BATMAN
A film review by Craig Good
Copyright 1989 Craig Good
I haven't had this kind of fun at a movie since RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK It's not that BATMAN is anything like that film, but my emotional reaction was similar. There's nothing quite like seeing a big film with an opening-night crowd at a big theatre. The crowd and I ate it up.
Tim Burton gets a lot of credit for the outstanding design work, and also for staying in control of his players. A project of this size has buried many a good man, and just ending up alive, let alone triumphant, is a worthy accomplishment. Burton doesn't talk down to the audience or spoon- feed plot points to us. My faith in animators as directors is stronger than it's ever been.
The look of BATMAN is pure eye candy. This is some of the best art direction I've ever seen. It's on par with that of BRAZIL and BLADE RUNNER. Shot after shot I found myself opening my eyes wide, just trying to drink it all in. Books are stories told with words, and movies are stories told with pictures. The pictures in this movie are poetry. There are images I'm never going to get out of my head -- and I don't want to try.
Michael Keaton, in whom I had doubts, was dead on target as Bruce Wayne. The risk Burton took with this controversial bit of casting paid off in spades. I actually bought Wayne as a playboy millionaire -- with some very serious emotional problems bubbling below the surface. The emotional scars of the event that warped young Bruce are clearly present even before the details are revealed in the film. (Comic book readers know what that event is already).
As Batman, Wayne doesn't so much take on another personality as he buries his own. He becomes almost more machine than man, as I could reasonably expect from someone who felt compelled to put on a costume to fight crime. Batman isn't so much a good guy as he is an anti-bad guy. Revenge, of the calculated sort, is clearly one of his major motivators. Another motivator is style. I think one of the keys to the Batman character's success is that we all secretly wish we could do what he does. Who wouldn't want to fight evil using awesome, intimidating aesthetics and superior technology as weapons? Face it. Being Batman could be way cool.
Jack Nicholson triumphs as the other side of the same coin: The Joker. He manages to do three things which I might have thought mutually exclusive, any one of which is difficult for even good actors to achieve. First, he is right out on the edge without losing control. Compared to The Joker, his character in THE SHINING was a calm, trustworthy and compassionate soul. Second, he is genuinely funny. He not only gets all the best lines, he makes jokes with his body language. Third, and particularly impressive in combination with number two, he is viciously, maliciously, deeply evil. I mean that given the choice between spending time with The Joker and hanging out with Frank Booth (BLUE VELVET) I'd be at Frank's place with bells on.
One of the happiest accidents to befall the production was Sean Young's broken leg. I think Kim Basinger did a much better job than Young would have as Vicki Vale. I'm very much enjoying the current trend away from dumb women in movies. Vale is, of course, a mere mortal (there is, after all, room for only one super hero in this movie) but an intelligent one. She may need rescuing now and then, but she's quite capable of helping. While slightly bothered at first by her relationship with Bruce Wayne, I came to realize how important it was to knowing Bruce's character and providing a window into his emotions. It also never hurts to have someone to rescue. I think a key to Batman can be found by paying attention to who else he rescues in the film.
I must also single out the editor for some praise. The pace is taut, shocking or flowing depending on what is needed. Some of the scene transitions are a real gas. In spite of Prince's somewhat disappointing songs, which are fortunately only a tiny part of the movie, the music is satisfying and supportive of the action. In typical Tim Burton fashion, some off-the-wall music adds spice to a few key sequences. One of The Joker's henchmen carries around a boom box which plays everything from Prince to an elevator arrangement of "Beautiful Dreamer."
The Batmobile and Batplane, which are mercifully never called such in the film, are stunning. Burton has a talent for mixing the right amount of cartoon physics into his live action, and he applies it well to both the vehicles and other key shots. The sense of motion in BATMAN is clearly born of animation, and that's a very good thing.
I know they were nervous, but I've got to hand it to the execs at Warner Brothers for even allowing this film to get made. It is not the sort of thing one expects from Hollywood these days. I can only dream of the day when Terry Gilliam gets the kind of support Tim Burton has managed to muster. The studio bigwigs can relax now. BATMAN is going to be pulling down the bucks by the bucket. See it soon. See it with a big crowd.
--Craig
...{ucbvax,sun}!pixar!good
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