Review of Batman (1989) by Ben L — 02 Mar 2016
I kind of like the character of Batman, but I never had the insane passion that many others have for him. (I was always more of a Marvel guy.) So I saw Batman back in 1989, and never felt the need to see it again.
But it was free on Netflix, so I thought it might be worth giving it a try again to see how it holds up. My feelings for this movie kind of mirror my feelings for the Dark Knight trilogy. I find the movie to be well-made, entertaining to watch, and an overall good time.
What really does work great is the fact that they spend more time in this movie establishing Bruce Wayne as a man. That works so well because Michael Keaton is great at being both charming and guarded which is what it takes to make Bruce Wayne a viable alter ego.
His relationship with Vicki Vale is almost more interesting than anything he does with the cowl on. In my opinion, the real downfall of Batman as a character, is the fact that his villains are more interesting than him.
That certainly holds true here, because Jack Nicholson absolutely crushes his portrayal of the Joker. Every single scene he is in is amazing, because he matches the tone of this movie which is halfway between the 60s TV show and Nolan's Dark Knight movies.
No one can go off on a maniacal rant like Jack Nicholson, and he gets lots of opportunities in this film. I think the fight sequences leave something to be desired, mostly because the suit limits Keaton's flexibility, but they are good enough to keep the story going.
I like this movie, and I think it holds up surprisingly well. But, just like any other film related to Batman, I can't call it one of my favorites.
This review of Batman (1989) was written by Ben L on 02 Mar 2016.
Batman has generally received very positive reviews.
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