Thoughts on Batman (1989) · 4:36am Aug 27th, 2023
Revisited this old favorite on Wednesday. Still every bit as enjoyable as I remember. 
One thing I really liked about this particular viewing was the sense of humor. Not just the Joker (though more on him later), but other, littler moments: the two thugs debating Batman's existence at the beginning, oblivious to the approaching vigilante about to lay a smackdown on them; Alexander Knox's interactions with his coworkers and most of his quips in general; Michael Keaton's awkwardness when he's Bruce Wayne... in hindsight of the Dark Knight Trilogy and The Batman (2022), it's almost quaint how some people castigated Tim Burton for making Batman too dark and grim.
Speaking of Michael Keaton though... he and Jack Nicholson are still my favorite live-action Batman and Joker. Keaton is excellent, playing the soft-spoken, eccentric, and oh-so-very alone Bruce Wayne. In costume, he is driven and focused (I love the terse whisper Keaton uses as Batman; so much easier to understand than any of Christian Bale's garbled yells), and even if his costume isn't as fancy as later movies, the stylization makes it effective.
And then there's Jack Nicholson as the Joker. God, he is just a ball to watch. I've grumbled before about my annoyance with DC turning the Joker into a monster who lives and breathes murder; so it may be funny to compliment the version of the character who poisons a city twice for giggles, but what makes this version of the character work to me compared to Heath Ledger? The EGO. Jack Nicholson's Joker is still a narcissist, given his strutting, declarations ("I am the world's first fully-functioning homicidal artist," and "[I want] my face on the one-dollar bill"), and then his stalking of Vicki Vale too. Whether it's defacing priceless artwork, shooting up rival gangsters, or dumping poison gas on the citizens of Gotham, Jack's Joker does it all and with style, and all for the sake of amusing himself and keeping the spotlight firmly on him. 
Another thing that interested me on this viewing? As Dad pointed out to me, this is the one Batman movie where Bruce Wayne's romantic interest is a fairly normal woman. (I don't count Rachel Dawes given that she chooses not to pursue romance with Bruce Wayne and sticks with Harvey Dent. I also don't count Chase Meridian from "Batman Forever," given that she tried to seduce Batman on top of the GCPD building. What the actual hell...) Bruce and Vicki's romance might not be "deep" but Bruce trying and failing to confess his double life to her still moved me.
All in all, very good movie, still holds up well from my view, and very glad to have seen it again. Tim Burton and Anton Furst did a fine job creating the weird, perpetually-1940s version of Gotham City and its cast of characters. And Danny Elfman's score is still the best. 
Pretty much agreed on all counts. Tim Burton knocked it out of the park with this one. And Danny Elfman's score? THAT is the Batman theme. Always has been, always will be.
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Aye, for sure. Some things just speak for themselves, and the sound of Elfman's theme in particular is one of them. It's right up there with John Williams' Superman march in terms of quintessential superhero music as far as I'm concerned.