Batmania: 1989

[Bat Attack]

Okay. I wasn't alive in 1989 so I wasn't around to see the first Batman movie. I know that the movie was huge when I came out. Could someone please give me an idea of how Bat-crazy the country went? Was there billboards? Commercials? Was the bat-logo everywhere? I know that the Prince music videos were very popular. Thank you to whoever answers!:up:

[Binker]

Bat-Mania.

Well there was Batman Cereal, and.......alot of stuff. Promotion uding Diet Coke, much of toys......I'll get back to you.

[Cain]

The "Way till they get a load of me" trailer really created a huge buzz. That's the first "teaser" I ever remember seeing. After that it was a wrap they had everything you could think of. Everywhere you went someone had a T-Shirt with the oval on it. They basically changed the look of Capn' Crunch & sold it as BATMAN cereal. They had a BATMAN arcade game which was awesome but the pinball game was even better. The game later came out for the NES but wasn't as good cause it was impossible to make it arcade perfect in those days.

There were these TOPPS trading cards which were cool. I had the entire BATMAN & Dick Tracy set. They brought the poorest excuse for "chewing gum" in each pack. The toys were cool Batman's belt could be used as a harness. But The Joker action figure to me was the ****. You could put water in it & then squeeze it out with an attachment it had so it could simulate the acid flower. The toys sound corny but at that time those features were a big deal since action figures didn't really come with many features. Hell I spent many hours playing with the awesome bat cave playset & the batmobile. Batmania was pretty intense, it was the biggest movie of that summer everywhere you couldn't really escape it.

Ah those were the days, it's amazing how much times have changed though. I don't even think traditional trading cards even exist anymore. That's something that just wouldn't appeal to this generation since it'll be viewed as a "simple" hobby.

[Kevin Roegele]

Okay. I wasn't alive in 1989 so I wasn't around to see the first Batman movie. I know that the movie was huge when I came out. Could someone please give me an idea of how Bat-crazy the country went? Was there billboards? Commercials? Was the bat-logo everywhere? I know that the Prince music videos were very popular. Thank you to whoever answers!:up:

You couldn't walk down a city street without seeing the bat logo somewhere. That's what it was like.

[Dangerous]

I was 9, too young to go watch it so I got the sticker album, It ruled!

[Dangerous]

Man you missed the eighties, pisser!

[kage88]

i was 10 and was loving every minute of seeing batman everywhere! toys, cereal,plush dolls, the cave(which i still have)books,again everything!

[Axl Z]

it was like when ghostbusters came out, logos everywhere man!! :up: :up:

[Bat Attack]

So basically it was like when the two Spider-man movies came out in '02 and '04? Or was it more popular?

[Psycho_Sith]

I was 15 and yeah, it was everywhere back then for the 1st one.

I was in Military School and they took us all to go see it, it was that big of a deal that "the Batman movie finally came out".

[pwl4life]

So basically it was like when the two Spider-man movies came out in '02 and '04? Or was it more popular?

more. The only thing I can compare it to was how popular American flags were after 9/11. it was massive.

[Lazlo Panaflex]

Well I lived in Ecuador at the time but I do remember seeing the trailer with Ghostbusters 2, the Prince video was playing months before, the theatre in downtown had this huge billboard of Keaton as Batman and street vendors were selling all kinds of bootleg Batman T-shirts.

It was a happy time being a kid in the 80's, not even the hype on Spider-Man could campare to it.

[Milkman95]

It was huge - everybody was wearing batlogo T-shirts and everywhere you looked, there was something Batman. It was bigger than either Spider-man film.......

[Psycho_Sith]

It was a happy time being a kid in the 80's, not even the hype on Spider-Man could compare to it.

yep, it was pretty crazy. :batman:

[Bruce_Wayne29]

Indeed it was crazy. There wasn't anywhere where Batman couldn't be seen. It was in comics, newspapers, magazines (remember a cool in depth article on the character and they even got all the actors that portrayed Batman in pictures), there were costumes, cartoon tapes, toys, backpacks, you name it.
He was the most popular thing on the face of the earth. Even with Returns and Forever was the same thing.

