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[megamerican]

My appreciation for it has grown over the years. It was so far ahead of its time. They had no real point of reference for how to do a serious comic book movie yet the tone is almost perfect.

The two leads were awesome, the score was amazing, and the Batmobile still looks better than any version since.

 

[Shaanyboi]

I'll take Burton's set design and Elfman's socre over Nolan's improved cinematography and technological advancements any day of the week. And I grew up with neither Burton film(unless you count constantly seeing commercials for them.)

Thank god storytelling isn't just about set-design.

 

[Jeffolation]

Watched it recently for the first time myself and it's totally fine, especially compared to true junk like Forever.

 

[Mister Wilhelm]

I rewatched it somewhat recently and thought it was pretty bad despite the performance of the leads.

 

[Pop-O-Matic]

TDK>Begins>'89>Rises>Forever>'66>Returns>And Robin

 

[MC Safety]

lol no it fucking isn't. It's worse. Way worse. Makes no goddamn sense.

Everybody who loves Batman Returns should be made to write an essay attempting to explain: 1) Catwoman's origin and 2) the scene where Batman pulls off his cowl in front of the villains.

Batman was a neat take on the mythos. It had a great Joker but was about, you know, Batman.

 

[Operations]

TDK>Begins>'89>TDKR>Forever>'66>Returns>And Robin

Forever better than Returns? Dear God.

 

[Pelydr]

Nolan has poisoned so many minds its insane.

 

[Data West]

At least the characters themselves in Nolan's movies fit their comic book counterparts quite well. And the story isn't shit. And the batsuit doesn't look idiotic. And there aren't any corny/lame jokes. And it doesn't make a female protag into little more than the 50s era girlfriend character. And Batman doesn't kill people. And even at their worst, they still were good enough that you didn't want to quit watching, or at least weren't offended enough that you wanted to quit watching.

Seriously, how can anyone like Bats '89 outside of "I saw it as a kid and have lots nostalgia for it so I'll always love it whenever I see it."

No, instead of having corny/lame jokes, it has a Batman actor who sounds like a corny/lame joke. Who sounds like somebody's impersonation of him. Combine that with the Batmobile looking like a RC flips and tumbles but never falls down! car from the 90s painted black. It also features a female actress in it that is BY FAR the worst actor in the movie so much that you constantly notice how fucking awful and dry she is. I don't see how Bane fits his comic book counterpart in any form.

I don't see how anyone could like Nolan Batman films outside of 'it's grim and dark and dark and grim'

Thank god storytelling isn't just about set-design.

Nor is it about fight scenes. None of the fight scenes in Batman Begins at least because none of them had any real effect on the storyline.

 

[Pop-O-Matic]

Forever better than Returns? Dear God.

At least Forever has Batman in it.

 

[zma1013]

I think I like Begins more than any of the others simply because it's all about Batman and it sold me on why and how a man would dress up like a giant bat and fight crime. All the others are largely about the villains moreso than Batman. I would certainly pick the Nolan universe over the previous ones, and Batman 89 used to be my favorite. It is hard to go back to watch for me.

 

[cj_iwakura]

I'll never forget this Burton story: Kevin Smith accused him of ripping off one of his comics for a film, and Burton responded by saying that anyone who knows him knows he doesn't read them.

Kevin Smith: Well, that explains Batman.



That said, I like it for what it is.

 

[Jigorath]

Horrible post. Begins shits on both of Tim Burton's movies.

What? No.

It is:

The Dark Knight > Returns > Batman 1989 > Begins >>>>>>>> Rises

 

[Discotheque]

What? No.

It is:

The Dark Knight > Returns > Batman 1989 > Begins >>>>>>>> Rises

I'd swap Begins and 89 and that's a good list.

 

[kitchenmotors]

My appreciation for it has grown over the years. It was so far ahead of its time. They had no real point of reference for how to do a serious comic book movie yet the tone is almost perfect.

The two leads were awesome, the score was amazing, and the Batmobile still looks better than any version since.

This, so much. The tone of the movie is amazing.

It's still a great example on how to do a serious comic book film. It is really in a league of it's own. The non-Burton sequels were trash and it wasn't until 1999 with X-men that any sort of competent comic book film was released.

