Big Bad Bat (Batman - Special Edition (DVD))

Member Name: SWSt

Product:	Batman - Special Edition (DVD)
Date:	09/06/08 (87 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hugely atmospheric, generally good characters, great music and sets

Disadvantages: Slightly dated plot, Nicholson's OTT performance can be a little much

Gotham City's new vigilante protector, The Batman, faces a tough test when he comes up against pale faced freak, The Joker.

Given the current slew of superhero films either already released or due for release, I though it was time to revisit the father of them all. The film responsible for showing that, after the failure of the Superman franchise, there was still a thirst to see comic book heroes brought to the big screen. So, how does 1989's Batman fare against the young upstarts?

For the most part, the answer to this is "pretty well". Indeed, in many ways, Batman is the blueprint for the later comic book adaptations like Spider-man and X-Men. In line with the resurgent Batman comics of the late 80s/early 90s, it adopts a very dark tone. Banished are the day-glo images of the crass 60s series. This is a Batman who will never knowingly take a life, but is perfectly prepared to use all other means necessary to protect "his" city.

Much of the credit for the tone has to go to director Tim Burton - a man renowned for his "gothic" tone - something which perfectly suits the Batman character. Burton uses lighting (or lack of it!) to great effect, creating a Gotham city which is decadent, dark, dank and depressing. This makes it all the more plausible that a man dressed in black can skulk around without being noticed. Despite the dark tone, however, Batman is anything but depressing. The black tone is matched by a wonderful streak of black humour, which adds a little bit of levity to proceedings without ever turning the film too silly. It also creates a nice contrast between the dark and the light - something Batman always needs..

Burton's dark tone is perfectly complemented by the wonderful sets created by the late Anton Furst. These create a real feeling of a once great city in a state of terminal decline. Wonderful, impossibly large buildings tower over the characters, dominating the city, yet like the city itself, seem to be falling apart before your very eyes. Furst's sets give a real period feel to the film. Although it's never really made clear when the film is meant to be set, there's a feeling that it's somewhere between the thirties and the fifties. Perhaps the one disappointing aspect of the production is the Batman costume itself, which appears far too heavy and inflexible to allow Batman the freedom he needs to convince as a finely tuned athlete and costumed crime fighter.

All of this is supported by a superb score by regular Burton collaborator, Danny Elfman. Elfman's output is ridiculed in some quarters for its heavy reliance on strings and brass. Yet here, it is perfect providing the same dark, sinister undertones that the direction and the sets create.

Casting too, is good for the most part. Michael Keaton is a particular revelation as Bruce Wayne, appearing indecisive and vague. Perhaps, though he's slightly less convincing as Batman. Although he has the necessary attitude, he doesn't have the physical stature required to be the ultimate warrior (although again some of this is due to the limitations of the Batman suit). Michael Gough is perfect as Wayne's butler Alfred - far superior to Michael Caine in Batman Begins and there's an excellent, light-hearted (but never silly) supporting role from Robert Wuhl as reporter Alexander Knox. There are two disappointments. The first is Kim Basinger who, in the fine tradition of film/comic book heroines is left with little to do other than get kidnapped and scream. And boy, does she scream! It's surprising the woman had any lungs left by the time the film wrapped!

The other disappointment - and I'll probably attract a lot of criticism for this - is Jack Nicholson. Now, I know that's heresy, but before you start hitting the Not Useful button, let me explain! At times, Nicholson is perfectly cast and captures the character of The Joker perfectly - a crazy, but deadly and unpredictable opponent. At other times, though, he's allowed just a little but too much freedom to do what he likes and becomes wildly over the top and spoils some scenes with his stupidly hammy and totally ludicrous over-acting. You'd have thought it would have been almost impossible to over-act the part of The Joker, but at times Nicholson manages it, with a pantomime level performance so silly that it threatens to unbalance the rest of the film.

Nicholson aside, however, the cast works well - and in particular, the relationships between them are well-defined and build throughout the film, rather than simply being static, one-dimensional constructs.

If you're going to criticise the film, you could argue that the plot is a little hackneyed and flimsy - particularly given some of the more complex and involved plots we're now used to from superhero films. Even so, it manages to get all of the key elements in. Whilst it does play around with certain elements of the Batman mythos, it is reasonably faithful and won't frustrate long-standing Batman fans too much. At the same time, it's simple enough so that even someone who knows nothing about Batman can watch it and not feel as though they are missing out.

Another criticism might be that the film is a little slow-paced and lacking in action, when compared with the current comic book output. At the time, though, Batman wowed audiences with its skilful blend of action and characters. And whilst some elements may have dated (the special effects and fight sequences in particular now look a little tame), they still help to contribute to what is an impressive film overall.

Taken side by side, Tim Burton's Batman is probably not as good as Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, which is a more intelligent, more faithful and, in some ways, even darker take on the Batman legend. Burton's Batman, though, is still an entertaining watch and, if it looks a little dated in parts, it's worth remembering that without Batman, films like Spider-man, the X-Men and even Batman Begins may never have seen the light of day.


Basic Information
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Batman
1989
Director: Tim Burton
Running time: approx. 121 minutes
Certificate: 12A

© Copyright SWSt 2008

Summary: A worthy addition to the Batman family