After Repeated Viewings....
The Batman 1989 Movie Restarted the resurgence in collecting Batman comics. Just having the Batman's fans talking about the casting of Michael Keaton as the Batman gave life to interest in the then upcoming movie! Prior to the Batman movie, Keaton was more known for his comedic roles and just didn't seem to be the right choice for the square jawed Batman among most Batman fans.
Additionally the fans were wondering if the movie would be as 'campy'as the earlier 1960's TV Show starring Adam West as Batman, or would it have the tone and themes of Alan Moore's BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE and Frank Miller's BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS...??
A rushed teaser trailer was quickly released to prove to the fans that the upcoming film would be more faithful to the original comic books, which had the darker Batman before the Comics Code Authority changed the tone of the comic books in the mid 1950's.
Despite the earlier worries, the film became the most successful of 1989 and received praise from many Batman readers. Additionally, Keaton changed many fans' minds about his casting to become hailed as one of the best actors to play the title role, especially with some of the later choices!!
Movie Critics' reaction to the film was largely mixed, with some praising the film for its set design and production value, while others panned it as being too much of an intellectual exercise for Tim Burton and too little of a Batman movie.
Roger Eber, who I recently found out is a true comic book fan, gave the film two stars, out of four, remarking, "'Batman' is a triumph of design over story, style over substance - a great-looking movie with a plot you can't care much about."
Batman opened in over 2,000 theaters in North America. In its opening weekend, it grossed $40,489,746, which, at the time of its release, was a new record.
The film ended its theatrical first run with $251,188,924, and was not only the biggest moneymaker of 1989, but was also the fifth highest-grossing film of all time. The film's total worldwide box office gross was $411,348,924. It is, to date, the most financially successful Batman movie of the franchise.
I did like this movie when it first came out, but cannot watch it on a repeated basis as the violence is just too over the top for me.
It still is a must for a Batman collection tho!
MichaelRead full review
