Review of Batman (1989) by Thomas L — 05 Jul 2014

Batman is a movie which I have a hard time to figure out if I hate it or love it. It gets so many things right and at the same time falls short in a lot of areas.

Stylistically, Batman succeeds marvelously at portraying Gotham as a dark, gritty and criminal city. The wayne manor looks fantastic, and the mood is for the most time perfect.

The score is as iconic as it is badass. It really feels like the definitive theme for the caped crusader.

Bruce Wayne is depicted perfectly by Michael Keaton, who does a wnderful job with his role. His presence is always impressive with how he silently gives us a clear impression of his thoughts and feelings by the look on his face. He is a great Batman as well, although his body is obviously not the right one for The Dark Knight.

Jack Nicholson is great as well in his role as the Joker, but the way the movie treats the character is not one I am fond of. The Joker always seemed like this guy from the shadows we know nothing about. The Joker has always been a prime example of how less is more, which was shown in The Dark Knight from 2008. His motivations are also rather weak and feel like a total cop-out.

While Gotham looks cool, a lot of effects are severely outdated by today's standards. The tower in the end looks laughably bad. The action is also rather uninteresting and traditional, not much to come after. In general, it also seems a little too goofy for the most part. But that is in large part due to how this film seems to be more about the Joker than Batman. Like I said, the more we know about The Joker, the better. With the joker often in focus, the tone becomes more goofy than dark.

Lastly, there is absolutely no sotyr in this movie. It feels so empty and there is nothing to come for regarding narrative. Like I said, the Joer's motivations are silly and uninteresting. Despite having some major major flaws, Batman is still a grossly entertaining movie to watch and has a lot of rewatch value. But for me, The Dark Knight will always be the definitive Batman movie! 6/10.