Batman – Tim Burton 1989
Hello Blogspotters, and welcome to my first of a new review feature I am writing in which I review a film from my vast and overflowing DVD collection. Some good, some bad, some downright shoddy moments in cinema will too be included.
First up, its Batman, Tim Burton’s gothic re-imagining of one of the greatest comic book heroes. I have chosen Batman for three reasons. Firstly, It was released the summer I was born so I felt like being self indulgent, secondly Batman is by far the best conceived and most interesting of all the American superheroes featured in those classic 50’s comics. And thirdly, and most importantly for a review, I have a few opinions about it.
Then again, it is April Fools Day, so my films got a Joker in it...
Burton’s dark, moody and sombre style is a perfect set up for the first in a series of four films, which is a far cry in quality and tone from 1997’s Batman and Robin, which was as entertaining as watching your grandmother knit a brown jumper for all eternity. It was inspired by Frank Miller’s classic graphic novel, The Dark Knight and wipes the slate clean for a generation who grew up in the 80’s watching the camp and silly TV series.
There are some genuinely creepy moments, mostly involving the villain and show stealer Jack Nicholson, who’s portrayal of Jack Napier/The Joker, especially when in the scenes which shape his character’s destiny, when he falls in the vat of chemicals and when he is driven mad by his own altered reflection and the gruesome death of the newsreader thanks to the Joker’s beauty products left chills lingering in my dreams as a child.
The film stays true to the Gotham City inspired by Miller’s novel, and the atmosphere of tension and fear in the City spreads as corrupt officials struggle to celebrate their by-centennial year.
The best scene in the movie is definitely the scene where Kim Basinger’s helpless yet gorgeous heroin is tricked into a meeting with The Joker, whose decimation of the art gallery while listening to Prince on a retro ghetto blaster is both amusing and slightly un-nerving. It also includes the best line of the film.
Vicky Vale: Your insane!
Napier/Joker: I thought I was Pisces
Then of course we come to Batman himself. Michael Keaton is a surprise choice for Bruce Wayne/Batman, and although he may look like Tintin’s dad, he pulls off the part, but was rightly peeved when receiving second billing to Nicholson. Keaton’s wheels, the Batmobile is here at it’s iconic best and the design is by far the most impressive and memorable out of all the films in the Batman series.
Burton’s decision to make the villain the main character in both his Batman movies only works to some extent as the hero takes the back seat and we only learn a little about Bruce Wayne’s background, something we do not delve into until 1995’s Batman Forever, which is a shame because when Wayne has his flashbacks to his parent’s murder and sees The Joker as a younger man doing the killing, it messes with the back story slightly and only seem like it has been included to fit with this film and not with Bruce Wayne’s back story.
Overall, Batman is a great action adventure film and does not disappoint but may seem dated when compared to the latest Batman films starring Christian Bale but the narrative is a strong one, made even stronger by the brilliant central performance from Nicholson. It did seem too dark, however, for younger children to watch and I remember being around six when I first saw Batman and certain scenes did give me a fright but looking back now it only enhances the gloomy outlook of Gotham City and both the Joker and Batman too.
4/5
No comments:
Post a Comment