Tim Burton brought the legend of Batman to the big screen with his vision of the comic book hero in the 1989 movie.
Long before Christopher Nolan came along with the Dark Knight Trilogy, this movie was considered the crown jewel of all Batman movies, and Jack Nicholson was the best villain.
Nicholson was already a famous actor at this point of his career, but took on the role of the Joker and made him more of a psychopath then Cesar Romeo ever did in the TV series. I’ve never read the comic books, but Burton provided us with a unique spin on the Batman and Joker saga.
Burton showcased Batman’s inability to save Jack Napier, who became the Joker, and the man who gunned down his parents. These events add a whole new level of hatred to their rivalry.
There is a dark side to this Joker character, but the tone of this Burton movie isn’t as dark and mysterious as later versions. His flamboyant lifestyle makes him the life of the party, all the while leading to his downfall. Keaton was an excellent selection for the role because he could play both Bruce Wayne and Batman with no one the wiser.
Tim Burton has a vivid imagination with an endless line of people who would love to work with him. The old TV show, with Adam West, didn’t get into fancy cars, flying Batpods, and new high-tech gadgets, which Burton brought to the table in 1989. It was great to watch a superhero movie that didn’t involve a whole of CGI and real people doing their own stunts. The writing makes the story flow very smoothly while Danny Elfman does a fantastic job bringing everything to life with his musical score.
Batman is one of the best screen adaptations of the cape crusader and was the benchmark of all the movies that followed. Anyone who loves the character has most likely have seen this movie, loved it and held it high on a pedestal until The Dark Knight came. 7/10
Ten Stars or Less 