Batman.
Cast your minds back to a time in which comic books had a stigma attached to them, and not the popular kind that is attached to Marvel and DC fan boys these years. If you asked many people Iron Man would probably cause shrugs of shoulders, and if Batman was mentioned many would have nervous flashbacks to camp Adam West doing what may have resembled a jig... who knows. However, this mysterious world was about to be turned up side down by one man, and that is Tim Burton. Grossing just over $400 million worldwide, Batman released in 1989 represented the unmasking of the gritty and darker side of the comic book world to the mass population.
The narrative centres around the Dark Knight's (portrayed by Michael Keaton) mysterious fight on crime which becomes all the more relevant with the rise of the homicidal Joker (Jack Nicholson). The plot structure was certainly the foundation of the modern comic book flick, however Burton terrifically provides the audience with something that has only been matched on a few occasions by the genre.
The plot is very well organised to provide more intrigue and suspicion around Batman, more so than the Joker. Events such as the murder of the Wayne's ( something that has been told so many times it is somewhat 21st century gospel) are set aside to establish a more clear origin for Nicholson's show stealing character, a story arc which owes greatly to The Killing Joke storyline. This contradicts the conventional fleshed out Hero narrative, to provide us with the rather straightforward (rather being the focal word seeing as it is of course the Joker) villain and presenting us a unconventionally complex hero. For instance, Bruce Wayne does not appear until a considerable amount of time has been spent establishing the Batman mythos and set the foundations for the transformation of Jack Napier into the crown prince of crime.
Its with the Joker that our focus now turns and Nicholson, it can be argued, was born for this role. Although I much prefer the Heath Ledger role, I can see why many still see Nicholson as the iconic portrayal of The Joker. He is psychotic as well as being so charismatic; insane and yet so likeable. The moment that sticks out as one of the notable Nicholson moments is his use of the electric handshake. In many ways that scene had summed up what The Joker was all about in the comics. And in many ways contradicted every slapstick portray of the beloved villain prior. Also, it has to be noted that Keaton is great in his role, although slightly overshadowed he is very much the ideal fit for a reclusive billionaire. That reminds me can't wait to see Birdman... stupid Uk opening times.
The main star however, as we almost always say with classics, is the director and Tim Burton really excelled himself with his interpretation of Gotham, and the Batman universe. From the stylisation of the city scape to the design of the costumes everything is crafted with intrinsic care and Burton design, and it perfectly suites the character after which the film is named.
Overal, It is clear that Tim Burton's paved the way for Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, as well as Marvel's cinematic universe. Although the Superman films had sort of established comic book characters as in the popular culture, Batman cemented that there was more, to the assortment of heroes available ,than campy underwear on the outside of tights. For the first time we were shown the dark gritty material that allows comic book films to be as popular as they are today.
My rating: 8/10
IMDB: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
Did You Know?: Before the Joker enters the Gotham City Cathedral with Vicki, he requests over the walkie-talkie for "transportation for two" to arrive in ten minutes. Between entering the cathedral and the arrival of the Joker's helicopter, the action inside the cathedral unfolds in real time.
Batman.
The narrative centres around the Dark Knight's (portrayed by Michael Keaton) mysterious fight on crime which becomes all the more relevant with the rise of the homicidal Joker (Jack Nicholson). The plot structure was certainly the foundation of the modern comic book flick, however Burton terrifically provides the audience with something that has only been matched on a few occasions by the genre.
The plot is very well organised to provide more intrigue and suspicion around Batman, more so than the Joker. Events such as the murder of the Wayne's ( something that has been told so many times it is somewhat 21st century gospel) are set aside to establish a more clear origin for Nicholson's show stealing character, a story arc which owes greatly to The Killing Joke storyline. This contradicts the conventional fleshed out Hero narrative, to provide us with the rather straightforward (rather being the focal word seeing as it is of course the Joker) villain and presenting us a unconventionally complex hero. For instance, Bruce Wayne does not appear until a considerable amount of time has been spent establishing the Batman mythos and set the foundations for the transformation of Jack Napier into the crown prince of crime.
Its with the Joker that our focus now turns and Nicholson, it can be argued, was born for this role. Although I much prefer the Heath Ledger role, I can see why many still see Nicholson as the iconic portrayal of The Joker. He is psychotic as well as being so charismatic; insane and yet so likeable. The moment that sticks out as one of the notable Nicholson moments is his use of the electric handshake. In many ways that scene had summed up what The Joker was all about in the comics. And in many ways contradicted every slapstick portray of the beloved villain prior. Also, it has to be noted that Keaton is great in his role, although slightly overshadowed he is very much the ideal fit for a reclusive billionaire. That reminds me can't wait to see Birdman... stupid Uk opening times.
The main star however, as we almost always say with classics, is the director and Tim Burton really excelled himself with his interpretation of Gotham, and the Batman universe. From the stylisation of the city scape to the design of the costumes everything is crafted with intrinsic care and Burton design, and it perfectly suites the character after which the film is named.
Overal, It is clear that Tim Burton's paved the way for Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, as well as Marvel's cinematic universe. Although the Superman films had sort of established comic book characters as in the popular culture, Batman cemented that there was more, to the assortment of heroes available ,than campy underwear on the outside of tights. For the first time we were shown the dark gritty material that allows comic book films to be as popular as they are today.
My rating: 8/10
IMDB: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
Did You Know?: Before the Joker enters the Gotham City Cathedral with Vicki, he requests over the walkie-talkie for "transportation for two" to arrive in ten minutes. Between entering the cathedral and the arrival of the Joker's helicopter, the action inside the cathedral unfolds in real time.
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