Batman

Rating:
Summary: THE CLOSEST WE WILL GET TO THE COMIC
Review: This move did the most justice to the BATMAN. The joker was right on the money! And as for Bruce/Batman no one even comes close. Mike did a good job of keeping true to the "DARK KNIGHT". Everyone else...well, they were to happy. Always smilling or making jokes. That is not how BATMAN was created.

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST BATMAN
Review: Tim Burton's 1989 blockbuster,is the best Batman ever,Jack Nicholson is over the top as the Joker,Keaton is terrific as Bruce\Batman,Basinger is good as Vicki Vale,The production design by Anton Furst is incredible not to mention Danny Elfman's terrific score. The best part is at the end,when Batman gets out of the burning jet,and bledding because he's only human.Incredible!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: This movie is O.K, but the director forgot to call for light
Review: The original Batman film is certainly a decent movie, but it suffers from the facts that

a) Keetan is an awful batman. He has a fat face, wears turtlenecks in the batcave, and his lips stick out every time he wears the batsuit, which really ruins his serious acting.

b) I know this movie is supposed to be dark, but there are times when you can barely tell what is going on it's so dark!

There are some good parts, like when a swordsman comes sumersaulting at him screating, but is easily beaten up. However, this one only rates second as the best batman movie, with batman 3 and 4 tied for first.

Rating:
Summary: A GOOD FILM BUT NOT AN EXCELLENT ONE
Review: I liked BATMAN however it was'nt the best film I've ever seen and here's why. I mean JACK NICHOLSAN is awsome as THE JOKER. But I felt that they picked the wrong person to play BATMAN I mean MICHEAL KEATON seems to me out of place in that role also at times I felt that the pace of the film took a little too long to get going. It really does'nt get moving until near the end of the film I'd liked to have seen it move a little faster. KIM BASINGER does a good job in her role as a reporter but the rest of cast seem or look like they're bored to death with the film. Anyway BATMAN is a good film but in my opinion not the greatest

Rating:
Summary: The Dark Knight triumphs.
Review: Who can't have seen this by now? THE Batman film, the only Batman film. No rubber faced lampoonery, no neon billboards, no contrived, diluted plots, just one grinning psychopath, one black clad vigilante and the perfect blend of black comedy, action and moody flashback. Jack Nicholson IS the Joker, his wonderfully overplayed performance capturing the character perfectly and contrasting nicely with Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne - a man with a mission who teeters on the very brink of insanity himself. In the shadows of Gotham, fear has a name, and that name is Batman.

Rating:
Summary: Batman
Review: Batman is a true American comic star and film.Batman and it's first sequel are probably two of my favorite films on a top 20 list.This could not be any better.The acting is great.Jack Nicholson does a amazing job as Joker.Michael Keaton should be proud of the character he plays let alone how well he does with it.Kim Basigner also does great work, and of course it wouldn't have been what it was without Burton's touch.The setting is wonderful (I like the gothic setting in the second one more) with tall sky scraping buildings.The dialogue also isn't bad let alone the special effects that weren't as cheesy as I expected it to be.The ominous and dark feeling adds to the film fabulously.Many of the characters are casted exactly how they should.Now the soundtrack is also great in the main titles and throughout the film thanks to Danny Elfman.Any comic nerd will be pleased; actually anyone will be delighted with this crowd pleasing film.Make sure to check it out now if you already haven't.

Gotham City is a sunless, ominous haven for criminals, held in the corrupt grip of crime boss Carl Grissom (the ever-magnetic Jack Palance), and terrorized by a sadistic vandal and murderer known as The Joker. But it isn't long before a dark, mysterious caped crusader, who goes by the name of BATMAN, is on their trail and trying to thwart their evil doings. In this darkly entertaining retelling of the Marvel comic classic, ace photojournalist Vicki Vale (warmly and sympathetically played by Kim Basinger) is also on the trail--she wants to find out who Batman really is. Based on the popular comic book character created by Bob Kane for DC Comics; the story and tone have nothing in common with the popular TV series of the 1960s. Imaginative special effects and imposing, Gothic architectural sets dominate this visually graphic, stylish film. Keaton gives a brooding performance as the Caped Crusader and his interestingly understated alter-ego Bruce Wane. But is it Nicholson's Joker that steals the show, with his unnerving, brilliantly maniacal portrayal, especially in the context of his twisted relationship with Grissom's gal Alicia (a lanky, disquieting Jerry Hall).

"It's just plain fun."
-- Ted Prigge, REC.ARTS.MOVIES.REVIEWS

Rating:
Summary: Is there a 6-foot bat in Gotham City?
Review: I can still remember as a 4 year-old being completely obsessed with the Batman character. And I loved the movie. To put it simply, Batman was my hero. Of course this isn't the case anymore but I still think that "Batman" is a great film.

One of the most striking things about "Batman" is the set design by Anton Furst, which is very Gothic and bleak looking (during the outdoor scenes there is no sun whatsoever). The Gotham City that looked like any other in the TV series is transformed into dark, slimy crime pit in which good is basically nonexistent. Tim Burton gives the film some good direction, keeping things tight and interesting. He executed the action scenes nicely as well. Aside from the impressive set design and direction, the movie is also well acted. Michael Keaton played the role of Batman very well, giving Batman a powerful presence and a sort of everyman personality (which is even a bit off-the-wall) when he's Bruce Wayne. Jack Nicholson, meanwhile, was excellent as the Joker. He hams things up a lot, which makes sense since the character of Joker is supposed to be a complete, smart-mouthed maniac. I did notice a few problems with this movie though. The story, for the most part, focuses too much on the Joker, which is silly. I mean, isn't the movie called "Batman"? The plot is bit shallow as well, which probably explains why I found it a bit difficult to pin point exactly the Joker wants to do with Gotham City. The love story was bit weak as well. While Kim Basinger did good job as Vicki Vale, she and Keaton didn't develop a lot of chemistry to make their pairing believable.

