batman

In 1989, some critic had the audacity to call this film “the movie of the decade.” Likely, the critic
hadn’t seen any movies the previous eight years of the 1980s, so the whole statement was made in
ignorance because the early 1980s contained a slew of films that blow “Batman” out of the water.
Needless to say, the critic’s claim is a gross overstatement.

The horrible death of Warner Bros.’ Superman franchise left a vacuum that to be filled by a new
superhero movie series. Batman was the natural choice, and so “Beetlejuice” director Tim Burton
was coaxed into the project. What resulted was a superhero movie that wasn’t a satire nor an
accurate depiction of the character, but a highly stylized spectacle film that focused more on
celebrity involvement than story. Was Burton aware of this at the time? Probably not. But over the
last fifteen years, the film has lost its narrative identity and become better known for the stars who
played in it.

Frankly, the film is a butchery of the Batman comic book legend. In the movie, Batman is an
unknown force terrorizing the criminal element of Gotham City, but many believe he doesn’t exist.
During a break-in at a chemical plant, Batman thwarts the intruders while avoiding arrest by police,
but pushes underworld ringleader Jack Napier into an acid bath. Napier emerges from the acid bath
as The Joker, and summarily murders Carl Grissom, the organized crime don of Gotham and
becomes the headman. Reporters Vicki Vale and Alex Knox doggedly attempt to get the story on
Batman while Vale unknowingly is dating the superhero when she falls for millionaire Bruce Wayne.
Meanwhile, Wayne as Batman is trying to figure out who The Joker is and bring him to justice.

The major failing of “Batman” is the handling of the villain. Jack Nicholson, at the height of his
popularity, played The Joker. Problem is, Nicholson plays himself with face paint. Nothing about his
character, aside from some laughing and a little psychosis seems remotely similar to Joker’s comic
book persona. In addition, the Joker gathers an entourage of minions around him, even though the
Joker is a notorious loner in the comic book, hunting Batman like an obsession.

But the two major failings of his character are continuity shattering alterations. The writers opted to
make The Joker the killer of Bruce Wayne’s parents, even though Wayne’s parents were killed by
common criminals in the original mythology, and in the end of the film, the Joker dies. Let me
explain why this is a problem. Batman’s villains never die! He incarcerates them and this gave the
comic writers the opportunity to reuse these villains again in future stories. Not here. They off him
good and shoot themselves in the foot at the same time.

The other stink aspect of this movie is the complete lack of Batman action. There’s an opening mini-action moment, a chase in the middle of the film and an end
action scene. What action is there is good, but there isn’t enough of it. The rest is the life and times of Michael Keaton, playing Bruce Wayne, as he chases Kim
Basinger around and generally sits back being charming. Basinger is a real annoyance in this movie, spending the entire film screaming her lungs out. The
story unfolds in a surreal Gotham City where mimes roam the streets and every building looks like an industrial wasteland. This landscape is Burton’s greatest
creative achievement in the movie.

“Batman” isn’t a terrible film, but it drags badly in the middle and doesn’t feel like Batman. It feels like Keaton and Nicholson tolerating being Batman and The
Joker just enough to showcase their distinct personalities on screen. The Batmobile is really cool though…