I know people wanna throw around the nostalgia factor, I realize some of you weren't even born in 89, but that doesn't discredit the film or it's impact.

 

[googleplex]

Regardless of what anyone thinks of Batman 89. We wouldn't have the fucking godly
Batman: The Animated Series

Without Tim Burton's Batman. And Batman The Animated Series defined who Batman was for the 2 next generations.

 

[Combat Wombat]

Gordon is such a worthless character in these films. Just one of the aspects that always bothers me when watching Burton's Batman.

 

[Game4life]

Thank god storytelling isn't just about set-design.

This. Lol at Nicholson's Joker being compared to Ledger. Can people show me the great scenes of Nicholson as Joker that compares to this

https://youtu.be/c-Dqf6Ptjoo?t=99

or this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8PxG5zvgOM

Set design does not make a movie.

Begins was an absolutely amazing Batman movie and is prob one of if not the best origin story for a super hero on a movie screen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6qwcjxDosc

Now show me some scene in any of the Tim Burton movies that does not look corny as shit.

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

Awful? What am I reading?

 

[Matty77]

I'll never forget this Burton story: Kevin Smith accused him of ripping off one of his comics for a film, and Burton responded by saying that anyone who knows him knows he doesn't read them.

Kevin Smith: Well, that explains Batman.



That said, I like it for what it is.

This. I love that quote. Watched recently though and to be honest Keaton is excellent and the story is not horrible if you ignore Batmans disregard for human life in a couple of scenes, and that the joker is just half of the roles Jack already played but with greasepaint.

I do however feel that a lot of the film has aged badly from a technical standpoint and that hurts my ability to watch it more than anything else.

 

[neogaffer1]

Nolan has poisoned so many minds its insane.

As someone who's actually read a very large amount of pre-52 Batman, all of Nu52 Batman, and all of Nightwing both pre-52 and Nu52, lol.

No, instead of having corny/lame jokes, it has a Batman actor who sounds like a corny/lame joke. Who sounds like somebody's impersonation of him. Combine that with the Batmobile looking like a RC flips and tumbles but never falls down! car from the 90s painted black. It also features a female actress in it that is BY FAR the worst actor in the movie so much that you constantly notice how fucking awful and dry she is. I don't see how Bane fits his comic book counterpart in any form.

I don't see how anyone could like Nolan Batman films outside of 'it's grim and dark and dark and grim'


Nor is it about fight scenes. None of the fight scenes in Batman Begins at least because none of them had any real effect on the storyline.

Bat-voice is bad at times but it still is somewhat justified (even Conroy had a separate voice for Batman) and isn't too bad as long as you already know what he's saying. The Tumbler isn't bad either, I don't understand the love for the 89 Batmobile--there's nothing special about it and it just looks like it aged poorly these days. I'm assuming you're talking about Rachel, who at least is written well, unlike Vale. Bane is the man who broke the Bat, both physically and mentally. That's exactly what the Nolan incarnation did as well.

I didn't want to make this about the Nolan movies, but put simply, they're actually good unlike 89. I haven't seen Returns or any of the other ones before Begins, but I'm not going to even bother after the travesty I sat through.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

I'll take Burton's set design and Elfman's socre over Nolan's improved cinematography and technological advancements any day of the week. And I grew up with neither Burton film(unless you count constantly seeing commercials for them.)

The Elfman theme is undoubtedly iconic, but really these two soundtracks come from different eras and take very different approaches. The Zimmer+James Newton Howard combo is definitely no slouch and the soundtracks are highly effective at setting tone and supporting the action on screen. Some really great stuff with the Joker and the discordant, tension building soundtrack in TDK, for example.

Gotham in the Nolan era looks extremely real because they basically just went to real cities to shoot them. Again, it's a different approach and it's hard to compare directly. You might complain that they're "just Chicago" or "just New York", but I find this personally much more compelling than the personality-rich but ultimately fake looking stuff we get in the Burton films. Obviously Schumacher's Gothem continues this theme but goes crazy overboard with it, the batshit insane 300 foot tall statues everywhere etc.

 

[Shaanyboi]

Batman 89 is goofy as hell, looks very much like a TV episode. can't watch it anymore. Burton is horrible at action, too

What, this wasn't the Winter Soldier of its day?

