Batman (1989)

Batman may be a very well recognized icon in today's film industry thanks to Christopher Nolan but there was also a Batman craze going on in the late 80s thanks to well known director Tim Burton. This is the first entry of this trilogy ('Batman Returns' and 'Batman Forever' are the successors) and ends up being a well made superhero film that Batman fans will enjoy. The story is about Bruce Wayne who is a rich politician assisted by his trustworthy servant Alfred. Rumours of a Bat that stops crime are circling around Gotham City and Wayne is at the center of it. Why? Well, he IS Batman. Crime in Gotham is quite low key until Batman ends up plunging a man called Jack into toxic waste. What follows is an intense battle between Batman and the newly formed 'Joker'. The film is dark in tone and grim but this is usual for a Burton film. The dark humour used by The Joker is funny and scary at the same time. While Batman isn't a scary film, there are a couple of creepy and unnerving scenes. Jack Nicholson is amazing as The Joker. He comes across as a truly insane person, which is what his personality is in the first place. There is are some side stories added in as well to the film. Vicki Vale is a news reporter eager to get the first real shots of Batman and we learn the dark and sad past of Wayne in the process. However, the main act is still very much focused on the insanity of The Joker and the struggles Batman must go through to truly defeat him and save Gotham. My only major complaint with Batman is that if you have no prior knowledge to the Batman universe then you may find yourself very confused. There is no true explanation and the film assumes you've read the comics. I didn't have too much of a problem with this as I had played the recent 'Arkham' games but I heard from a couple of people that they were very confused to what was going on as they had no prior knowledge on anything related to Batman. Overall, Batman is a great superhero film as long as you have knowledge of Batman. I can't complain about the special effects since in 1989 they were probably very good so I have to keep this in mind. Would I see Batman again? No. But I did enjoy every minute of the film. Like most other superhero films I see, I find them to be 'one hit wonders'. I only ever really get the same lasting effect from them the first time I see them. Anyway, I think the film is highly deserving of the 4 star rating. A very good superhero film with great acting and an interesting story.