Batman can sit proudly alongside Sherlock Holmes and James Bond as a character who’s seen many wildly different cinematic interpretations over the decades. The Dark Knight’s history on the big screen stretches back as for as the 1940s, with his 15-episode theatrical serial drama defining many aspects of the character. From there, we got the excellent 1966 Batman with Adam West and Burt Ward, but the Caped Crusader only truly reached blockbuster status with Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman.
There’s an ongoing debate amongst fans as to whether Christopher Nolan or Matt Reeves’ take on Gotham City is superior, with both telling a broadly realistic story about how Batman might actually work. Nolan’s and Reeves’ takes have their merits, but is there something to be said for Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns?
Replies correctly identify that Burton did a lot of groundwork by cementing Batman as an outlaw:
Others point to the incredible Gotham City he created with production designer Anton Furst:
Even after all these years, Jack Nicholson’s Joker is still up there with the best interpretations of the character:
And, of course, there are the wonderful Burton toys:
Molded rubber muscles will never go out of style:
Expect Burton’s movies to get a mini-renaissance later this year when The Flash hits theaters. Michael Keaton is finally stepping back into the batsuit, with his Batcave and that impeccably cool Batmobile along for the ride. Sure, these days Burton’s Batman is quite far from what we’ve come to expect from the character, but those movies still deliver some extremely atmospheric and offbeat superhero action.
Maybe it’s time to argue about what Joel Schumacher brought to Batman as well.