Batman (1989)

The worldwide success of Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" has prompted Warner Bros. to finally release Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman" with an extra disc of special features...and this is an event worth cheering about!

A groundbreaking cinematic achievement (and one of the most expensive films ever produced, to that time), "Batman" was a tremendous gamble, and the story behind the ten-year struggle to bring it to the screen is fascinating! It is a tale of visionaries, beginning with Michael Uslan, a young student/Batman fan, who not only convinced his university to include comics in their curriculum, but, fired up by Richard Donner's "Superman", knew a Batman film could be just as powerful, and took the idea, with Batman creator Bob Kane's blessing, to Hollywood; of Peter Gruber and Jon Peters, who listened to Uslan, after every studio had passed on it, saw the potential, and decided to gamble; of Sam Hamm, who had a "Batman" script in his head, praying to get the chance to write it; and, most importantly, of Tim Burton, whose dark, quirky sensibilities made him THE director to film it, despite only two feature films to his credit.

This remarkable story, with archival footage and new interviews, is the highlight of disc two, but there is much, much more! Did you know that Robin was scripted to make an appearance in the first film? That Sean Young, not Kim Basinger, had been cast as Vicki Vale? That the Batmobile, designed by Oscar-winner Anton Furst, could actually do 95 mph (and that Tim Burton drove it, once?) That the room where disfigured Jack Nicholson received his unsuccessful plastic surgery was actually a studio prop room? Each chapter is a revelation!

Not that there aren't a few disappointments in the presentation; there is no chapter with deleted scenes (although a few moments are shown that never made it into the finished film...a little girl, seeing Batman, asks, in all seriousness, "Is it Halloween?", which causes him to pause, and grin); the 'History' of Batman, despite a wealth of photos and clips from the comics, serials, and graphic novels, does not offer a single visual from the campy 60s TV series (whether this was a refusal by 20th Century Fox, who produced the series, to permit their use, or an attempt to distance the movie from the "ZAP! BAM! POW!" silliness is not explained). Also, the brief appearance of screen legend Jack Palance, as 'Boss Grissom', is largely ignored, other than in Tim Burton's audio commentary, which is surprising. Still, many of the cast share their memories (Billy Dee Williams still expresses disappointment that he didn't get to play 'Two-Face'; Robert Wuhl, regret that after they rewrote his death scene to allow his character to survive, he never appeared in another film in the franchise).

I guess what I'm saying, is...chuck your old copy of "Batman", and replace it with THIS one!

You'll be glad you did!

This film proved to the world that comic book films could be much more than action-packed carnage festivals. This film (and the first sequel "Batman Returns") have so much more to it than that. "Batman" is a gripping and very moving exploration of the psyche; it peers into the souls of not only the Dark Knight, but also those of the people whose lives he changes with his presence. The film is brilliantly acted by its perfectly-chosen cast, which includes Jack Nicholson (the Joker), Michael Keaton (the Batman), Kim Basinger (Vicki Vale), Micheal Gough (Alfred Pennyworth), and Robert Wuhl (Alexander Knox). Tim Burton makes perfect use of his wonderful directorial talents, Anton Furst designs a gothic, beautiful Gotham City, and Danny Elfman's classic musical score further help make this a unique, thought-provoking, and very powerful modern classic, a masterpiece of film noir and grand opera. "Batman Returns shares these wonderful qualities, but, sadly, Joel Schumacher's "Batman Forever" and "Batman and Robin" lose all of that depth and meaning, and become little more than standard mindless action. But, we'll always have Burton's dark vision of a haunted and brooding Batman.

Buy Batman (1989) Now

If you want to look at a superhero adaptation done right look no further than this movie or the latest Spiderman movies. After watching the last two Batman flicks, I had kind of written the series off, but watching this on TV the other night I realized that I had forgotten how good this was. Michael Keaton was perfect as Batman, if you think about it Bruce Wayne is not the most tightly wrapped guy out there, he dresses up as a giant flying rodent and runs around at night in Gotham City beating up on criminals, and Keaton captured this essence perfectly. Kim Basinger was great as Vicki Vale and Jack Nicholson was awesome as the Joker. indeed I'd have to say that this is the last good performance that Nicholson did, after this movie he phoned everything in and cashed in on his Jack Nicholson act.

In addition to a well-written script (the only contrived part being the fact that the Joker had killed Bruce Wayne's parents years before) the sets for this movie were totally cool and like nothing else we had seen at the time. Tim Burton was still a young and fresh director and Danny Elfman scores hadn't become tiring. If this movie looks a bit stale now it's only because so many other movies have imitated it and because Burton and Elfman have become one-trick ponies. However when you look at it as the leader of a cinematic vanguard of action movies you realize how good it is.

