| Director : Tim Burton Batman : Michael Keaton Villain : Jack Nicholson as the Joker |
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The 1989 Batman movie was influential in setting the stage for all the great super hero movies that have followed. Dark and noirish, the movie presents Batman as a superhero who is not perfect.
Gotham City is a mess with criminals running rampant in town, and then a six feet tall bat-like creature appears and starts warning the criminals to stop their activities.
Before long Batman runs in to Jack Napier, who has an accident and becomes the Joker. The movie is a little campy, talking its cue from the 1960's TV show.
Jack Nicholson plays a pretty good Joker. Perhaps he is a little too goofy to be scary, but I think he is pretty faithful to the comic book.
Michael Keaton also makes a pretty good Batman, but seems to have some trouble playing someone with a "dark" character. He also doesn't have a great physical presence outside of his costume, that would have made you believe more in his character. We do see the incident, the killing of his parents by thieves, that motivated Bruce Wayne to become the Batman.
We also see Bruce, haunted by his day dreams, coming to realize that one of the thieves was Jack Napier. The Batman created the Joker by dropping him in to the vat of chemicals, but the Joker also made Batman by killing his parents.
Overall, a very good movie, that is beautifully filmed. It won an Oscar for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration. Comic book in tone and style, the movie did begin the trend of presenting flawed, and more interesting superheroes.
Vicki Vale: A lot of people think you're as dangerous as the Joker.
Batman: He's psychotic.
Vicki Vale: Some people say the same thing about you.
Batman: What people?
Vicki Vale: Well, I mean, let's face it. You're not exactly normal, are you?
Batman: It's not exactly a normal world, is it?
The Joker: Tell me something, my friend. You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?
Bruce Wayne: What?
The Joker: I always ask that of all my prey. I just... like the sound of it.
