Batman (1989)

Batman (1989)

starring Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger

directed by Tim Burton

126 minutes

Boss Grissom sends Jack Napier (Jack Nicholson), his number one guy, to Axis Chemicals to retrieve some incriminating information before the police get their hands on the documents. Jack gets there only to discover that he's been setup. Grissom wants Jack dead because he's been having an affair with Grissom's girlfriend.

The police surround the chemical plant. Batman (Michael Keaton) crashes the party at Axis Chemicals. He gets into a fight with Napier and Napier falls into a vat of chemicals. Napier survives but he is horribly scarred. His skin is now bone white, his hair is green, and his mouth is twisted into a permanent smile.

Napier, now calling himself Joker, gets his revenge on Grissom. He then turns his attention toward Gotham City which is getting ready for a 200th anniversary celebration.

Vicky Vale (Kim Basinger), an award winning photographer, arrives in Gotham. Alexander Knox, a reporter, approaches her about teaming up to try and get a story on the Batman. She accepts his offer and they start to work on trying to get some time or information from the police department.

Joker wrecks havoc in Gotham by using Axis Chemical plant to create chemicals that are then put in cosmetics and hygiene products. Batman figures out how Joker is doing it. He passes that information along to Vale who gets it printed in the newspaper.

Joker decides that he's had enough. He organizes a big parade in downtown Gotham. He has plans to kill everyone who shows up with his own special deadly poison gas. Batman shows up in the Batplane and prevents Joker's plan from succeeding.

The movie ends with a showdown atop Gotham Cathedral, between Batman and the Joker.

Thoughts

There are a few familiar faces in the supporting cast. Jack Palance played the part of Boss Grissom. Billy Dee Williams played District Attorney Harvey Dent. Pat Hingle played Commissioner Gordon. There are only a few scenes with Dent and Gordon but it was still fun to see faces I recognize in those roles.

I love this film. It is fun to watch. I remember seeing it in the theater when it was first released. I may have seen it more than once in the theater. I have probably seen it a dozen or more times but I think this is the first time I have watched it since 2014.

There is a scene or two that don't work for me. The scene where Alfred brings Vale into the Batcave is one of them. It rings a bit hollow but there is so much else going on in the movie that it is easy to overlook moments like that.

This is my favorite Batman movie. It gets the tone right and it has lots of good lines. Jack Nicholson is wonderfully wacky as the Joker. The look of the movie and the music are also to my liking and fit in with my vision of a classic Batman story. Adam West was a better Bruce Wayne but Michael Keaton does a decent job in that role. 

I listened to Comic Geek Speak CGS 1730: Batman (1989) Retro Movie Review after watching the movie. They talk for almost 90 minutes about the movie, their memories of seeing it for the first time, and some trivia related to the movie that I didn't know about.