Review of Batman (1989) by Lloyd H — 27 Jan 2013

Batman is one of my favourite films of all time. I grew up with this film and although the Nolan films are technically much better, this is arguably my favourite Batman film. Many people refer to this film as a guilty pleasure, but its one of, if not thee best film of the 80's, the first proper super hero film other than Superman and overall a huge cinematic achievement.

I am a die hard Batman fan and the newer Christopher Nolan films are some of my favourite and best films ever made. But when I think Batman, the first thing that comes into my head is this film, Tim Burton' Batman. This and Batman Returns where a massive part of my childhood and I enjoy watching them now as much as I did then. I love how different Burton's Batman is compared to Nolan's. They're both great in totally different ways. This version is however very sentimental to me. I loved the Bob Kane graphic novels and Burton's Batman shares lots of elements. This Batman film is dark, gothic and one of the only films that scared me as a child where I loved the thrill of being scared every time.

Michael Keaton is my favourite Batman, but not my favourite Bruce Wayne. One thing the Burton films lacked was a strong portrayal of Bruce Wayne as apposed to Christian Bale in the Nolan films. I love Michael Keaton in the role of Beetlejuice, but as Bruce Wayne his potential wasn't taken full advantage of by Director Tim Burton. Jack Nicholson is the original and the best Joker. Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight is one of the best performances of all time and he surpassed the efforts of the legend that is Jack Nicholson. But Jack Nicholson is the stereotypical Joker of the comics and the TV series. He steals the show in this film and is without a shadow of a doubt the highlight. Kim Basinger is a typical damsel and is a good female lead but the constant screams grate over time.

The Danny Elfman musical score is immense and one of my all time favourites. The bat mobile is great and despite all the oter versions since, it's this one I picture whenever the bat mobile is mentioned. The atmosphere and tone of the film is great and feels very claustrophobic compared to the epic scale of the newer Batman films since. Some of the set pieces are corny such as the bat plane in the moon and the Jokers huge gun that shoots the plane own, but its fun and enjoyable. The action is great and visually it's very exciting. The Prince soundtrack didn't work for me, but other than that I love everything else.

Batman is an all time great and will stand the test of time. I will watch this film 50 years from now after countless previous viewings and enjoy it just as much as I did the first time when I was 5 years old. This film is part of my childhood and I will have a lot of sentiment for this film forever.

Joker: "You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?".

Jack Nicholson / Batman / 1989.