Greetings & Salutations Movie Fanatics!
It’s been quite a while since I brought you a ‘movie from the theaters’ and I’m stoked to say that the movie I get to share with you today is not just a documentary, but a chronicle of one kid’s successful fight against a disease and how his family and an entire city came together to fulfill his childhood wish to not just follow in the footsteps of his heroes, but to become a super hero himself.
‘BatKid Begins’ is directed by Dana Nachman and written by Nachman and Kurt Kuenne. The film documents the story surrounding cancer survivor Miles Scott. At just 18 months of age he was diagnosed with a form of leukemia. Will receiving treatment for his illness Miles’ became a fan of many superheroes including his favorite Batman and the various representations of him in movies, comics, and television (in particular the Adam West T.V. incarnation). His family believed that it was Miles’ fascination with superheroes that helped him to face the disease. Seeing them day in and day out fighting crime, standing up to evil, and always saving the day. One day, the folks from San Fransisco’s Make-A-Wish foundation came to visit and when they asked Miles what he wanted more than anything else he simply replied, “I want to be BatKid”.
The folks at Make-A-Wish accepted the ‘challenge’ and immediately set out to make Miles’s wish a reality. His family wanted to schedule it to happen in a month because by then his treatments would be over and Miles would be getting his strength back after enduring numerous rounds of chemo and medical treatments. Utilizing a social media plan created by a marketing agency, Make-A-Wish sent e-mails asking for supporters thinking they could get a couple hundred people to help with the project. The story quickly spread like wildfire through social media and soon involved so many people, it required help from major corporations like Twitter and Apple to help put the event together. Eventually, it ballooned into a massive city-wide event that would involve Miles as BatKid teaming up with ‘Batman’ and taking part in several staged scenarios fighting crime and some of Batman’s most notorious villains like The Penguin and The Riddler. An event that turned the streets of San Fransisco into the crime-ridden streets of Gotham City with people flying in not just from around the country but across the world to help make Miles’s wish a reality.
This movie was about a kid’s amazing triumph over a horrible disease. It’s also an inspirational tale of hope, bravery, and humor. When many of us were kids, a lot of us dreamed of being superheroes. Of saving the day. Of good triumphing over evil. Miles got to live out that dream and become the superhero we all used to dream about being at one time. You see all these people from all over the world and all walks of life wanting to help make this kid’s wish come true. And it happened! It poses the question, “If all these people can be brought together by a kid’s wish, to help make it come true … Why can’t this happen somehow in another situation?” In the end, Miles and his wish really did save the day.
This film is definitely one of the cooler documentaries I’ve seen. I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars. Regardless of where or how you see the movie, watch it with family or friends. Who knows? It might just compel you to go out and ‘save the day’.
This is ‘The CameraMan’ and on behalf of my fellows at ‘Skewed & Reviewed’ I’d like to say thanks for reading, and we’ll see you at the movies.
(To find out how you could help make a child’s wish a reality, visit worldwish.org for more information)
