Customer Reviews for
Batman
"And as you can see . . . I've been a lot happier."
This review focuses on Burton's Batman (Batman89, Batman Returns), Nolan's Batman (Batman Begins, the Dark Knight), and 1992 original Batman: The Animated Series. I'm excluding Schumacher's Batman (Batman Forever, Batman and Robin), the 1960's Batman series, and "The Batman", simply because I believe they are the weakest representations.
To be perfectly honest, I love Burton, Nolan, and BTAS equally. All three interpretations are so different, that they cannot be compared. And it is really annoying that I find people on YouTube trying to see which one is better (most opinions are biased). So here it goes with MY opinions:
BATMAN: Michael Keaton, Kevin Conroy, and Christian Bale have given us excellent performances. Conroy (from BTAS) has the perfect voice for Batman, though the physical depiction seems a bit too much. Bale really acts well as Bruce Wayne, but his voice for Batman is too deep and goofy. To me, Keaton is the ultimate "Bruce". He has the awkwardness and the eccentricity of the character, and plus his hoarse voice for the Bat is far superior to Bale's. It's too bad that he doesn't get that much screen time in both of Burton's films.
VILLAINS: Mr. Freeze, Riddler, Clayface, Mad Hatter, Scarface, Killer Croc, Bane, Baby Doll, Penguin, Clock King, Harley Quinn, Professor Milo, Poison Ivy, and Rupert Thorne appear only on BTAS, and they are marvelous in their own right.
The Scarecrow was better portrayed in BTAS (voice by Henry Polic II) than he was in Begins. Cillian Murphy looked too young as Doctor Crane, and the actual villain was much underused in the film. Two-Face had the scariest appearance in TDK; Aaron Eckhardt was flawless. However, Two-Face in BTAS (Richard Moll) had a much better origin. Years of suppressing anger can do that, you know. Ra's al Ghul is much more interesting in BTAS (David Warner); Liam Neeson's performance in BB was just above average as he wasn't very believable to me. The Penguin, one of my favorite Batman villains, has been blessed with both BReturns and BTAS. Danny Devito and Paul Williams have done superb jobs with this antagonist. Same goes with Catwoman: Michelle Pfeiffer had the better dialogue and better catsuit, while Adrienne Barbeau was a better Selina Kyle, and her chemistry with Batman is deeper.
Finally, for the Joker we have Jack Nicholson (B89), Mark Hamill (BTAS), and Heath Ledger (TDK). All three of them are perfect. Nicholson has the best dialogue, Hamill has the best laugh and look, and Ledger has the best sadism. Three different worlds, three different performances. People on YouTube should understand that.
SUPPORTING CHARACTERS: I couldn't see Michael Caine as Alfred, so it's thumbs down from me. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and Michael Gough are the ideal Alfred's. Aaron Eckhardt is truly a one-of-a-kind Harvey Dent. I Believe in Harvey Dent! Billy Dee Williams was great in B89, also, and he had the tough and virtuous personality, as did Richard Moll in BTAS. Gary Oldman and Bob Hastings are the definitive Commissioner Gordon's; Pat Hingle is the weakest, but certainly not at all terrible. He's just a bit too short. Morgan Freeman is the one and only Lucius Fox; Brock Peters of BTAS had the better persona, but Freeman had the better chemistry with Batman.
GOTHAM CITY: Burton captured the dark and gothic feel of the hellish city perfectly. It looks as if "Hell came sprouting out of the concrete and kept right on growing. You gotta give credit to Anton Furst, the film's art director, for creating this atmospheric universe. Gotham in BTAS also has its advantages. The towering skyline, the dangerous alleys, and the red sky make it all more mesmerizing. Nolan's Gotham looks hellish, too, but it looks too much like Chicago (filming location for both BB and TDK). But other than that, it succeeds in creating a Faustian nightmare.
EVERYTHING ELSE: The gadgets in BTAS were the most realistic, while the Batmobile for B89 was better-looking. Keaton's Batsuit is classic, while Conroy's cape and cowl is ultimately frightening. The heroines (Basinger, Holmes, and Gyllenhaal) are lovely additions, although I wish Basinger would stop screaming throughout B89. And let's not forget the music: let's give it up for Danny Elfman, Shirley Walker, James Newton Howard, and Hans Zimmer. These are the composers who gave us those catchy Batman themes. We will never forget them or their work.
