At the time of this writing, Batman (1989) can be streamed on HBO Max.
I think Christopher Nolan has made my favorite Batman stories period. I have read many of the quintessential stories like the Dark Knight Returns, Killing Joke, Year One, and Hush and I do enjoy them all. I am looking forward to the new film starring Robert Pattison. However, there is a way that Nolan directs that is instantly attractive to me. He always goes for ambitious scope and literary quality, two things that immediately appeal to me in any form of story telling.
Still, it doesn’t mean that I am a snob to the other iterations. I am even a fan of Joel Schumacker’s films and the 60s television show starring Adam West. The inherent camp value is always a good laugh and I think the power of Batman is in his plasticity. He can be both the grit of his noir influence and be fun lampooning of the inherent absurdity of the superhero genre.
Growing up, however, I was never fully introduced or familiar with Tim Burton’s take on the caped crusader. I am not really even a Burton fan. I have never really watched Nightmare Before Chrismas in full, only in passing glances while hanging out with friends in high school. I do like Edward Scissorhands and absolutely adore Ed Wood. I think that last film speaks to me, a story about an outsider not welcome in the system and who is forced to forge is own path and unique legacy. In that way, I do admire Burton as an artist, even if his later work are not to my taste.
Yet, one area that Tim Burton does exceptionally well is in visual and set design. I can instantly recogize a film that he has had a hand in. His love of gothic fantasy is always presented in such beautiful harmony. The medley of urban architecture, dark atmosphere, and fairytale wonder are breathtaking.
These are the qualities that had me entranced with his 1989’s Batman. Watching it for the first time last week — and I mean seriously watching it from start to finish — is nothing short of a tour through a realized urban fantasy. This is a place where steam is always rising from the sewers and smoke is puffing from the rooftop chimneys. Street lights are a harsh, cold white that illuminates the aerosol in the atmosphere. Everything is always in a dream-like haze.
The buildings are all industrial. Brick and mortar exposed like the notches on a spine. The metal railings and rafters remind me of implants of a crash victim that has survived too much in exchange for too little. It makes for a Gotham that looks truly sick, like a cancer patient whose tragic, yet heroic beauty reminds me so much of My Chemical Romance’s Welcome to the Black Parade.
Some have commented that Burton’s use of sets rather than locations gives the film a claustrophobic feeling to its detriment. To this, I argue the exact opposite conclusion. Burton’s Gotham is brimming with detail. There are many shots that could be on posters that I would display proudly on my wall. It invokes the strange, evocative emotions from films like Citizen Kane or The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Some may snub me for the comment since this is Batman we are talking about. Well I snub them back. The pop-art source material makes it for something that gives it an extra layer of the fantastical that I think Burton does beautifully. This is one of the best fantasy cities, topped only by the likes of 1998’s Dark City.
The people in the streets also add to this final layer of pop-art gothic fantasy. The citizen’s of Burton’s Gotham are not like normal people, rather caricatures. The pedestrians gasp and put their hands to their mouth like all good silver age people in distress. The cops don’t take cover in a fire fight. Rather, they take a step forward and start blasting away with cowboy bravado. Joker’s mooks are cartoony henchmen with black masks that cover their eyes and silly laughs. While they are not “realistic”, they are perfectly consistent to the reality of Burton’s world. If Gotham as a physical place is a skeleton, than the citizens of Burton’s Gothan has filled it with cells that perfectly match this otherworldly nature.
This all feeds into the iconography of Batman himself. His suit has the bold yellow oval over the bat symbol embedded in a black rubber suit. The Bat Cave’s stalactites pierce into composition like the mouth of a beast. The Bat Mobile and Jet reject the modern military aesthetic of Nolan and Zach Snyder. Instead, Burton opts for a more comic book appeal. They may not do well for tactical practicality but acheive wonders in making a bold statement. I even enjoy the way the pedals in the Bat Mobile are exposed like a skeleton, symbolic of Batman and his foot hold on the skeletal crypt that is Gotham.
It is not to say that the movie is perfect. It was created in 1989 after all, an era where superhero conventions in film were uncharted waters. As much as Burton’s individual artistry shines in many areas, there are many places that it doesn’t work, especially today.
Michael Keaton’s Batman is underrated. I do like that rather than having him being a eccentric playboy, Keaton plays him more like mentally unstable Clark Kent. He is socially awkward and a bit of a nerd. Wayne even wears a set of large glasses here that is probably fashionable in the Metropolis Burton never had a chance to create (see: Burton’s unproduced Superman starring Nicholas Cage). It can be argued that Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne, as well acted as that role is, always feels like he is hiding something akin to a secret identity. Keaton’s Wayne is different is that what he hides is less of a hero and more of a beast that is constantly being chained. This version of Wayne is a nice contrast to this Batman. I also like that unlike Bale’s performance, Keaton is less growly and more smoothly menacing. The first time he says “I’m Batman”, I get a chill down my spine.
However, I think the costume fails Keaton from his ability to elevate his role into perfection. It is awkward to move around in and even during the best action moments, there is an inherent disconnect to the way Batman should move smoothly in the shadows. He looks stiff and the end result is too goofy.
Jack Nicholson’s Joker, however, strikes a nice balance between goofy and terrifying. This Joker in many ways is classic and I think there are some lines that are now underappreciated and lost to time. My two favorites are “My face on the one dollar bill” and “He stole my balloons”.
There are also some cinematography choices that I am not a fan of. Most notably, there are some clumsy crane shots and awkward zooms that make me cringe. This film is best when it is carefully placed at unique angles, invoking Noire and Art Deco films.
On the music, Danny Elfman’s score is still timeless. That said, I think the use of Prince songs date the movie. Perhaps it makes me young. Some fans might still like those elements and for them, I would never want to take away those elements in the film. Ultimately, it marks the age in which the film was made which is part of what makes this film so special. As it is, this film could never be made today, with it’s use of physical sets and practical effects. I think to strip it of certain elements that I do not like would might also take away the films place in history.
I think the only other Batman film that looks like this is Chrisopher Nolan’s Batman Begins. I remember the Narrows as something reminiscent of this and I quite liked the Gotham of that movie. However, Nolan replaced this aesthetic in the later two films, opting for a more modern look with sleek skyscrapers, wide streets, and a flat plane. It results in a Gotham that is more sterile. While I still love those films more for their characters, drama, and literary quality, Burton’s Gotham is truly something special. If you want a good Batman story, watch those films. If you want to truly transport yourself to Gotham, however, consider returning to this 1989 rendition of the Caped Crusader.
Danger Wonka 