Batman

In the late 70's, the Batman comic books developed a darker tone and there was an interest in making a film with the same mood. Batman was last on the big screen in 1966 in campy fashion and this new movie would be quite opposite. Tim Burton's first two feature films were successful but many fans thought him to be the wrong director for "Batman" and the same can be said for Michael Keaton in the title role. The film ended up being a big success but it was not the first Batman movie that I saw as a kid. As a result, "Batman" for me is a good movie but not great. It's story is a tad lazy but the acting is a lot of fun, particularly from Jack Nicholson.

As mentioned, this is a more serious approach to Batman in order to mimic the popular comics of the time. The batsuit for example is mostly black. I use the phrase "more serious" instead of realistic as the film's design is quite reflective of a comic book. Gotham is a fictional city and the first shots of the movie establish this mood. I enjoy the opening sequence with Batman taking down the robbers. I love Napier's reaction when he first sees Batman. The big question I have at this point is whether Batman drops Napier on purpose into the vat of chemicals. There is evidence for both but I think no. Once the Joker shows up in the film, the movie starts to get better. The scene when Joker sees his new face is a famous one and the subsequent reveal at Grissom's is well handled. The character of the Joker is a great balance between evil and humorous. A good illustration of this is his commercial. I love the "Brand X" gag and the line "Chances are, you bought 'em already." Another great line of the Joker's that I enjoy is, "Hard to stay inside the lines." Burton has a humorous sense of timing in one particular moment. Batman tells Viki to grab "the thing" on his belt and even before she is holding it, he adds "What every you do, don't let go." She has no time to react to that line anyways and that is funny. By the time she has been surprised by the sudden entrance to the batcave, Viki can't take it much more. She has had enough surprises. Another great use of direction is in Viki's apartment. The scene has an exclamation point to conclude it when Viki opens the present that the Joker left. Some fans don't really like the plot twist of Napier killing Thomas and Martha Wayne because it isn't in the comics and it seems too convenient for the current story being told. I don't know where I stand. One part of the plot I know I have problems with is that we never really know when Viki finds out that Bruce Wayne is Batman. Is it when she finds out what happened to Bruce's parents or when Alfred allows her into the Batcave? That is an annoying plot hole. The Joker's parade is a lot of fun and I like his speech as he mocks Batman. The Artist Formerly Known as Prince does his job well also. One of the most memorable shots in the entire movie is when the moon silhouettes the Batwing. That was really smart. Another memorable moment in the climax is when the Joker challenges Batman alone in the street to shoot him down (mano e mano). Composer Danny Elfman's waltzing music is quite good during the part where Batman fights the thugs and the Joker dances with Viki. The fake gun, as cliché as it is, is funny and Jack Nicholson really sells it too. We get some more great lines of the Joker's in this climax such as "You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses on, would ya?" and "What are you laughing at?" Then the Joker says "Sometimes I just kill myself" and this seems to give Batman an idea. In my opinion he doesn't kill the Joker because the Joker could have let go of the latter before the gargoyle came loose off the building. Batman does kill at least one guy in this movie and that makes him more of an anti-hero. That bothers me a little especially because of the more recent reboot in which Batman has "one rule". The very ending of the movie is great thanks to Danny Elfman.

After the success of "Pee-wee's Big Adventure", Tim Burton got the job of directing "Batman" but it wasn't until the success of "Beetlejuice" that the ball really got rolling. Because of Burton's and Michael Keaton's involvement, many fans thought that "Batman" would be campy like in the 1960's. Many big stars were considered to play Batman and even Adam West thought he was better than Keaton. Fortunately, the public was not yet used to Burton's style and Keaton's serious side was adequate enough to play Batman. I don't buy him however as Bruce Wayne. Keaton doesn't look like a million bucks and when I go to see a Batman movie, I want an actor that can perform both roles well. As with the role of Batman, the role of the Joker was also in high demand. Robin Williams petitioned for the role quite vigorously and I must admit that I would have loved to see him in that makeup. Batman creator Bob Kane wanted Jack Nicholson however and that was a bold move. By this point in his career, Jack had won two Oscars with a third still to come. It is obvious that the studio was trying to mimic the approach that was taken with "Superman" by casting an A-list actor as the baddie. Jack got a ton of cash playing the Joker and he got a lot of say in his filming schedule. Jack's performance is the best part of this movie. When he is Napier, he plays him straight but fascinating. The character fits in the design of the movie. When he becomes the Joker, the zaniness is fun and this contrasts his earlier character. Ever time the Joker laughs, it is different from that last time. The character of Knox by the way was pointless in my opinion. This was a third wheel that was useless to the story. It seems like the filmmakers were trying to create a love triangle between Viki, Knox and Bruce but the Joker is the much better "third corner".

This movie won the Oscar for Best Art Direction and I think it is the most important comic book film that came after "Superman". That franchise had recently ended on an unsatisfying note but "Batman" rescued the popularity of the superhero genre. It also begot a four-movie franchise and the "Ninja Turtles" franchise was indirectly lucrative as a result of the success of "Batman". The American Film Institute recognized Batman and the Joker from this movie on its list of the greatest film heroes and villains. They are #46 and #45 respectively but I would have to disagree somewhat. Other heroes and villains lower on the list such as Hans Gruber, Maximus and the Terminator from "Judgement Day" seem like better characters. As for my opinion on "Batman" as a whole, you have a great performance from Jack Nicholson in this show but the story doesn't have much in the way of rising action. I also prefer "Batman Forever" to this one because I saw it first.

3.5 Stars