Twenty-five years ago today (June 23, 1989) Tim Burton’s Batman appeared on the silver screen and ushered in the age of superhero movies that could make money. Fans flocked to the theaters all summer long, kicking off a Batman craze that many could argue is still going on today.
BATMAN (1989)
The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being the clownishly homicidal Joker.
Do you remember seeing Batman in theaters when it originally released? What did you think? Does it still hold up today, or does it stumble? Use the comment section below to share your thoughts on Batman.
7 Comments
I think it holds up fairly well. The fight choreography is a little slow, but the story and pacing are great. I think Keaton was a better Bruce Wayne than Batman. It gave us what I think is an iconic line, “You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts!”
I do recall “hearing” about a Batman movie as early as 1983. I was not a comic reader at the time, so I was unaware of the influence of Frank Miller’s Batman. I was afraid of an appearance of Aunt Harriett, a bat phone and Chief O’Hara
Most people today are not as familiar with the Adam West “Campy” Batman, and most of us in 1989 were hoping it would not be a goofy movie.
Considering it was 25 years and all of the technological advancements in the movie industry since, Tim Burton’s Batman did not have “all of the wonderful toys” and yet it holds the interest of young people today.
What movie from 1964 was considered to be watchable in 1989? The key word is ‘watchable’ (if that is a word?).
Michael Keaton captured the brooding Bruce Wayne and was pretty good Batman. He made us (in 1989) forget he was primarily a comic actor and showed everyone he could ACT.
Do you know Jack Nicholson, who was paid $9 million for the role of the Joker, had a clause in his contract where he receives a percentage of every subsequent Batman movie? Don’t know the exact percentage, but 1% of every Chris Nolan Batman movie and I could have retired by now.
I LOVED this movie as a kid. I moved right from that to Batman:TAS and I’ve been in love with Batman ever since. It still holds up, even after the Nolan Batman. I appreciate it more now. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the more realistic portrayal of the Nolanverse, but something about me loves the slightly silly twisted creation of Tim Burton.
I was four when this movie came out, so I wasn’t allowed to go see it in theatres, but I got a movie tie-in cup from a store and it was my favourite thing. I also still have a hot wheels Batmobile that I stole from kindergarten. Bad ass, I know… I wanted too see it so badly, and my parents finally relented and let me watch it in 1991. Joker’s death at the end gave me nightmares.
Does it hold up well? Hell Yeah. I was 3 when it came out, so I didn’t get to see it until the VHS tape. I still have that tape, and consider it special item of mind. The Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck commerical about Batman Merch and the Diet Coke commerical with Alfred are as part of the movie asn the movie itself IMO.
Burtons visual style for the film, the many quotable lines, Keaton, Jack, so many bad ass scenes. The movie just has a good flow to it that makes it an easy watch. It’s major flaw is that it’s not about BATMAN, but it’s a flow that can be easly looked over.
I love the scene where the women screams at the beginning, and it cuts to Batman on top of the building. He turns and slowly walks through a door, his shadow slowly receding with him. I love the scene of the Batmobile driving through the forest. Those trees, where is that place. Creepy trees, but fit the scene so well. Hell, I just love everything about this film.
It’s truely is one of my favorite films.
It holds up well, especially when you have a timeless feel to Gotham and good actors. Not just the main cast. A lot of good secondary actors like Pat HIngle, Billy Dee Williams, and Jack Palance (Kim Basinger – not so much) Watching Jack Nickolson cackle for the first time is great.
The only part that truly dates it for me is Prince’s music.
I was nine when this came out, I adored it back then. Still hands down the Best Batman movie.