity brought to life by electricity were to pop up I could totally buy it. Dealing with what's already been introduced in the TMNT series there's enough background to swallow a Battle Nexus film or a movie where Usagi shows up, a number of mystical things. It doesn't even have to be real heavy.
One complaint I do have about Turtles, I can't believe for a second that the city in the movie is New York. None of the famous landmarks appear at all. No Empire State, no Statue of Liberty, no Central Park. It could've been any city in the world with a high rise skyline.
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