[Irony-Man]

You can't understand the hype without referencing the casting controversy. Warner Brothers had had Batman in development for so long - like Spider-man long - and this was to be their flagship franchise after the implosion of Superman. Finally, we had an announcement of the movie going ahead with the wrong director - Tim Burton, who at that time was known only for "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" and "Beetlejuice" - and the wrong star - "pudgy, half-balding, runt" (to paraphrase some dearly departed members of the Hype) Michael Keaton who was known as a lightweight comedic actor. Now remember kids this was before the internet was in wide use so we had to get our news from the mainstream media, fanzines, or in my case, the guy who ran my local comic book store. When we wanted to talk about the movie we had to actually get together over coffee - normal coffee, not a Grande half-fat mocha latte - or a beer -again from a mainstream brewerey like Labatt's, the most exotic beer we had available was Foster's from Australia, "Gee, Uncle Irony, how did you ever survive?" or we could call each other on an actual telephone that was conected to the wall with a wire and may even had had dials rather than buttons. I'll give you a minute to get that horrible image out of your mind.

Anyways, a couple of things started to happen. Keaton appeared in a movie called the "Dream Team" that showed a dramatic, psychotic edge. Burton started to talk about how he wanted to explore the psychological fracture of the character and how he wanted to show Gotham as a gloomy, Gothic character in the movie. Jack Nicholson was cast as the Joker. Then, WB released a trailer featuring the fight scene between Batman and the Joker's goons and the momentum started to swing.

Suddenly everything was Bat related. People started to get excited about the movie. Our fears that the casting of Keaton had meant a return to the 60"s camp version of Batman receded as we saw the trailer and heard Burton and Keaton discuss the movie seriously.

Then the movie came out. And whether you ended up liking it or not, whether you felt that Keaton was miscast or not, whether you thought that it concentrated too much on the Joker at the expense of Bruce Wayne, you had to admit that they had treated the material with respect, seriously and in with a depth that was usually missing when you discussed a "comic book movie". Comic books and comic book movies would never be the same.
__________________

[spencer6891]

So basically it was like when the two Spider-man movies came out in '02 and '04? Or was it more popular?

Batman was more popular due to more merchandising and advertising. As has been said numerous times, Batman was everywhere--on cereal, on billboards, on TV, on clothes, etc. It wasn't that way with Spider-man.

[Psycho_Sith]

You can't understand the hype without referencing the casting controversy. Warner Brothers had had Batman in development for so long - like Spider-man long - and this was to be their flagship franchise after the implosion of Superman. Finally, we had an announcement of the movie going ahead with the wrong director - Tim Burton, who at that time was known only for "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" and "Beetlejuice" - and the wrong star - "pudgy, half-balding, runt" (to paraphrase some dearly departed members of the Hype) Michael Keaton who was known as a lightweight comedic actor. Now remember kids this was before the internet was in wide use so we had to get our news from the mainstream media, fanzines, or in my case, the guy who ran my local comic book store.

Oh yeah, that was crazy for a while.

[Mr. Socko]

It was awsome. I remember it as a kid. I got like a billion Batman toys, the costume, and all. Everywhere you went everyone was talking about Batman. 10000x more hype then Batman Begins had even more then the Spidey films. :o

and You shoulda been in New York at the time of Batman '89! Freggin amazing, I even remember seeing a huge replica of the '89 mobile in New York.

[Bat Attack]

Does anyone have a picture of a billboard advertising the movie in '89?

[Mr. Freeze]

Its to bad you dont see the same for movies like that these days..

That kind of stuff sounds so cool imo

The only thing that i have come close to is the first spidey films was hugeley anticipated

For some reaosn i dont remember spidey 2 getting as much attention but maybe thats me

It would be soo cool if the "Bat mania" came back for the sequel.....oh man would it be awsome

It's just these days movies are not as big( as you can tell from this summer) i guess people are getting tired of them or something

[Lazlo Panaflex]

It's just these days movies are not as big( as you can tell from this summer) i guess people are getting tired of them or something
I think the last truely hyped movie after Batman '89 was SW:The Phantom Menace.

