Review of Batman (1989) by Steve R — 26 Dec 2012

"Tell me, my friend. Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?".

Ok. So we begin in an eerie haunting spectacle where Batman succeeds as dark and dangerous entertainment, despite Jack Nicholson's Joker getting the spotlight a little too often. I never could quite get enough of this Tim Burton classic. It outshines any of the following sequels, the only obvious exception being Batman Returns in '92. Being the suspense and thriller fan and the Tim Burton fan that I am, mix those two together and then add one of my other fandoms in the form of Batman and you get my attention. While I already praised Heath Ledger for his groundbreaking performance as the Joker in the Dark Knight, Jack Nicholson deserves some credit. For the most part, he succeeded in giving a scary villian. He also managed to keep in that dark humour that Burton fans always love to sink their teeth into. But when the film begins to run a bit long, Nicholson gets a little dry and boring. Keaton rarely gets the spotlight when in a scene involving Joker, despite Keaton playing the title character. But hey, it still didn't stop the movie from rocking the house. I love this movie and I will gladly defend it against any criticism people may have for it.

Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson are terrific when together. Even if Nicholson may have been hogging the spotlight. You can literally feel the hatred shared between their characters. But they don't have anything on the interrogation scene between Christian Bale and Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. That scene is what sold Ledger as the Joker for me. But hey, that's a a different movie and I would personally like to stay on-topic.

Kim Basinger. Wow. She was a terrific co-star for Keaton and Nicholson. She had great chemistry with both of them. When she was with Batman, you literally felt relief flood over in you but when she was with the Joker, you were literally on the edge of your seat wondering what he'd do to her.

All in all, this movie is an instant classic. Be sure to check it out and be wowed.