Retro Review: Batman (1989) - The movie that made comic book movies a thing That also did everything about Batman before they were a thing (Including guns and Carnage)

Even more than writing a review, what I really want is to show how much of a forgotten gem Batman (1989) is. It did most things about Batman before they were cool. The movie was directed by Tim Burton and it was one hell of a risky movie at the time of production. In fact it was the mos expensive movie made in England at the time. Comic book movies wasn't a thing at the time and nobody is making a Batman movie without some expenses. I only watched the movie out of mild curiosity and because it was free for streaming. I ended up liking more than 60% of the superhero movies ever made. It was good. More than that it pioneered the good.

The troubles it faced

This was before the time of the internet. When Michael Keaton got cast as Batman, there were 50,000 fan mails written against the casting. Not just the script writers but also Bob Kane who created Batman questioned the decision. Major props to Tim Burton for sticking with his creative decisions. Now everybody considers the award winning actor to be a legend. Knowing it while the tree was only a seed is a real challenge.

Casting the other actors was bit of a hell too. Nobody was that interested in being in a comic book movie. When Jack Nicholson finally signed up, he was paid a $6 million salary and a massive portion of box office earnings which is estimated to be between $60 million to $90 million.

Before they were Cool

This movie does so many things before they were cool. It does have campy bits. But even the campy parts have sinister undertones. We get to see Joker before he became "Joker". The guy is pretty intelligent and scarier than most super powered villains before he even turn into the joker. He even mentions how the "Death" liberated him. That's a little dark for 1989 PG-13 comic book stuff.

Guns, Guns, Explosives

__You thought Batman V Superman had problems? That bat was a little restrained. Batman actually has guns in the Batmobile has dual guns attached and Batwing also has guns and missiles. That's not even the end of it. Batman actually blows up Axis Chemical with the bombs he carry in the Batmobile while Joker's henchmen are inside. It's no on screen killing. But blowing up a building with people inside is big. The very first Batman movie got 1 thing very right. There is no "No Kill" rule. Zack Snyder held back.

Batman V Joker

The movie builds up a different Batman V Joker relationship as they literally create each other. There were even moment where Bruce Wayne (as Bruce Wayne) went a little psychotic. I won't spoil too much. But the movie doesn't play that eternal "We complete each other" dynamic. They simply created each other and its a story that comes to an end.

BTW the ending involves a very high building and Joker meeting Batman and hanging onto stuff. It reminded me of Dark Knight ending. The scene wasn't that great and Joker played the Bad guy instead of the other half. But it was a good scene.

Also Billy Dee Williams from star wars plays Harvey Dent. This is decades before anybody started casting black actors to play white characters. So Batman (1989) is sort of the first blackwashing in a comic book movie.

"I was never a giant comic book fan, but I've always loved the image of Batman and the Joker. The reason I've never been a comic book fan — and I think it started when I was a child — is because I could never tell which box I was supposed to read. I don't know if it was dyslexia or whatever, but that's why I loved The Killing Joke, because for the first time I could tell which one to read. It's my favorite. It's the first comic I've ever loved. And the success of those graphic novels made our ideas more acceptable."
—Tim Burton[

I can certainly say that the influence/admiration was there. The campy stuff were also there. But the violence and the sexual undertones were there too. None of them seemed out of place and several were subtle. For an example Vicki Vale (played by Kim Basinger)who is a photographer wakes up in the above scene and touch the chest and says "Oh.... he took the film". Also during the final showdown Vicki distracts Joker through flattery, kissing and an attempted blowjob. These stuff won't be attempted in modern PG-13 superhero movies. I can tell you that.

I must mention Robert Wuhl who played Alexander Knox which was a great likable character that brought a lot of fun without acting to be the comic relief. I did like Guardians of the Galaxy. But it felt like a comedy where each funny scene was set up to be funny instead of being organic. Kim Basinger also played an excellent role and I loved the screams and the dialog and the way she played the character. She was very endearing. Same goes for Michael Gough's Alfred Pennyworth and even Bruce Wayne himself. Despite the murderous Batman stuff, the movie organically found a fun enjoyable touch.

Here is one of my favorite scenes. I've never seen something like this in any other Batman movie.

The Legacy

The movie became the 5th highest grossing movie in existence at the time over $750 million worth of merchandise was sold before the movie even released. Batman (1989) opened the doors for superhero movies to become a thing while keeping both the campy comic book touch, dark gritty stuff and even many sexual undertones which could even be used in a PUA class instead of a kids movie.

The movie had 3 sequels each getting worse. It won The Oscar for Best Art Direction and received several Saturn Award nominations and a Golden Globe nomination. You can thank this movie for setting the foundations for the accalimed Batman: The Animated Series. DC animated universe happened because of this movie's success. Even the modern superhero marketing techniques came out of the creation of Batman (1989)