3. Batman (1989)
"A brilliant film, visionary and extraordinarily idiosyncratic" - Christopher Nolan, Total Film (Issue 194). Christopher Nolan nails it in three adjectives and one adverb. Burton's first Batman film and the first time DC's character ever to feature on the big screen, was a huge blockbuster success and, on the whole, a critical one as well most notably due to Jack Nicholson's ludicrous pay out fee for the role and his actual performance as Batman's archnemisis the Joker. Tim Burton, whom worked Michael Keaton on Beetlejuice (1989), had to convince Warner Brothers, whom were shifting through approximately fifty thousand letters of protest against Keaton gaining the role of Batman, that the actor was the man for the job. And he succeeded. Warner Brothers gave the green light and Michael Keaton was also approved by the character's creator Bob Kane- whom was on set at Pinewood Studios during the film's production. The actor silenced his critics with a fine portrayal of Batman but not so much of Bruce Wayne. Many fans still argue that Keaton is a better Batman than Bale. They have a point, most probably because Keaton did not sound like he had problem with his larynx when he spoke. Many traditionalists will argue that Burton's first should be higher up on the list. I do not believe it should be, but at the same time it should not be deemed one of the worst just because it is ranked fifth. To be honest, unless your name is Joel Schumacher you are on the home straight. As Nolan declared, Burton's first was completely visionary and it is one that Bob Kane and Bill Finger would have felt most at home with. The visual aesthetics of Gotham City, the dark atmosphere, the characters and even their costume appearances and makeup stayed incredibly faithful to the DC creators visions. Seeing as the film won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction, you can see my point. Something that many forget to mention with Burton's Batman films are the outstanding orchestral compositions conducted by Danny Elfman- by far his finest hours of his career. His main Batman theme became imprinted into culture as he also went on to work with Warner Brother's Batman: The Animated Series during the early to mid nineties, which originally aired on Fox Network.