If you can ignore some minor problems, "Batman" stands as pretty good comic book adaptation. If you like superhero films, then this one is certainly worthy being included in your collection.

Rating:
Summary: al right
Review: It's the first batman movie and it really wasn't that good. Jack Nicoleson was good at joker. But this movie just doesn't catch you. The story between Bruce and Vicky is okay. Tim Burten filmed it well,the action wasn't that good, and compared to the others except the fourth one it doesn't stand a chance.

Rating:
Summary: "Who are You?" "I'm Batman."
Review: The ladder is the second sentence uttered by the imposing Dark Knight, and it helps launch the spectacular "Batman," rich in noir-tinged storytelling, larger-than-life production design, director Tim Burton's ambitious vision, Danny Boyle's muscular, rhythm-driven score and sure-footed acting. All of these elements contribute to to craft a modern classic, one that makes the last two Batman films directed by Joel Schulmaker look like child's play (no pun intended).

The film picks up in a Gotham City, a crime-infested metropolis on the verge of giving into its decadence. Into this comes Batman (played with brooding brilliance by Michael Keaton), a caped, seemingly indestructable vigilante who fights crime at night. On one occasion, he fights crime lord-to-be Jack Napier (Jack Nicholson) and sees him fall into a vat of chemicals. This eventually turns Napier into the Joker. The whole story is concocted by Sam Hamm, who gives it a steady-pace to let the story tell itself and allowing plantey of time for plot and character development, something Joel Schulmaker desparetly needs. Also caught between Batman and Joker, is the vuloptuous Vicky Vale (Kim Basinger) whom both Joker and Batman take a liking to.

To perfectly complement the dark story, is gritty and shady production design by Anton Fursk, who won and Oscar for his work, and deservedly so. Fursk captures the essence of Gotham City, which is its dirty and deviant underbelly and dark tones. And Director Tim Burton uses them to all their extent, which, when combined with Burton's ambitious, visually stunning direction, makes Batman into what it should be. And Danny Elfmans' sinewy score sets a perfect musical complement to the films' spectacular visual elements.

To make "Batman" complete, there is confident acting by all the cast. The best is Micheal Keaton as the brooding Dark Knight/Bruce Wayne and Jack Nicholson as Jack Napier/Joker as he flashes his killer smile proudly. Nicholson is the highlight of the film, having as much fun as possible with his maniacally gleeful character. But right there with him is Michael Keaton, who the ideal actor for Batman and Bruce Wayne. He perfectly captures the brooding essence of both men, proving he is by far the best Batman so far. But both Kim Basinger and Robert Wuhl turn in exceptional performances as reporters trailing Batman.

Arguably, this first entry into the Batman franchise is the best. It had the production designer, the script, the composer, the director and the cast to make it a classic. It seems timeless, having aged gracefully into this new millenium, which is quite a statement. And by all predictions (including mine), it will stay that way.

Rating:
Summary: A triumph for us comic book fans.
Review: I AM BATMAN.

Heh, just thought I'd say that in honor of that hilarious SNL Celebrity Jeopardy shtick. And how true that statement was... Michael Keaton is the best Batman of the films.

"Batman" is a triumph of production design and visual mastery. The storyline was a bit thin and the movie might as well have been called "The Joker" because of the screen time given to Jack Nicholson. However, the movie still works. Jack Nicholson is sensationally funny and evil as the Joker and Michael Keaton plays the double role of Bruce Wayne/Batman works out better than most people tend to think. He plays the character as a brooding neurotic which doesn't tell us much about the character, but it draws us in anyways. And of course, Michael Gough is perfect as Alfred. The only bad thing I can say about the movie is that Kim Basinger (as Vicki Vale, the reporter) and he didn't really have much of any chemistry together. It's negligible, given the Batman character.

Tim Burton was the perfect director for the film because of his "gothic wizardry," as said by another Amazon.com reviewer here. I really do believe that without Tim Burton the series went to crap. In fact, this movie captured the original comics better than the campy 60s television series did; this grittier vision of Gotham City is a lot like the Batman of old, which is probably why devoted comic book fans found it better. I personally like Tim Burton's style and the Batman animated series that followed it (before they resurrected it and made it crappy). Once again, Danny Elfman did the score and created an entirely new Batman theme that's been redone several times. In short, it's frikken awesome.

My favorite part in the movie is when the Joker and Batman are doing their final face-off and the Joker's getting his @$$ kicked. The Joker says, "You idiot! You made me," and talks about how Batman threw him into the acid. Batman then replies "You killed my parents. I made you, you made me first." AWESOME line.

"Batman Returns" (1992) worked out alright with Keaton and Burton back for more, but definitely not afterwards. The first "Batman" proved a lot to the movie fans of how Batman SHOULD be made. One of the reasons why that "Birds of Prey" show didn't last was because they didn't make Gotham City the gritty city that was portrayed in the films, plus the fact that the film itself connected well with the comics (and of course, the show always added some pop/rock song that's been overplayed on the radio and had no relevancy to the show. But that's another issue entirely). Simply put, this is the best gothic vision of our favorite caped crusader and all the clones/spin-offs afterwards will have nothing on it.