BATMAN (1989) REVIEW!!!

Initial release date: June 23, 1989

Studio: Warner Bros.

Tagline: Only one will claim the night.

Justice is always darkest before the dawn.

Plot: Having witnessed his parent’s brutal murder as a child, millionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne fights crime in Gotham City as Batman, a costumed hero who strikes fear into the hearts of villains. But when a deformed madman who calls himself “The Joker” seizes control of Gotham’s criminal underworld, Batman must face his most ruthless nemesis ever while protecting both his identity and his love interest, reporter Vicki Vale.

Cast

Michael Keaton - Bruce Wayne/Batman

Jack Nicholson - Jack Napier/Joker

Kim Basinger - Vicki Vale

Robert Wuhl - Alexander Knox

Pat Hingle - Commissioner Gordon

Billy Dee Williams - Harvey Dent

Michael Gough - Alfred

Jack Palance - Grissom

Writer(s): Sam Hamm (Monkeybone; Batman Returns)

Warren Skaaren (Beetlejuice; Beverly Hills Cop II)

Director: Tim Burton (Dumbo; Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children)

Rated PG-13 (126 min)

This was the first time that I re-watched Tim Burton’s 1989 ‘Batman’ in quite some time. And even after all these years, the movie mostly still holds up today.

The movie delivers a lot of fun action and there are a couple moments that can be rather dark and kinda twisted. But, hey it’s a Tim Burton movie so that’s what you expect lol.

There are a few parts that can be rather on the quirky side. Throughout the movie, there is a good amount of dark humor, mostly, well all from The Joker (played brilliantly by Jack Nicholson). In fact, there are times that Nicholson’s performance actually overshadows Keaton’s (Batman).

Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’ movies (Batman; Batman Returns) are definitely the better installments of the original ‘Batman’ film series that consisted of these two movies, as well as ‘Batman Forever’ and ‘Batman and Robin.’ Which ‘Batman’ movie from the ORIGINAL series do you like the best?

You can currently check out ‘Batman’ on the HBO Max streaming platform until the end of the month.

Here are quite a few interesting tidbits about 1989’s ‘Batman’:

• Robin Williams was offered the role of Joker when Nicholson hesitated. He had even accepted the role, when producers approached Nicholson again and told Williams would take the part if he didn’t. Nicholson took the role, and Williams was released. Williams resented being used as bait, and not only refused to play Riddler in ‘Batman Forever,’ but also refused to be involved in any Warner productions until the studio apologized.

• Nicholson received a percentage of the gross on the film, and due to its massive box office take, he took home around $60 million. As of 2003, it’s still the single-movie record for an actor’s salary.

• Keaton was unable to hear while wearing the Batsuit. He said that his claustrophobia helped get him in the proper mood to play Batman.

• Keaton, who calls himself a “logic freak,” was concerned that Batman’s secret identity would, in reality, be fairly easy to uncover, and discussed ideas with Burton to better disguise the character, including the use of contact lenses. Ultimately, Keaton decided to perform Batman’s voice at a lower register than when he was portraying Bruce Wayne. This technique became a staple of future portrayals of Batman in film, TV and video games.

• In order to combat negative rumors about the production, a theatrical trailer was hastily assembled to be distributed to theaters. To test its effectiveness, WB execs showed it at a theater in Westwood, CA to an unsuspecting audience. The 90 second trailer received a standing ovation. Later, it would become a popular bootleg at comic book conventions.

• Domestically, it was the highest-grossing movie of 1989. Worldwide, it came second to ‘Last Crusade.’

• Billy Dee Williams took the role of Dent with the expectation that he would be brought back to play Two Face, and reportedly had a contract clause adding reserving the role for him. During casting for ‘Batman Forever,’ WB decided they preferred Tommy Lee Jones, and bought out Williams' contract.

• This movie was released the year of the character’s 50th anniversary.

• Nicholson has said that what made the Joker one of his favorite roles of his own was that it allowed him so much creative freedom. In Nicholson’s view, while most character roles have specific traits to which an actor has to stay true, the Joker’s specific trait is that he’s unpredictable, meaning that he was able to do whatever he wanted and still stay true to the character.

• The only live action ‘Batman’ film to feature only one villain from the comics.

• Based on his success with ‘Superman,’ Richard Donner was considered to direct.

• Ray Liotta was offered the roles of Harvey Dent, Bruce Wayne/Batman and Joker, but turned them down to film ‘Goodfellas’ Liotta later regretted those decisions upon realizing what chances he had missed.

• In the late 1970s, Batman’s popularity was waning. Producers Benjamin Melnicker and Michael E. Uslan purchased the film rights of Batman from DC Comics on October 3, 1979. It was Uslan’s wish “to make the definitive, dark, serious version of Batman, the way Bob Kane and Bill Finger had envisioned him in 1939. A creature of the night; stalking criminals in the shadows.”

• Uslan was unsuccessful with pitching ‘Batman' to various studios because they wanted the film to be similar to the campy 1960s TV series. Columbia and United Artists were among those to turn down the film. WB decided to accept and produce the movie in 1980.