Brandon at Random Reviews

Where do I begin? This one will be a long one, I’m trying to warn you up front. So many elements of this movie are etched into my soul. My grandma had this on what must’ve been HBO at her house when I was very young. Like no older than 3 or 4. I walked by the TV and I was instantly captivated by what I was seeing on-screen. Batman was slowly walking across a belfry, about to fight a bunch of random thugs. It was epic. From then on, Batman always had a special place in my heart.

The Actors

When Michael Keaton was cast in the titular hero, it was met with backlash from fans. They claimed he was too short, he was only a comedic actor and they didn’t want more Adam West. They wanted the grittier, darker version the character that had been popularized over the last several years in the comics, especially with Frank Miller’s comic series The Dark Knight Returns, where an aging, retired Batman comes back to take on the gangs that have overrun Gotham City. People did not take into account that some comedic actors make for great dramatic actors, since they say comedy is actually harder. Keaton did, in my opinion, deliver very well on his portrayal of a darker Caped Crusader, and as the wealthy Bruce Wayne. A famous rich guy that somehow no one in this movie originally has any idea what he looks like for some reason. Keaton killed it, in case you wondered where I stood on that whole thing.

The bigger name actor, Mr. Jack Nicholson was to portray The Joker, and I’ve never really heard about much in the way of backlash for his casting. Nicholson was a shade older than his Cuckoo’s Nest or Chinatown days, that version of him would’ve been even better despite him being pretty fucking good as is here thank you very much. He definitely has a great energy for the part, creepy while making seemingly lighthearted jokes and proving to be a psychotic maniac. He has so many great, well-delivered lines here.

Now, Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale is interesting. She is really, really, ridiculously good looking despite them making her wear that blue outfit with long sleeves in the one scene that always seems to bring out a case of man hands even in the daintiest of women. Basinger acts very well despite being directed to scream bloody murder every chance she gets and generally being something of a fucking lunatic who is doing stage 5 clinger shit after like 1-2 dates with Bruce Wayne. I love her til the end of the earth and back but I can see arguing that she isn’t proving to be a very strong female character considering she’s one of the few women even in this movie.

Some of the more minor roles include Robert Wuhl as Alexander Knox, the wise-cracking journalist/reporter who is a believer in Batman lore before basically anyone else that matters. Michael Gough plays Alfred and is great for this movie, but I would like to see more of him even considering he was in the other 3 of this original quadrilogy, I don’t feel like he ever really gives us a full-on Alfred. Pat Hingle portrays Commissioner Gordon, and he is one casting call I’m not a fan of, especially considering they latched on to him for all 4 films in this series as well. There are no really Batman/Gordon interactions in these movies and they are a mainstay of the comics and other stories. Billy Dee Williams is great as Harvey Dent, it’s too bad we never got to see him play Two-Face, but I did hear he got paid anyway for when Tommy Lee Jones took over in Batman Forever because of his contract from this movie saying he was supposed to continue playing the character. Tracey Walter did a decent job as Bob the Goon considering Jack Nicholson was so insistent Walter be in the movie that he was going to drop out if he wasn’t cast.

Marketing

Warner Brothers poured an unprecedented amount of money into the marketing for this movie. Batman was everywhere, the new Batman and bat symbol graced billboards, cups, magazines, catalogues, toys, and various other merchandise. I remember the VHS version of this flick even had a promo for the merchandise you could get, it starred Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. There was a 900-number that you could call to place orders and if I would’ve had the catalog I am positive I would’ve called the number and been scolded for it by my parents.

I do remember having an absurd amount of the toys for this film along with Batman Returns. There were dozens of different action figures, many featuring suits that Batman didn’t even come close to wearing in the actual movie. There were Batmobiles, Bat-copters, Bat-Wings, Batcaves, Hot Wheels, whatever. If there was a toy to be made, you could get it. If my mom hadn’t pitched all of them, I might still be removing my shoelaces and dangling Batman from a ledge somewhere this very fucking moment.

The Batmobile

When I say this is my favorite Batmobile over all others, I also mean it is my favorite vehicle of any kind that has ever existed. It’s just so fucking cool. Even the parts that should be lame like having to use a heavy duty grappling hook to make a very basic turn in the city is terrible in concept, but I fucking love it and it’s awesome.

One of the things I also have been known to do is say “shields” or “shields open” into my key fob like Batman does to activate or deactivate the self-equipping armor on the Batmobile and if you feel like it, turn the Batmobile will turn on and drive to your location.

