Batman (1989) Viewing
Another viewing of Tim Burton's Batman in the books. I've already reviewed this film on MFC (a 7/10), but I just wanted to reiterate that despite its flaws, I still love it. There's just something about this film that brings back a very specific feeling of nostalgia; a charm if you will that I just can't ignore. While it lacks the contemporary backdrop and realism of Nolan's interpretation, there is no denying its impact and memorability.
Here is a short list of why I still enjoy Batman (1989)
1. The dark and gritty presentation of Gotham City and the overall tone. No, this movie is not for children and never will be.
2. The cast: Micheal Keaton and Jack Nicholson may not be everyone's cup of tea these days, but I think their performances work well for this film. You know, I don't mind Kim Basinger either....
3. Danny Elfman's masterful score. One of my favorite scores of all time, when the organ drops down in The Batman Theme, I still get chills.
4. The production design and costumes. Again, to some these things may seem dated, but I dig the look and feel of everything. The Bat-mobile from this film is still a work of art in my opinion.
5. Now the underdog of Bat-media. The fact is, this film isn't nearly as popular or highly regarded anymore. Audiences and geeks have moved on I suppose (yes, to Nolan's films of course). Here in lies another reason I still love this movie. It's old-school shit and it still represents, at least partially, the character of Batman to me.
Happy
I think it is unfair that all of a sudden in the last 7 years the movie has been brushed off due to Nolan's films while prior to that, many considered it a near-masterpiece compared to the Schumacher films. But Nite Owl definitely raises valid points, it has it faults...at least, as an adaptation. But as a movie in general it's damn good, and, well, fuck, for the time-- CLOSE ENOUGH. If you want to look at it in an objective way and its place in Batman's journey through film, it's kind of a necessary bridge between Nolan's movies and the Adam West series, which boggles the mind to think that was the definitive version of Batman at one point, or, well, at least most well-known. It paved the way and I have respect for that...but again that's just from the perspective as seeing it as a Batman adaptation. As a movie that happens to use the Batman characters: close enough, and fucking awesome. It should never be judged as harshly as it is simply because it's not exactly like Nolan's work. It was trying for something different than that and while Nolan's, IMO, is way better, Batman 89 is a great movie, for the reasons you listed and for countless more.
Chillin'
Don't get me wrong I do enjoy this movie for what it is, but I was disappointed with it as a Batman fan long before the Nolan movies ever existed so it's not about that for me. I've always had a love/hate kind of relationship with these movies because for everything they do wrong, they also do some things right. There are just some things about Burton's Batman films I find hard to overlook as a fan. Like the non existent relationship between Gordon and Batman, though I can let it slide in the first movie because Batman wasn't quite established in Gotham yet. The fact that there's no mention of Arkham Asylum in either movie, or that Batman kills goons just like any other action hero of the day. The Joker being revealed as the gunman that killed the Wayne's, turning it into a story about revenge. Even at a young age I could tell that it was very different than the Batman I read about each week, and for me as a kid the Animated Series did everything right. It combinned the look of Burton's films with the stories from the comics, and in some cases like with Mr. Freeze gave the characters much more depth. I can respect and appreciate everything Burton's films did for Batman, and the superhero genre on film as well, but as a fan they just left much to be desired for me and don't really reflect the characters I know and love. There good films in there own right and will always have there place in Batman history, but there not very good adaptations characterwise in my opinion. That's just the way I see it.