Ever wonder how it's possible to make a great Batman movie on a 75k budget, look no further than Bat In The Sun's Batman: Dying Is Easy. Bat In The Sun is a fan studio that is best known for their hit web series Super Power Beat Down and a few Batman short films like Batman: The City of Scars and Patient J. I've watched Bat In The Sun's films since I was in the fourth grade when I saw their trailer video Batman Legends, and my first exposure to their films was through Patient J clips that were used in fan-made trailers for The Dark Knight that was posted before the first official trailer dropped. Their films are made on crowdsourced budgets and are non-profit films because Bat In The Sun is not affiliated with Warner Bros or DC. That being said Aaron Schoenke and his team understand Batman and the characters they feature in their films far better than half of the people Warner Bros hires to make DC films, I'm looking at you, Joel Schumacher. This actually demonstrated extremely well in Batman: Dying Is Easy with an interesting plot and great character development. Not to mention the casting and production value.
The Film follows Batman as he tries to unveil the mystery behind the disappearance of three GCPD officers. After saving a young girl from the Mad Hatter, Batman notices a clue that links the missing officers to the Joker. Batman learns from Lieutenant Bullock that the Joker is dying and it increases Batman's urgency to see the Joker. Of course, Joker has other plans in mind. Joker wants Batman to kill him and will do his best to provoke Batman into doing so. What I like most about Dying Is Easy's story is that every moment is important. There aren't moments randomly thrown in the film because they're cool. Even the Mad Hatter fight is important to the film's story instead of being a random fight.
The film's are well written and well performed. Batman is depicted as being a brutal vigilante who refuses to kill even the most sinister villains in Gotham. The Dark Knight is played to perfection by Kevin Porter. Joker is portrayed as being a murderous psychopath with the never ending desire to push Batman's buttons until Batman snaps. Aaron Schoenke delivers a great performance as the Clown Prince. Harvey Bullock is made into a dynamic character whose introduced as being a cop who hates Batman but evolves into respected him. Michael Madsen captures these elements well in his performance. Even minor character are portrayed well with the standouts being Doug Jones as the Riddler and Ana Johnston as Harley Quinn. However, while I love Chris Daughtry's music, I must say he was a miscast as Hugo Strange. It was cool to include Daughtry, but I'm not sure Hugo Strange was the right role for him. He looks the part though. I also appreciate that Bat In The Sun included Athena Finger, the granddaughter of Batman creator Bill Finger, as their answer to a Stan Lee cameo in the film.
Dying Is Easy is also a visually stunning film to watch. The fight scene with Batman and the Mad Hatter's henchmen is a great scene to watch and one the best fight scenes in a Batman movie. Also, the shot of the little girl hugging Batman is a powerful shot. The film's score complements the scenes of the film. The special effects are good for the film's budget of $75K. However, I could live without the fog effect that's in the outdoors scenes in the movie. The costume and set design is also great. The Batman costume in Dying Is Easy is easily the best costume featured in a Bat In The Sun film. Arkham Asylum looks amazing an the Joker's makeup makes the Joker look like he was ripped straight from the comics.
In conclusion, Batman: Dying Is Easy is a magnificent Batman movie. Aaron Schoenke and his team created a great story with a wonderful cast of characters. The production value of the film was great too. From great sets, costumes, and makeup to great cinematography and good visual effects for the film's budget. However, there were some visuals that I could definitely live without. The cast did a great job with their roles despite having a weak link. However, that weak link didn't interfere with the overall quality of the film. Ultimately, Bat In The Sun proved with Dying Is Easy that you don't need a multimillion dollar budget to make a great Batman movie, you just need people that love the material making the film. With that in mind Batman: Dying Is Easy is well worth the watch and go check it out on YouTube and subscribe to Bat In The Sun's channel.
