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2509
"Mr. Mom" as BATMAN? You Gotta Be Kidding Me!!!
Pros
Tim Burton's vision, Keaton and Nicholson's performances, the Return of Superhero Movies
Cons
Established a few problems which would multiply in Bat-sequels
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Burton's Batman was as important in defining Batman in the American Consciousness as any other moment in his six-decade career....
That's what I remember thinking back in 1989. I didn't have anything AGAINST Keaton, but he was no Batman. That's like...ME playing Batman! I mean, I did it all the time, but just in my own head, and not in front of millions of people. And Jack Nicholson as the Joker? Come ON, Tim Burton, you're KILLING ME!
I've been a fan of Batman since I was a pup--he was the coolest Superhero, with the coolest base (the Batcave), the coolest toys (utility belts and batarangs), the coolest car, boat, plane, and helicopter....okay, he was just the coolest. And the best part about him is that really, he was just a guy. A normal human, trained to physical perfection and outfitted as a multi-billionaire to be able to afford all of those great toys. That, together with the element of tragedy (orphaned by a criminal's attack when he was only ten) and his unmatched rogue's gallery of criminals (Joker, Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman, Two-Face, Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze, Mad Hatter, Poison Ivy...) make him the BEST Superhero.
So I was worried that Tim Burton had ruined Batman.
And then I saw the movie. And....I liked it. It had its flaws, but there were elements of greatness in it that elevated it above your average everyday superhero stuff. These elements of greatness are probably what turned it into the gargantuan blockbuster it ended up being, and what made it so hard to serialize with subsequent Bat-films.
Here are the things I liked (and sometimes love) about "Batman" :
Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne and Batman: easily the part of the movie I was most skeptical about. He makes a fine Bruce Wayne, but you KNOW that inside that body armor of Batman's is just the regular guy, Michael Keaton. Who isn't very big, and not able to kick bad guy @ss the way you think Batman should.
He brings a welcome warmth and sense of humor to Bruce Wayne, and Batman is appropriately grim...changing the way we think about Batman forever. Adam West's Batman had been the way mainstream America thought about Batman, with the "BOFF!" "POW!" "SOCKO!" banners over the fight scenes, and high camp and bright colors were the way the TV Show was put together in the 60's. All of that was gone with this film, and it helped transform the character.
Jack Nicholson as Joker was the real highlight of the movie for most people, and his transformation from Organized Crime thug to Batman's archenemy via a vat of acid and industrial waste. I would have liked to have seen more depth with the development of the character, as seen in "The Killing Joke" and a few other books. Nicholson's undoubtedly a great actor, and has the range to take on the role and give it some uh, dignity. The madness, the malice, the fixation on Batman....all combine to create a memorable villain that never goes over the top.
The designs of the movie, especially for Gotham City, were amazing--Anton Furst's set designs won the film an Oscar, and have become the definitive vision of Gotham. The overhangs, the gargoyles, the bridges, are all intriguing and tweaked just enough to be not-of-this-world. In previous comic book movies, especially the "Superman" films, Metropolis was simply New York City, down to the Statue of Liberty. Furst's designs made Gotham distinct--a city in need of a hero beyond normal policedom.
Burton also had the extras dressed in 1940's clothes--so that everyone was wearing hats and overcoats, but still had computers and technology fitting in with the late 1980's. This incongruity worked somehow, and the movie was richer for it.
Further design innovations were the update of the Batmobile and Batman's armor--the highest of the high tech and generations (rightfully so) beyond the costumes that Adam West wore back in the day. The weaponry and utility belt stuff was also cool, and made me feel like I was a kid again.
The score, by Danny Elfman, was rich and inventive, and set the standard for the rest of the films in the series, and inspired the themes to the Animated Series and the Superman Series. Dark and adrenaline driven, it's a soundtrack worth buying.
One last plus, one that happily lasted through the entire run of the four movies, was the inclusion of Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's butler. Alfred is a father figure for Bruce, who at once supports him in his quest for justice and reprimands him for the risks he takes. Alfred is the heart of Batman.
So with all these great things, what didn't I like about it?
Vicki Vale Knows. First off, when it comes to superheroes and their secret identities, that would be the LAST thing they would tell anyone. Kim Basinger was fine as the investigative photojournalist (which had her roots in the comics, which was nice), but the plot twist that had her discovering that Bruce Wayne is Batman shouldn't have ever happened. In the comics, the only ones who ever know are his co-workers (i.e. Robin, Batgirl, Alfred)...that Vicki would so casually find out Bruce's most carefully guarded secret (with the assistance of Alfred) just doesn't sit well with me.
Commissioner Gordon is a buffoon in "Batman," and degenerates in successive films to the level of Chief Wiggum on "The Simpsons"...no WONDER Gotham City can't handle their crime problems. In the comics, Commissioner Gordon is Batman's most trusted ally, and may be his only true friend...it would have been nice to see a hint of that in the movie.
The Joker Dies. One of the things we love about Batman is the villains in his gallery, and the idea that even after they're captured and incarcerated at Arkham Asylum, there's an underlying threat that they'll escape and wreak havoc again. The Joker has been around since 1940--to kill him off in the first film of what has become a series was a big mistake.
That Prince song during the parade. Enough.
In all, I think this movie did an exceptional job of reviving Superheroes. Just as "Superman" did in the late seventies, "Batman" did in the late eighties. This course has eventually brought us to Marvel Comics' films-- "X-Men" last year, "Spider-Man" this year, "The Hulk" coming soon after that.
