Batman (1989) Movie Review

Batman (2017) Movie Review

The original Batman. What a classic. I am so excited that I am writing a review on this. I had never seen this movie until now. One interesting thing about this movie is that the star is almost Jack Nicholson. I mean, we all know Michael Keaton’s the star, but it’s the Joker who really moves the plot along. Most of the awesome scenes in this film feature the Joker. But, I guess, in the end, it is Batman who is the star of the show.

One question I have about the movie is about when Batman floats down from places using his wings. In one scene, set inside, Batman glides down from something. But from what? Above there is just ceiling. I was a little confused by that. I liked just how ghostly Batman is in this film. He’s one of those guys who’s always there, but not. He sees all. Just when you think you’ve gotten away from him in your getaway car, he pops up out of the trunk. He is even like that a little when he is Bruce Wayne, too. When Vicki and Alex are in Bruce’s artifact collection room, they do not realize Bruce is right behind them, listening to their every word. Everyone thinks the Joker is creepy (which he is), but in this way, Batman seems a little paranormal, too.

The tone of this movie is extremely dark. I mean, it’s by Tim Burton, so what else would it be? But this is a movie aimed for kids. Some parts seem like they’re out of a horror movie. There is definitely a strong thriller aspect. I’d say it’s for ages 10 and up. My 9-year-old sister was actually covering her eyes at some parts (a man being set on fire, etc.). And the Joker’s eerie smile is seriously unsettling. Jack Nicholson may have incorporated a little The Shining in there, but overall this is fine for kids to watch (but stay 10 and above, to be safe).

I couldn’t figure out what the Joker is really going after. Is he just insane and trying to kill people and spread anarchy? I don’t think so. And what is with him and Vicki Vale? Does he want her to fall in love with him or something? What would he get out of it? Does he just want another “artist” at his side? Or is it just to torture Batman? I couldn’t tell. But I know Vicki is not about to just fall in love with him. After he kills people before her eyes, shoots her boyfriend, and threatens her, that’s not what happens. And the Joker’s old girlfriend, Alicia Hunt, creeped me out. First, she faints. Second, she reappears insane, like the Joker. Third, she reveals that she has a scarred face. Last, she pushes herself out of a window. I mean, what the heck? I have a theory about her: she is Harley Quinn. Think about it.

Batman himself is pretty cool in this movie. He beats up a lot of goons, which is good. Batman has a lot of depth. He needed it, because if he didn’t have depth, the whole movie would not have done so well.

The Joker’s painting scene is scary, yet enjoyable. Hip-hop? The Joker? They do not match, but I guess opposites attract in this scene. The entire movie, Harvey Dent and his little businessman gang are talking about holding a big parade in Gotham City. But in the end, it is the Joker who hosts the parade. Why doesn’t the real parade happen? In the end, it would have been cool to see Harvey Dent get elected and have a speech at the parade or something. Then the Joker shows up, threatens to kill Dent, and the crowd goes wild (not in a good way). Batman swings into action, knocks the stuffing out of some thugs, and then the Joker escapes with Vicki to the tower. Batman saves Dent and Vicki, and then the Joker goes into hiding or something. That would have been cool, but alas, that doesn’t happen. The Joker’s death at the very end is relatively scary. How is he still smiling when he is dead? It sent chills down my spine just to type that sentence. And how does he activate that creepy bag-of-laughs thing? And in mid-air?

The Batmobile is so cool in this. Complete with pop-out machine guns, it looks like it could rule the world. But one question I have about it: how does it drive itself? When it blows up an entire building, you think Batman is driving around in it. But then he runs up to it. Does the Batmobile have a mind of its own? Also, the Batwing is pretty cool. It reminds me of that scene in Iron Man when Iron Man flies around in (almost) space. The Batwing goes above the clouds (can it even do that?) and does a Bat-logo thing with the moon. Then Batman dives down like a falcon and goes trigger-happy on the Joker. But why can the Joker take down the entire Batwing with just a pistol? That doesn’t seem right. Anyway. A dark superhero movie classic, you absolutely must see this once in your life.

Here is my safety chart:

Violence: 7/10 - Includes punches, shootings, martial arts moves, disturbing scenes, charred corpses, hideous scars, and some of the Joker’s clowning around. (See what I did there?)

Language: 4/10 - There is some profanity here and there.

Drinking, Smoking: 5/10 - Some characters smoke or drink.

Tim Burton did a fantastic job with this noir-style movie, and I will give it an A-.