Starring: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger
There's a reason Tim Burton's "Batman" was the fastest grossing $100 million dollar movie ever when it debuted in 1989: The grand set design, incredible marketing campaign, and the first true superhero movie since "Superman".
"Batman" shows both the origins of Bruce Wayne (Keaton) and Jack Napier/The Joker (Nicholson), and follows the two as both try to hold their own power over Gotham City. While Batman struggles to maintain order, The Joker is set on widespread panic by trying to kill/deform all the citizens.
Being only 5 when the film came out, I can still remember the mass-marketing campaign that went along with the film. The big yellow buttons with the bat symbol emblazoned on them, the backpacks, the lunchboxes, the action figures, the video game tie-ins. Warner Bros. went all out to make people know that this film was a spectacle, and the substance of the film did not disappoint. For its time, "Batman" was the biggest thing on earth, and continued to carry it's weight as the premiere superhero movie until the 2002 when Sam Raimi came along with "Spider-Man".
Michael Keaton's take on the Dark Knight was legendary for its time. Before Keaton, the association the general public had with Batman was "pow", "zing", and "whap" from the Adam West TV show. Keaton brought the brooding, darkness that we've come to expect from an orphan of murdered parents turned vigilante.
Nicholson's performance as The Joker is timeless. Many tried to compare his performance to Heath Ledger's in "The Dark Knight", but in my mind it's impossible to compare. Nicholson brought a playful humor to his anarchistic antagonist. Whether dancing around gleefully while destroying a museum or using gag props to eliminate his foes, Nicholson finds ways to make you fall in love with the Joker, despite his sadistic side.
Another genius marketing move by Warner Bros. was to have one of the biggest musical artists of the time in Prince create the soundtrack. With his own original tracks meant to highlight the Joker, interwoven with Danny Elfman's amazing score, the soundtrack is incredibly memorable.
What Tim Burton did with this film was usher in a new era of superheroes and film in general. Movies were no longer just movies, they were a part of culture. Studios could now look at big-budget movies as a source of incredible income, should they be properly marketed.
Undoubtedly one of the most memorable movies of my childhood, "Batman" will always hold a special place in my heart. Removing all sentimentality, it still holds up as an amazing film, let alone superhero film. At any point, going back and spending time with the 1989 version of Bruce Wayne and the Joker feels like the first time.
Individual Ratings
Enjoyment Factor: 10
Dialogue:8
Acting: 8
Direction: 8
Audio/Visual: 10
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