Batman As It Was Meant To Be
Long before the controversial pointy Bat suit nipples or horrible rave-like action sequences nearly ruined the franchise, even longer before Christian Bale helped resurrect the series in its latest two installments, but slightly after the comedic Adam West era of the 1960s, we go back to the Tim Burton classic… simply titled, “Batman”.
The Batman character has a speckled history over the past 70 years (yes, Batman is over 70! He first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in 1937!), moving from detective to hero to slapstick superhero parody before resuming his role as a dark and mysterious crime fighter for this 1989 film. What a move that was!
Goth Kids Were Cool in the 80’s
Tim Burton’s goth direction style compliments this franchise well, introducing a whole new generation to the darker side of the Dark Knight. The scene is set in Gotham City, a crooked and sinister city which resembles the ashes of a once Eden-like empire. Gothic architecture decorates the grim skyline, but what was once majestic has crumbled with time and filth. Seedy underworld figures now crowd the streets like pustules of fat clogging the arteries of a once healthy heart. Gotham is on the verge of a heart attack.
The Stage Is Set…
The stage is set when a young Bruce Wayne watches the scum of Gotham take the life of his parents before disappearing into the darkness like the devil in the pale moonlight. This traumatic event would help shape Bruce into a hardened and vengeful adult. In a delicate balancing act, Bruce balances his desire for justice with an incorruptible moral code. Though fearful in his Batman persona, Batman never plays judge, jury and executioner. While his acrobatics and mystique are sure to scare Gotham’s villains to the marrow of their bones, he always leaves them alive to face a proper trial. Despite his gritty methodology and harsh demeanor, Batman is still a hero and must be virtuous despite temptation to take the law into his own hands.
Perhaps the most notable and fiendish rival Batman would ever face, we are treated to a delightfully wicked performance of “The Joker”, played by Hollywood legend Jack Nicholson. While the more recent “Dark Knight” features a much scarier iteration, I contend that Jack Nicholson’s Joker holds truer to the narcissistic and psychotic nature of the comic book villain than Heath Ledger did. Not to undermine a brilliant performance, but the more recent Joker seems to be an anarchist and a terrorist where Nicholson’s Joker seems to be a homicidal maniac. I don’t think I’d be comfortable sharing an elevator with either…
Epic Music for a Blockbuster Film
Featuring an epic score by musical genius Danny Elfman, Batman has a dramatic and emotional score. Add in some of the best sound studio effects available 20 years ago… and this movie sounds amazing in hi-def surround sound.
Up-converted and digitally re-mastered, the visuals were as good as a movie could be given the lack of high definition camera equipment. While this movie didn’t have the wow factor of true HD, it was a marked improvement from my worn and aged VHS copy. Because the characters were so colorful, the plot so engaging, and the world so stylized… I had no trouble feeling completely immersed in this film!
More Features Than You Can Throw a Bat-A-Rang At
Another great inclusion is all the special features on this disc. Here is what you get:
– Commentary by director Tim Burton
– On the Set with Bob Kane
– Legends of the Dark Knight
– The History of BATMAN: The Comic Book Saga as Reinvented and Reinterpreted over Seven Decades
– Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the DARK KNIGHT Parts 1-3:
– The Road to GOTHAM CITY
– The Gathering Storm
– The Legend Reborn
– Beyond Batman Documentary Gallery
– Six Featurettes:
• Visualizing Gotham: The Production Design of BATMAN
• Building the BATMOBILE
• Those Wonderful Toys: The Props and Gadgets of BATMAN
• Designing the BAT-SUIT
• From Jack to THE JOKER
• Nocturnal Overtures: The Music of BATMAN – Three Prince Music Videos: “Batdance”, “Partyman”, “Scandalous” (don’t lie, we all know you like Prince!)
– The Heroes and The Villains Profile Galleries
– BATMAN: The Complete ROBIN Storyboard Sequence
– The original theatrical trailer
Holy Lazy Disc Menu Batman!
Probably my only complaint about this whole presentation is the Blu Ray menu. The features are just splattered on the main menu, and there is so much there that it is hard to read. I really wish Warner Bros had taken the time to build this disc a fitting menu. Navigation could be easy as it looks like the menu is broken up into three distinct sections anyway. It would have improved the experience drastically if there were a few pages with larger text instead of everything vomited onto one page with print as tiny as the white pages section of a phone book.
That aside… I love this film. I love the 50 page “Digi book” and think every block buster movie should have one. I love the cast, I love the director, I love the music, I love the franchise. This is a must own DVD and I am glad that the success of Christopher Nolan’s remake of Batman has put some fire under Warner Bros to release Batman on Blu Ray. Stop reading this review, click on the Amazon link at the top and buy a copy right away!