FanCam: Batman and Spiderman - The Chaos Continues (2014)

"Stop talking! Why don't we fight, like we used to in New York?!" Spider-man asked this of The Hobgoblin. I could make it out because the camera was very close to the muffled and masked Spidey and directed toward the Hobgoblin who was comprised, mainly, of yellow duct tape. In Batman and Spider-man: The Chaos Continues, that single line not only stands as a major plot point, it also describes a vast majority of the film. I get that these are born and made from a passion for the source material. I get that these are non-professionals with a dream. I get that. What I don't get is, roughly, forty minutes of dialogue, a non-existent plot and all the potential in the world. There are, literally, dozens of people in this cast willing to donate their time and they are instructed to do this. New title: Batmand and Spider-man: The Monologues Continue.

This is a big film. At forty eight minutes, one could expect some level of action and intrigue. There is enough time to develop a plot, use some tried and true characters and provide for a fun, multi-verse mash up. What we get are, largely, leftover Halloween costumes, bad dialogue and some murky night shots. The problem is in the breadth of the production, I think. Here is a partial list of characters: Batman, Spider-man, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, The Joker, The Hobgoblin, Vicki Vale, The Scarecrow, Commissioner Gordon, multiple henchmen, etc. The Joker and his gang look like a Twiztid concert broke out in an alley, although that is pretty creepy to think of. Someone went out and bought Sexy Poison Ivy in an after-Halloween sale and, dear God. I just can't. WHY is The Scarecrow sporting a Freddy Kreuger love? Although, I do like Killer Croc's hairnet. I bet he works in food service between super villain meetings. There really is no reason why Spider-man and his set of villains have come to Gotham City aside from The Joker asked them to and there is a virus that will blah, blah, blah. Inexplicably, Carnage shows up and... aww, to hell with it.

Written (the jury is out), produced and directed by Carlos Soto, the only real reason to watch this fan film (and not another fan film) is the sheer audacity of the presentation. We know that FanCam loves love. That means that the passion and heart of a project can sometimes FAR outweigh that project's shortcomings... but a passable Joker and a collection of duct-tape heroes (for Pete's sake, Nightwing's mask changes mid-scene... mid-scene!) does not a quality fan film make.

Kudos to the idea. Multiple universe crossovers are always fun, but monologue after monologue, inspid conversation after insipid converstaion, delivered by dedicated and hard working non-performers doesn't pay homage, as intended. Don't take my word for it. Have at it below.