Trailer: (again I couldn't find a real one so here is a fan made one....no I didn't make it)
“I have given a name to my pain, and it is Batman.”
It has been over twenty years since Batman was last seen on the big screen. The first adaption was just a spin off from the popular cartoon series, so by many peoples standards this is the first. Where the 1966 version acted almost as a goofy parody of the character, Tim Burton was brought in to what he does best. A dark twisted adaption both loyal to the source material but at the same time unique in style.
The film does something which many superhero films today don’t even consider. It skipped the origin story entirely. Unlike Spider-Man, Batman does not have a very well known origin, but maybe that’s why the makers figured it could be easily avoided. The film opens with Batman already at work in the city of Gotham. It is implied that it is very early in his career as many people don’t even think he exists.
Batman quickly makes the news as ghost stories and rumors. While trying to catch infamous criminal Jack Napier, Batman knocks him into a vat of chemicals creating his arch nemesis The Joker. The accident drives Jack mad and he begins to plot a takeover of the crimeworld and the downfall of Batman, almost entirely out of jealousy on how much press the hero is getting.
The film is best within Burton’s comfort zones and he was a great first pick to kick start this superhero. The film had a gritty but very stylized Gotham city and most of the ridiculous gadgets and schemes were believable within the universe Burton created here. The art style was so impressive that Burton even walked away with a “Best Art Direction” Oscar.
Though the visuals are impressive and the majority of the effects look great, the movie loses a bit of its footing within the characters. Michael Keaton plays the caped crusader and after seeing Beatlejuice, I’m still not convinced we wouldn’t have made a better Joker. He plays Batman well enough, walking around with a scowl and rough voice, without overdoing it as Bale sometimes would. He sounds both natural and intimidating. However it’s his depiction of Bruce Wayne that is dry. The majority of the time on screen he just looks somber and depressed. You never get the sense of the billionaire, risk taking playboy.
His mannerisms are distilled down to about three stock facial expressions. His character simply wasn’t depicted in an interesting or compelling manner as the film focuses more on his alter ego’s ventures and the Joker than the man behind the mask. Even the romance they try to cook up between him and Vicky Vale lacks any real steam to it. It feels forced and never authentic because the film takes no time to really explore those two characters.
Then there is Jack Nicolson as the iconic Joker. Though many would state his performance was completely outshined by the recent Heath Ledger depiction, one has to remember that this was a different time and different style. Here Nicolson plays the role closer to that resembling the comics. As the film has aged his performance many times will seem over the top but he is always fun to watch and has some very quotable lines. Though unfortunately, he still can be considered just another example of how superhero films were not ready to move away from hamy, campy villains yet (even though some such as Robocop had done so successfully in the past).
Despite it’s many flaws due to age, this Batman film still remains a strong first entry into the characters adaption’s. Many choices in it were passed down and can still be seen today. An obvious example is the batsuit which was redesigned for the film and all previous ones closely follow this model. The plot is simple, with Batman trying to catch the Joker and the Joker trying to kill Batman. Yet the strength of the writing keeps the pace moving along quickly and energetically. One must also not forget the terrific score by Danny Elfman. More than anything though it is the visionary art prowess of Burton that causes this to be one of the best comic adaption’s for its time.
FINAL RATING: 7/10- (70%)
Previous DAY 15: Robocop-
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/100superherodays/news/?a=43042
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