A Look Back on the Films of Batman: BATMAN (1989)

With the new Batman movie: The Dark Knight coming out soon, its time for me to look back on the past Batman movies starting from the campy years of 1966 to the modern era in 2005. As close as it is, Batman is my second favorite superhero with just being close to Spider-Man. Batman has been through many changes and transformations in the film media for the best and for the worst. So without further ado, here is my view on the last Batman movies, leading up to The Dark Knight.


BATMAN (1989)

After two campy seasons of Batman in the 60s, Batman took a backseat to the age of Marvel superheroes and even four Superman movies. It was until newcomer director Tim Burton, whose previous films were Bettlejuice and Pee Wee's Big Adventure, brought the Caped Crusader back to the big screen. While not telling the origin of Batman, the movie serves as Batman's first battle with his ever-dangerous nemesis, The Joker. Burton's choice of casting Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman was very questionable towards the fans. Keaton didn't have the look of a playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne, but give him the awesome bat-suit and the sleek Batmobile and you got yourself a cool Batman. While it is a Batman movie, the star of the movie was the Joker, played by Jack Nicholson. In the future when Heath Ledger will do a different approach to the Joker, Jack gives a most faithful performance to the comic and cartoon source, being a dangerous clown with a bag of gimmicky tricks. For that time, his version of the Joker scared the hell of me as a kid as some of his tactics and deliverances were very dark indeed. I remembered being freaked out when the Joker burnt a guy to crisp with his hand buzzer and when a news anchorwoman died laughing from the laughing gas and left just smiling. I mean damn, that is freaky!

Kim Basinger was there to provide the love interest and damsel in distress for Bruce Wayne as Vicki Vale, though not much was developed between them and I never knew she even existed in the comics. Its not like she'll become the Lois Lane or Mary Jane of Batman. This goes to show that while Superman and Spider-man have their one and only, Batman is a damn player! He goes out and hooks up many chicks without breaking a sweat. Thats more awesome than James Bond, because he dresses up as a bat and still kick ass! Michael Gough was Alfred the butler and Pat Hingle was James Gordon. Didn't care for the casting of James Gordon, but I would say they did a lousy casting, comparing between him and the version from the animated series.

Overall it was a great Batman movie to watch. I wouldn't say its an awesome Batman movie to watch and here is the reason why. I learned as a kid all the things about Batman, the looks, the history (though The Joker did not really kill Batman's parents), the characters, the gadgets and everything. And this probably was close you'll get from watching an episode from the animated series or reading the comic. And it would take the right tone but at the same time, something different and breathtaking to make an awesome Batman movie......(and thats where Begins comes in, but its not its turn to be reviewed). But what makes this so special was how it was matured from its campy style in the 1960s to a more darker and moody, yet fantastical rendition. The music was brilliantly done by Tim Burton's henchman in the music department, Danny Elfman and Gotham City portrays as a giant shadow with buildings instead of.... Los Angeles. And it brought Burton back on for another Batman movie, with a more darker vision...

Up on my next blog: BATMAN RETURNS (1992)