Directed by: Tim Burton
Premise: Batman (Michael Keaton) brings justice to
the streets of Gotham City as The Joker (Jack Nicholson) unleashes a reign of
terror. Photojournalist Vickie Vale (Kim Bassinger) is caught between the two as
she begins a relationship with Bruce Wayne but also becomes the object of The
Joker’s obsession.
What Works: Tim Burton’s Batman is an
ambitious reboot of the superhero genre. Previous to this film, the only
artistically successful superhero films had been Superman:
the Movie and Superman
II. Rather than trying to force the unique universe of a comic book onto
the real world, this Batman creates its own environment and one of the
most successful elements of this film is its perfectly conceived look. Like a
lot of Tim Burton films, the art direction is one of the characters of the film,
and the Gotham City of Tim Burton’s first Batman film is a mix of modern
architecture with Gothic and industrial influences. The style works well and
becomes the perfect playground for Batman and The Joker to chase each other
through. The visuals of Batman are complemented by the sound. Danny
Elfman provides one of his best scores and Prince fills in the soundtrack with
some songs that provide a hip urban sound of the late 1980s. The casting of Batman is among of the best in the genre; Michael Keaton captures the duality of Bruce
Wayne/Batman’s split identity and is able to sell the dramatic sequences as a
well as the action scenes. By casting an actor who was not primarily associated
with action-adventure films, Batman’s heroics seem more perilous and his
psychological trauma is more apparent. The other notable casting choice here is
Jack Nicholson as The Joker; Nicholson brings the psychotic energy shown in
performances like The
Shining and The
Departed but it’s extremely well focused and controlled; Nicholson is
more in character and less stock-Jack in Batman than in many other
performances, including some he won Academy Awards for.
What Doesn’t: Comic book purists have objected to
Burton’s tampering with the mythology of the Batman character and the plot
relies on coincidence a few too many times.
DVD extras: The two-disc special edition includes a
commentary track, documentaries and featurettes, music videos, trailers,
storyboards, and character profiles.
Bottom Line: Tim Burton’s Batman is one of the great comic book films. Even if it does stray a lot from its original source, it makes for a very good movie that is extremely entertaining. It also sets a standard for the genre, demonstrating that they can include high filmmaking craft and good acting while delivering the kinds of action adventure goods audiences expect.