Alright, alright, so I lied about my first review being of either Batman Begins or the Dark Knight, but I’m at least sticking with the Batman theme. Instead of first reviewing the Christopher Nolan directed Batman films, I decided I’d instead review the four prior Batman movies (sorry Burt Ward and Adam West, I’m not including your amazing “Batman: The Movie” here). The first two of the four Batman movies were directed by the visionary Tim Burton, who managed to add his own spin to the Batman lore with a gothic vision of Gotham City and the Joker parading around museums listening to… Prince.
Now, I know how that may sound, but Burton somehow makes it work. In fact, pretty much the whole movies just “works.” It’s really not an amazing movie, but it never really sets out to be one. From Batman’s introduction (“I want you to tell your friends about me”) to the final confrontation between Batman and the Joker, it’s clear that Burton set out to make a unique, entertaining take on the Batman character.
Despite taking a few liberties with the Batman characters like naming the Joker and having him be the killer of Bruce Wayne’s parents, Burton really does produce an entertaining take on Batman. Batman’s introduction is perfect and mysterious, showing Batman slowly gliding down with his cape completely spread like a bat in flight and punishing a couple thieves in Gotham City. The idea of a six foot bat flying around Gotham is considered ludicrous to the people of Gotham but the truth is eventually revealed when Batman is spotted by the police and later the public. This enigmatic take on the character is lifted from the comics and works exceptionally well. Another aspect of the take on this Batman that works well is the batsuit, which looks heavy and protective yet plausible. In addition, the cape and cowl are very well constructed, even making someone like Michael Keaton look intimidating. The other part that makes the movie work so well is the Joker. From the first appearance as the normal Jack Napier to the deranged psychopath calling himself the Joker, the character is portrayed very well. The iconic purple suit, white skin, and red smile are ever present, and the Joker is as crazy as ever – constantly cracking jokes as he murders people.
The reason these two characters work well are the actors portraying them. Michael Keaton, despite being in pretty much every way the worst fit possible for the Bruce Wayne/Batman character, does a wonderful job. He manages to pull off the intimidation of Batman and the suaveness of Bruce Wayne surprisingly well (except when tries to reveal his identity in a certain scene). Jack Nicholson does a fine job as the crazy murderous Joker, pulling off some brilliant quotable lines of dialogue including “Where does he get those wonderful toys?” and “Ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?” Rounding out the cast is Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale, the love interest of Bruce Wayne as well as a photographer working on the Batman case. She plays the part well, but is simply outclassed by both Keaton and Nicholson. Robert Wuhl plays Knox and does a great job, shining in the little screen time he has. Michael Gough does a fine job as Wayne’s butler and father figure Alfred, but he also receives little screen time. Pat Hingle and Billy Dee Williams play Commissioner Jim Gordon and Harvey dent respectively, and neither role feels like anything more than an extended cameo, a departure from their major roles in the comics.
It’s hard to find any real problems with Batman. I think my biggest issues with the film are the characterizations of certain characters. In the movie, Batman seems to have no issue with killing criminals, a radical departure from the comics Batman, whose number one rule is to never kill. Although Nicholson is great as the Joker, at times it just feels like he’s playing himself (which ultimately happens too often in the Batman franchise.) I also resent the treatment of Gordon’s character in this movie. It’s nothing to do with Pat Hingle, it’s simply the way he’s portrayed. I’ve always seen Gordon as the character that Batman trusts and looks to for help, which is entirely absent in the movie. Lando (Billy Dee Williams) plays Harvey Dent in the movie, who is eventually scarred and becomes the villainous Two-Face in the comics, but his character is barely present. It just feels like wasted potential when they could’ve had him play a bigger part in order to introduce Two-Face as a villain. Ultimately, it’s probably a good thing he didn’t have a big part, with Tommy Lee Jones taking over the role in Batman Forever. Besides the problems with characterization I have, I think some things in the movie are just too ridiculous. Granted, it’s a movie about a guy that dresses up as a bat, but I think that a hand buzzer turning a man into a charred corpse is rather bizarre. And on a last note, while I found the scenes featuring Prince’s music funny, they’re almost too corny. I mean, Prince in a Batman movie? Really?
All in all, Batman carries a few flaws but the good overshadows the bad. With solid performances from Keaton and Nicholson and a fun, entertaining take on the character, “Batman” directed by Tim Burton, earns a solid 8.0/10.
8.0/10
2 comments:
Great Review. I actually give it a 9/10/. I saw it when it first came out at the theater and after 20 or so years of no Batman and fading memories of the Batman TV show (which I loved as a kid) this was a real triumph. At the time, the thought of Michael Keaton as Batman was ridiculous, but to be honest, he did a great job (I wonder why he left the role?).
I loved the joker. You can't top Jack, he is the best. I really though the Knox storyline added no value but to see Batman on the big screen (and not a revisit of the 60's batman) was great. Too bad they evolved back to the 60's in Batman and Robin and made one of the worst movies of all time, but alas, that review waits, and I look forward to it.
Very well written and very true review, nice work. I feel that this was the best "Batman" movie prior to Nolan's take on the character. I have to agree with Bruce, in the aspect of the Joker, Jack was very befitting for the role and looked the part as well. One thing I admired about the film was the Jokers use of the Laughing Gas, This was a Major tool in the Comics.
Over all I'd give the film a 8.5 out of 10. This score takes in consideration of the unique take on Batman and the cast. The cast was the better then any of the later films that were released, and they did an excellent job playing their roles. This also takes into consideration the "corny" dialogue and the ridicules parts of the film as well (i.e. The Buzzer Scene).
But Like I stated before, excellent job, and great review. Looking forward to reading others.
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