"I wouldn't mind making a dark film for a change" thought Burton. `It'll have to have Keaton in on it, before he goes off the ropes and resumes making dire films again' he concluded `and I'm pretty sure he'll still work with me after Beetlejuice.'
`I liked Batman stuff Frank Miller did a few years back. As I recall, he wasn't wearing tights which was good for a change' he pondered. `Perhaps that would make good material for a film. We couldn't have Superman in it though, someone else owns the rights to that one, but everyone knows the Joker, and he was always my favourite' he surmised. `Oh, Nicholson hasn't done anything for a while, he would probably be up for it. Great.' What a fantastic opportunity Burton had set before him. When Miller reinvented Batman in 1986 it was only a matter of time before someone came along and put his dark images on the silver screen. This film certainly owes more to Millers dark realisation than to the 60's tights and bat-shark-repellent era and Bob Kane's original images.
The result is a fabulously well executed film, with compelling performances by both of the main proponents. Clearly the best comic book conversion to date, and far better than the sequels though the series has not got much life left in it because of the trend for killing the bad guys; something that rarely happens in the comic world because of the plot problems that it creates. The feel for Gotham is captured excellently. Locations are brilliant and effects are kept at just the right level to provide a backdrop for some delightful storytelling. It puts the other films in the series to shame, and questions the morality of making them in the first place. Possibly should have had more focus on the inner workings of Wayne and Napier, but the balance was roughly fair nonetheless. 8/10
`I liked Batman stuff Frank Miller did a few years back. As I recall, he wasn't wearing tights which was good for a change' he pondered. `Perhaps that would make good material for a film. We couldn't have Superman in it though, someone else owns the rights to that one, but everyone knows the Joker, and he was always my favourite' he surmised. `Oh, Nicholson hasn't done anything for a while, he would probably be up for it. Great.' What a fantastic opportunity Burton had set before him. When Miller reinvented Batman in 1986 it was only a matter of time before someone came along and put his dark images on the silver screen. This film certainly owes more to Millers dark realisation than to the 60's tights and bat-shark-repellent era and Bob Kane's original images.
The result is a fabulously well executed film, with compelling performances by both of the main proponents. Clearly the best comic book conversion to date, and far better than the sequels though the series has not got much life left in it because of the trend for killing the bad guys; something that rarely happens in the comic world because of the plot problems that it creates. The feel for Gotham is captured excellently. Locations are brilliant and effects are kept at just the right level to provide a backdrop for some delightful storytelling. It puts the other films in the series to shame, and questions the morality of making them in the first place. Possibly should have had more focus on the inner workings of Wayne and Napier, but the balance was roughly fair nonetheless. 8/10