"Batman" (1989)

The idea of X thing "walking" so that Y thing "could run" is a tale that's as old as time in pretty much any context, and that's something that you'll see in the film industry no matter how far back (or not even that far in some cases) you go. That's something that I couldn't quite get out of my head in watching Tim Burton's "Batman."

As someone who was born six years after it's release, and not given any exposure to it in my early childhood (probably for good reason), this is a film that I completely missed out on probably due in no small part to the fact that a little movie called "Batman Begins" came out when I was 10 years old, entirely setting the tone for what a superhero movie, particularly one featuring Batman, should be. Chris Nolan of course followed up "Begins" with two equally acclaimed sequels in what was a well planned out trilogy that formed my idea of what superhero movies could be.

There are good and bad elements of me arriving at this point. The good is that I expect more out of this genre, while the bad means that any superhero flick that doesn't at least share some characteristics with Nolan's Batman movies means it's pretty much a nonstarter for me; that's very much hindered my ability to enjoy this type of movie, and as a result I've gone to work to try and change that mindset over the last several years.

While I've yet to give the MCU a real shot at this point (and probably won't ever bother with what DC has been trying and failing to put out), I did at one point several years ago give Burton's "Batman" a shot when it was on Netflix. Still firmly and naively entrenched in my belief that any and all superhero movies should adhere to the Nolan playbook (even ones that came out decades prior), I found it to be a bit of a borefest and was unable to finish it.

"A cartoonish, gothic aesthetic? An over the top, unrealistic portrayal of the Joker, complete with an origin story of him? The Joker has no origin, that's the point!"

That last part about the Joker having no true origin story is something I'll remain steadfast on (and maybe why I haven't checked out the Todd Phillips take on it yet), but I think in returning to this movie the other night (which I decided to do on a random whim when I stumbled across it on Amazon Prime), I found that some of my other gripes were 100% born out of naivety at best, and bias at worst. In fact, my second examination helped me to realize that without this movie, it's possible the Nolan Batman films don't ever wind up happening.

While Burton's heavily stylized, art deco version of Gotham is a far cry from the hyper realistic New York City mimic we see in the Nolan movies, a lot of the themes and ideas present in "Batman" are clearly very influential on the rest of the genre, while very much standing on it's own. Brooding and dark, while also campy without treading too far into satirical territory this is a unique film in every sense of the word.

One of the especially influential aspects of it is focusing an equal (if not more) amount of time and energy on the villain of the film than the hero. Jack Nicholson's Joker is brash and on the nose, but still possesses plenty of swaggering menace that makes the character terrifying, and Nicholson worthy of the top billing that he sought out as a condition to do the movie.

By contrast, Micheal Keaton's Bruce Wayne/Batman is incredibly subdued almost to the point of being laid back, projecting an almost everyman quality that's almost ironic considering Wayne's origin story of having lost his family in a botched mugging as a child. Despite the unique energy he brings to the screen being different than what you'd expect, it actually works exceptionally well, particularly in scenes where he's dealing with Kim Basinger's Vicki Vale, who proves to be the one weakness to Keaton's calm, cool exterior.

And of course the great performances are set against the backdrop of great direction by Burton. A horror veteran, he knows all the tricks that go beyond the style and set design that already set this one apart, and that includes the use of the camera - the tilted "Dutch Angle" to create tension is a very nice touch that would only feel at home in a Burton direction.

The story didn't do much for me except setup the dynamic between Batman and the Joker, but there's just enough drama in there between Wayne and Vale that things manage to stay compelling. It also serves as a vehicle for some of the amazing (even for 2020) action set pieces.

While it's not on the level of the Nolan trilogy, I think watching this was the perfect opportunity for me to realize that that's okay - "Batman" is it's own type of movie, as are pretty much any other superhero flick that you'll come across, and especially worth the watch in this case. Ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?

Jake's rating: 7.6/10

Streaming: For rent on Amazon Prime video