Batman (1989)

In the year 1989, Tim Burton brought to us a Batman movie. This flick is dark in its atmosphere, reflecting Gotham's image as a crime-plagued city. And there lies a caped crusader who stalks criminals at night, bringing fear into their hearts. By day he is Bruce Wayne, a billionaire businessman.

 

When Michael Keaton was cast to play the roles of Bruce Wayne and Batman, there was universally negative speculation against Burton's decision. After all, his last movie was Beetlejuice in which he starred as the titular character, and that has been the reason for the backlash. However, his performance in this movie has proven critics and the public wrong about Burton's decision and has since given the movie the acclaim it deserves. We can see him execute his main roles as seen in the comics without turning it into the campy television series of the 1960s.

 

Starring in this movie is a villain called The Joker, played by Jack Nicolson. Formerly known as Jack Napier, this villain has a motive for his existence: he was set up over a woman, snitched to the police, and then accidentally dropped into a chemical vat by Batman. So what does he intend to do after his revival? Kill Gothamites with laughter by contaminating cosmetics with his laughter-inducing toxins. So it is up to Batman to destroy his plans before he causes more loss of lives.

However, many noted that the story hugely focuses on the villain instead of the hero: his origin and his escapade. If this is the case, then the movie would have been better titled The Joker. But nevertheless, Jack Nicolson gave us a performance like no other. He might have been more creepy than scary, but he still proved to be charismatic in character.

 

And there is Vicki Vale, played by Kim Basinger. She is a love interest to both Bruce Wayne and The Joker. She works as a photographer for the Gotham Gazette. Bruce Wayne finds it hard to secure woman who can understand and accept his dual personality, and Vale is no exception; even when she is ushered into the Batcave by Alfred (Michael Gough).

 

Most notable is the climax: there has been some backlash over who killed Bruce's parents. It was Burton's idea to build up to 'the duel of the freaks', and to do so would to have Jack Napier instead of Joe Chill perpetrate the murder. Nevertheless the movie still does its job to at least end triumphantly, with Batman earning the trust of Gothamites as their savior.

 

The success of this movie must be the reason for initiating the production of Batman: The Animated Series, which is to date rated as the greatest animated series of all time. The animated series has since used similar theme score from the movie in the opening and closing slots. It has also been acclaimed for returning Batman to popularity since the 1960s television series.