Review of Batman (1989) by Daniel P — 29 Mar 2016

Out of all the superheroes in DC comics, Batman is probably my favorite. Christopher Nolan told the origin of Batman so incredibly well with his DARK KNIGHT trilogy. And after watching the whole trilogy, I became enthralled with Batman's story. That's when I came across Tim Burton's interpretation of Batman. I actually never knew about this movie until after I saw all the Nolan films. When it comes to Tim Burton, his movies aren't really some of the best, but I have always loved his style. They've always looked like something out of a fantasy. So, I was curious to see how he interpreted his view on the origin of Batman.

From what I've heard, they say it's good but nowhere near as good as the Nolan films. I don't know if I could say that because I ended up liking it a lot, almost loving it. I really love it when comic book movies take the story of a superhero seriously while also having that comic book feel to it, which is exactly what this film does. As far as my knowledge goes, this was the first time they took a dark and serious turn on the origin of Batman, which seems fitting since Batman has a very dark personality and story behind him with his parents being killed and getting his revenge on any criminal as justice. You would think that a comedian like Michael Keaton would not be the best choice to play Bruce Wayne/Batman, you can't really see him playing the part. But, that's really the whole point. You're not supposed to suspect him as Batman, making his identity much more confidential. And when you do see him as Batman, he still looks very intimidating. I think Keaton played his part just as well as Christian Bale did in the Nolan films, at least as Batman. When I heard that Jack Nicholson played as the Joker, I was thinking to myself, "Perfect!" There really is no other actor that could be a more perfect choice, he's practically been playing the part all his life. And for the most part, he really delivers. Though, there were some instances where he goes over-the-top, I mean REALLY over-the-top. But, he's always a ton of fun to watch. Danny Elfman's score for this movie is excellent, it fits perfectly with the tone of the movie. It's one of his best, if not his best. I LOVE the main theme! To me, it's the definitive theme music to Batman.

Most of my problems with the movie go to its effects, they don't really hold up as well anymore. When you look at some of the backgrounds, you can clearly tell they're using matte paintings or models. Most of the action scenes feel like something out of an old TV show, it feels very restrained and not edited very well. It was probably intentional to make it feel more traditional, and it's probably just Tim Burton's earlier style of filmmaking. Kim Basinger's character, Vicki Vale, felt like your very typical damsel in distress. She always needs to be saved and doesn't really do anything. She also screams a lot and it gets pretty annoying. When you see Michael Keaton in the Batman suit, he looks intimidating, but at the same time you can tell that he is very stiff in the costume and looks kind of silly sometimes. The movie also features a couple of songs from Prince. They're good songs, but they felt completely out of place with the movie. Again, that's probably just Burton's style. But, my biggest problem with the film that I think everyone thinks the same thing is that there is too much focus on the Joker. This movie seems to be more of an origin story of the Joker rather than Batman. We shouldn't know everything about the Joker, he's the villain. Batman is the character we need to focus on. It's the title of the movie for crying out loud! If they wanted to be more accurate, the movie should've been titled JOKER. But again, it was probably intentional. Since Batman is a mysterious character, it would make sense to not give him as much focus which would make him more fascinating.

Tim Burton's BATMAN may be not one of the best comic book movies, especially when comparing it to the Nolan films, but I still really enjoyed it and has actually become one of my personal favorites. I appreciate it for its dark and serious take on the origin of Batman while still keeping that traditional comic book feeling. To those who haven't seen it, if you enjoy more of the gritty and adult comic book movies that are coming out today, then this movie probably isn't for you. This movie is pretty silly and campy. But if you're really a fan of comic book movies, then definitely give it a watch.

Grade: A-.