When Tim Burton took on the Director’s job for the 1989 version of Batman, fans knew they were in for something much different than the campy, cartoonish television show. Burton had a reputation for seeing the dark side of things, and this would mean a return to the way Batman was portrayed in the comic books.

Michael Keaton stars Bruce Wayne, along with his alter-ego of Batman. He's known among the criminals in the shadows, although not that accepted among mainstream law enforcement in Gotham City. The film opens with him saving a family who’s taken a wrong turn from the criminals that lurk in the shadows of the city.

Jack Nicholson is Jack Napier, a wealthy and somewhat prominent gangster who might have a few more shady deals going on than he would like to acknowledge. When he's sent to clean out the shady goings-on at a local chemical plant by his boss, Carl Grissom (portrayed by Jack Palance), he doesn't know he's being set-up. It would seem Jack has had a few dalliances with the boss' gal, and the boss got wind of it.

The police are tipped off, and Jack is caught at the plant. Batman arrives as well, and although he attempts to help Jack, Jack ends up falling into a vat of chemicals after his face is scarred. The rest, you will have to discover for yourself.

What took most people at the time by surprise was Michael Keaton’s performance as Batman. Keaton was known mostly for being a comedic actor, with moderated success. Taking on a role that would essentially be dark and brooding had most of us scratching our heads. It sounded more like Burton might be angling for the campy comedy that fans of the comic series were so eager to get away from. However, Keaton was magnificent. He was better than the Batman’s that would come after him in this series. In Burton and Keaton’s hands, this should have had much more longevity.

Keaton does have some comedic moments. They are dark and sardonic, and work well within the character. Keaton portrays both characters as having their own monkeys on their backs, each unable to exist without the other. He’s more brooding when he’s in the Bruce Wayne character and had an edge to him once he puts the cowl on.

Jack Nichiolson is brilliant, and although I‘m greatly looking forward to Heath Ledger’s take on the role, it’s Nicholson who really defined and shaped the character. It's one of his finest roles, and he has the Joker evil without becoming too cartoonish, as other villains would be later in the series. The Joker is insane because of what has happened to him, and it doesn’t seem an outlandish progression of events as they are depicted.

The film has such stars as Billy Dee Williams, Kim Basinger, Jeri Hall, Robert Wuhl, as well as Jack Palance in supporting roles. The women are pretty much eye-candy. Basinger is fine as Bruce Wayne’s love interest Viky Vale, but I found it hard to believe her as a credible investigative reporter. Although there did seem to be some chemistry between her and Keaton, it wasn’t enough for me to swallow their romance hook, line, and sinker. The scenes with her and reporter Alexander Knox (Wuhl) are credible mostly due to Wuhl’s abilities.

The sets and costuming are astounding. At a time when there wasn’t much CGI being used, the depiction of Gotham City is excellent. It’s a dark and dreary city, rather than becoming a Disney-like cartoon. The effects and gadgets are excellent, being believable as items that could work and function. The Batmobile is excellent, and the effects of the armor closing in to protect it when Batman is being shot at is something to behold. These little nuances that don’t take up more than a few seconds of film time are the details that make Batman a memorable film.

Batman was probably the best of the four movies in this line based on the Caped Crusader. It's dark without being overly so. It doesn’t get outrageous with the sets or characters. Instead, these seem like real people who live in and around a dark metropolitan center. My only complaint is the lack of extras on the DVD, but that’s minor when you have a film that’s such high quality. If you haven’t checked this out and have just seen the most recent films, you should really watch this the next chance you get.


SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Cast Biographies
• Production Notes


Other comic book super-hero reviews:

Spider-Man ~ Spider-Man 2 ~ Wonder Woman: The Complete First Season ~ X-Men



© 2008 Patti Aliventi

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD