Today faithful reader (I assume only my wife reads this) I am watching Tim Burton’s Batman from 1989. This was the first event movie I can remember. I was about to turn 11 when this came out. It was a great time to be a kid and Batfan. I was caught up in the hype for this. I had the shirts, action figures, trading cards, comics and magazines.
So on to the review as I watch.
Opening scene, awesome, ending with the great line “I’m Batman!” Considering the backlash at Keaton’s casting, I’m sure he and Burton loved putting that in so early on.
Trivia, Billy Dee Williams was contracted to reprise his role as Dent and become Two-Face in future sequels and got a huge payday when they bought him out to cast Tommy Lee Jones in Forever.
Nicholson was great as the Joker for the style and tone of this movie. He really embraces the sick brand of humor that makes the Joker one of the Dark Knights greatest foes.
Hidden bat signs. The gate to Wayne Manor has some bat looking iron work. Also in the huge dining room in the wide shots of Vale, the arch behind her left shoulder looks like an upside down bat. Speaking of the date scene, Vicki Vale is kinda slutty. Her first date at a guys house and she gets plastered and spends the night.
In the scene where Joker throws the pen in the guys neck, why do the 2 cops just stand there as Joker delivers his line??
Keaton’s performance as Bruce Wayne is the best of the 90’s. He balances the charm and melancholy necessary for the part better than Kilmer or Clooney.
Great cinematography, the city feels like one of the strange twisted characters that Burton is famous for.
The Batmobile is awesome!! It fits the world that was created in this film. The shields are kind of lame but the car makes up for it. I want one!!!
I Like the chase from the museum. Could do without Basinger screaming every 3.29 seconds though. I really love how easily Batman dispatches the sword thug, kinda a nod to Indy in Raiders.
In addition to being nothing more than a screaming plot device, Vale is an idiot. She can’t piece together the clues. Who has the money to be Batman, operates out of a cave equidistant from town as the house of my boyfriend, sounds like Bruce with a cold and has those full pouty lips??
I really enjoy suiting up for battle scenes, I actually wish this one had been a little longer. It could have shown us those wonderful toys at B-man strapped them to his belt.
Elfman’s score is amazing!! Not quite as amazing as Prince’s Batdance, but close.
The scene of the Batwing in the moon, hokey, yes, supercool, yes that too!!
Joker’s super long gun, hokey, yes, supercool, not so much.
The climax is great, after Batman emerges from the wreckage you get the feel that it’s on like Donkey Kong!! From when Joker tells his chopper to be there in 10 mins, the movie plays out in real time, kinda neat.
The rooftop sequence is wonderful, capturing the nature of both hero and villain. The only thing I don’t like is that they killed the Joker. That’s one of the great things about the dynamic. Batman wants to kill Joker but can’t. For a wonderful explanation of why see Batman:Under The Red Hood.
All together this is a wonderful adaptation of Batman. It came at a time when Batman wasn’t huge and comic book movies were rare and even more rarely good. It has it’s flaws to be sure, but the performances and direction make up for them.
This movie paved the way for future comic movies. Without this Batman I feel we wouldn’t have the Nolan trilogy or Marvel’s phase one.
Top 5 abhorrent comic book movies:
5. Superman 3 and 4. After the first two being so good, the franchise lost steam like a kettle taken off the burner.
4. Captain America (1990) Total low budget camp. If you haven’t seen it, don’t bother.
3. Ghost Rider 2. Sucks more than a Dyson.
2. Watchmen. I was jazzed to see this. I was let down. It was way to long, way to abstract an I got tired of seeing Dr. Manhattan’s “business” aired out for all to see.
1. The Fantastic Four. The 1994 Roger Corman version from 1994. If a studio is going to throw money out to make a crap movie just to keep the rights to the characters, they should at least let the cast and crew know. Available in its entirety on YouTube.
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