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There are two movies based on comic book characters that started it all – Superman (1978) starring Christopher Reeve and Batman (1989) starring
Michael Keaton. They may not have been the first comic book movies, but they were no doubt the biggest
and most inspirational at the time. After the success of Beetlejuice,
director Tim Burton gives us his very imaginative look into his version of Gotham City – a visual dream that only
he could come up with. A world that takes elements from the Batman comic book and merges them with his
twisted and creative mind – a look that works remarkably well for this type of movie. For the first
time, the world of Batman looks and feels as though we were watching a live-action comic book unravel before our eyes.
Part of the visual appeal to this movie is the perfect recreation of the Batsuit, the Batmobile and the Batplane.
They may not be direct clones of what we see in the comics, but each element was thoughtfully created with comic in
mind. In fact, the Batsuit seen in the first two movies are without a doubt my favorite in any Batman
movie or television series… yes, even better than The Dark Knight. Adding
to the visual attraction of Batman is the equally impressive audio – given to us by Danny Elfman. The
main theme for this movie will forever imbed my mind whenever I think of Batman – no other theme in super-hero history
can overcome or replace what is heard within the first few seconds of this movie. In fact, I get goose
bumps each time I hear it. Michael Keaton takes on the role of Batman and Bruce Wayne
– although he seems more like a Bruce Wayne than a super-hero, Michael Keaton did an excellent job behind the cape
and cowl. His version of Batman is not overdone or overpowering, and his Bruce Wayne is exactly what
you would expect to see when you think of Bruce Wayne. Jack Nicholson also gives one of the best performances
of his lifetime as The Joker – a role that Heath Ledger later topped and trademarked his own in The Dark Knight.
This version of the Joker is a spitting image of what you would have see if you took the comic book Joker (from the
80’s) and put him on the screen – his timing and unusual behavior is uncanny and perfectly displayed.
But unfortunately, not every movie is perfect and even Batman is defenseless when it comes to flaws and problems
surrounding this movie. The script, although appealing and well thought out, is not what you would expect
from a Batman movie. In fact, the stories and events seen in Tim Burton’s world couldn’t be
farther than the truth seen in the comic books. Sure, there is a tidbit of truth every now and then, but
the occasion glimpse of truth cannot make up for the pile of lies and re-imagining this movie displays. The
whole connected between Bruce Wayne and the Joker is just ridiculous (Joker killing Bruce’s parents). The
other main flaw in this movie can be summed up with one word – Prince. Or six words – The Artist
Formerly Known as Prince. Each song, not conducted or created by Danny Elfman is performed by Prince.
Prince may be as colorful as the Joker, but should never be heard in any comic book movie – especially Batman.
Batman and Superman were exactly what this world needed to kick start our interest in seeing more superheroes on
the big screen; unfortunately for us it took a few bad releases and a few years later for the world to realize what a real
comic book movie should look like, but you cannot deny the amount of inspiration this movie has given other filmmakers and
movies that have come out over the years. At one time, Batman was considered to be one of the greatest
comic book movies of all time, and it’s still holding strong in the top ten.
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