[comic_guy04]

I was 2 1/2 and I vaguely remeber going to see the movie. I do remember being scared of the Joker when he first appears and shoots the mob boss, and my mom and dad taking me out of the theatre. Funny thing is I had the dress up set with the belt, and the plastic half cowl, velcrow cape, and I even remeber the little plastic bat-arang. I used to throw it at my brother. My parents could never get me to take off my bat gear lol. Good memorys........... If anyone could post a pic of that old dress up gear thatd be cool and give me some fuzzy memorys. That was my favorite toy besides my ghostbuster proton pack and the trap with the little foot pedal that opened it up lol.

[darkknightlife]

i was 15 it was huge back then their was more hype about keaton playing batman than about the movie itself coming out but i guess he shocked everyone

[Sauron]

Bat-Mania.

Well there was Batman Cereal, and.......alot of stuff. Promotion uding Diet Coke, much of toys......I'll get back to you.
That Batman cereal sucked. It was bland. I remember the Coke commercial with Alfred, it's on the VHS. Bat stuff was just everywhere. I use to collect Batman buttons they carried at my local Walgreens.

[pwl4life]

Funny thing is I had the dress up set with the belt, and the plastic half cowl, velcrow cape, and I even remeber the little plastic bat-arang. I used to throw it at my brother. My parents could never get me to take off my bat gear lol. Good memorys........... If anyone could post a pic of that old dress up gear thatd be cool and give me some fuzzy memorys. That was my favorite toy besides my ghostbuster proton pack and the trap with the little foot pedal that opened it up lol.

There were a bunch, heres one of them, if I find more I'll post them too.

http://www.batmanytb.com/actionfiguresanddolls/actionfigures/movies/thedarkknightcollection/toyguide05.jpg

[comic_guy04]

aawwwww man...........the dreaded red X.....................is there a way you can fix that maybe? Thanks alot for posting that but I cant see it. Thanks in advance if you can fix it.

[pwl4life]

http://www.batmanytb.com/actionfiguresanddolls/actionfigures/movies/thedarkknightcollection/toyguide05.jpg

http://www.batmanytb.com/actionfiguresanddolls/actionfigures/movies/thedarkknightcollection/toyguide05.jpg

[comic_guy04]

wow what a kick ass site............thanks for the link.

[comic_guy04]

aww man they dont list the action figures with the removable bat gear...........thats a shame. I wish we hadnt gotten rid of all my bat stuff in garage sales over the years cuz id have more **** for my collection I started a few years back.

[spencer6891]

That Batman cereal sucked. It was bland.


Not when you're a kid! It could have tasted like dirt and I still would have enjoyed it! :batman:

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

I remember it like it was yesterday, one of the best memories of my life. June 1989, the weather was warm and I was 5 years old and had no idea that the movie I was about to view would change me, give me a huge obsession and make me who i was for the rest of my life and would be to this day, tied(with begins since it came out) my favorite movie of all time. I saw 89 the first time at the now deceased drive-in up near the Airport here in my town of Binghamton Ny, i can still smell the scent of the popcorn, viewing the shiny gold bat logo poster in the glass case, hearing the people ranting and raving and remember all the sights and sounds exactly. I was so excited from seeing the commercials on tv and seeing the ad in the paper to watch the movie. The second time i saw it was at a theater in PA and the response was amazing, and gave me an overwhelming feeling nothing to this day(even great sex) can compare to. As for the hype i remember taco bell commercials, going to the local mall and seeing bat-logos on everything, cardboard keaton cutouts, i got so excited and tried making my parents buy me all the 89 stuff possible. My grandma would go to the store and everytime i would get the trading cards and chew that nasty ass gum. Christmas 89 i got the whole toy-biz batcave, batmobile, the joker, batman and bob figures and a bunch of little things like the costume playset. Boy everything having to do with 89 batmania and the hype, i wish i could go back in time and relive it again and again and again, thats why i listen to the soundtrack everyday to attempt to get that feeling again it gets close but just not the same as being a kid. The toys, the costumes, the commercials, the cereal, the toys, the feeling when it first came out on vhs that day my parents buying it at the grocery store and not being able to wait to get home to watch it, those were my favorite times....Thats the thing i loved returns and Begins is tied with me for my fav movie ever but neither ever gave me the feeling 89 did, and mostly the reason was because it was the first, and Batmania was the strongest it was since the 60's I Salute you 89 and the Hype that surrounded you in 1989. GODAMN I CANT WAIT FOR THE SPECIAL EDITION DVDS TO COME OUT OCTOBER 18th!!!

