Batman

Batman (1989)

Runtime: 126 minutes

Directed by: Tim Burton

Starring: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Michael Gough, Robert Wuhl

From: Warner Bros.

Cooking sheets make for the best bulletproof vests.

When I was an 8 year old kid in the summer of '89, one afternoon my mom took me and my two sisters to see this film; thirty years later there was another opportunity to see this film in a big way. As a child there were Batman & Superman movies (along with the excellent Batman: The Animated Series) yet even with that comic books still aren't my thing and as stated plenty of times before, I have no preference when it comes to Marvel vs. DC. As Fathom Events are showing this and the three live action Batman films from the 90's on the big screen as an anniversary deal (and also to plug those films arriving on 4K UHD next month) I might as well watch all four that way; only this and Forever I saw as a youth.

I don't need to rehash the plot of this or note that even I know this story had some decidedly non-canon moments. I can say that it was nice seeing this movie with a big crowd and the silliest moments I was able to excuse. Tim Burton was a great choice to lead a movie set in a craphole city that has strong Gothic architecture; it was obvious why someone needed to be a superhero to stop crime when a corrupt police force couldn't. I imagine if Twitter was around in the late 80's there would be plenty of bellyaching over Michael Keaton being the lead but he did manage to work quite well in the role... and he did not even have to do a silly voice while in costume. It's impossible to compare this character vs. what was in The Dark Knight as they were completely different... what Ledger did was legendary but Jack as Jack Napier was unforgettable as a criminal who is double-crossed over a girl and is now psychotic.

Also worthy of mention is Danny Elfman's score and the coup of them getting Prince to do the entire soundtrack. I remember all the hoopla and hullabaloo surrounding this movie in the months before this came out. I imagine that was why I wanted to see this... along with before that knowing the characters as I did see the 60's Batman show when it was in reruns. Of course I've seen the movie between 1989 and yesterday but only now can I fully appreciate it. While I can be bemused that a cooking tray somehow stopped a bullet, this is a movie where someone's skin became chalk-white after falling into a giant vat that was probably labeled “toxic chemicals” on the side, so perhaps I shouldn't ponder such things. Anyhow, on the big screen yesterday it was a treat enjoying a quality cast at work, the tremendous production design, a solid story which would still work if it was less comic book and action scenes which were at least more coherent than most of what we saw in the Nolan films. In the future I'll talk more in depth about those as I have opinions which go against the norm.


The three sequels I imagine I won't rate as high yet I am still glad for the opportunity to see all four in a big way with an audience; at least I'll be viewing superhero movies theatrically in 2019...