Batman
Starring: Kim Basinger, Michael Keaton, Jack NicholsonDirector: Tim Burton
Year of Release: 1989
This movie was quite a phenomenon when it came out in 1989. I remember actually waiting in a line that stretched down the block on opening day. People ate it up. The timing was just right for this movie and Tim Burton did a great job of capturing a dark, brooding Batman that had become popular largely due to Frank Miller’s milestone graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns.
This movie kicked off a string of big budget hero movies that hadn’t been seen since Superman IV stank up the theaters. But with each film you got the sense they were trying to outdo the previous one by getting more “big stars” and more characters crammed in. Until you had the unholy Batman and Robin piece of garbage with 3 villians, 3 heros, Arnold freakin’ Schwarzeneger… too much. But back when this was the only kid on the block, it was impressive.
I was skeptical about Michael Keaton playing Batman. He didn’t seem like the Bruce Wayne type to me. He was Beetlejuice and Mr. Mom. Not big, tough Batman. But he was actually really good and it turned out he was the best Bruce Wayne by far out of the 3 actors who played him in this series (not counting Christian Bale’s reboot of Batman). He had the scowl right. Perfectly arched eyebrows, never smiling, wearing black. I believed it. And his fight scenes were believable too. The suit worked on him. And the suit worked well as a more latex and rubber kind of outfit instead of the cliche “tights” thing. I’m sure they wanted to get as far away from the nasty TV show as possible.
Jack Nicholoson as the Joker was an interesting choice as well. 10 or 15 years earlier, like when he was in The Shining, he would have been perfect. But here he was looking a little pudgy and old. Nevertheless, Jack is a badass. He was given a chance to really go overboard and be outrageous, and it works. He’s funny, wicked, smart, and dangerous - all very effortlessly. And he really brings the Joker makeup to life instead of letting it bury him. It may not be exactly the character from the comic books, but Jack makes it his own and you can’t imagine anyone else playing that role in that movie.
Kim Bassinger was also good as the Vicki Vale, showing some depth which completely vanished from all Batman movies by the time they reached movie number 4. With the strong exception of Michelle Pfeiffer, most female roles in future Batman movies sank into one-dimensional oblivion.
Prince’s soundtrack was a big part of the film and some complain but I think it gives the whole film a consistent feel. And his take on the Batman themes was both original and interesting. His “Batdance” single and video were the perfect companion to the film and showed a real unique approach to doing a soundtrack.
Did Batman Begins beat this out as the best Batman movie of all time? That’s a tough call. Let’s see how upcoming movie The Dark Knight is and we’ll get back to you.
| Title | Content |
|---|---|
| Movie: | Batman |
| Director: | Tim Burton |
| Release Date: | 23 June 1989 (USA) / Other Countries |
| Genre: | Action / Crime / Drama / Thriller |
| Plot Outline: | The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being the clownishly homicidal Joker. |
| User Rating: | 71,875 votes, average 7.6 out of 10 |
| Runtime: | 126 |
| Awards: | Won Oscar. Another 7 wins&16 nominations |
| Cast: | Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Billy Dee Williams … |
| Others: |  Additional Details
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| Photos: | 
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