Best. Batmobile. Ever. I re-watched Batman 89 for this review and as I have long felt, Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of the Joker just doesn’t do it for me. Perhaps it’s because for ages he was the only live-action Joker portrayal meant to be taken seriously (apologies to a mustached Cesar Romero) or the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia, but all I see is Jack playing Jack wearing clown makeup and suits that largely neutralize any chance of him coming across as threatening. Providing the character, also oddly named Jack, with a definitively unambiguous origin tying him inexorably to Batman makes sense narratively but not for the Joker. Not knowing for sure what makes the Joker the Joker is half his appeal. I digress. We are introduced to Batman in all his latex/rubber splendor within the first five minutes of the film and while the action is quaint and wholly unspectacular by present day standards, it still works. Keaton has the presence and jawline that make you believe him when he says “I’m Batman.” The ever present and now unmistakable Tim Burton Batman theme helps. Batman 89 is just as enjoyable as ever and Michael Keaton deserves all the praise in the world for his Batman and Bruce Wayne. I would say the movie is just as memorable for it’s Burton-nization of Gotham. He rightly places Gotham City at center stage as a supporting character and the architecture and cinematography leaves as much of a mark as any actor. Gotham is supposed to feel this way. I wonder if Burton knew that or if it was a case of Burton being Burton and he was hired because whatever dark path he chose for the city would largely work. We’ll never know.
I’m not dancing with the devil of trying to provide a rating to Batman 89. The film has established its importance to the culture and any score I put here would be largely meaningless. 10 out of 10.
The Quick Critic
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