CONCLUSION: Burton's universe, Nolan's universe, and Timm's universe are near ideal. I love them equally, really. I can't wait for the next film.Batman
Tim Burtons Batman the best of the four
I love this movie! Michael Keaton is the best Batman before Batman Begins. But the Joker a.k.a Jack Nicholson steals the show. Hes much better than Ceaser Romeros Joker. The fight scenes are some of the best. My personal favorite is and is proably everyones is Joker vs Batman. The movie could have more fight scenes and the fact that Joker killed Bruces parents in the movie didnt bode will with me because his parents were killed by some nameless crook. But it still is a great movie and I give it 4 out of 5 stars. tommorow Ill be reviewing Batman Returns. And to tell you Im using my moms msn name so call me The Cable Guy.Batman
All Theatrics, Zero Substance
+ AS A BATMAN STORY
It's simply the worst I've experienced. I've read bad Batman comics, I've seen bad Batman television episodes, but this goes above and beyond that. We have nothing to establish Bruce Wayne as a character, nothing to flesh him out beyond "rich guy, wears Batsuit." While this is essentially a Batman/Joker story operating around the theme "the enemies that made each other," even that works as nothing but a cheap twist. Neither of the characters are fleshed out, making them shells of the iconic characters we've read and watched. While I like when film makers take liberties from the source material, giving the Joker the role that they give him in this movie (in relation to Bruce's past) is ridiculous and, again, is simply a cheap twist that has absolutely no emotional resonance. The actor's performances are passable--though there is nothing close to a spark, or really anything convincingly romantic, between Michael Keaton and Kim Basinger--and even Jack Nicholson doesn't wow in this film. Plus, since when does Batman kill people? Is he the Punisher now? They might as well have gave him a different costume, a different name, and called the film something else, because this bears no resemblance to the real Batman.
+ AS A TIM BURTON FILM
Not only does this movie not live up to the "Batman" name, it also doesn't live up to the rest of Tim Burton's directorial accomplishments. You'd expect this kind of movie from a run-of-the-mill hack director, but from the man who brought us Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and so many other good films? Not so much. Even Burton himself said "there's parts I liked, but it was a little boring at times." When I purchased this, I thought I'd be in for a treat. How can you go wrong with Burton and Batman? Turns out, you can go very, very wrong.
+ AS A MOVIE
The back of the DVD really convinced me to buy this from the used pile. "The best movie of the decade," it boasted. Back then, it was the selling point. Now, I'm shaking my head and chuckling at the audacity and falseness of it. This is simply a bad movie.
1/10Batman
The Dark Knight Comes to Life...
The story of the hero known as Batman is one that many people are familiar with to some degree. As a comic book character created by Bob Kane for DC Comics, Batman has remained one of the most popular heroes throughout the years, and the same can be said, for the most part, for all of his various incarnations in both the comics and other forms of media. In the 1960's the Caped Crusader was adapted into a weekly television series, starring Adam West (Bruce Wayne/Batman) and Burt Ward (Dick Grayson/Robin). The problem with this series, in my opinion, was that it chose to make a comedy out of Batman, everything about this series just screamed camp! I'll admit I have watched some of the episodes, along with the movie that was released around the same time, and for some reason I actually found myself unable to look away. The only conclusion I could come up with was that the series was the equivalent of a train wreck; you know the results are going to be disastrous, yet you can't bring yourself to look away. Sure the series was a hit, but I challenge any fan of the series to go back now, and actually watch it and see if you truly feel that it did any sort of justice to the character of Batman. Anyway, I digress, the series eventually ended; however, that would not be the end of Batman's life on television. He would later appear in animated form on the kid-friendly "Super Friends" show, which was basically the Justice League superhero team without the name. After a few seasons on the air, "Super Friends" ended, and once again Batman was left to only appear in the comics.
Then in 1989, Warner Brothers released what would become the first of four feature films that would comprise the original Batman film franchise. In this incarnation the character appeared to be getting the treatment he rightfully deserved, gone was the camp and stupidity of the 1960's, and in was a darker, brooding, and vengeful billionaire version of Bruce Wayne who prowls the rooftops of Gotham City in the guise of Batman
"Batman" focuses on the Batman's (Michael Keaton) initial appearances in and around Gotham City, stopping crime whenever and wherever he finds it. For many, he is nothing more than a myth supposedly lurking in the shadows, created in an effort to deter the criminal element that plagues the city. However, when a maniacal menace by the name of Joker (Jack Nicholson) begins terrorizing Gotham, Batman is forced to come out from the shadows to confront this madman before his city is plunged into madness.
