Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Batman Review











Batman


Release Date: 30th August 1989 – Australia


Production Companies
Warner Bros. Pictures (presents)
The Guber-Peters Company
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (produced in association with)


Genre: Action

Rating: PG

Runtime: 126 minutes


Budget: $35,000,000

Box Office Gross: 
$411,556,825
(Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Gotham City: dark,
dangerous, 'protected'
only by a mostly corrupt
police department.

Despite the best effects
of D.A. Harvey Dent and
police commissioner Jim
Gordon, the city becomes
increasingly unsafe...until
a Dark Knight arises. We
all know criminals are a
superstitious, cowardly
lot...so his disguise must be
able to strike terror into
their hearts. He becomes a
bat. Enter Vicky Vale, a
prize-winning photo 
journalist who wants to 
uncover the secret of the 
mysterious "bat-man". And 
enter Jack Napier, one-
time enforcer for Boss 
Grissom, horrible 
disfigured after a fire-fight 
in a chemical factory...that, 
devoid of the last vestiges 
of sanity, seizes control of 
Gotham's underworld as 
the psychotic, 
unpredictable Clown 
Prince of Crime... the 
Joker. Gotham's only 
hope, it seems, lies in
this dark, brooding
vigilante. And just how
does billionaire playboy
Bruce Wayne fit into all of 
this? (Source - IMDb)


Cast
Michael Keaton – Bruce Wayne/Batman
Kim Basigner – Vicki Vale
Jack Nicholson – Jack Naiper/The Joker
Robert Wuhl – Alexander 
Knox
Pat Hingle – Commissioner 
Gordon
Billy Dee Williams – Harvey
Dent
Michael Gough – Alfred
Pennyworth
Jack Palance – Carl Grissom
Jerry Hall – Alicia Hunt
Tracey Walter – Bob the Goon
Lee Wallace – Mayor Borg
William Hootkins – Lt. Max Eckhardt
Hugo E. Blick – Young Jack 
Napier
Charles Roskilly – Young
Bruce Wayne
David Baxt – Thomas Wayne
Sharon Holm – Martha Wayne
Edwin Craig – Rotelli
John Dair – Ricorso
Christopher Fairbank – Nic
George Roth – Eddie
Kit Hollerbach – Becky
Steve Plytas – Doctor
Liza Ross – Mom
Garrick Hagon – Dad
Adrian Meyers – Jimmy

Crew
Director – Tim Burton
Based on Batman Characters/
Project Consultant – Bob Kane
Based on Batman Characters – Bill Finger
(Uncredited)
Characters: Alfred Pennyworth & The Joker –
Jerry Robinson (Uncredited)
Story/Writer – Sam Hamm
Writer – Warren Skaaren
Executive Producers – Benjamin Melniker
& Michael Uslan
Producers – Jon Peters & Peter Guber
Co-Producer – Chris Kenny
Casting Director – Marion Dougherty
Production Designer – Anton Furst
Supervising Art Director – Leslie Tomkins
Art Directors – Terry Ackland-Snow &
Nigel Phelps
Set Decorator – Peter Young
Costume Designer – Bob Ringwood
Make-up Designer: Joker – Nick Dudman
Director of Photography – Roger Pratt
Second Unit Director/Camera Operator:
Second Unit – Peter MacDonald
Stunt Coordinator – Eddie Stacey
Special Effects Supervisor – John Evans
Special Visual Effects – Derek Meddings 
Art Director: Visual Effects Unit – Peter Chiang
Visual Effects Photographer: Visual Effects Unit –
Paul Wilson
Film Editor – Ray Lovejoy
Music – Danny Elfman
Songs – Prince


Awards

1990 Academy Awards
Best Art Direction – Anton Furst & Peter Young (Won)


Review
Not as perfect as the latest movie 'The Dark Knight', 'BATMAN' was a good superhero movie. Although the acting performances of Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson were good, but I think Christian Bale does a better portrayal of Batman and the late Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker in my opinion. I'm well impressed with the set design of Gotham City which looks like the city from out of Fritz Lang's 'Metropolis'. The direction by Tim Burton was outstanding with the memorable score by Danny Elfman and songs by the famed artist Prince. Unfortunately, a few meddling plot points ruin the flow of the storyline.

Comparatively with the Christopher Nolan reboot, the original movie of the franchise has a more magical fantasy feeling to it, which is a result of Burton's influence as this is the genre he most commonly works with.

This film started the original Batman quadrilogy, followed by 'Batman Returns', then to Joel Schumacher's last two instalments 'Batman Forever' and the infamous 'Batman & Robin'.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

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