Gone are the bright colours and the corny humour of the Batman from the 1960s. Burton's Batman is a dark affair, both in terms of content and aesthetic. We are introduced to Batman (played by Michael Keaton) as a masked vigilante. He is a phantom of the night. Rumoured to loom large by Gotham city's petty criminals, his potential existence provokes both intrigue and fear. As a result, a couple of investigators try to confirm his presence. One of them, Vicki Vale, (played by Kim Basinger) finds herself right in the midst of Batman's world. She begins dating Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne, and also becomes the object of the affections of Batman's arch nemesis: The Joker. But will she truly discover who Batman is?
Onto The Joker (played by Jack Nicholson), here is a man who becomes Gotham city's criminal overlord. This occurs after he falls into a vat of acid and loses any semblance of restraint or sanity he may have previously possessed. He seems driven by madness and motiveless malignity and will stop at nothing in his attempts to cause as much chaos and carnage as his deranged mind can conjure.
The most successful aspect of this film, by far, is its ability to generate a brooding atmosphere. This is something which would become a staple of many of the subsequent Batman films. The film achieves this atmosphere through use of dark lighting, gothic, art deco models and sets, alongside an iconic Danny Elfman score. The special effects are also slick and impressive. The film demonstrates that old-school cinematic techniques, such as stop-motion animation, back-projection and models, can be used extremely effectively to build worlds.
But, despite the film's impressive effects and ambience, the plot is horribly thin. Characters' motivations are barely conceived never mind communicated and the lack of any attempt to make sense of key plot points in the film points to both laziness and cynicism on the part of the film's creators. There are points during the film when there is such a lack of rhyme or reason to what is happening that I thought I was rewatching Batman: The Movie but without the jokes (albeit very much with The Joker). The film feels serious but the plot is not taken seriously. Thus we're left abandoned when it comes to going on any journey of substance with the characters we view onscreen.
Onto the performances: the leads all give decent outings but none of them have a lot to work with. Basinger switches from demur to inquisitive to repulsed to terrified as the script requires; Keaton is aloof and broody as Wayne, and a credible tough guy in the role of Batman; however, it's Nicholson who you sense could've achieved more in his role. He essentially turns in a less intense version of his performance from The Shining but subsequent portrayals have shown the true potential that lies in the character of The Joker. Nicholson practically phones it in by comparison.
So, it's flawed for sure but we should remember this film as being the first superhero movie to attempt unsettling drama over kookie comedy or wholesome, all-American entertainment. Thus, Tim Burton's Batman remains a landmark effort. It transformed the way that Batman had been represented onscreen and established a clear divergence from the camp, B movie aesthetic established by Batman: The Movie (1966) and the 1960s TV series. It is also, in many ways, a missed opportunity to tell a serious story to go along with its serious mood. Alas, this is an opportunity which would be capitalised on more successfully in later films.
Onto The Joker (played by Jack Nicholson), here is a man who becomes Gotham city's criminal overlord. This occurs after he falls into a vat of acid and loses any semblance of restraint or sanity he may have previously possessed. He seems driven by madness and motiveless malignity and will stop at nothing in his attempts to cause as much chaos and carnage as his deranged mind can conjure.
The most successful aspect of this film, by far, is its ability to generate a brooding atmosphere. This is something which would become a staple of many of the subsequent Batman films. The film achieves this atmosphere through use of dark lighting, gothic, art deco models and sets, alongside an iconic Danny Elfman score. The special effects are also slick and impressive. The film demonstrates that old-school cinematic techniques, such as stop-motion animation, back-projection and models, can be used extremely effectively to build worlds.
But, despite the film's impressive effects and ambience, the plot is horribly thin. Characters' motivations are barely conceived never mind communicated and the lack of any attempt to make sense of key plot points in the film points to both laziness and cynicism on the part of the film's creators. There are points during the film when there is such a lack of rhyme or reason to what is happening that I thought I was rewatching Batman: The Movie but without the jokes (albeit very much with The Joker). The film feels serious but the plot is not taken seriously. Thus we're left abandoned when it comes to going on any journey of substance with the characters we view onscreen.
Onto the performances: the leads all give decent outings but none of them have a lot to work with. Basinger switches from demur to inquisitive to repulsed to terrified as the script requires; Keaton is aloof and broody as Wayne, and a credible tough guy in the role of Batman; however, it's Nicholson who you sense could've achieved more in his role. He essentially turns in a less intense version of his performance from The Shining but subsequent portrayals have shown the true potential that lies in the character of The Joker. Nicholson practically phones it in by comparison.
So, it's flawed for sure but we should remember this film as being the first superhero movie to attempt unsettling drama over kookie comedy or wholesome, all-American entertainment. Thus, Tim Burton's Batman remains a landmark effort. It transformed the way that Batman had been represented onscreen and established a clear divergence from the camp, B movie aesthetic established by Batman: The Movie (1966) and the 1960s TV series. It is also, in many ways, a missed opportunity to tell a serious story to go along with its serious mood. Alas, this is an opportunity which would be capitalised on more successfully in later films.