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Released in 1989, this Tim Burton adaptation of the famous DC comic book character impressively
grossed over 400-million on just a meager 35-million dollar budget. Clocking in at 121
minutes, Michael Keaton stars as Bruce Wayne, a billionaire who vows to avenge his parent's
*** by battling crime as the costumed vigilante known as Batman. And although he was originally
protested by loyal comic fans, and arguably upstaged by Christian Bale's portrayal two
decades later... Keaton undeniable becomes the caped crusader in this film: truly embodying
all of the suave sophistication and arrogance of Bruce Wayne, as well as the unflappable
determination of Batman himself. As the evil, deranged lunatic Joker, Jack Nicholson turns
in an absolutely unforgettable performance that people still quote to this day - his
maniacal laughter bringing to life one of the best villains in cinema history. Skipping
right past Batman's origin story, this movie opens up in a pre-existing universe, carefully
crafted in the classic Tim Burton style. His treatment and scope of the Batman universe
is serious, but campy, flashy, but gritty, and surprisingly well-written to boot. Featuring
mostly practical effects, Gotham city looks and feels like its own character here, giving
the viewer plenty of eye-candy as the super sleek Batmobile whizzes down its streets.
The trademark gadgets, batcave, and utility belt all receive a proper big-screen treatment,
much to the delight of long-time fans. While this slower-paced superhero film never quite
reaches levels of true intensity or actual suspense, its simple and playful delivery
definitely entertains. Outdone only by the recent Christopher Nolan adaptations, this,
the first in the long, successful line of Batman films is easily a worthy entry into
the beloved franchise. "Batman", "Colorfully entertaining, Nicholson is outstanding".
To show us our scores for "Batman", here's the Rate-O-Matic... an EIGHT and an EIGHT.
Your high praise of Nicholson's Joker performance was unanimous, but the films faults were harder
to nail down... resulting in an average score of "Great" from you. I completely agreed...
this is a fun, and at times zany version of the Batman universe, but there's something
decidedly missing that prevents me from scoring this film much higher, but I thought it was
pretty great.