Nor is it about fight scenes. None of the fight scenes in Batman Begins at least because none of them had any real effect on the storyline.

Save for defeating the League and the decoy Ra's Al Ghul, arresting Falcone after fucking up his shipment operation, saving Rachel from Scarecrow and dodging the cops, and like... fighting to stop the bad guy's plot... I'm sorry, what point are you trying to make here?

 

[kitchenmotors]

This. Lol at Nicholson's Joker being compared to Ledger. Can people show me the great scenes of Nicholson as Joker that compares to this

https://youtu.be/c-Dqf6Ptjoo?t=99

or this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8PxG5zvgOM

Set design does not make a movie.

Begins was an absolutely amazing Batman movie and is prob one of if not the best origin story for a super hero on a movie screen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6qwcjxDosc

Now show me some scene in any of the Tim Burton movies that does not look corny as shit.

You know, you can have both performances be amazing in their own way without having to trash the other one.

The Nolan films almost take themselves too seriously. I love that there is this underlying playfulness in the Burton Batman films, it plays well into the comic book role.

 

[catapult37]

Returns is so good. It just nailed the tone, walking a very narrow line between dark humor, camp, and seriousness.

 

[Dai101]

Regardless of what anyone thinks of Batman 89. We wouldn't have the fucking godly
Batman: The Animated Series

Without Tim Burton's Batman. And Batman The Animated Series defined who Batman was for the 2 next generations.

This post is gold. GOLD.

 

[Game4life]

Begins and Dark Knight will always remain in conversation years from now when people talk about best superhero movies. No one will give a shit about the Tim Burton movies. I loved them when I was a kid but they are hilarious and unwatchable now.

You know, you can have both performances be amazing in their own way without having to trash the other one.

The Nolan films almost take themselves too seriously. I love that there is this underlying playfulness in the Burton Batman films, it plays well into the comic book role.

Which comic? Because I dont see anything in Nolan's films that is out of the ordinary for a comic book. Hell you can see the massive influence of Year one and Long Halloween in his movies.

 

[ElRenoRaven]

You sir have no taste. Batman 89 and Returns are probably 2 of the best Batman movies there are. The only one I'd rate on par with those is The Dark Knight. Michael Keaton will always be Batman to me damn it.

 

[kitchenmotors]

Begins and Dark Knight will always remain in conversation years from now when people talk about best superhero movies. No one will give a shit about the Tim Burton movies. I loved them when I was a kid but they are hilarious and unwatchable now.

Now you're just trolling.

Your faves don't invalidate my faves just because you say so.

 

[sooperkool]

boys, i think I need a moment alone....

 

[Game4life]

Now you're just trolling.

Your faves don't invalidate my faves just because you say so.

I never said it did.

 

[Pickles Spill]

You know, you can have both performances be amazing in their own way without having to trash the other one.

The Nolan films almost take themselves too seriously. I love that there is this underlying playfulness in the Burton Batman films, it plays well into the comic book role.

Yeah I like both Batmen, but for different reasons. A movie doesn't have to be serious to be good, and it doesn't have to be corny to be good. Each has its own strengths.

 

[Shaanyboi]

You know, you can have both performances be amazing in their own way without having to trash the other one.

The Nolan films almost take themselves too seriously. I love that there is this underlying playfulness in the Burton Batman films, it plays well into the comic book role.

Not sure what this means. Comics aren't able to be serious? Or they're all of one tone or something? Begins is hardly all that tonally different from Year One, which is its most direct inspiration.

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

I love both the Burton films and the Nolan films. I appreciate the Nolan films more for their realistic approach to the characters(countless long, preachy monologues aside) and I think they have more engaging stories. However I like the Burton films for their sense of style and tone. When dealing with comic book characters, that matters an awful lot in my book.

 

[Currygan]

What, this wasn't the Winter Soldier of its day?

Save for defeating the League and the decoy Ra's Al Ghul, arresting Falcone after fucking up his shipment operation, saving Rachel from Scarecrow and dodging the cops, and like... fighting to stop the bad guy's plot... I'm sorry, what point are you trying to make here?

that's Returns right? Batman 89 is even worse, like when he fights that ninja guy. My granps of 98 swallowing his pills has more dynamism

 

[Game4life]

Not sure what this means. Comics aren't able to be serious? Or they're all of one tone or something? Begins is hardly all that tonally different from Year One, which is its most direct inspiration.

