Batman

Burton erweckt den Eindruck eines Mannes, der sich auf seinem angestammten Terrain befindet, als hätte ihm die visuelle Freiheit des Comics die Hände gebunden und es ihm erlaubt, den Film mit seiner eigenwilligen Vision zu füllen. Batman ist also ein Film in bester Burton´scher Tradition, voller großartiger Aufnahmen und kühner künstlerischer Lösungen, die dem Ganzen eine unverwechselbare Atmosphäre an der Grenze zwischen Märchen, Horror und kreativer Phantasmagorie verleihen. Hervorragend sind auch die zynischen Anspielungen auf die Massen und die Manipulation + eine tolle komische Einlage mit ungeschminkten Redakteuren. Im Mittelpunkt des Films steht jedoch der "Mann mit den zwei Gesichtern" Michael Keaton (die Zweischneidigkeit passt perfekt zu ihm) und vor allem Jack Nicholsons Joker, dessen ansteckend extravagante Darstellung der neuen tödlichen Avantgarde zu den besten Bösewicht-Manierismen der Filmgeschichte zählt. Batman fühlt sich für seine Zeit modern an, als sei er seiner Zeit voraus und gehöre eher zur aktuellen Welle der Comicverfilmungen, mit all ihrer Leichtigkeit, visuellen Verwegenheit und ihrem Widerstand gegen falsches Heldentum. Leider ist die Geschichte des Films zu dünn, es fehlt an Abstufungen und gegen Ende gibt es langweilige und geradezu selbstsüchtige Stellen, an denen Burtons filmisches Auge glänzt, aber es fehlt die Spannung... Batman Rückkehr hatte ein sehr ähnliches Syndrom. Dennoch stelle ich die ersten Abenteuer von Batman auf den Sockel der Comicverfilmungen als einen Film, der Weichen gestellt hat. Und ich frage mich, warum Nolan und Co. den Drang verspüren, ihn neu zu erzählen. (19.12.2006)

Not great, Keaton. Jack is no Joker, but simply Jack with some white make-up on his face, but this doesn’t mean he doesn’t fit nicely into Burton’s approach to Batman. Not great, and I mean not rather than great, when it comes to Basinger. The visuals are great, while Elfman’s music is surprisingly not so great (apart from the central theme, that is). Looks like a mediocre movie? A bit, but it isn’t. The atmosphere of the dismal, neo-gothic Gotham City and Burton’s directing make this a quality picture that is watchable multiple times. But not too often. ♫ OST score: 3/5 (20.03.2005)

Batman 89 came to theaters after a long dry spell since Batman 66. In the meantime, there had been a sea of events in the realm of DC Comics adaptations. In the 1970s, Superman and Wonder Woman were doing fairly well, but by the 1980s, Superman wasn't working anymore, and even Supergirl failed to succeed. Tim Burton had to first prove his mettle with Beetlejuice. But eventually, everything came together, and the cult of Batman 89 lives on, most recently in the modern Flash. Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, and Kim Basinger (playing the newly iconic character Vicki Vale, already known from Batman and Robin) reign over the dark tale set in the neo-Gothic Gotham. The story is inspired by contemporary literary works, "The Dark Knight Returns" (1986) and "The Killing Joke" (1988). Many references allude to German expressionism, to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Metropolis. And today, of course, new comic book continuations of the Batman 89 universe are being released. A genre classic. (18.08.2023)

In 1989, the authors of any comic book movie could literally come up with whatever they wanted. And since in this case, the project involved Tim Burton, it was clear that you surely wouldn’t be disappointed. Even after almost thirty years I can say at least that, as opposed to today’s comic book movies, this one absolutely has the spirit of the playful visionary that is Burton. In this one, Batman is as dark as midnight, Joker is as deranged as a train gone wild and the music in this case is so genial that in connection with Tim Burton, who put a layer of gloss and visual aesthetics on all that wackiness, disappointment was simply not an option. It’s nice to see how it was all about entertainment with movies like this one back in the day. Today it’s all about colors, digital effects, pseudo-realism and forced catchphrases in the mouths of characters who don’t even deserve them. Here, you can simply focus on the scene and you are good. For instance, the scene where Joker storms into the museum and while listening to a divine song by Prince, he and his thugs spray and draw over one Renaissance painting after another. I mean that’s so genius that it can’t be beaten even by the entire arsenal of the Marvel of today. (13.02.2017)

A legend. I prefer the new Batman of the new millennium, but this is a proper classic. An excellent cast, "gothic" music by Danny Elfman, and a demonic Jack Nicholson. The set and production design are slightly theatrical, but that’s fine. This film has a overall different feeling than the polished and realistic comic book movies of today. It's a different era and a different vision of the director. Tim Burton is an eccentric and he made an eccentric film. The gloomy atmosphere is hard to surpass. (13.10.2013)