1989
Directed by Tim Burton
My ex boyfriend (who is still a good friend; take that Harry Burns) attends CMU and apparently Michael Keaton is now one of his professors/visiting scholars. Now that I have someone on the inside, I can finally get my "marry Batman" plan started. I will keep you guys posted!
I suppose there are only two things you need to know about most superhero movies: who's the villain and who's our screaming leading lady? Our villain is the Joker, played by Jack Nicholson. I feel like Heath Ledger played the role so well in The Dark Knight that Nicholson's performance is often forgotten. This is a shame, as there is no denying that Nicholson nailed this. Our damsel in distress is Vicki Vale, who, predictably, doesn't have much personality at all.
Superhero movies have really become an epidemic in our country. This looked better than most of the films plaguing our universe right now. As lame as this sounds, I really did feel like I had really stepped into a comic book. The film seemed to care more about the style than the special effects, which is always a positive for me. It was also interesting to see the Joker's origin story, which I was unfamiliar with.
However, I can't completely defend this film. Batman always makes for a rather boring character. To make matters worse, he is given a vacant love interest, making the audience just want to skip all the non Joker scenes. Still, Nicholson's performance and the cinematography manage to make this a must see movie.
RATING: ****-
Interesting Facts:
Tim Burton reportedly thought the film was boring.
Body count of 56.
I've got two differing views about this one..
ReplyDeleteIt was (sort of, at least to me) the first big superhero movie, and, as such, pretty enjoyable as something new and interesting. Jack Nicholson, looking like he was given free rein to overplay and have as much fun as he wanted. I saw it not long after it came out (I was on an all night cross North Sea ferry, and needed distraction), and enjoyed it.
On the other hand you can see it as the start of the horrible rot of endless.. endless, tedious, boring clones.
It's kind of campy, which at least is different than what comes out now. Did you see/like The Dark Knight?
DeleteErrrmmm .. I think so .. not sure .. I've seen 3 or 4 other 'more recent' Batman films .. and now they are all blended into one... And no use saying 'It was the one with (names Batman actor)..' because they all look the same too..
ReplyDelete