Batspiels

Hi, there. It's Greg. It was a 2021 New Year's resolution to post more comic-topiced posts. I was insufficient in 2020. For this post, I'm writing an ode to Batman, Tim Burton's 1989 pacechanger.

There is a multitude of tremendous aspects to this film. Its lighting is noirish. It enacts Batman's arsenal, lair and vehicles. Joker's gookies are enacted. The costumes by Bob Ringwood character-pertain. The Batsuit and purple Joker suits are exqusite. There's 1940s costuming. Linda Herickson's Vicki Vale costumes are sumptuous. Joker's hair/makeup are applied and designed with savviness too.

There's graphic novelish cinematography. The sprightly, stylistic action is integrated into the story. Danny Elfman's score is favored by yours' truly. Shirley Walker's conducting is infectious. The choir, musicians and Steve Bartok's orchestrations are stupefying, too.

The film has an amalgamation of sets on the Pinewood Studio lots and English location-footage. Anton Furst's production design and the art directors accumulate the GSOA. There's an opening titles sequence of epicness. Though there's occasional iffyness to green-screened shots, the effects are surpassing in juxtaposition to contemporary comic book films (I shan't name-drop which ones, though).

Batman's an aptly acted film. Clive Curtis is reminiscent of a Joker henchman of infamy. Kate Harper and Bruce McGuire reminded me of talking heads. Marion Dougherty's casting director handyworks are evident. There's an optimal, befitting plethora of secondary characters. William Hootkins is believable as a duplicitous cop and Jack Palance's Gotham City crime boss is a slithering bullshitter. Lee Wallace's politically-satirical mayor is engagingly exasperated. In an 80s instance of color-blind casting, the film establishes Billy Dee Williams's Harvey Dent as a passioned, congenial DA (Williams eventually descended into duality in 2017). Pat Hingle's an affably dignified, commanding Commissioner Gordon (I'm dismayed by the eventual deterioration of Pat's material). Jerry Hall's an alluring gangster moll--I totally sympathize. Tracey Walter's dutiful Bob the Goon is one o' the ardent villain underlings. Robert Wuhl's comically-relieving Alexander Knox is a jocularity-source. Michael Gough's wondrous, thoroughly amiable Alfred Pennyworth is a fatherlike ally (there is lead-up to his scathed scene).

The film predominantly focusses on its 3 principals. Kim Basinger's Vicki Vale is a sensible, engaging leading lady. Kim conveyed confidence, intelligence and bravado. I'm empathetic with Basinger's incarnation of of Vicki (the screaming's warranted). Jack Nicholson's Joker is casual and jokish about deplorable actions. Jack's buyable as a clowny, meshugana gangster. Nicholson's interpretation is a mixture of flamboyance, egotism and creepiness (his diction, line-memorization, role and repertoire warranted top-billing/a high salary). Michael Keaton, our leading man, acefully differentiated his personas. Michael's Bruce Wayne is poignantly introspective, personable and multifaceted. Keaton's Batman is instinctual and emotive. His meritorious Batsy was a total wrongprover, too.

The notion of inserting Prince songs into the film is atypical (Tim's not at fault). There's 3 deleted scenes I would've retained. One would have dispensed material to Gordon. The others would've been a throwback and a pre-climax GCPD absence explanation.

Nonetheless, I deem the story admirable. It conveys loads with a li'l. The film skillfully enacted Bruce Wayne's backstory (the alteration concocts a connection and Joe Chill pops-up). Joker's origin is concrete. An eccentric man's attracted to a woman of normality--I'm admiring of the notion. Comparable to the preceding film I blog-analyzed, the script has quotability. Batman indulged in detective work (his crimefighting tactics have comic-validness). Joker indulges in terrorism. The film expedites the foreshadowing and exposition. 2 ubiquitous Batman storylines were influencers. retrospectively, the predominant villain-monogamy and running-time's shortness are appreciated. A woman's coveted by a supervillain. Naturally, the climax progresses to a Batman-Joker confrontation. Gotham's perception of Batman alters. The denouement is triumphal.

Tim Burton's an idealistic choice to direct. There's apposite grounding and perseverance to Tim's adept direction. Burton's expertise is certainly prevalent. I'll advocate for this film. I undoubtedly classify it as a favourite. I'm dismayed by the uncrediting of Bill Finger, though.