Batman (1989)

A mugging in a dark alley in the crime-ridden streets of Gotham, the muggers think they pulled it off without hitch, little do they know, the night hides someone else watching: the Batman.  Tim Burton's 1989 film Batman, starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson, is often heralded (along with 1978's Superman) as one of the primary inspirations for the modern superhero film.  The film focuses on Batman's attempts to thwart the sinister plots of the newest and most deadly member of his rogues gallery: the Joker.  All the while, his alter-ego Bruce Wayne tries to charm Vicki Vale.  The supporting actors include Kim Basinger, Michael Gough, Jack Palance, and Billy Dee Williams.

The film begins with reports of a shadowy Batman stalking criminals in the night trickling through Gotham's underbelly: petty thieves, corrupt cops, and tabloid journalists.  A high-level mobster, Jack Napier, is betrayed by the mob boss Carl Grissom (Jack Palance) and is left horribly scarred.  Bruce Wayne meets and falls for Vicki Vale, the paper's new star photojournalist.  Napier, taking on the name "Joker," plots to take over the city's organized crime with a (substantial) bit of pizazz.  As Batman becomes something of an icon in the city of Gotham, the Joker, not one to be outdone, seeks to become all the more outrageous in order to become the favored "freak" among the citizenry; but Batman will not ignore the Joker's crimes and remain in his cave for very long.

The acting in the film is good, but not great.  Michael Keaton does good work in the lead, despite his being miscast; he only truly encompasses one (important) facet of the Batman character: the inner turmoil.  Batman is supposed to be one thing in particular, which Michael Keaton is not: physically intimidating.  Jack Nicholson is good as the Joker, even though Burton commits the (oft committed) fatal flaw of focusing on the villain and not the hero.  Kim Basinger does her job; her job being to portray the type of character first addressed as follows: "Hello Legs."  Michael Gough is good as the faithful butler Alfred, even if the character is underused and does some objectionable things that a superhero's confidante should never do (at least according to the generally agreed upon comic-book rules).

The Gotham city that Tim Burton and his crew created for the film is absolutely wonderful to behold.  Despite the obvious (and necessary) use of some matte paintings, the Gotham city seen in the film is both (relatively) realistic and comic-bookish.  Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne's mansion home, is both luxuriant and slightly creepy, which is befitting the Gothic nature of the titular character and his alter-ego.  The vehicles used in the film are befittingly ridiculous and outlandish, but it would not be a Batman film without them; though I did find the Bat-plane a tad unnecessary and particularly outlandish.

The film's plot is fairly standard and does not do either the actors or the characters justice.  Many details of the plot seem unnecessary and forced (such as the Joker being the one who killed Bruce Wayne's parents).  The score, one of the earliest by Danny Elfman, is both good musically and is an excellent fit for the film in terms of subject matter and tone.

Despite having a severely miscast lead (though Michael Keaton does a great job, he just wasn't right for the role) and a confusion of who the film is about, 1989's Batman is a decent Batman flick, but is nowhere near the seminal superhero film many seem to remember it as; it is inferior to its sequel Batman Returns (granted it is far superior to both Batman Forever and Batman and Robin) and is far inferior to the Christopher Nolan films released in recent years.

6/10

Note: This review was previously posted on another blog I wrote.