|
With The Dark Knight smashing box office records amidst near-total critical praise, it’s become fashionable of late to throw the ’89 Tim Burton Batman under the bus as hopelessly retrograde, silly, even camp. Bullshit. Batman has its faults, but after seeing TDK twice, I’ve yet to be convinced of its outright superiority. So allow me to play the devil’s advocate with five reasons why Batman still beats The Dark Knight:
1) Michael Keaton’s Batman. Christian Bale might be the best Bruce Wayne, but almost 20 years later, Keaton is still tops as Batman. Looking spot on in the cape and cowl where Bale mostly just looks weird, he conveys just the right mix of edge, intensity, and screw-loosines. And for all the ‘roid rage in Bale’s voice, the, quiet, whispery menace of Keaton’s remains far more intimidating. 2) Iconic visual moments. The Dark Knight’s got a few (the semi- flip, Joker’s head lolling out the police car window, the whole topsy-turvy camera move towards the end), but compared to the laundry list from Batman – the “mirror!” scene, the Batwing against the full moon, the Axis Chemical, museum and Gotham Cathedral sequences – it comes up a little light in my book. 3) Costumes. Can someone explain to me why Batman’s current costume is so aesthetically inferior to Keaton’s duds from two decades ago? I mean, it’s not even close. And while Heath’s Ledger’s Joker suits fare better, they’re still no match Nicholson’s wardrobe – I still covet that purple beret… 4) Music. Nothing against Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard’s score, but when I think Batman, it’s still Danny Elfman’s music I think of – an operatic, propulsive dirge so perfectly matched to the character it’s not likely to be topped. And for those who want to get into it over Prince’s contributions, keep in mind only two of ‘em are heard in the film itself, and both serve their purpose fairly well. 5) Hellish noir Gotham City. While the barely altered Chicago Gotham works fine for TDK’s more reality-based purposes, for me it lacks the magic of Anton Furst’s Oscar-winning production design. Simultaneously retro and futuristic, it remains a towering achievement and, for me, the definitive conception of Gotham. Questions? Comments? Hit me up at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
. |
