Review of Batman (1989) by Joe A — 29 Dec 2013

Warner Brothers was trying to get a Batman film going for years with various directors attached and in various tones and with numerous actors sought for the lead from Bill Murray to Steven Seagal. But with the success of Pee Wee's Big Adventure and Beetlejuice, the studio settled on Tim Burton as a new upcoming director and fans began to buzz with interest.

When Burton announced Beetlejuice start Michael Keaton as his Batman, the interested turned to outrage, though the outrage calmed down somewhat as it was also announced that film icon Jack Nicholson would be his arch-nemesis, The Joker.

The film was finally made and after years of waiting, I remember enjoying it upon seeing it opening night on 6/23/89 but, had I some problems with it that kept me from loving it. With a recent revisit, I found those problems still haunt it and, to be honest, it is kind of dated especially with the Prince songs, which I never liked being in the film in the first place.

They totally contrast and work against Danny Elfman's moody and gothic score. Batman opens with a mysterious bat suited figure thrashing two criminals on a rooftop and the subsequent investigation by hard-nosed reporter Alexander Knox (a completely annoying Robert Wuhl and a character that could have been totally removed without any effect on the story) and intrepid photographer Vicki Vale (a bland Kim Basinger).

We also get a second storyline of mob enforcer Jack Napier (Jack Nicholson) who is sleeping with crime boss Carl Grissom's (Jack Palance) girlfriend (Jerry Hall) and Grissom knows it. Grissom sends Napier on a job which is actually a set-up and when the police arrive, so does 'The Bat" and Jack winds up shot in the face and falling in a vat of chemicals.

The Joker is thus born but, so is a hero as The Batman (Michael Keaton) is secretly orphaned billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, a man who is avenging the murder of his parents by taking the criminals of Gotham head on as his masked alter ego.

And with the Joker planing to ruin Gotham, he and Batman are fated to collide. But, Wayne and Joker are also fated to collide too, as both men set their sights on the beautiful Vale. And that plot element brings me to one of my first and biggest problems with Batman and that is the love triangle (quadrangle?) between Vale, Wayne, Joker and Batman.

Not only does it not really work but, it provides some of the worst written scenes/dialogue in movie. The film stops dead for two scenes in particular when the Joker come to woo Vale and I never bought that the Joker would throw aside and endanger his nefarious plans, just for a girl.

.. at least in how I see the character. That and Bassinger is just boring as Vale and one wonders how it would have been if Sean Young hadn't been injured and lost the role. But, this is also the product of the really weak script by Sam Hamm and Warren Skaaren that was reported to have been continuously tweaked throughout production.

The script continually stops the already weak plot... The Joker messing with hair and beauty products? That was the best 'evil scheme' they could come up with for the greatest comic book villain of all time?.

.. to pay attention to this subplot and takes the iconic Joker and Batman characters and makes their disagreement over a girl, like this was a John Hughes high school movie or something. At least Keaton shocked the world by being a great Batman and he gives this film a lot of the weight it has.

He makes a brooding and mysterious Dark Knight and a perfectly aloof and eccentric Bruce Wayne. He even retains his dignity in an awfully written scene with him trying to explain his double life to Vale with an intrusion by The Joker.

There is that 'Vale' factor again. As for Nicholson, despite what appears to be perfect casting... and I know I'll get flak for this... Jack's Joker is a mixed bag. He goes from dead-on threatening, such as the infamous "Wait'll they get a load of me" scene, to just plain goofy and silly.

I do understand that the Joker's tone did change from dangerous psycho to goofy clown over the years in the comics but, the movie needed to pick one. I don't know if it was Jack being overindulgent or Burton mishandling him or a product of the script but, Nicholson's Joker is all over the place.

He fails to solidify the proper threat and menace to make the character a solid villain as there are times when he appears to be a little too demented and silly to get away with his plans. He has some really effective scenes.

.. his treatment of Alicia (Hall) is the kind of cruel streak the character needed a bit more of to remain frightening... but, they are totally sidetracked by his sillier moments, but, in his defense, and I can't say this enough, the script doesn't give him the best material to chew on.

And as Burton isn't always the strongest storyteller so, maybe Jack just winged it from scene to scene. And as for Burton, he is a great visualist and this film has a sort of grimy Blade Runner meets 1940s detective thriller look to it.

The storytelling here is weak but, it is said the script was sometimes changed without the director's knowledge so, not sure if the film's weakest moments are totally his fault. There were apparently a lot of hands in this pot and that's why the following sequel seems more like a "Tim Burton" film then this one.

All it's flaws aside, this movie is still endearing to me. Keaton is great and would get even better in the improvement of a sequel. There is a lot of fun action and when Jack is on, he is a delight to watch when he gives his Joker the appropriate menace and isn't sabotaged by some bad dialogue or cartoonish behavior.

I wish he had been given a better story then hair and make-up tinkering but, this is what we got. The film has a classic score by Danny Elfman and a very underrated performances by Michael Gough as Alfred and his scenes with Keaton are magic.

Put all 4 of this era's Batman's together and Gough is the jewel of this uneven series. The Phantom Of The Opera-ish climax is also a lot of fun and The Joker's last scene might ironically be one of the most fitting scenes for the character.

.. always having to have the last laugh. So, in conclusion, despite a lot of flaws and the signs of a tumultuous production, the movie still has a lot to entertain and certainly has it's charm, especially now that it's aged somewhat.

.. though not as gracefully as we'd like. And as my idea of Batman and his Joker were better portrayed by Nolan's The Dark Knight, I can now let this movie slide on a few of it's issues as it is no longer the only film on the subject.

Also stars Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon, Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent and Tracey Walter as Joker's top henchman Bob.