Tim Burton’s Batman Movies: 10 Things That Still Hold Up Today

In a moviegoing age dominated by superhero movies, Tim Burton’s contributions to the Batman franchise remain timeless classics of the genre.

You Are Reading :Tim Burtons Batman Movies 10 Things That Still Hold Up Today

Between the theatrical releases of Richard Donner’s groundbreaking Superman movie in 1978 and Bryan Singer’s trendsetting X-Men movie in 2000, Tim Burton brought the Caped Crusader to the big screen in a truly spectacular fashion. With 1989’s Batman and its sequel, 1992’s Batman Returns, Burton created a cinematic template that other movies in the superhero genre adopted to mixed results.

While some Dark Knight movies like Batman Forever and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice have aged poorly, Burton’s Batman movies remain timeless classics that continue to influence comic book movies today.

10 Batman’s Introduction

In the opening scene, the Caped Crusader gets a suitably foreboding introduction as he descends upon a pair of terrified criminals and tells them, “I’m not going to kill you. I want you to tell all your friends about me.”

While Christian Bale would growl, “I’m Batman!” at his enemies, Keaton didn’t feel the need to announce himself so aggressively. Instead, he would casually but affirmatively say, “I’m Batman.”

9 Michael Keaton’s Dryly Comedic Portrayal Of Bruce Wayne

When Michael Keaton was initially cast to play Batman, the offices of Warner Bros. were flooded with a whopping 50,000 complaint letters from fans who didn’t believe the star of such comedies as Mr. Mom could effectively play the dark and brooding Caped Crusader.

Those fears that Keaton’s comedic background would hinder his ability to play the Dark Knight turned out to be unfounded. In fact, the deadpan humor that Keaton brought to Bruce Wayne ended up making the character more relatable.

8 The Joker’s Attack On The Gotham Museum Of Art

One of the central conflicts in Batman is the Joker’s infatuation with photojournalist Vicki Vale. In an attempt to win her affections, and vandalize a few priceless works of art, the Joker invites her to the Gotham Museum of Art, which he proceeds to demolish with an army of goons.

Although Batman is a PG-13 comic book movie, this sequence is surprisingly terrifying. It raises the stakes of Bruce Wayne’s conflict with the Clown Prince of Crime by jeopardizing Vicki, who narrowly escapes with her life.

7 Burton’s Gloomy Vision Of Gotham City

Over the years, a disparate group of filmmakers has offered their unique cinematic vision of Gotham City, from the realistic urban landscapes of Christopher Nolan’s movies to the neon-drenched streets of Zack Snyder’s blockbusters.

Inspired by the influential German expressionist visuals of Fritz Lang’s dystopian masterpiece Metropolis, Tim Burton brought a gorgeously dark and gloomy vision of Gotham to life in his movies. With Anton Furst, who won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction, and later Bo Welch, Burton created a distinct visual look for Batman that was replicated in other comic book movies like The Crow and Spawn.

6 Michelle Pfeiffer’s Femme Fatale Catwoman

Batman stories are noir tales at heart with hard-boiled detectives, memorable villains, and dangerous women. In the comics, Selina Kyle is the quintessential femme fatale to Bruce Wayne’s conflicted hero.

When Michelle Pfeiffer played Catwoman in Batman Returns, she brought that characterization to the big screen. Like classic femme fatales Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity and Gene Tierney in Leave Her to Heaven, Pfeiffer’s Catwoman is veiled in both mystery and danger. In Batman Returns, Catwoman switches back and forth between working with the Penguin and working with Batman – it’s unclear exactly where her allegiances lie and that’s what makes her so captivating to watch.

5 Danny Elfman’s Iconic Music

Danny Elfman has composed the music for almost all of Tim Burton’s films. The dark orchestral sounds he brought to the Batman movies gave them a musical identity of their own that is equal to John Williams’s similarly iconic Superman score.

Elfman’s memorable Batman theme is so inextricably tied to the character that it inspired composer Shirley Walker to create her own memorable score for Batman: The Animated Series in the early 1990s.

4 The Christmas Tree Lighting Scene In Batman Returns

The most thrilling set-piece in Batman Returns takes place during the lighting of Gotham City’s Christmas tree. Since most of the city’s residents come out for the event, the Penguin uses it as the perfect opportunity to establish his reign of terror.

After the Penguin and his goons attack the event, Batman intervenes. The sequence shows off the full capability of Batman’s arsenal of high-tech gadgets, from remote-controlled batarangs to grappling hooks. In addition, this sequence brings Batman and Selina together for the first time in the film.

3 Danny DeVito’s Cartoonish Turn As The Penguin

The Penguin is hardly the subtlest of Batman villains, and Danny DeVito leaned into that when he was cast to play the character opposite Keaton in Batman Returns. His performance is even more cartoonish than Burgess Meredith’s iconic work in the 1960s Batman TV series.

Now that DeVito has become more renowned for his portrayal of the hilariously reprehensible Frank Reynolds in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, his turn as the Penguin is even more enjoyable in hindsight.

2 Bruce’s Father-Son Dynamic With Alfred

A number of iconic actors have put their own spin on the role of Alfred Pennyworth over the years, from Michael Caine to Jeremy Irons, but Michael Gough got it right in Burton’s Batman movies.

In addition to nailing Alfred’s droll one-liners, Gough developed a tangible father-son dynamic with Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne. The Bruce/Alfred dynamic is one of the central emotional cores of the Batman character and Burton doesn’t disappoint in capturing this complex relationship in his films. This dynamic was noticeably absent between Gough and George Clooney in Joel Schumacher’s Batman films.

1 Jack Nicholson’s Sadistic Joker

Jack Nicholson gave an unforgettable performance as the Joker in 1989’s Batman. His take on the character is pitched somewhere between Cesar Romero’s theatrical campiness and his own chilling portrait of psychopathy in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.

The only problem with the Joker is that Nicholson’s performance is so captivating that he often overshadows Batman himself, a problem shared by Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning turn as the Clown Prince of Crime in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/batman-burton-movies-most-memorable-moments/