The DVD of "Batman" has a few nice extras, like design portfolios on Gotham City, and some notes about each of the characters and their actors. Other than that, it's worth it just to see it in widescreen. There will be a Special Edition coming out later this year--I haven't heard yet what the special features will be. I'm hoping WB makes it worth my while and makes me fork over another 25 bucks to feel like a kid again.
I've been a fan of Batman since I was a pup--he was the coolest Superhero, with the coolest base (the Batcave), the coolest toys (utility belts and batarangs), the coolest car, boat, plane, and helicopter....okay, he was just the coolest. And the best part about him is that really, he was just a guy. A normal human, trained to physical perfection and outfitted as a multi-billionaire to be able to afford all of those great toys. That, together with the element of tragedy (orphaned by a criminal's attack when he was only ten) and his unmatched rogue's gallery of criminals (Joker, Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman, Two-Face, Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze, Mad Hatter, Poison Ivy...) make him the BEST Superhero.
So I was worried that Tim Burton had ruined Batman.
And then I saw the movie. And....I liked it. It had its flaws, but there were elements of greatness in it that elevated it above your average everyday superhero stuff. These elements of greatness are probably what turned it into the gargantuan blockbuster it ended up being, and what made it so hard to serialize with subsequent Bat-films.
Here are the things I liked (and sometimes love) about "Batman" :
Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne and Batman: easily the part of the movie I was most skeptical about. He makes a fine Bruce Wayne, but you KNOW that inside that body armor of Batman's is just the regular guy, Michael Keaton. Who isn't very big, and not able to kick bad guy @ss the way you think Batman should.
He brings a welcome warmth and sense of humor to Bruce Wayne, and Batman is appropriately grim...changing the way we think about Batman forever. Adam West's Batman had been the way mainstream America thought about Batman, with the "BOFF!" "POW!" "SOCKO!" banners over the fight scenes, and high camp and bright colors were the way the TV Show was put together in the 60's. All of that was gone with this film, and it helped transform the character.
Jack Nicholson as Joker was the real highlight of the movie for most people, and his transformation from Organized Crime thug to Batman's archenemy via a vat of acid and industrial waste. I would have liked to have seen more depth with the development of the character, as seen in "The Killing Joke" and a few other books. Nicholson's undoubtedly a great actor, and has the range to take on the role and give it some uh, dignity. The madness, the malice, the fixation on Batman....all combine to create a memorable villain that never goes over the top.
The designs of the movie, especially for Gotham City, were amazing--Anton Furst's set designs won the film an Oscar, and have become the definitive vision of Gotham. The overhangs, the gargoyles, the bridges, are all intriguing and tweaked just enough to be not-of-this-world. In previous comic book movies, especially the "Superman" films, Metropolis was simply New York City, down to the Statue of Liberty. Furst's designs made Gotham distinct--a city in need of a hero beyond normal policedom.
Burton also had the extras dressed in 1940's clothes--so that everyone was wearing hats and overcoats, but still had computers and technology fitting in with the late 1980's. This incongruity worked somehow, and the movie was richer for it.
Further design innovations were the update of the Batmobile and Batman's armor--the highest of the high tech and generations (rightfully so) beyond the costumes that Adam West wore back in the day. The weaponry and utility belt stuff was also cool, and made me feel like I was a kid again.
The score, by Danny Elfman, was rich and inventive, and set the standard for the rest of the films in the series, and inspired the themes to the Animated Series and the Superman Series. Dark and adrenaline driven, it's a soundtrack worth buying.
One last plus, one that happily lasted through the entire run of the four movies, was the inclusion of Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's butler. Alfred is a father figure for Bruce, who at once supports him in his quest for justice and reprimands him for the risks he takes. Alfred is the heart of Batman.
So with all these great things, what didn't I like about it?
Vicki Vale Knows. First off, when it comes to superheroes and their secret identities, that would be the LAST thing they would tell anyone. Kim Basinger was fine as the investigative photojournalist (which had her roots in the comics, which was nice), but the plot twist that had her discovering that Bruce Wayne is Batman shouldn't have ever happened. In the comics, the only ones who ever know are his co-workers (i.e. Robin, Batgirl, Alfred)...that Vicki would so casually find out Bruce's most carefully guarded secret (with the assistance of Alfred) just doesn't sit well with me.
Commissioner Gordon is a buffoon in "Batman," and degenerates in successive films to the level of Chief Wiggum on "The Simpsons"...no WONDER Gotham City can't handle their crime problems. In the comics, Commissioner Gordon is Batman's most trusted ally, and may be his only true friend...it would have been nice to see a hint of that in the movie.
The Joker Dies. One of the things we love about Batman is the villains in his gallery, and the idea that even after they're captured and incarcerated at Arkham Asylum, there's an underlying threat that they'll escape and wreak havoc again. The Joker has been around since 1940--to kill him off in the first film of what has become a series was a big mistake.
That Prince song during the parade. Enough.
In all, I think this movie did an exceptional job of reviving Superheroes. Just as "Superman" did in the late seventies, "Batman" did in the late eighties. This course has eventually brought us to Marvel Comics' films-- "X-Men" last year, "Spider-Man" this year, "The Hulk" coming soon after that.
The DVD of "Batman" has a few nice extras, like design portfolios on Gotham City, and some notes about each of the characters and their actors. Other than that, it's worth it just to see it in widescreen. There will be a Special Edition coming out later this year--I haven't heard yet what the special features will be. I'm hoping WB makes it worth my while and makes me fork over another 25 bucks to feel like a kid again.
