25 Years Ago...

[jwyblejr]

Consistent script tone and same goes for the overall stylized Burton-vision of the set environments visual looks and vibes of the performances. Of course, Nicolson & Keaton were good casting---Burton had stellar control of the overall feel of the project.

Also, integrating Prince's pop with the relatively newcomer's take on being a "new John Williams" was a smart move.

These things make up for the pretty pointless story which hinged it's cleverness on "you made me, I made you" rather than a satisfying emotionally-resonating resolution to what could've been a good reason to "Jokerize" Joe Chill.

speaking of the Joker--- I had ALWAYS been a Joker fan (it was amazing seeing all the Joker merch w/Adams etc art from the 70s on it)---and seeing my acting hero (at the time) portray this role was surreal--and, admittedly, a bit jarring, as I had very specific expectations on the Joker character---and Nicholson as an actor. To me Keaton was just as good a choice for Batman as West was (West didn't have Bale's physique, that's for sure), so I didn't understand the '89 pre-release anti-Keaton hub-bub anyways.

I don't know if Batman '89 is art---but I like it. Heavy nostalgia.

It has no redeeming script/story ideas---BUT it's consistency at the hands of Burton's vision makes the Salkinds look like sloppy children, and advanced the genre as a result.

Bob... gun...

I think most didn't like the idea of Keaton playing Batman is because of Beetlejuice. My guess is at the time most figure both Keaton and Burton were involved and we'd be getting something similar.

[mhackley]

The sets seem a bit too fake now.

I don't believe the film was ever intended to be a realistic take on the license. Batman '89 was more theatrical and stylized in the same way that The Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and Metropolis were stylized. I have heard many arguments against the Tim Burton Batman films, but one that never crops up is the argument that they lack both imagination and craftsmanship. Just looking at the production design, one can see the hours of hard work that went into both designing and making the sets. I consider Anton Furst's production design to be one of the CROWN JEWELS of that film... Unlike the laziness of shooting on the streets of Chicago ala the Nolan movies.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Oh I agree that the design is great, but I think the lighting and cinematography sometimes makes the fantastic sets read more "fake" than they should. Nearly all of Burton's films have a fabricated, other-worldly feel to them. I think it's his love for cheesy horror films showing through.

I think most didn't like the idea of Keaton playing Batman is because of Beetlejuice. My guess is at the time most figure both Keaton and Burton were involved and we'd be getting something similar.

Yes, I think that was a lot of it. AND, you have to remember, nearly everyone was clammoring for a "dark" Batman, not campy like Adam West. At that time, most diehard fans had a love-hate-mostly-hate relationship with the 60s show. I was torn about it myself. We were all wrapped up in "Batman is a serious, dark brooding character...and now you've cast MR. MOM!?!"

Chris

[palitoy]

The best description of the film I heard was a CBC reviewer who said "It presents itself as if it were a dream and therefore you accept it's reality". I like that a lot.

What I didn't always like was it's heavy influence on the genre afterwards, it was like Danny Elfman became mandatory.

[madmarva]

What I didn't always like was it's heavy influence on the genre afterwards, it was like Danny Elfman became mandatory.

I totally agree. My pet peeve is that the film cemented the idea that comic book character costumes must be played with to work on the big screen. As a direct result, Flash, who had always been a sleek, bright character, became bulky and dark, in the TV adaption. The x-Men films and most after followed suit, so to speak.
The Matrix has had a similar effect on sci-Fi and fantasy films.

But, I can't blame the original movies, though I really dislike the Matrix series. It's imitators that lack imagination and vision.

[enyawd72]

I went completely nuts for Batman when the movie hit...even before it hit. I remember seeing the trailer on TV over and over and was totally obsessed with seeing it. I too bought the magazines, the Kenner Dark Knight figures (which are what got me back into toy collecting, so I owe them a HUGE debt) posters, anything I could get my hands on. That summer I joined that mail order science fiction book club and bought every Batman graphic novel they had. Dark Knight Returns, Batman Year One, Arkham Asylum...my Bat obsession waned though somewhere between Batman Returns and Batman Forever. I had always been a die-hard Marvel guy and the ton of Marvel cartoons and subsequent Toy Biz figures that began pouring in around 1994 and when the new Spider-Man cartoon hit, I forgot all about Batman.

I still love the 89 movie though, and honestly, I think this is one film that could do with some digital tinkering. It would be so easy to clean up the dreaded "purple blotch" and erase some matte lines, do some color correcting, and especially re-do the Joker and Batman falling scenes at the end of the movie which always looked terrible to me, even by 1989 standards.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Yeah, the Joker falling at the end is an obvious cartoon, as is Batman's shadow in the opening sequence.

The budget is on display in Nicholson being there, and the elaborate sets, the Batmobile, etc. But there is something...cheap about certain aspects of the film. Of course, this was Burton directing his first mega-blockbuster on a huge budget.

Chris

[bleit1701]

I too thought of Clean and Sober and that Keaton could be a good Batman.

There were news strories where people were going to a movie just to see the Batman preview trailer then leaving before the show started.

Batman 66 was back on the air for the first time in years and Bat Mania was every where.

Last year they showed it on the local PBS channel.

[thunderbolt]

And this Batmania begat the Bruce Timm cartoon.

[Godzilla]

To this day I have never seen this movie. I was a huge Batman fan, but the trailers just didn't appeal to me. I skipped the whole pop culture frenzy although thanks to MTV I did know the Bat-Dance.

[samurainoir]

http://www.theverge.com/2014/6/23/5836024/warner-bros-investors-needed-to-see-this-film-before-making-tim

[samurainoir]

[jds1911a1]

I was 18 when it came out and I was so very excited for batman on the big screen and I never felt cheated by it. I still feel it's the best treatment of batman on film even if the majority is in the Nolan camp.