Prince

You know, there’s a CinemaSins YouTube video called “Everything Wrong with Batman (1989)” and one of the first critiques of the movie asks “If you were a Batman fan in 1989, you seriously wondered what you must’ve gotten yourself into when ‘Songs Written and Performed by Prince’ came up in the credits”. They go on to mention that even if you were a big Prince fan, it might’ve seemed odd that he had an entire album he made just for this movie. It is weird. I’m kind of so-so on Prince but I do like the songs featured in the movie. But don’t tell any Prince fans I said I was so-so on him, because they’ve been known to lose their shit about that kinda thing.

I would say that things like having a whole “vandalize the museum” “Partyman” music video in the middle of the movie definitely makes those scenes feel very dated. Like I’d be absolutely okay with Prince just having a “songs inspired by the motion picture” album that had no songs actually featured in the movie, and just let Danny Elfman’s score speak for itself in those moments.

The Score

Despite him working on many other things, Danny Elfman tends to be a mainstay of the Tim Burton film, especially in this era. He does an amazing job with the original “Batman Theme” march, and then makes it into a completely different piece appropriate to the other scenes while somehow retaining that same theme and sound. The entire score is fucking epic and merits listening to on its own, especially if you want to listen to something without vocals

Cinematography

I want to talk about some scenes in this movie that just look plain great. First, the scene where the two thugs who just committed a mugging are shooting the shit afterwards on a rooftop and looking at what they stole. Batman is pictured in the background slowly coming down to the ground with his cape outstretched. The two thugs are talking about what they’ve heard of the Batman and shortly into that converstation Batman makes his presence known. That shot of Batman with his cape stretched out is legendary.

The scene(s) in the final act the movie when Batman is in his Batwing flying around the city while the Joker is leading the parade below, has a number of great shots. Most notable is the shot where, for no reason, Batman flies up through the clouds and silhouettes the Batwing against the moon. It makes for an amazing image, despite the fact that in the world of this movie, no one fucking saw that at all.

The scene outside Axis Chemicals where Batman is on the grates above and we see Jack Napier, now the Joker, reach his hand menacingly out of the toxic sludge. There is also a moment a few scenes later where The Joker’s face is revealed for the first time while he confronts his old boss who set him up and ultimately hoped to kill. The shot where the Joker steps out into the light for the first time is amazing.

But my favorite moment of all is in the museum. The Joker is getting increasingly creepy with Vicki and suddenly Batman comes crashing down through the skylight to the floor where they are standing. He grabs Vicki, and shoots a zip-line gun, and proceeds to swoop out over the goons’ heads. It is the best thing ever.

Oh, also, that other scene with all the explosions at Axis Chemicals and the Batmobile and Batman having the light shined on him by the helicopter. Also, that scene on the steps of the courthouse or city hall or whatever with the mimes. And maybe that scene in the news studio where he takes over the broadcast. So fucking cool.

The Plot

Oh right, so a lot happens in this movie. It is the perfect runtime and amount of story in every single way imaginable. We get just enough proportionally of each character to keep our interest and remain entertained as much as possible. There is always some kind of excitement lurking around the corner and it doesn’t get too bogged down with added story elements. That works great for other movies, don’t get me wrong, but this movie is well suited to have a “Joker is a lunatic who has a pretty basic plan to kill everyone and Batman has to stop him” story.

The origin of our villain and the trials and tribulations of trying to deduce what he’s planning and how to stop him are well concocted here. It does feel like a real Batman story. As always, I’d love to see a little more detective work done on-screen by The Dark Knight aka The World’s Greatest Detective, but Tim Burton wasn’t exactly well-versed in Batman before making this.

The opening scene leading up to our first encounter with Batman, the first Axis Chemical scene, the museum, the Batmobile chase/fight scene, Batman talking to Vicki and giving her the cracking of the joker’s plan case file, the parade and Batwing intervention, and the scene in the cathedral and bell tower stand out as some of the best of the movie. Don’t forget that scene with the mimes, and the exploding chemical plant. But there are other contenders as well.

It’s all. So good.

Conclusion

All in all I’d say I really enjoyed this movie. More than I do any other I think. Check it out if you haven’t seen it. If you don’t like it, keep it to yourself. If you do like it, also keep it to yourself. But give me a reassuring nod next time you see me, a nod that says “you have awesome taste”. Currently on Hulu.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Lieutenant is there a six-foot bat in Gotham City? And if so, is he on the police payroll? And if so, what’s he pulling down…after taxes?”