[Reevz666]

just in case anyone was interested:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=6439020172&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

I LOVE this thread!

[Lazlo Panaflex]

just in case anyone was interested:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=6439020172&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

I LOVE this thread!
Now THAT is something I'd like to have on the new DVD's, people don't realize how historical those types of programs are, plus you get the annoying as hell Mary Hart with her brighting white teeth.

[Bat Attack]

And her fake smile.

[Bat Attack]

OMFG!! LOOK AT THE PIC OF THE BILLBOARD WITH THE BAT-LOGO!!!!!! AWESOME!!!! That just made my day! :)

[Bat Attack]

Does anyone else here have a larger pic of a 1989 Batman billboard? If so PLEASE post it!!!!

[Excel]

i dont think-and this includs sith-therte has EVER

[Excel]

i dont think-and this includs sith-there has EVER been a hype machine.movie event compable to that of BATMAN. It was just so friggin huge. if a film had that much hype and anticpation today itds open to 140 million weekend. i can only hope superman returns gets something like that.

[Excel]

anyone else know where to get one of those hype dvds?

[Batwing6655]

http://www.batmanytb.com/actionfiguresanddolls/actionfigures/movies/thedarkknightcollection/toyguide05.jpg

http://www.batmanytb.com/actionfiguresanddolls/actionfigures/movies/thedarkknightcollection/toyguide05.jpg

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I USED TO HAVE THAT!!!! THE NOSTALGIA!!!:up: :eek:

[Bat Attack]

I think Superman Returns will almost have the same anticipation. It has been nearly 20 years since the last Superman movie so we know that the public is not sick of Superman movies,plus I think everyone will be wearing the Superman logo shirts and if Warner Brothers can get some good bands to do an "Inspired By The Motion Picture" soundtrack and music videos, it will be pretty big, ESPECIALLY when an unsuspecting public has the teaser trailer thrown at them out of no where. Just my opinion.

[Reevz666]

anyone else know where to get one of those hype dvds?

contact me @ reevz666@comcast.net

[Batwing6655]

hey DaRkVeNgeanCe, i know exactly how you feel. i was actually 5 when BR came out, but i too love those movies SOOO much, more then anything from my childhood. in fact, ive been so hyped for the dvd releases of the burton films, i ordered off the net 2 etrl diecast-metal burton bat-vehicles, the batwing and the batkiboat, and i got the batskiboat today, its really awsome!

and how much are those "hype" dvd's? are they still on ebay?

[Sauron]

Not when you're a kid! It could have tasted like dirt and I still would have enjoyed it! :batman:
Oh, I know but, looking back now, yuck! I know back then I just had it once but I was like woo hoo ! I'm eating little bat logos!

I still remember being all crazy after seeing it the first time. I always loved Batman, growing up you couldn't pull me away from the 60's series and the old cartoons and super friends, and seeing him up on the big screen just ruled!

I was 10 when it came out. I remember seeing the corpse after the joybuzzer incident kinda scared me but I still thought it was cool.

I had all the toys, the batwing that shot orange suction cup darts, the batmobile where you could open the trunk and put the Joker in, the Batcave(which they used the design for for all the movies including TAS.), the Batman figure with the utility belt that came out on a string like a batrope, he also came with a batarang, and grappling hook gun.

