By Dan Brooks
The costume. The car. Those wonderful toys. There are a lot of reasons to love Batman, the billionaire who turned personal tragedy into a mission to protect the innocent. First introduced in 1939’s Detective Comics #27, the Dark Knight has touched generations across mediums, especially film, and that legacy continues to grow as the Caped Crusader celebrates his 85th anniversary. This Batman Day, Sept. 21, IPH celebrates Batman’s cinematic impact with three of the character’s landmark features. In advance of this Bat-tastic event, here’s a look at each film, including some personal anecdotes from this longtime Batfan.
Batman: The Movie (1966)
Following DC Comics’ successful early ’60s “New Look” revamp of the Caped Crusader, along with renewed interest in the oft-maligned Batman serials of the ’40s (Hugh Hefner had taken to screening the tales at his Playboy Club in Chicago), ABC eyed the avenging hero as a possible gateway to younger audiences. The television network secured the rights in 1965, and while the initial idea was to create a serious series, it soon evolved into something more heightened and comedic. Starring Adam West and Burt Ward as the Dynamic Duo, Batman debuted on Jan. 12, 1966, and was an instant smash. The show was colorful, fun and had BIFF! BAM! ZAP! action. Kids, college students and adults all loved it, but what to do to keep viewers interested during the summer — when Season 1 was over?
For ABC, the answer was easy: make a movie! The network fast-tracked a feature film based on the show, and much like today’s cinematic superhero fare, it went big. Batman: The Movie brings together the Dark Knight’s biggest bads, as they team up to kidnap the United World Organization Security Council and take over the world. High stakes, indeed.
Released in July 1966, the movie underperformed — taking in $1.7 million against a $1.5 million budget — but years later remains a delight to watch for fans of the show. Highlights include Bats’ run-in with a less-than-believable shark and a hilariously extended sequence that finds our hero really desperate to dispose of a bomb. I recently watched it with my family, including my 9- and 6-year-old boys, and it brought both laughs and lean-forward excitement from all. POW!
Batman (1989)
Despite years of no interest from Hollywood, the unsinkable Michael Uslan — a DC Comics intern turned lawyer and lifelong Batman obsessive — finally realized his dream of bringing the Caped Crusader to the big screen. Uslan despised the 1966 Batman series for its oddball camp and instead wanted the world to see Batman as he believed the character was meant to be: tragic, dark and troubled, but triumphant. A young director named Tim Burton (who didn’t grow up reading comics, but saw promise in the dual-personality nature of the hero) took interest, and Batman was born.
Released June 23, 1989, and starring Michael Keaton as Batman — a very controversial choice at the time — and Jack Nicholson as the Joker, along with Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale, the film arrived to a gargantuan level of hype. It was indeed the summer of Batman: The yellow-oval Bat symbol was seemingly everywhere (hats, billboards, even etched in haircuts!), Batman T-shirts became the fashion statement of the day, and Prince’s “Bat Dance” ruled the airwaves. The movie, of course, was a massive success, grossing more than $250 million in North America and changing the course of Hollywood.
I was 8 years old at the time of release, and it’s not hyperbole to say the movie changed my life. When the first images of Batman appeared, I — something of a shy kid — felt an immediate connection. This was dark. This was different. This was for me. I pored over the official magazine of the film every day, studying the movie stills, Batman’s gadgets and gear, Joker’s menacing grin. It was probably the first time I became aware of what a director is and does, and I recognized Tim Burton as the driving talent behind Batman. Taken together, it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. I wanted to live in that movie.
I saw Batman opening week, and it was everything I wanted it to be. Keaton’s Bruce Wayne is both odd and warm, his Batman an awesome sight to behold as he looks to thwart the threat of Nicholson’s unpredictable, cackling Joker and avenge his parents. The movie’s gothic dressing is gorgeous, the action and practical effects are a marvel, and Danny Elfman’s score is rousing. It inspired my own creativity, and I rewatched it routinely on VHS for years as I grew older. I love the film just as much today, and seeing images from Batman always transports me back to that magical summer.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1991)
After the runaway success of Tim Burton’s Batman, Warner Bros. turned to the Dark Knight when looking to increase its animation output. This led to the now-classic Batman: The Animated Series, the brainchild of artists Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, writer Paul Dini, writer-producer Alan Burnett, and other gifted collaborators. Reminiscent of the gorgeous Fleischer Superman cartoons of the ’40s, B:TAS featured a darker tone and look that was truer to the comics, along with a handsome art deco aesthetic. Kevin Conroy (Batman/Bruce Wayne) and Mark Hamill (the Joker) were particularly well-received by fans for their performances. The show debuted in September 1992 to critical acclaim and solid ratings, prompting Warner Bros. to greenlight/demand a direct-to-video movie that would become Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.
Warner Bros. executives were so impressed with early animation, however, that the film was granted a theatrical release. This was both a blessing and a curse, as the production team had only eight months to finish the movie. (Animated films usually take years to produce.) Phantasm hit theaters for Christmas 1993, but ultimately failed to make many waves, grossing just $5.8 million.
Without spoiling Phantasm’s many surprises, it is both a moving love story and a mystery, with a surprisingly deep examination into Bruce Wayne’s torment. Time has been kind to the movie, as many fans now consider it among the best Batman films ever made; famously, Siskel and Ebert apologized for not reviewing Phantasm when it came out, an oversight they corrected two years later. They “made a big mistake,” Siskel said, “because it’s terrific.” I concur.