I Want You To Tell All Your Friends About Me: The Role and Impact of 1989's Batman

Noah Webber

On June 23rd, 1989, the world of superheroes and movies were forever changed. “Bat-mania” had hit the world with the release of Tim Burton’s Batman, the biggest blockbuster of 1989 and, to this day, one of the highest grossing films of all time. “Batman is a milestone in the history of cinema”(Turcotte). With Jack Nicholson as the Joker and Michael Keaton as Batman, the world was swept away in the world of the Dark Knight and his foes. What made Batman an instant hit was how dark and different it was compared to the 1960s Batman, starring Adam West and Burt Ward. In 1989, there was no bright colored costumes, cheesy lines, or a campy theme song. This was a whole new Batman.

Batman was created in 1939 by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. While Action Comics had their own hero in Superman, Detective Comics needed to bring some competition to the table. Luckily, Bob Kane had an idea for a hero, clad in a red jumpsuit, a black domino mask, and red wings. Bill Finger, the co-pilot to Bob Kane, took over the design and gave the hero a black mask with pointed ears, a long black cape, and a bat symbol across his chest. From this design, Batman was born.

The 1989 Batman film was the first of its kind, and forever changed how superhero movies are looked at. For the first time, the world received a darker look at a superhero and how not everything is perfect. Batman showed a tortured caped crusader, who has to deal with the death of his parents, girl trouble, the police chasing after him, and a homicidal maniacal clown. People were in shock and awe of this new hero, dark and gritty, and people loved him. People loved him so much that the weekend gross was $40,489,746 (“Batman”), the highest gross in 1989.

Burton drew inspiration of the dark and edgy Batman from the famed graphic novel The Killing Joke, written by Alan Moore, and the illustrious comic book series The Dark Knight Returns. Oddly enough, though, Burton has claimed that he never read any Batman comic books growing up. Both stories feature The Joker and Batman and are very dark in tone and color, very similar to Burton’s Batman. “Along with Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Tim Burton has mentioned that The Killing Joke influenced his film adaptation of Batman” (Wikipedia Contributors). Drawing inspiration from The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight Returns was possibly one of the smartest decisions Burton made for Batman. Fans of Batman were now used to the grit and grime that the two novels depicted.

During the summer 1989, the market was crushed by the bat logo. T-shirts, mugs, action figures all were contributed to monumental sales of Batman. “You couldn’t turn around without seeing the Bat-signal somewhere.” said filmmaker Kevin Smith. There was even Bat cereal. People could not get enough Batman. Stores were not prepared for the mad rush of Bat fans. One could compare this to the search for the coveted Turbo-Man doll in the Christmas movie, Jingle All The Way. Fans packed theaters nationwide, so eager to see the new phenomenon. Due to the phenomenon, fans of all ages were brought in by the movie.

People were not always a fan of Batman, though. The announcement of Jack Nicholson as The Joker only hyped up the anticipation of the movie, but the casting of Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman angered many people. Keaton, noted for his roles in Beetlejuice and Mr. Mom, was known throughout Hollywood as a funny man, and could not do serious roles. Fans sent countless complaints to the studios, criticizing the casting of Keaton. No one thought he would be able to successfully fill out the Batsuit well. Jack Nicholson, known to fans for his role in The Shining and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, was almost free advertisement because of his famous portrayals. Keaton proved all of his critics wrong, with his brilliant portrayal of a dark Batman and an even dark and more brooding Bruce Wayne. While watching Batman, one can feel the pain behind the eyes of Playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne. Wayne, who saw his parents shot dead in front of him when he was a young boy, is the alter ego of Batman.

In Batman, Gotham City is under rule of a crime lord named Carl Grissom and his right hand man Jack Napier. The police force in Gotham has been trying to nab Grissom for months, but a mysterious “bat” figure has been cleaning up the streets for them. Jack Napier leads a raid at the local chemical plant, and Napier and his men are surprised by Batman, who accidentally drops Napier into a vat of chemicals. Napier, thought to be dead, emerges as a white faced grinning maniacal clown like figure, known simply as The Joker.

One of the most stunning visualizations in the movie is Gotham City itself. The city looks like despair has been brought down onto the streets of the city Batman has sworn to protect. The city looks dreary and dark and makes you really believe that you are watching a real city that you could go visit whenever you want to. The city gives off a very gothic feeling, making every viewer feel depressed, just like the city is with all of its scum on the street.

The effect that Batman had on the country was monumental. First, it changed the way that superhero movies are made. Without Batman, we would not have movies like The Avengers, Spider-Man, and The Dark Knight. Superhero movies were made from a serious standpoint with big name directors. Batman also changed how the character of Batman is looked at. He was no longer a campy, bright colored costume character, but a hero that was dark and menacing, striking fear into the hearts of criminals; especially with the portrayal that Michael Keaton gave as Batman, where he had a low voice, barely talked, and moved and worked in the shadows. Batman paved the way for many future incarnations of Batman that would enhance his image even further. These incarnations would include Christian Bale in The Dark Knight, Kevin Conroy voicing The Caped Crusader in Batman The Animated Series, the Arkham series of video games, and many other animated incarnations of Batman.

Batman served as a basis for all superhero movies made after 1989. American superhero movies were never the same after Batman, a movie that would impact every superhero movie to come after it, and every person who watches a superhero movie.

Images:

http://vicsmovieden.com/2013/09/14/on-the-set-batman-1989/

http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/527623-batman_got_milk_do_you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-upVRCARAo

http://comicsalliance.com/batman-1989-review-2/