I even had Bob. The joker figure had a squirting flower with a tube that hooked into his back with a bulb to make it happen. The next year they came out with a new toy line and the Joker looked like the one from the comics and if you stuck him in the freezer his face turned a normal flesh color.

Good stuff, wish I still had some of it. I was happy a few weeks ago to get a Batman poster at Walmart that reminded me of a poster that would've come out in 89, it's just the logo of the classic yellow oval, with a black background that fades into a dark blue with dots like how a comic looks, those dot colors of old.

[Joker™]

I used to have a pair of Joker chuck taylors from that time. They were my favorite shoes. :joker:

[VaderRISE]

Bat-Mania was NUTS, even in your small town area's. I was only six at the time but I remember everything. I remember waking up and eating my Batman cereal (tasted like Cap'n Crunch) and putting pennies in my Batman bank that came WITH the cereal.

I didn't get to see 89 in theaters (I chose getting a few Ninja Turtles instead.....I loved me the Ninja Turtles) but I do remember renting it on VHS.

I also remember the diet coke commercials from the Batman Returns hype.

[Sauron]

I just remembered Taco Bell had plastic cups.

[Jess]

I don't recall if everyone had this. But I remember clear as day, before the previews started, they showed "The Simpsons" coming this fall sneak peek. I went to see it at a showcase cinemas multiplex. Anyone else remember it. I also remember a Lethal Weapon 2 trailer.

[Bat Attack]

Well I wouldn't be surprised, the Simpsons premiered December 17th (I think), 1989.

[Batwing6655]

I just remembered Taco Bell had plastic cups.

if there the ones your talking about, i think i remember them, and had a few of them. one had catwoman in a pouncing position, i think i had it. i believe when i was veeeery small i had the batwing toy that shot the orange suction cups. i almost got that along with the original toy batmonile and that batman figure with the grapple belt, but i passed on it for now.i still want them though, especually the original batwing toy. heck, i want the original batmissle and batskiboat toys as well, i only have the diecast etrl ones.

[Reevz666]

I remeber that McDonalds had the Returns cups and Taco Bell had the 89 ones...only 4 were made for the 89 set

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/reevz666/DSC03019.jpg

[Reevz666]

here are some screen caps from the BATMAN 1989 "HYPE" DVD...enjoy!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/reevz666/BATMANCOMPLETE89F-32.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/reevz666/BATMANCOMPLETE89F-35.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/reevz666/BATMANCOMPLETE89F-7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/reevz666/BATMANCOMPLETE89F-12.jpg

[Reevz666]

here are a few more:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/reevz666/BATMANCOMPLETE89F-15.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/reevz666/BATMANCOMPLETE89F-14.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/reevz666/BATMANCOMPLETE89F-22.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/reevz666/BATMANCOMPLETE89F-26.jpg

[Spidey-Bat]

Curse my being born a month before it came out. Why couldn't it have been years? :(

[Excel]

lol michael keaton looks like such a dork...but hes still the man.

[Sauron]

I remeber that McDonalds had the Returns cups and Taco Bell had the 89 ones...only 4 were made for the 89 set

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/reevz666/DSC03019.jpg
I had the second one. Mcdonald's had "Returns" cups. I got all those. They had special tops that were suppose to like the discs that shot out of the batmobile. My fave out of fast food cups are the Batman Forever glasses, I still have Batman.

[kooguy911]

didnt burger king have batman cups as well for THAT BATMAN FILM WHICH I DARE NOT SPEAK OF?

[Bat Attack]

What? Batman & Robin?

[VaderRISE]

McDonalds had the Forever glasses (cups), I have the whole set.

[kooguy911]

What? Batman & Robin?

yeah burger king made cups for batman and robin

too bad nobody made cups for batman begins :down

[Spidey-Bat]

yeah burger king made cups for batman and robin

too bad nobody made cups for batman begins :down

cups are tacky.

[SHADOWBAT69]

Taco Bell got the license back for B&R. they had the cups. they also had kids meals that featured the animated renditions of the B&R characters.

