Batman is the first comic/superhero movie to really take a darker approach at Adult interactions, subtlety and epic battles. It was in direction by dark visionist, Tim Burton who was inspired to adapt the movie due to the critically acclaimed graphic novel “Batman Year One” and Alan Moore’s “The Killing Joke” which took a more direct approach at the character of The Joker (which captivated more of the psychotic, malevolent, and totally demented laughter that the villain has gained recognition for)
The Protagonist Batman is played by versatile actor, Michael Keaton, whose arch nemesis is played by Jack Nicholson, who takes the Joker’s persona, and totally gives him the edge with his weird, crazy, sick, degenerate, and totally self absorbed traits!
The other supporting cast are Jack Palance as the mob boss, and owner of axis chemicals, Carl Grissom, Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent the attorney, Kim Bassinger as Vickie Vale, Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon, and Michael Gough as the loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth.
The story involves an already suspicious vigilante, Batman, who has been cleaning up the city of Gotham, and has never been noted by anyone except the thugs he’s struck a long term fear on, and a news reporter Alexander Knox. But Knox is incapable of proving he genuinely exists. When Knox is acquainted with Photojournalist Vickie Vale, she becomes fascinated in the bachelor, Bruce Wayne. During this Jack Napier gets tricked by his boss, Grissom that there is business to be taken care of at Axis Chemicals because Harvey Dent tries to clean up the city as an inclusion he also plans to take further actions with Axis Chemicals (a company that’s branched out a lot of chemicals). When Grissom tricks Napier by calling the police and rat them out, Batman shows up and throws him into a vat of chemicals thus the genesis of The Joker. The Joker is psychotic, annoyed, and completely insane. When he’s on a rampage, Batman discovers secrets about him, as does Vickie when she finds out things about Bruce Wayne...
I love this movie. It captivates an essence of the comics that I admire, the era of the roots, the subtle psychosis and enigma of Bruce Wayne as the breaking, middle ground for Batman, the sick and simultaneously guilty laughter of The Joker’s one liners, and a back-story between The Batman and The Joker. It’s tense, strong on visuals, and full of energetic fighting mixed in with Danny Elfman (the music composer)’s epic score that gets you enthusiastic in completely routing for the caped crusader on his quest after his discover that builds up the potential for wanting the Joker dead.
Now, granted, there are people who still disagree about the morality of Batman killing, Batman keeping distanced in the dark, The Joker getting more screen time, and how this movies story is barely preached to the extent of it having ‘substance’. And there are people who enjoy Batman, The Joker’s weird comments, The Love interest, and undeniably the music.
The gadgets are very traditional; the sets are of an anonymous era (which sort of makes it an ordeal to imagine where it is – Although it is during a golden age where the motives and so on are concerned).
0verall, Tim Burton’s shot at Batman is very grim, dark, and a pleasure to watch. Some people think it’s a visual amazement – I think it’s the ultimate barrier breaker in the historical sense of comic book movies. It was also the movie to really get petitioned for the ’12’ rating due to the fact it wasn’t that ‘bad’ in terms of how it’s got factors and aspects to really be a 15. But it’s Burton’s image, and it’s something that I myself enjoy.
