The Daily Stream: 1989's Batman Is A Look Back At How This Whole Crazy DC Movie Thing Exploded
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)
The Movie: "Batman" (1989)
Where You Can Stream It: HBO Max
The Pitch: Before 1989's "Batman," the world hadn't really been exposed to the darker version of the Dark Knight outside of comics. Instead, we got the Bright Knight with the 1966 "Batman" TV series. Adam West's caped crusader was really cheery and full of puns compared to the versions we've seen in recent years. The show was a blast; we all love it, but if you're a comic book fan, this might not have been your bag.
1989's "Batman" was directed by Tim Burton, who was fresh off of his success with "Beetlejuice." He brought us a darker Bats in the form of Michael Keaton (my favorite Batman, and though I won't fight you on it, I remain steadfast in my loyalty). It was a controversial casting choice at the time since Keaton was mostly known for comedies. However, the powers that be had seen his work in "Clean and Sober" and thought he'd be perfect.
Keaton was just snarky enough, just vulnerable enough, and had the right jawline (super important if you're Batman) to pull this off, and he certainly did. In the film, Bruce Wayne is already working as Batman, and reporter Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) is hunting down stories about the sightings of this masked vigilante. She's also smitten with millionaire Bruce Wayne, who likes her right back. In fact, he likes her enough that he's actually considering telling her about his secret identity and the murder of his parents that caused it all. (Oh, hey, did you know that Batman's parents died?) Once the Joker (Jack Nicholson) enters the picture, however, all bets are off.
Why it's essential viewing
In this version of the familiar tale, the Joker is Jack Napier, a second-in-command mob guy set up by his boss and a corrupt political official. He's sent into Axis Chemicals to clean up damning evidence of mob activity but is double-crossed. Commissioner Gordon (Pat Hingle) tries to take him alive while Batman shows up to help. They fight, and oops, Jack falls off the catwalk into a vat of chemicals, which bleach his skin, change his hair to green, and corrective surgery later gives Joker his rictus smile.
It cannot be overstated how ridiculous but also superb Nicholson's performance is. He's a clown here and there, and he's very funny, but he never stops being sinister. You always expect him to kill Vicki Vale, even though you know the film's rating. It's not as dark as later movies like "The Dark Knight" and "Joker" would take the character, but it was undoubtedly dark for the time. Keaton holds his own perfectly beside Nicholson's tour-de-force performance.
The whole thing feels like a dark fairytale. A big part of that is due to Burton's visual aesthetic. The Gotham City of "Batman" is almost cartoonish, but a cartoon like the ones that come from your nightmares. Everything seems darker but still shiny in a way that seems designed to distract the city's denizens from realizing how screwed they are by crime.
A dark but not too dark take on the Dark Knight
It seems like the perfect film to watch now that we're going from Zack Snyder's darker DC films to the new slate we're getting from DC Studios' James Gunn and Peter Safran. The new Batman film "The Brave and The Bold" will feature Batman in a different part of his life, with a son who he didn't know he had (Damian Wayne, in case you didn't know). The 1989 "Batman" has a different, lonelier version of Bats, who longs to find a connection, despite himself.
This is a character we know well after a lifetime of TV, film, comics, and video games, and I sometimes find it soothing to watch him at different points in his journey. It's the sort of first shot across the bow for what would eventually become ... well, DC Studios. It feels like a time capsule, in a way, before the DC universe films and shows were in full swing. It's nice to go back and see where it all started.
Honestly, my only disappointment about the announcements at the DC Studios event is that we're not going to see Michael Keaton suit back up. At least for now.