Burger King had the license for Batman Beyond and Justice League.


heres a quick rundown of who had the licenses for the movies:

1989......Taco Bell

Returns...McDonalds

Forever....McDonalds

B&R.....Taco Bell

for TAS it was McDonalds and as i said, BK had Beyond. TNBA had afew overseas distributions and i believe one regional american release.

[kooguy911]

those were times that would be awsome to have back though. I guess the movies now adays dont need as much advertising because of the internet

[Lazlo Panaflex]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/reevz666/DSC03019.jpg

The fourth one I recognize as the classic Neal Adams pose, I like how the artist made the costume resemble the movie one.

[VaderRISE]

My theater gave out collectors cups at the theaters for Begins.

[Sauron]

There are stickers for BB in vending machines at Toys R Us, if they could have that they could have glasses at Mcdonald's. Actually they could've had some really nice ones. That wouldn't have been tacky. I know this movie was meant to focus on the movie other than products which is good, not saying otherwise but, it would've been nice to have something like a glass set if done well. The Forever glasses were cool.

Anyway, still love seeing those pics of the BM89 cups. Brings back alot of memories.

I had an applause Batman figure, about the size of a barbey doll and a few small applause plastic figurines.

[pwl4life]

The Forever glasses were cool.


yes they were, darn I miss those things

[Batwing6655]

i still have the forever glasses, ive been using them latlely, there awsome. i have the whole set with 2 face, riddler, batman and robin glasses. there sweet. i love my batman one, i used to have 2, but one broke. i have doubles of all those glasses, my mom liked them and still uses them for when company comes over as coffee glasses, lol. they are sweet. i also had a AWSOME all-black batman returns coffee ceramic mug that was all black with the big white bat-symbol on it, it was my fav. mug and still is........until it broke.:(

also, keaton looks like such a dork in that pic with the white tuxedo and glasses. stinding next to cool-lookin nicholson and then keaton......i mean, cmon! what does think hes in, the 80's?

oh yeah..........the 80's clothes sucked. i dont blame keaton, i blame the style of the 80's. all i blame keaton for is his hair. but keaton is still the man. :up:

[Sauron]

Ya know that pic of Keaton in white next to Nicholson does look nerdy. You could see why everyone was worried about him playing Bats, ya just don't think Superhero when you look at him. Those big rubber muscles came in handy, also that reminds me of the Tiny Toons episode when Batman arrived at a restaurant Plucky was working at and he unzips his suit and he looked all big and cool and everything but then after the suit falls to the ground you see short little dumpy Keaton inside. It was funny.

[Excel]

you wanna know how big merchandise was?in 1989 it sold 750 million dolalrs worth. or., in todays money, batman sold 1.35 billion in merchandise. probably double thatof the spiderman films combined.

[Batwing6655]

Ya know that pic of Keaton in white next to Nicholson does look nerdy. You could see why everyone was worried about him playing Bats, ya just don't think Superhero when you look at him. Those big rubber muscles came in handy, also that reminds me of the Tiny Toons episode when Batman arrived at a restaurant Plucky was working at and he unzips his suit and he looked all big and cool and everything but then after the suit falls to the ground you see short little dumpy Keaton inside. It was funny.

OMG!!!! i dont fricken believe you said that!! i remember that episode!! not to long ago i was trying to explain that funny batman episode of tiny toons to one of my friends cuz it was mad funny. i dont believe you remember that too, awsome! yeah that was pretty funny, if i remember correctly, keatons batman arrives in his batmobile and hes all cool and big as batman, but then he zips down the whole suit and skinny michael keaton walks out, they did a good caricature of keaton! and i think he gives hampton the pig the batmobile car keys, and then he tries to drive it and pushes a button and it turns into the batwing and does that thing when it goes up to the moon and when it does they add a little "TM" abreviation in the corner, LOL. aaaah, the memories, it was mad funny.:) i think they also had an episode where plucky was tryin to be batman and then keatons batman keeps saying "im batman" in that keaton batman voice, LOL, and i think they also made fun of michelle pfieffers catwoman too, she was like hissing like a real cat, lol.

