Batman (1989)
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Batman Movie Review
Batman is a 1989 superhero film directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. It’s a very flawed, but ultimately respectable effort.
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“Have you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight?“
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I am a big fan of Tim Burton and I like the comic-book, video game version of Batman so of course this movie thus suited my interests. He was a great fit for the source material and thus it remains much better than Nolan’s trilogy. But, and this is a big but, it didn’t quite stand the test of time unfortunately.
I am of course talking about its pacing which is very problematic. Basically the movie is very slow and even dull in its second act and that’s simply unforgivable for a superhero blockbuster flick. The movie managed to elevate that problem with many strengths to it, but at the end of the day I wasn’t particularly entertained.
The crime elements are overly abundant, but still very well realized and the movie is very serious without ever being overly dark and pretentious as is the case with ‘The Dark Knight’. I found the third act serviceable, but the first one is the best and most interesting for sure. The romance worked for me as did its more dramatic, less action-oriented approach which I always appreciate.
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Michael Keaton is fine as Batman, but far from anything even remotely resembling the greatness that this character deserves and still has to get a proper cinematic treatment. The actor isn’t great, but the characterization is pretty strong and I liked his backstory and his moodier sequences.
As for Jack Nicholson, he’s solid, but he overacted the hell out of this role. Again, that’s his shtick and it somewhat fits for this type of role, but still he went overboard with it a bit too much for my personal liking. But I absolutely loved the origin story of his and how he got that face. That was so well done and very intriguing.
The rest of the characters ain’t all that great or worth discussing about more with the exception of Kim Basinger’s Vicki Vale who’s actually a solid, memorable love interest for Bats. I found Burton’s direction also pretty strong, albeit not up to par with his best works.
Technically speaking, this movie is as polished as a Batman movie can possibly be and in that regard, unlike the pacing, it wildly succeeded at being timeless and still strong to this day and age. I am of course talking about its amazing production design above all else with many superb sets that evoke the dangerous, dark and noir atmosphere inherent in this source material perfectly.
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The same goes for the cinematography which is excellent, the costumes which are terrific and the score which is absolutely fantastic and this flick remains the best scored Batman movie of them all. I loved that theme so much and I wanted even more of it. So at the end of the day, it shouldn’t make any spots among the greatest of Tim Burton’s movies, but it remains one of the better Batman films for sure.
The 1989 Batman movie directed by Tim Burton is one of the better flicks in the series despite its greatest flaw which is of course its problematically slow pacing. But the characterization is pretty strong, the acting is solid and some plot points are quite intriguing. It is above all else a major technical success owing to excellent cinematography, many amazing sets and a splendid score.
