Batkid Begins

This was an amazing film. Batkid is the superhero name of an American child who is also a cancer survivor. His wish was to be "Batkid", a sidekick of the comic book superhero Batman and the people at the Make A Wish Foundation turned San Francisco into Gotham City for a day. The city was completely transformed and everyone from the newspaper to President Obama got involved.

We watched it as a family and found it to be a springboard for a number of topics like; Life and death, the inherent goodness of most people and how each of us can make a difference in the world. It was also beautifully filmed and tightly edited. I can't say enough about this movie.

It seems like there is never an end to the amount of depressing stories in the news today. Death, starvation, crime, race riots, global catastrophe, it's hard to find a positive story out there. I remember a story in November a few years ago that warmed my heart and rekindled my spark of belief in the good of humanity. The film Batkid Begins documents the true heart lifting story of Miles Scott, a 5 year old diagnosed with terminal Leukemia and his dream to become Batman. Through the tireless effort of the Make-a-Wish that dream took wings and grew into something no one ever expected. Through viral internet traffic and countless, tireless volunteers, the city of San Francisco played Gotham for one day to full fill a little boys wish. I loved this documentary. It does an excellent job giving a closer look at one of the most positive news stories in 10 years. It never really pushes that emotion button artificially to generate anything that this story doesn't possess on its own. It simply shows things as they unfolded. It also shows us uniquely what it was that caused this project to take flight as high as it did. We all want to be a kid again with dreams of Superheroes. Somewhere along the way we all seem to lose touch with that. Miles helps us remember what it means to want the impossible. At an 87 minute running time there is no reason you can't find a few minutes out of your time to be uplifted. Well worth it. My only complaint is that this movie needed to be marketed better. More people need to know about this movie and its positive message. If you enjoyed this review, please check out my blog at yourturntopick.com

Greetings again from the darkness. Our world is filled with anger and frustration and evil, and should we ever doubt this, a simple click over to the local or national news will prove it so. Even the non-terrorist majority are simply too busy or self-absorbed to show kindness or respect. Subways are jammed with people glued to their smart phones, oblivious to the sea of real humans. Highways are real world video games of dodging the closest road rager. A trip to the shopping mall reveals those too self-centered to simply hold open a door or allow a pedestrian to calmly cross the parking lot. What we need is a Superhero … and in November 2013, we got just that.

Director Dana Nachman chronicles the story of young Miles Scott from Tulelake, California. As a toddler, Miles was diagnosed with Leukemia and went through chemotherapy and other cancer treatments. By age 5, he was on the road to recovery and that's when the Make-A-Wish foundation became involved. It turns out Miles' greatest wish was to be Batman for a day. And this is where the documentary takes an unexpected turn.

Nachman chooses not to focus on Miles' illness, but rather on the heroic efforts of Make-A-Wish director Patricia Wilson and her team to make this wish come true for him. This is not the story of gravely ill little boy, but rather it's the piecing together of a global phenomenon. A challenging wish transformed into a worldwide viral event constructed by countless volunteers, the San Francisco Chief of Police, the Mayor of San Francisco, 25,000 people lining the streets, and millions more watching via social media.

Ms. Wilson's incredible "can-do" attitude and boundless positive energy are complimented by Eric Johnston, an inventor and stuntman, who dives headfirst into his role as Batman and mentor to Miles the Batkid. Others key to the event were Mike Jutan who stepped into the role of The Penguin, Oscar winning composer Hans Zimmer, and even Lou Seal, the mascot of the San Francisco Giants. Are you starting to get the idea? See, it's the masses that made this happen … the San Francisco Opera contributed costume work, and even a young boy donated the Batsuit for Batkid – it was homemade! So many offers of help came in that a portion of San Francisco was turned into Gotham City for a day so that Batman and Batkid could fight crime together. Words fail me as it's an emotional stunner to see this unfold.

Of course the power of social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc) is on full display here – even President Obama tweeted about Batkid! However, what is most awe-inspiring is the massive display of kindness and generosity from so many strangers from so many various backgrounds. As with everything these days, there were critics. A few wailed about the cost to the city, while others expressed outright disgust that such hoopla was for one kid, rather than hundreds. A generous donor made the city whole by stroking a check, thereby shutting up the first group of complainers. As for the second group, they simply miss the point. It was a-dream-come-true for one boy robbed of childhood years by a cruel disease, and beyond that, it provided a respite from "bad news" and allowed the reporting of "good news". It was also a much needed reminder that the human spirit is alive and that being kind and courteous is contagious, and creates a virus of feel good and do good.

Some may describe this as a promotional film for the Make A Wish foundation, but it might better be described as a film that promotes the positive impact people can have when they unite for a worthy cause. This wasn't about politics, race relations, or financial turmoil … it was about people doing something nice for others, and discovering the payback is pure joy. Batkid was the hero we deserved and the one we needed.

First off, I feel really bad for the kid. It's terrible what he went through. But I think the Make A Wish Foundation and the people of San Francisco made a big mistake. They went so overboard with trying to make this entire thing "cool", that it backfired and became super corny instead. I mostly cringed through the entire film because I was embarrassed by what was portrayed. I also think once the child is an adult, that he will be embarrassed as well. He may even show resentment towards everybody for making him act corny and the way everybody got involved. I had high hopes for this film but was thoroughly disappointed. As a film maker, you know you've missed the mark if the audience is cringing with embarrassment through 80% of your film. Either way, do yourself a favor and wait until this is on network TV for free.

On November 15, 2013, I got a wonderful birthday present. I followed a link to a story about a child's Make-A-Wish request being fulfilled, and 20, 000 strangers participating to cheer him on. And, then, thousands more around the world touched by it and stopped to thank a young boy who wanted to be a hero, just for one day. How appropriate then, we hear a choral rendition of David Bowie's "Heroes," at the beginning of this documentary. Cancer is a harsh disease for anyone; but especially for children. These are some of the most vulnerable people, with developing immune systems. They have to turn into fighters to beat the disease. This film tells the story of one of these brave little warriors.

Miles Scott was diagnosed with leukemia at age 18 months. 18 months! He finished his treatment in the year he turned 5. That's a long battle, for anyone. Along the way, he was introduced to the Make-A-Wish foundation, which grants wishes to kids fighting cancer, in the hopes of giving them a back a piece of their lost childhood. Miles wanted to be a superhero; he wanted to be Batman. Simple enough. Then, people took inspiration and the idea grew from a simple day dressing up and doing some superheroic stuff into a city stopping for a day to cheer on a brave little kid, whose wish was to portray someone who brings justice into the world.

The story is amazing and the people involved even moreso. We meet Eric Johnston, who would be Batman to Miles' Batkid. Eric had worked with Make-A Wish before, helping a child develop a video game about fighting cancer, for other kids facing the same battle. Eric and the young man were recognized for their selfless act by the Dalai Lama. You see that same commitment from EJ, here, along with his wife and friends, the volunteers at Make-A-Wish and thousands of ordinary people, who were touched by the idea of helping a child play makebelieve. They got to be kids again, and see the world with clarity and bring some kindness back into it. All were heroes that day.

The film captures everything wonderfully and will have you in tears of joy, constantly. It's a heartwarming story that a few cynics have tried to tear apart; but, its message is beyond that. Watch the film and take inspiration. Become a hero for someone else. Take a moment and extend a kind hand to someone in need. remember what childhood was like, when you did everything with enthusiasm and passion. This film makes you want to go out and make the world a better place. We could use a bit of that.

Well done, Caped Crusader, and all of those who helped along the way.