[co2]

Marketing was pretty intense for the film. I would say more so than either Spider-man film. Everywhere you looked there were T-shirts, caps, sipper bottles, keychains..... every crazy little thing had a Bat-logo.
What is funny, I don't remember there being a toy line at the time. If there was, it was very minor. The movie wasn't marketed toward young kids as much as the superhero movies of today. Burton was a fairly new director, and this movie totaly showcased his gothic style. Perfect combo. It was different and made an impression. Batman's marketing kinda exploded after the movie proved so popular. Very unlike today's films where the marketing and merchandise are basically planned as part of the gear up for the film long before it comes out.

[Batwing6655]

hey! i just discovered something! look at keaton dressed in the white tux and dorky glasses.

then look at him as batman.

OMG! PERFECT BRUCE WAYNE! nobody in hell would think HE was Batman, but he is! just like the comics!



lol, just sayin.

[co2]

i still have the forever glasses, ive been using them latlely, there awsome. i have the whole set with 2 face, riddler, batman and robin glasses. there sweet. i love my batman one, i used to have 2, but one broke. i have doubles of all those glasses, my mom liked them and still uses them for when company comes over as coffee glasses, lol. they are sweet.

Hey! I still have my Batman Forever coffee mug from McDonalds. I have Batman but I love that thing.

Your mom uses them for company?! Classy! ;)

[Batwing6655]

Hey! I still have my Batman Forever coffee mug from McDonalds. I have Batman but I love that thing.

Your mom uses them for company?! Classy! ;)

LOL, yup. there are very nice glasses, my mom was surprised how nice they were when we got them in '95. there cool. i will get some pics of my whole set later.:)

[co2]

My first job when I was sixteen was at Six Flags which was the same time the movie opened. Six flags is owned by Warners, and believe me, they promoted it like CRAZY. There were gifts shops out there that were all just Batman with maybe some Superman stuff thrown in. They even had the Batman stunt show which was really cool. I think one of the Six Flags now has a Batman Begins stuntshow too. I expect that if you go to Six Flags next year it will be wall to wall Superman

[Sauron]

All this talk about 89 has gotten me so pumped for the SE dvd! I can't wait! I'm getting that and Forever. And ofcourse BB. I know some of you probably hate BF but, I just like seeing Robin finally being put in the movies and it's better than what followed and it's still the Robin suit. The change in B&R was uncalled for, just a Nightwing ripoff, they should've just made him NW or as Shumacher says "Nighthawk", dumbass. What a moron.

[Bat Attack]

^I have the Batman: The Animated Series Mcdonalds toys that my cousins gave me when I was 3.

[Cain]

Funny that the fact that Batmania had a good effect on the arcade scene hasn’t been mentioned yet. I remember the awesome pinball game. Which I found a flyer for

http://www.bmigaming.com/Flyers/batman-dataeast-flyer-pg1.jpg (http://www.bmigaming.com/Flyers/batman-dataeast-flyer-pg1.jpg%5B/IMG)

Most importantly I remember Atari’s excellent Batman arcade game. One of the best movie based video games I’ve ever played and a Chuck E. Cheese’s landmark back in the day.



http://www.chickslovethecar.com/images/games/arcade.jpg



http://friends.minusime.com/luke/batman.png




http://www.chickslovethecar.com/images/games/arcade1.jpg



http://www.chickslovethecar.com/images/games/arcade2.jpg



http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/moviegames/batmanarc7.gif


Check the following addy to see an excellent flyer for the arcade game

http://www.arcadeflyers.net/flyers/atari/11024701.jpg

[co2]

ha! This thread is awesome!

[Cain]

more images

http://www.ataritimes.com/arcade/images/batman.gif

http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/moviegames/batmanarc6.gif

http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/moviegames/batmanarc5.gif

http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/moviegames/batmanarc4.gif

http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/moviegames/batmanarc2.gif

[Cain]

They even had the Batman stunt show which was really cool. I think one of the Six Flags now has a Batman Begins stuntshow too.

