BATMAN (1989)

RATING: ½


By Shawn McKenna
Date Reviewed: 11/24/99

"...if you have to go, go with a smile." -- Joker (Jack Nicholson) in Batman


A great tragedy to the Batman series occurred when Tim Burton and Michael Keaton left to pursue other ventures. A once vibrant gothic tale of an estranged super-hero turned into a campy piece of crap. Batman was becoming like the 1960's series. While I like Adam West and the ludicrously hip series, the originality and darkness of the gothic novel influenced movies was gone. Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever and then Batman and Robin hath destroyed one of my favorite characters. Nevertheless, even if the sequels deteriorate and degenerate even more, there will always be Batman.

At the core of this movie is Michael Keaton. Before, I saw the film I questioned the casting of him, but in retrospect, it was a brilliant decision. He is a character that is believable as a man violently thrown into the fray early as a child. After watching his parents become the victim of a brutal crime, Bruce Wayne creates a schizophrenic personality to combat the evils in the world. Possibly to cover up his guilt of not being able to save his parents. Keaton is perfect as a balding, small, slightly shy business man Bruce Wayne and the angst ridden Batman. The worst casting would have been to hire a pretty boy to play Batman.

In order for the movie to succeed there has to be a vile and virulent villain. Enter Jack Nicholson. He said he took this role for aesthetic reasons. I believe they were to rompish in his role while collecting a huge paycheck. That is what is noticeable from his performance -- he is having fun. His Joker is one of the great screen villains of the past two decades.

The Joker was once Jack Napier, henchman of Carl Grissom. Grissom sets-up Napier to be arrested, over a girl, and Batman was responsible for tossing Jack Napier into a vat of bleach. He survived; however, not intact. His soul and skin had been bleached. Jack was dead, and Batman's nemesis Joker was born.

Grizzled character actor Jack Palance plays Grissom in another great supporting role. He even outshines Nicholson in one scene where he grabs him and says "Your my number one, guy." On paper, it does not seem like much, but on the screen it is a fabulous scene. The look on Nicholson's face is priceless.

When I first saw this film in the theater, the scenery and special effects awed me. I went by myself, because I could not find any companions and spent the evening emerged in this gothic tale. Gothom City is a dark and doleful town with skyscrapers that reach way atop the atmosphere and look part of a Kafkaesque nightmare. Anton Furst won an Oscar for the production design and Danny Elfman's has a terrific score. While some of the atmosphere is not translated onto the small screen, nevertheless the brilliant and brooding direction of Tim Burton is still relevant. Most of Burton's material is fodder for my cinematic appetite. Ed Wood and Batman Returns are among my favorite movies.

Other characters include the love interest (Kim Bassinger) and comic relief (Robert Wuhl). Both are common elements in 'super-hero' movies and are a bit cliched in this movie though both are acted well enough. Michael Gough plays the magnanimous butler Alfred and I believe he is the only actor in common among all four Batman films. He is always fun to watch. The goons are cast well and are a motley crew. There are two excellent fight scenes, Schumacher cannot film a fight scene, being on par with most Hong Kong flicks.

There are two Batman films to watch: Batman and Batman Returns. It would be nice to think that there were no other sequels, like thinking that Peter Sellers did not make a film after Being There, but alas there were. However, they can never take away Batman.



BATMAN (1989)
CAST
Batman/Bruce Wayne: Michael Keaton
Joker/Jack Napier: Jack Nicholson
Vicki Vale: Kim Basinger
Bobby Joe: Kassie DePaiva
Alexander Knox: Robert Wuhl
Michael Gough: Alfred Pennyworth
Carl Grissom Jack Palance
Harvey Dent Billy Dee Williams
CREDITS
Director: Tim Burton
Written by: Sam Hamm and Bob Kane (comic)
STATS
Running Time: 126m.
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Action/Fantasy
Country: USA


Other Critics:

Roger Ebert
Leonard Maltin ½