Batman '89

Clareman wrote: »

The great thing about Batman for me is that Batman is often third billing after Bruce Wayne and the Villain, for me the best movies have Bruce Wayne up against the odds, for example Batman 89 was Bruce vs Jack, Batman Begins was against Ra's Al Ghul, Dark Knight was Bruce saving Rachel.

And another strong point with both Batman 1989 and Batman Returns is the villain got a good detailed backstory. The Joker was Jack Napier and The Penguin was Oscar Cobblepot and we get to know why they became their alter egos. Of course, Bruce and Batman was the mirror image.

nyarlothothep wrote: »

Keaton Batman was the best and has yet to be surpassed. The Joker was basically Jack Nicholson as himself, this would be weak point to an extent but at the time it probably wasn't. I think the film has aged beautifully, it's vastly superior to modern superhero films and I prefer it over Nolan's work. I really like the operatic ballet sequence with the clock tower, that black dude in the bomber jacket really gave Batman a run for his money big time and he only won the fight through a deceptive move at the end, he would have been toast otherwise. That was a really cool fight sequence. I really like the Prince soundtrack because it doesn't exactly fit, funk music in a gothic world, but that's what gives it an edge of unpredictability. Another classic sequence is when they go into the art gallery and desecrate it to Prince, classic and then the Joker just goes through Viki Vales portfolio saying crap, crap crap. So many quotable and memorable scenes like that. Another one, "lyou wanna get nuts? Let's get nuts"/"never rub another man's rhubarb!" Why don't they have this quality of script writing anymore, it's just Shakespearean in wordplay. I remember when that film came out I was skeptical thinking it would be like Adam West Batman, I think I was 4 at the time. Batman was associated with that campy light image, so Burton really kickstarted the dark Batman version which has influenced everything since. It was revolutionary for the time.

Michael Keaton's Batman/Bruce Wayne was the original and best (along with Christian Bale) serious version of the character. This film stood out because it was different and was very influential on all we've seen since. If this film wasn't made, all the other Batman films would not have been either. A masterpiece that still is enjoyed to this day.

jaxxx wrote: »

That's the one thing I didn't like about the Nolan trilogy. Anyone that knows the real character of Bruce Wayne knows that he would continue fighting until his very last breath. The idea of a normal life is alien to him. Even people are almost alien to him. He pushes people away: Dick, Tim, Barbara, etc, pretty much everyone except Alfred, whom btw would NEVER just walk out on Bruce like he did in TDKR. Did not like Caine's Alfred AT ALL.


Funnily enough I thought Irons nailed Alfred in BvS and Justice League. Alfred's wit is nothing short of legendary, and Irons absolutely made it his own. It's just a pity the rest of those films weren't as good.

That was a major change from what we saw in Burton's films and Nolan's. In Burton's, Batman was going to be Batman always and Schumacher's title Batman Forever solidified that idea.

I think that the complexities of the Batman/Bruce Wayne character were best documented in Batman 1989 and Batman Returns. The relationship with Vicki Vale documents the whole complexity of Bruce.

Just a few more thoughts on Batman: let's go back to August 11th/12th 1989. Batman premiered in Ireland and the hype was unbelievable. Putting things in context at the time then we have to remember there was no Internet and no quick to video film releases like we have today. Going to the cinema then was an event and if you wanted to see a film badly, you had to go. Today, you can own a film in the cinema now within a few months.

Setting off into town to see the film with my dad, I can remember the 'bat fever' in the air well. Arriving at the cinema, I can remember the massive queues of the kind I haven't seen before or since. People of all ages and entire families came to see it. As said in an earlier post, the 2+ hours in the cinema were among the most entertaining experiences ever and remember the excitement of talking about it coming home with my dad and we pretending the car was the batmobile! I also remember looking out at the moon on the way home and imagining the batwing flying up against it like in the film!

On arriving home, I and my mam discussed the film for an hour and I was on a high with excitement. I remember then the Sunday papers were full of praise of it and showed the iconic batwing moon picture. Watching this film at the weekend brought all these good times back to life and it is just as enjoyable now as it was 30 years ago.

I remember in 1990 the film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tried to create a similar hype. But turtlemania was of its place and time and while there are still films and cartoons being made of the turtles, they never were as enduring as Batman and batmania. Batmania never really went away. 6 more Batman films followed and then the Batman, Superman and Wonderwoman collaboration films not to mention the upcoming The Batman.

After Batman 1989, we have moved into a world where superhero films are more generic and more par for the course. Film studios are queueing up to revive every single superhero character and the films are almost always a success these days. It was not always the case. For example, Masters of the Universe flopped despite 'He-man-mania' being everywhere prior to the film's release. Batman changed all that and was successful because it was unique, well made and appealed to multiple audiences.