Apparently they cant. Grim and dark is a criticism apparently. How is representing a character that is supposed to be brooding and operatic in a grim and dark way in any way inappropriate. I think Bale is a lousy batman in TDK and TFKR but as movies they are much better shot than the Tim Burton movies.

 

[Nekofrog]

On another note, when Keaton was still attached to Forever, didn't the initial script have Scarecrow as the villain, and Jack Nicholson return as the Joker in a hallucination caused by him?

I thought I remembered reading that somewhere.

 

[Emarv]

I think people under a certain age don't realize how much of a gamechanger this movie was for the majority of the population.

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

On another note, when Keaton was still attached to Forever, didn't the initial script have Scarecrow as the villain, and Jack Nicholson return as the Joker in a hallucination caused by him?

I thought I remembered reading that somewhere.

I believe that was the plot for Batman 5 (Triumphant).

 

[kitchenmotors]

Not sure what this means. Comics aren't able to be serious? Or they're all of one tone or something? Begins is hardly all that tonally different from Year One, which is its most direct inspiration.

The Nolan films are very grounded in reality as opposed to comic book fantasy, imo. I like the dark and campy aspect of the Burton Batman films, they just relate more to the comic book fantasy aspect that I like.

Same goes for Avengers. They're campy (that's Whedon for you) and remind me of the same tone that I love about the Burton films.

 

[WrenchNinja]

Yep.

 

[RyudBoy]

This is crazy talk.

 

[Schweinehund]

Watched both as a kid, Nolan's trilogy is definitely better. '89 sucks, returns is good.

Regardless of what anyone thinks of Batman 89. We wouldn't have the fucking godly
Batman: The Animated Series
Without Tim Burton's Batman. And Batman The Animated Series defined who Batman was for the 2 next generations.

I think The Dark Knight Returns did that.

 

[Game4life]

The Nolan films are very grounded in reality as opposed to comic book fantasy, imo. I like the dark and campy aspect of the Burton Batman films, they just relate more to the comic book fantasy aspect that I like.

Same goes for Avengers. They're campy (that's Whedon for you) and remind me of the same tone that I love about the Burton films.

But comic book fantasy does not necessarily mean campy. Year one, TDKR, Long Halloween, Killing Joke etc.. are not campy. Batman as a character is more serious and brooding and Nolan's first two movies at least fit that vision and was true to some of these comics. There is nothing more comic booky about Burton's movies over Nolan's as the comic book examples that I gave indicate the contrary. There is no singular definition of comic booky when it comes to Batman as there have been different interpretations over the years.

 

[BladeoftheImmortal]

Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moon light?

 

[Matty77]

I think people under a certain age don't realize how much of a gamechanger this movie was for the majority of the population.

Oh it was, I was there and remember 12 years old wearing my batman shirt, eating my batman cereal, reading the "crossover"comic issues dedicated to the guy who created the architecture in the movie where some villain was blowing up buildings to reveal old Gotham as a way to bring the comic in line with the look of the movie.

However after getting past the fact that it did not have to be good as much as taken seriously and not camp, and watching now that the technical filmmaking has aged poorly the fact is in hindsight it's not that great of a movie.

Just because something's the first does not mean it's the standard. I will always credit it because without Burtons batman I am not sure how much of the awesome stuff would exsist. Does not mean I am going to give the film a pass though, it's obselete.

 

[geomon]

Best Batman

 

[breadtruck]

What? Batman '89 is awesome. And you people are crazy, Returns IS NOT better.

GAF is always filled with such madness.

 

[Currygan]

I think people under a certain age don't realize how much of a gamechanger this movie was for the majority of the population.

I went to see both in theater at 9 and 12, they were great experiences, had the Batman fleece, hell I even asked my mum to buy this

the craze was real, but they're just mediocre to me, with Returns being borderline good, I'll admit


the Batman game has a KILLER soundtrack though

 

[Banderdash]

The only mistake the 89 Batman film made was having Nicholson be the Waynes killer.