Read Best Reviews of Batman (1989) Here

Acclaimed filmmaker Tim Burton brings the legendary caped crime-fighter to the big screen in the spectacular 1989 blockbuster "Batman". In the dark streets of Gotham City, an urban myth known as "the Batman" (Michael Keaton) uses the night to strike fear in the hearts of criminals. When the city is threatened by the psychotic criminal known as the Joker (Jack Nicholson), the mysterious Batman becomes the city's only hope. "Batman" is an outstanding action-packed spectacle that honors Bob Kane's popular creation. Director Tim Burton's unique style gives the story much emotion and depth. Michael Keaton gives a fine performance as Batman/Bruce Wayne and Jack Nicholson is terrific as the Joker. The movie also contains some nice visuals, impressive action, great humor, cool gadgets and a rich music score. The cast also includes Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Michael Gough, Billy Dee Williams and Jack Palance. This comic book film became the runaway smash hit in 1989 and launched a multimillion dollar franchise.

For fans whom been waiting years for a special edition release, "Batman" Special Edition really delivers. The 1989 blockbuster is presented in its original 1.78:1 theatrical widescreen format. The DVD contains a truly vibrant picture quality and an intense 5.1 Dolby Digital sound. Its supplemental extras include a detailed audio commentary by director Tim Burton, the comprehensive 40-minute "Legends of the Dark Knight" documentary, several behind-the-scenes featurettes, "Heroes & Villains" galleries, theatrical trailers and three music videos by Prince. With such new bonus features, "Batman: Special Edition" obtains an "A".

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The film:

Disclosure Batman was the first movie that really knocked my socks off as a kid. I saw it several times in the theater, and it ignited a decade long love of comic books for me (that ended when I moved out on my own and didn't have the money any more). So reviewing this film is an exercise in taming my nostalgia.

It is a very good movie. It's got some very good performances, especially Keaton and Nicholson. The story overall is strong, intertwining the origins of the two principals. It gets a bit flabby in pacing at the end, and about 10 minutes could have been cut. The ending is easily the worst bit, as Batman suddenly becomes rather homicidal, in contradiction to well-established characterization in 50 years of prior stories. Some of the effects work doesn't stand up very well today, with obvious model shots and some pretty bad animation which would now be done by CGI. Actually, what strikes me now is how "low budget" it seems at times, if you're looking for it anyway (and the vision is generally so powerful that you might not but then I've seen this film a good 20 times).

Overall, the fractured vision of Tim Burton and designer Anton Furst, married to a tenuous grip on reality (which was completely gone by the sequel, unfortunately), makes this compelling viewing. It's not as good perhaps as the new Nolan movies. But it's a classic. It inaugurated the boom of comic book movies that we are still enjoying/suffering through today. Kids 8 to 80 should enjoy this film. It's well worth owning as a home video.

The Blu-Ray:

This video transfer is very faithful to the original film. Which is to say, it's drab, dark, monochromatic, and not at all the kind of thing you want to demo your shiny new HDTV with.

Don't get me wrong. This looks better than the previous two DVD editions. When a scene is lit reasonably well, you can see pretty good detail in hair, facial wrinkles, and wet pavement. But the overall dynamic range of the image, from dark to light, is pretty flat. This is a very dim-looking movie. The audio is a competent Dolby TrueHD 5.1 channels mix.

Extras are comprehensive, but they are all in SD, and they are all recycled from the previous 2 disc collector's edition. There are LOADS of cast interviews, production featurettes, and one large documentary which is a 70 minute cut from the one that spanned all four "original" movies. All told I would guess there are about 3 hours of featurettes, most of which are pretty worthwhile for Batman fans. Irritatingly, most of them do not have a "play all" option. So you're forced to navigate a large menu full of small type and try to remember what you've already seen. Argh.

Burton's commentary is very entertaining. He only trails off one or two times in the 2 hours of the film. He starts to repeat himself a bit by the last half hour, but overall it is very engaging, loaded with information, and has plenty of honest opinion from the director.

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If you own the 2 disc collector's edition on DVD, I'm not going to say this is a strong recommendation. It's just not that much of an upgrade. All of the extras are the same, and the transfer isn't one of those revelatory HD experiences.

If you don't already own it, and you're looking to expand your comic book film collection, then definitely go ahead and pick this up. It laid the groundwork for all the films we've gotten since. It's easily the best of the original 4 Batman movies.