Batman - The 1989 Batbuster!

 I could have attached this to the NES game, but I feel like this movie deserves its own review. In 1989, audiences across the country were proven wrong as they witnessed the fact that Michael Keaton can not only play Batman, but also become his greatest portrayal. The Tim Burton masterpiece is, by far, my favorite superhero movie of all time and it still remains a classic to this day. While The Dark Knight Trilogy had its greatness and the sequels in its own series suffered some unfortunate changes, Batman still remained tried and true as a standalone movie. 

Everything from Gotham's atmosphere to Danny Elfman's amazing soundtrack draw you into its very comic book-like story. If we didn't know beforehand, we probably wouldn't put together that Bruce Wayne was Batman, because he really doesn't act like it when he first meets Vicki Vale, playced by Kim Basinger. Beyond becoming a bit of a damsel, Vicki also contributes to the story by showing Bruce that there could be another way of handling this, but she also helps him to thwart The Joker, played by Jack Nicholson in another legendary portrayal that this movie has under its cowl. 

Jack was a star in the film before he even put on the white face and horrifically crooked smile. Even as a gangster lieutenant under the command of a mob boss, Jack gave off this ambition and presence that he warned people not to underestimate. Well, when he gets sloshed with chemicals and surgically mutilated, he dons the pseudonym we've all become very accustomed to. He knew he was a big deal and he wanted everyone to know it with every single move he made. As soon as he killed Grissom, played by the late great Jack Palance, he moved immediately to cease control of Gotham's crime world. Whether everything made sense or not, the movie showed how he countered every single move the other crime bosses made immediately and then spread chaos through Gotham. 

The only thing standing in Joker's way was Batman, and that's truly where this movie's greatness lies. They were the perfect foil to one another. Where Joker tries so hard to plan his panic-inducing moves, the Dark Knight put his foot down in front of him and fought him on even grounds with wonderful toys. The scene where Batman breaks through the ceiling window in the museum still gives me goosebumps to this day. The orchestra kicks in immediately and the fight is on as Batman cares about nothing but getting Vicki out of trouble and he takes on every single one of Joker's gang members. 

By this point, it should be pretty clear that this iteration of Batman killed people. People kept pointing this out as if it were something new by the time it came around in Batman Returns. He was merciful on criminals, but if they stood in his way and tried to hurt or kill civilians, he was going to return it. The Batmobile, which was the greatest design that has still not been topped, was one of the starring attractions for kids' toys of the 80's and 90's. Far superior to the Joel Schumacher designs that served more as kid toy pandering, Tim Burton's model was the encapsulation of cool and it usually came with a Batman figure included in the box! 

While it was clear that Batman Returns went a little hard on the darker themes not so suitable for children, Joel Schumacher's Batman and Robin went way too far in the other direction. One was somewhat disturbing to children, while the other one treated them like idiots. The first Batman in the series did it correctly in its moderate dark themes while also giving it the atmosphere of action, which we craved from that point on. It was the first comic book movie in years to strike it big and it was very clear why. Adults and kids could enjoy it, even with the violence and the death, because it wasn't too graphic or unsettling. Everything was handled with the attempt at style and pulse while telling a compelling story. 

One problem this movie had with younger viewers was its false lore from the comics. The Joker did not kill Thomas and Martha Wayne, that was usually Joe Chill or a random criminal. This tying the two together was a little unnecessary, but it worked from within the world, as Jack Napier was a gangster and it showed that he was a killer early on. It also showed a glimpse of what he was to become, as his insanity even made him contemplate killing Bruce after he'd already killed his parents. Still, it didn't do anything to harm their rivalry, it just didn't do anything to enhance it either. They were already at odds with the safety of Gotham and Batman didn't really need any other reason to want to stop him. 

The battle of wits between the two of them is awesome, as it showed that each of them could counter one another one after the other. It was a little strange that both of them could even counter one another in defying death. In a strange sequence during the climax, Batman fired machineguns directly at Joker, even targetting him directly on his computer. Joker is literally unscratched by the move, and he pulls out a ridiculously huge pistol and fires down the Batwing. Literally unharmed by the impending crash into solid asphalt, Batman breaks out of the flying vehicle and stalks Joker as he attempts to escape by way of building and helicopter. How Tim thought up this strange little exit from logic is quite the curiosity, but it was also a very memorable scene. 

Everyone loves The Dark Knight, but Batman takes the cake for me. It was one of the first movies I ever watched and it brought me into a fandom that I am still very much a part of to this day. The dark, gritty realism and the comic book unrealism mixes so well and it put a stark contrast to the Adam West series. It showed people that comic book movies could be awesome while also being dark and serious. It also showed people that kids can love more adult oriented things and accept more adult oriented plots so long as they got to see what Batman and Joker were going to do next. It cemented something in pop culture that had never been seen before and it started Batmania all across the 90's, bringing us the animated series, sequels, toys, videogames, novels, more comic series, and it even jump started Tim Burton as a household name. Batman became the character he was meant to be. It is not a perfect movie, but it is a legend among superhero films. The cape and cowl truly belong to Michael Keaton and I will die on that hill. Face my Virtua Batarangs!