Subject: RETROSPECTIVE: BATMAN (1989)

From: [email-masked] (Ted Prigge)
Date: 24 Jun 1997 15:59:26 GMT

BATMAN
                       A film review by Ted Prigge
                        Copyright 1997 Ted Prigge

Director: Tim Burton
Writers: Sam Hamm and Warren Skaaran
Starring: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Bassinger, Robert Wuhl, 
Michael Gough, Jack Palance, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams, Jerry Hall, 
Tracey Walter

A simple pleasure comes from watching this first full-length Batman 
film...especially after having just witnessed the latest opus in this 
series, the dreadful "Batman and Robin."  To get over that experience, 
which wasn't totally horrible but incredibly unfulfilling, one must go 
back to the roots - the original, with the original cast and crew.  To 
watch Tim Burton's intense view of comic books with a pefectly amazing 
score by Danny Elfman reminds us how fun it was to watch these little 
stupid action hero films.  

I can't totally explain my love for this film - it's just plain fun.  
Maybe I'm bitter because I didn't enjoy the latest one.  But I remember 
being almost obsessed with Batman prior to seeing it and actually 
becoming more obsessed after seeing it.  When does that happen?  When 
does a big budget pic ever live up to its potential and even go further? 
 Hopefully, "Men in Black," which I have been calling "orgasmic" will 
live up to the hype as well.

Now, director Tim Burton's view of Gotham is incredibly different from 
that of Joel Schumacher.  It's bleak yet bright, filled with life and 
seems rather inspired by "Metropolis" and "Blade Runner."  Crime is so 
bad that the local government has had to cancel their 200th anniversary 
celebration.  The criminal world seems to be ruled by a Carl Grissom 
(Jack Palance).  But there's a superhero in hiding who is pretty much a 
myth - Batman (Michael Keaton), who just happens to be the alter-ego of 
billionaire (or millionaire), Bruce Wayne (also Michael Keaton), a 
reclusive, weird type.

Carl Grissom's big man on campus is none other than Jack Napier (Jack 
Nicholson), who is sleeping with Carl's mistress, Alicia (Jagger wife, 
Jerry Hall).  He has him set up in a big factory scene with the cops AND 
Batman battling the goons.  To finish up this amazingly cool action 
sequence, Jack falls into a vat of chemicals and turns up deformed.  
After plastic surgery, Jack emerges as the Joker, taking over the crime 
world by storm.  

Meanwhile Bruce has fallen in love with Vicki Vale (Kim Bassinger), a 
photographer who's working with a Batman-obsessed reporter, Alexander 
Knox (Robert Wuhl).  As she gets closer to Bruce, he finds himself 
wanting to reveal himself to her, even though the consequences may be 
horrible.  Their romance is interesting, but when she finds out who he 
is, it should have been a lot bigger.  I mean, this cat's Batman, for 
Christ's sake, not Bill Gates.

The thing that makes this great is the wonderful black humor and 
intriguing action sequences.  His humor is best represented by Jack 
Nicholson, who all but steals the film and becomes the trend setter for 
future Batman villains to rule the show, while Batman and his kind are 
left behind.  But Tim Burton infuses a kind of psychological approach, 
since it was Jack Napier who killed Bruce's parents.  He becomes 
obsessed with this and starts to question what he's doing.  This is a 
nice approach to the character and it is wonderfully done by, in my 
opinion, the quintessential Batman, Michael Keaton.

The action sequences are amazing as well - adrenalin-rushing and 
hilarious.  Tim is a true master for creating these intense scenes and 
he does it by minimalism.  He doesn't use a billion Bat-Gadgets, just 
the ones he needs.  In the newer ones, they have gadgets for everything. 
 "Hand me the Bat-Sock-Warmers, will you, Robin?" will be the next quote 
in the next Batman.  But in this one, he has a few things and a mere two 
vehicles - the Batcar and Batwing.  These are cooler than any of the 
later models.  

Danny Elfman's amazing score is also highlighted by some campy Prince 
tunes.  These fit nicely into the campy, darkly comic scenes that Tim 
Burton creates.  

Tim creates a Batman with depth, humor and action and also creates the 
quintessential superhero film - it feels like a comic book but not like 
the hammy TV show.  He perfectly balances the film noir qualities with 
the humor.  And with Jack Nicholson playing the Joker, the circle is 
complete since we have the best Batman and the best Batman-villain.  

The only weak point is the female - Kim Bassinger, who gets to fall in 
love with Bruce (and not Batman).  She's good most of the time, but the 
scene where she finds out who he is just kills her character.  She's 
good except for that essential part.

Overall, this is probably the best superhero film ever made.  Of course, 
with Tim Burton handling it, how could you miss?  Okay, well "Mars 
Attacks!" wasn't that great, but at least he has this one on his oeuvre.

MY RATING (out of 5): ****1/2