Movies - Batman

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	Movies - Batman

Batman was released in U.S. theaters on June 23, 1989 by Warner Bros. and soon became the highest grossing movie of the year. It was directed by Tim Burton and starred Michael Keaton as Batman, Jack Nicholson as the Joker and Kim Basinger as reporter Vicki Vale. Although Keaton played the nominal hero of the film, Nicholson received top billing in the film's main credits (Keaton, however, got top billing in the end titles).

This movie helped usher a return to the darker roots of the Batman of the original comics and away from the campy 1960s Batman television series and cartoon Super Friends. Like many film versions of comic book heroes, the Batman movie told its own version of his origin, and how The Joker figured in that origin.

Many people who recognized Batman from the 1960s television series reprehended the film for being too solemn and humorless; however, it should be noted that the character's original tone was serious-minded and not comedic or mirthful. Another complaint, one that long plagued the Batman films made between 1989 and 1997, was that the films tended to focus too much on the villain and not enough on Batman himself.

Numerous comic book fans were displeased to learn that Michael Keaton (who was better known for his comedic roles at the time) was cast as the title character, and assumed that it was a sure sign of the production taking the same tone of the 1960s television series. The producers hurriedly released a teaser trailer to prove they were treating the character faithfully. The marketing move was successful and since the film's successful release, most fans consider Keaton the best actor to have played Batman in a live-action film.

The film score was written by Danny Elfman and the soundtrack was written and performed by Prince.

Two animated series (Batman: The Animated Series and The Adventures of Batman and Robin) were created in the wake of the film's success, and three sequels --Batman Returns
(1992), Batman Forever
(1995), and Batman and Robin (1997)-- were produced. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
a spin-off of the animated television series, was released in 1993. Batman Begins
, a successful restart of the saga (but often mistakenly called a prequel), was released in 2005. A new 2-disc special edition collection of the first four films were released on Tuesday, October 18, 2005. All movies include commentary by directors Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher along with a slew of other special features.

The film aired on the U.S. Cartoon Network on Saturday, November 19, 2005 during Toonami as part of the network's "November Month of Movie Premieres" at a rating of TV-14V for violence. This marked the first time Cartoon Network has ever aired anything above the TV-PG rating outside of Adult Swim.

Plot summary

The main story of the movie is that of Jack Napier, an arrogant hitman working for Boss Carl Grissom, who years before killed Thomas and Martha Wayne, the wealthy parents of Bruce Wayne. Grissom assigns Napier to break into Axis Chemicals to destroy legally incriminating files, but it turns out to be a set-up. Out of jealousy of Napier's affair with his girlfriend, Grissom hires the corrupt Lt. Max Eckhardt of the Gotham City Police Department to kill Napier.

Napier kills Eckhardt, but Batman has learned of the break-in and confronts Jack Napier, on a catwalk above a vat of hazardous chemicals, to make sure he is arrested to testify against Grissom. While trying to kill Batman, Napier's face is disfigured by his own richochet bullet causing him to fall off the catwalk. Batman grabs his hand in an attempt to save him, however, his hand ultimately slips, and he falls into the vat. The chemicals ingrain him with permanently discoloured skin and surgical reconstruction leaves grotesque features, which change his appearance to something resembling a clown. Naming himself The Joker, he tracks down and murders Grissom and takes over the criminal gang. The violent takeover attracts the attention of both Batman and newspaper reporter Alexander Knox and photographer Vicki Vale. The rest of the film involves Batman trying to stop the Joker, Bob the Goon and their henchmen from terrorizing the city with shootouts, assassinations, and a deadly chemical which poisons its victims with uncontrollable laughter that eventually leads to death.

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Movies - Batman

Plot summary

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