Pops Saw a Movie: BATMAN AND ME

 Proving that sometimes you absolutely CAN judge a book by its cover, BATMAN AND ME (2020, currently streaming on Prime) is an absolutely TERRIBLE documentary with a horrendously ugly poster. Directed by Michael Wayne (no relation), the film focuses on Australian collector, Darren “Dags” Maxwell, whose Batman obsession began with Tim Burton’s 1989 film and pretty much ended with Joel Schumacher’s 1997 franchise-killer, BATMAN & ROBIN. But what was it, really? Maxwell, despite owning thousands of Batman collectibles, admittedly has very little connection to the character (even messing up the provenance of what’s supposedly one of his favorite items), repeatedly referring to his collecting as an obsession, but one that feels way more like a psychological problem than a deep affection for the Caped Crusader. 

Dags (who also has other collections, and is married to a likewise-inclined woman whose passions include STAR TREK and teddy bears) contradicts himself numerous times in the movie, swinging from being dismissive of his Bat-Crap to getting almost teary over a mint 1989 BATMAN board game. Sure, lots of collectors (myself included) often feel a love / hate thing regarding their piles of plastic, but Dags is never challenged on his wishy washiness, and is ultimately a completely uninteresting (and unlikeable) subject, seemingly chosen merely for the breadth of his collection. 

But Maxwell’s confounding relationship with his collection serves as a springboard for director Wayne (and his writers) to express a rather superficial disdain for those who spend a lot of money on things like action figures and comic books (et al). But the film never really digs into the psychology of collecting (there are zero interviews with experts), rather it puts forth the incredibly subjective opinion that, while acknowledging that some of this stuff can be fun, ultimately, it’s a waste of time and money (the film’s end credits roll over a slow motion sequence of toys being dropped into a trash can). If that’s the agenda of the filmmakers, it’s a disingenuous bait-and-switch, but even worse, the movie is just a dull, meandering waste of time.

Originally posted on social media, Jan. 25, 2024