Batman

I have to say that that film doesn't make as much of an impression on me anymore as it did when I was a child. I thought it was much darker back then. That's why it's better to watch Burton's films as a child. They have a much stronger impact on you then. But that doesn't change the fact that Jack Nicholson is still excellent and this Batman adaptation has nothing to be ashamed of. (05/20/2014)

The biggest problem for me was the choice of director. I can't help but find Tim Burton's style terribly dull, and his Batman lacks pace, insight, and everything else that would adorn Nolan's dynamic spectacle 15 years later. Michael Keaton was bland and demonic, Jack Nicholson's flawless performance wasn't enough either. At least Kim Basinger was nice to look at....60% (02/11/2012)

A legend. I prefer the new Batman of the new millennium, but this is a proper classic. An excellent cast, "gothic" music by Danny Elfman, and a demonic Jack Nicholson. The set and production design are slightly theatrical, but that’s fine. This film has a overall different feeling than the polished and realistic comic book movies of today. It's a different era and a different vision of the director. Tim Burton is an eccentric and he made an eccentric film. The gloomy atmosphere is hard to surpass. (10/13/2013)

Batman 89 came to theaters after a long dry spell since Batman 66. In the meantime, there had been a sea of events in the realm of DC Comics adaptations. In the 1970s, Superman and Wonder Woman were doing fairly well, but by the 1980s, Superman wasn't working anymore, and even Supergirl failed to succeed. Tim Burton had to first prove his mettle with Beetlejuice. But eventually, everything came together, and the cult of Batman 89 lives on, most recently in the modern Flash. Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, and Kim Basinger (playing the newly iconic character Vicki Vale, already known from Batman and Robin) reign over the dark tale set in the neo-Gothic Gotham. The story is inspired by contemporary literary works, "The Dark Knight Returns" (1986) and "The Killing Joke" (1988). Many references allude to German expressionism, to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Metropolis. And today, of course, new comic book continuations of the Batman 89 universe are being released. A genre classic. (08/18/2023)

In 1989, the authors of any comic book movie could literally come up with whatever they wanted. And since in this case, the project involved Tim Burton, it was clear that you surely wouldn’t be disappointed. Even after almost thirty years I can say at least that, as opposed to today’s comic book movies, this one absolutely has the spirit of the playful visionary that is Burton. In this one, Batman is as dark as midnight, Joker is as deranged as a train gone wild and the music in this case is so genial that in connection with Tim Burton, who put a layer of gloss and visual aesthetics on all that wackiness, disappointment was simply not an option. It’s nice to see how it was all about entertainment with movies like this one back in the day. Today it’s all about colors, digital effects, pseudo-realism and forced catchphrases in the mouths of characters who don’t even deserve them. Here, you can simply focus on the scene and you are good. For instance, the scene where Joker storms into the museum and while listening to a divine song by Prince, he and his thugs spray and draw over one Renaissance painting after another. I mean that’s so genius that it can’t be beaten even by the entire arsenal of the Marvel of today. (02/13/2017)