Tim Burton’s theatrical masterpiece, Batman was not just a box office hit, it was a pop culture phenomenon. Burton delivers a dark and somber take on the DC comic book hero and brilliantly executes one of the highest grossing films of the decade. Burton’s unique substance and style mixed with his brooding noir, gives viewers an exceptional cinematic experience. Moving away from the campy TV series, Batman hits all the criteria for a mainstream, conventional blockbuster hit. A star studded cast, a large budget and based upon the famous comic books, Batman was always poised to be exceptional at the box office.

Michael Keaton plays the title character who is tasked with saving Gotham City from Jack Nicholson’s satanic villain, The Joker. Vicki Vale played by Kim Bassinger, is the highly desirable and curious photographer who falls for billionaire, Bruce Wayne aka Batman. A loose plot whereby The Joker poisons Gotham City’s hygiene products with “smilex”; a deadly chemical that causes people to die laughing with the same maniacal grin the Joker himself parades. Batman swoops in with his wonderful toys and gadgets intent on putting an end to the city’s suffering. The action accumulates on top of a skyscraper where the Joker and Batman face off. Batman ultimately sends the Joker plummeting to his death and peace is restored in Gotham City. 

Even before production began, hardcore comic book fans voiced their objections about Burton creating a more “high-concept” Batman, moving away from the comic book hero of the 1960’s. Fans concerns reached the front pages of The Wall Street Journal and there was concern that this new psychologically-complex Batman would be a far cry from the beloved Batman of the popular 60’s comics and TV series. This was of great concern to Warner Bros executives who were keen to appease fans. It was critical that the fans were happy to ensure the film’s success. One of these differences is where the Joker gives out free money during his parade. In the comic book, the money is fake and the Joker’s face is on the one dollar bills. In the film, the money is real. On his date with Vicki Vale at the museum, she asks him “what do you want?” He responds, “my face…on the one dollar bill.” While there are differences between the comic and film, Burton does a fantastic job at giving a subtle nod and acknowledgement to the comics and satisfying the fans.

At a time where the film business was adopting a “blockbuster mentality”, many production companies were opting to finance a few big films with the potential for enormous profits. Production houses were favoring one or two big hits per year, rather than slate several mediocre films with modest profits. Batman was a blockbuster smash hit for Warner Bros. The New York Times published an article entitled, Batman Battles for Big Money which states, “At $30 million-plus and top-heavy with stars, the decidedly new-wave ”Batman” is the biggest Warner Brothers film of 1989.” A bold statement but entirely accurate. With a generous budget of $35 million, Batman took over $400 million at the box office, outgrossing films like Ghostbusters II and Indiana Jones; The Last Crusade at opening weekend. 

Film critic, Roger Ebert says, “Batman is a triumph of design over story, style over substance – a great-looking movie with a plot you can’t care much about. He is complimentary of Burton’s incredible achievement and unique visualization yet the loose plot and lack of solid storyline mean the film could have potentially been a costly flop. Ebert also mentions the lack of chemistry between Keaton and Bassinger. Keaton’s portrayal of Batman falls flat and is lacklustre whereas Bassinger fails to bring passion or emotion to her role. It is suggested that the film be renamed, “The Jokers Misadventures” due to Nicholson’s character overshadowing that of the title character. In an interview with Tim Burton, he says Batman was more of a repressed figure who preferred to stay in the shadows, whereas the Joker was a man with bleached white skin, green hair and an exuberant red smile. It was very hard to make the character of Joker subtle and less flamboyant. Burton’s intention was never to have the two compete for screen time but to keep Batman portrayed as the vigilante, saving his beloved city from the Joker’s reign of terror.

As a famed critic, Ebert’s review does hold merit, however, you can not argue the financial and cinematic impact that Burton’s Batman had on the world. If some of the acting and lack of chemistry was slightly amiss or the support character took the limelight from the main protagonist then so be it. Batman was a blockbuster hit for Warner Bros and took home an Oscar for Best Art Direction. Burton is to be commended for bravely taking Batman to new depths and his artistic imagination certainly paid off.