After the popularity of the 60's TV series, Tim Burton's dark vision of Batman was exactly what was needed to turn the Dark Knight back into the vengeful hero he was meant to be. Burton was wise enough to create a version of Batman that was dramatically strong, yet remained true enough to the hero's legendary origins, while still adding a few tweaks for artistic license, that he was able to present a movie that would please the fanboys (and girls), and also gain great critical acclaim and commercial success. The approach of the story was different from most superhero movies of today, because here Bruce Wayne has already become Batman, and we are given his origin through a series of flashbacks. Taking the place of the traditional hero origin was the origin of the film's villain, the Joker. Generally in superhero films both origins tend to be presented simultaneously, or at least in quick succession of each other; however, the change to that method worked out well, and I believe the film's success when it was released, and its continued popularity today, is partially due to that somewhat unconventional approach to the storytelling. The overall story in "Batman" was very well-paced, and generally balanced in regards to the main characters. I did feel that at times perhaps Joker was getting way too much focus, and that Batman/Bruce Wayne was getting pushed aside a bit (this was possibly due to Jack Nicholson's much broader appeal and star power over that of Michael Keaton). Vicki Vale was fleshed out a little in the story, although she never manages to become much more than the token girlfriend for Bruce Wayne in this movie, not that this is all that surprising. The action worked well within the film, never feeling forced into the proceedings to provide the obligatory fight sequences for a comic book or action movie. Basically, all of the story elements within "Batman" worked perfectly with each other to create a very entertaining movie, and beloved comic book adaptation, and at the time, it could have been viewed as a "How To" guide for making a successful superhero movie.
The cast was led by Michael Keaton, who was a source of much contention amongst fans at the time of his casting; because at that time all he had really been known for were comedic roles, and his most recent had been the title role in Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice". However, once trailers for the movie started appearing on TV and in movie theaters, and then the eventual release of the movie, the fans soon began supporting Michael's portrayal, and to this day he still remains the fan favorite for many Bat-fans. Michael brought a very serious minded approach to the character of Bruce Wayne, playing him as being somewhat uncomfortable in his billionaire role, and much more at ease in the part of Batman. He also was the first to give the two characters very distinct voices to differentiate from one another, a choice that has stuck with the character throughout all of his movie incarnations since then (well, except for "Batman & Robin", George Clooney never left `George Clooney' mode). Jack Nicholson ("The Bucket List") was the perfect choice for Joker, and at the time was the iconic version of the character that all other versions would be judged by; however, the late Heath Ledger has dethroned Nicholson with his recent portrayal of a much more menacing version of Joker in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight". Jack brought a dark sense of humor and violent disposition to the character, aspects of the Joker that hadn't been seen before except in the comic books, mixed with a little bit of wackiness, although not so much that it became cartoonish or distracting from the movie or his performance. Rounding out the main cast was Kim Basinger ("Cellular") as Vicki Vale, her character as I stated earlier, was essentially nothing more than eye candy and a love interest for Bruce Wayne. There were a few moments where Kim was surprisingly given some important scenes in the script, therefore adding some depth to her character and her relationship with Bruce, but otherwise she was nothing more than the damsel-in-distress for the hero to save.
In the end, "Batman" was, and still is, an excellent superhero film adaptation, and at the time was responsible for resurrecting the seemingly dead comic book genre after the one-two punch of "Superman 3" and "Superman 4: The Quest for Peace" had killed it off. Boasting a very solid story that was approached seriously by all the cast and crew working on the film, Tim Burton's "Batman" was the perfect weapon for successfully destroying the public's misconception of Batman as being nothing more than a silly superhero for children that was the focal point of an extremely campy TV show.
"Batman" is rated PG-13 for violence and language.Batman
Batman and the Joker Triumph
I love this movie! jack nicholson is impeccable as the joker. this movie feels like the dark 80's comics. i am so grateful for this masterpiece. thank you tim burton and jack for getting everything on point. this, batman begins, and the darknight are the only worthy batman movies worth watching. sorry joel shumacher, your movies suck! IF YOU LIKE THE JOKER THAN YOU MUST WATCH THIS MOVIEBatman
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