Burton/Keaton Batman movie

[JD]

I just watched this for the first time in ages this morning, and I thought share my thoughts and see what others had to say about it.

This was a good Batman movie, with a great look. The production design was probably my favorite thing about the movie. It did scream Tim Burton, but I think this style really worked for the kind of movie Burton was making here. It was pretty over the top at times, but it didn't go to the extremes that Joel Schumaker's later two movies did.
The cast was great, Micheal Keaton and Jack Nicholson were great as Batman and Joker, and I thought Kim Basinger was a pretty good love interest for Batman. I've never read any of the comics with Vicki Vale, so I can't judge her accuracy to the comics.
The Batsuit looked cool, but seemed to be pretty impractical. At times it looked like Keaton could barely even move, especially compared to the Batsuits from the Nolan/Bale and DCMU movies.
One minor issue was the fact that they did have Batman pretty clearly and intentionally killing a bunch of Joker's men, especially when blew up Axis Chemicals without bothering to try to evacuate it first. It did kind of bug me, but it wasn't enough to ruin it for me. I also thought there were a few places where they could have easily used stuff from the comics, like Ace instead of Axis Chemicals, and Carmine Falcone instead of Carl Grissom. Wikipedia says Falcone was introduced in 1987, so I guess there is a chance he wasn't around yet when they started developing the movie, depending on how long preproduction took. I know it didn't need to be those things, but it at least could have been a nice refence for the fans.

 

[Commander Richard]

I loved the production design too. It's stylish, especially the batmobile. As much as I love the Nolan movies, I've found that the '89 Batman has the edge in this department.

Overall, I still like the movie. It's got staying power.

The Batsuit looked cool, but seemed to be pretty impractical. At times it looked like Keaton could barely even move, especially compared to the Batsuits from the Nolan/Bale and DCMU movies.

Yeah, his movements were stiff but it seemed to work for the character. I heard that his infamous puckered lips were because the cowl was too tight.

 

[kirk55555]

I still really like the movie, I just think of it as what it is, a Batman movie by a director who didn't really get/like the character. In several moments its not a very good Batman movie (like the machine guns on the Batplane), but its still a good superhero movie. I think it benefited from Burton having to at least kind of reign himself in, while Batman Returns really suffered from Burton being let off the leash. That said, Batman 1989 is still the best movie about Batman, even with a few non-Batman moments. It also has the best live action Batman and best live action Joker (although best overall Batman is Kevin Conroy and Joker is Mark Hamil).

 

[JD]

I still prefer the Nolan movies, but hey, to each his own.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

So do I but I really enjoy the Burton films.

 

[kirk55555]

I still prefer the Nolan movies, but hey, to each his own.

Yeah, I figure a lot of people probably agree with you, but Batman 1989 will probably always be the number 1 live action Batman for me (closely followed by Batman 1966/Adam West Batman). Actually, I can see Ben Affleck's Batman being very good, too. I hope he gets at least one solo movie after Batman v Superman.

I will say one thing nice about Nolan's Batman films, though. I think that Gary Oldman is easily the best live action Commissioner Gordon, and it will be hard for the newer DC movies to have a better one, assuming he shows up in BvS or a solo Batman film or something.

 

[Icemizer]

I have to agre Kirk55555, it will be very hard to beat Oldman as Gordon much like Simmons J.J.J. set the bar for that character.
I much prefer the majority of Batman 89 to the Nolan films. Yes a tad campy and Wuhl almost single handed kills it but it manages to rise above those faults. Some very classic images and scenes in that movie.

 

[arch101]

We had to have this film to get the Nolan films (which are better).
Still, I really liked Keaton and would have loved an adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns made today with older Keaton back in the part.
Sadly, they seem to have cannibalized TDKR for Batman Vs Superman so that squelches that.

 

[Relayer1]

I didn't like either of the Burton movies, but then again, I don't like Burton movies. I think they were where my dislike started.

I didn't like the other movies either, including the Nolan ones (I don't like Nolan movies either). Well, except for The Dark Knight, which was pretty much perfect.

 

[wulfio]

I'm pretty sure Gordon is already dead in the new DCEU.

I prefer Keaton over Bale as both Bruce Wayne and Batman.

Burtons Gotham feels like Gotham to me. Nolans Gotham just feels like New York or something.

I like Heaths Joker over Nicholsons. But I do like Nicholsons portrayal as well.

Michelle Pfeiffer IS catwoman.

Overall Burtons films are so out there, I feel like I'm watching a comic book movie. And I love it for that. I also really like Nolans trilogy; especially TDK.

I'm super excited for a new Batman. I think Affleck could be the best one. And Leto should be pretty awesome too.

 

[Dream]

I liked Burton's Batflicks.

Batman killing in the movies never bothered me because I consider them all, including the Nolan films, to be Elseworld tales. They are all about as canon as Adam West Batman to me.

 

[tomswift2002]

I still think Jack Nicholson did a better job at the Joker than Heath Ledger did---some of Heath Ledger's scenes I found to have been very much inspired by Nicholson's performance. Nicholson managed to capture that campy "Class Clown" that Ceasar Romero had brought to the Joker in the 1960's, but at the same time make the Joker a more psychotic killer. Ledger managed to get that psychotic killer part, but then I found that he really didn't do a good job with the jokes.

But I also love how Burton gave the Joker an origin story that added to the character. Whenever I see a Batman movie or watch a Batman TV episode (live or animated) I always think of how Joker used to be Jack Napier.

 

[wulfio]

Heaths Joker was inspired by the comics, not previous portrayals in film/tv.

 

[RoJoHen]

The more I see of Tim Burton's work, the less I like him. Unfortunately, this has had a retroactive effect on his older movies as well. I recently tried rewatching Batman, Batman Returns, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, and I just thought they were all some of the most boring movies I'd ever seen, even though I used to enjoy them as a kid.

I like Keaton as Bruce Wayne, but the movies themselves are just...odd.

 

[kirk55555]

Heaths Joker was inspired by the comics, not previous portrayals in film/tv.

Well, i've read a good deal of comic stories with The Joker. Ledger's Joker acted like exactly none of them, so I'm not sure how he was "inspired by the comics". Both Nicholson's and even Caesar Romero's portrayals of the Joker were more inspired by the comics of the era they played the part, at least in how they actually played the part if not in the character's backstory. Neither of them played a "definitive" Joker, but you could find Joker's similar to them in the comics of the time they played the rolls. I still haven't found the Ledger Joker in the comics, at least in good mainstream comics. He was too focused and serious, with a clear philosophy. The Joker usually has some kind of goal, but he's more wild, and he doesn't have monologue's about people's motivations. Ledger was a great psycho, but not a good Joker, at least in my opinion

Slightly more on topic, Danny Elfman's Batman 1989 theme is awesome, probably the second best superhero theme after the classic Superman theme.

 

[wulfio]

Killing Joke lite.

 

[Corran Horn]

I like both Burton films. Fully agree both production design and score were great as well.

 

[Timby]

I like both Burton films. Fully agree both production design and score were great as well.

I think the best way to describe them is that they aren't great Batman films, but they are both great films. Returns is full Burton and I love it.

 

[Corran Horn]

They're products of their age. That 1989 Batman hit me at just the right time and age. I was Joker that Halloween - along with about 50 million others.

 

[cardinal biggles]

While Nolan's trilogy might be better — better stories, better performances, certainly a better Batsuit — Burton's films are more fun, and Batman '89 is iconic, thanks in large part to Anton Furst's production design and Danny Elfman's score (suck it, Hans Zimmer).