Yeah that stunt show was alright. Seeing the Batmobile in action was the **** :up:

They had one for Batman Forever as well but it wasn't as good. I remember the guy who played Batman's cape was very short. It didn't go past his waist LMAO

Haven't been to six flags in quite a few years. Had no idea they had a Batman Begins show. One thing I'll say though the Batman themed rides were the best in the entire park. The Chiller and Batman: The Ride were excellent.

[Bat Attack]

They still play the Danny Elfman Batman theme on the Batman themed rollercosters at Six Flags. Or at least at Six Flags New England in Mass.

[Bat Attack]

Batman The Dark Knight as SFNE is so awesome.

[co2]

I remember the guy who played Batman's cape was very short.

There was a short guy that actually played Batman's cape?! How does that work exactly? Does he hang onto Batman's neck from behind his back?
kidding ;)

[co2]

They still play the Danny Elfman Batman theme on the Batman themed rollercosters at Six Flags. Or at least at Six Flags New England in Mass.

They do that here at Six Flags over Texas too. That Mr. Freeze ride kicks some major tail! The Batman ride is cool too. They have the Batmobile from the Burton films out in front. I'm sure it's the leftover from the old stuntshow though. I should have gotten a pic with that last time.

[Two-Face]

more images

http://www.ataritimes.com/arcade/images/batman.gif

http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/moviegames/batmanarc6.gif

http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/moviegames/batmanarc5.gif

http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/moviegames/batmanarc4.gif

http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/moviegames/batmanarc2.gif


:eek: :up:
Cool stuff!!

[Cain]

There was a short guy that actually played Batman's cape?! How does that work exactly? Does he hang onto Batman's neck from behind his back?
kidding ;)

ha ha ha ha :up:

[Sauron]

This thread is so great, we have to keep it going! As for that thing about the little guy playing the cape, I was thinking the same thing. LOL

Hey Cain good signature, Aparo was one of the best and my fave, I had a sig for him for awhile too.

I can't wait for Tuesday!!!

[Batwing6655]

oh man, awsome videogame pics! i wish there was somewhere online where you could play this game. did they ever have this game available to play on a supernintendo or a sega or soemthing way back when? or is there a way you can play this B89 game online?? i so want to play it!

[Excel]

that arcade game was everywhere...very popular. anybody else have that batwing toy?

[Triligors]

I think this year we will have "Supes mania" and "Kong mania", but that's just me. Two American Icons returning to the big screen should generate some buzz.

[Mr. Freeze]

I wouldnt be to sure

Like i have said earlier, the american public in the last several years have really started to lose interest in big movies...therefor not as much as marketing craze and huge anticpation

[SHADOWBAT69]

anybody else have that batwing toy?


i have both the Kenner Batwing and 2 of the Toy Biz Batwings (ones loose and missing the cockpit, the other is MIB).


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/niteshade2244/IM000790.jpg

[Bat Attack]

I want those Batwings so bad. eBay here I come!

[co2]

I wouldnt be to sure

Like i have said earlier, the american public in the last several years have really started to lose interest in big movies...therefor not as much as marketing craze and huge anticpation

Yeah, the movie biz seems to be declining which is too bad considering it is the age of comic book movies. The rest of the world may not be getting into movies as much but I'm loving it.

That is kinda why this thread is so fun. It's "remember when?".

[Sauron]

i have both the Kenner Batwing and 2 of the Toy Biz Batwings (ones loose and missing the cockpit, the other is MIB).


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/niteshade2244/IM000790.jpg
I remember that gold box, I miss those toys.

[Cain]

This thread is so great, we have to keep it going! As for that thing about the little guy playing the cape, I was thinking the same thing. LOL

Hey Cain good signature, Aparo was one of the best and my fave, I had a sig for him for awhile too.

I can't wait for Tuesday!!!

Thanks man, I feel that I should keep his name up there so people won't forget about him. I mean he's one of the people who helped reinvent Batman after the 60's, the man is a legend for that alone. A Lonely Place Of Dying was the first comic story arc that I ever read. Him & George Perez were the first comic artists who I knew by name. I followed their work for many years after that story arc.

[Cain]

................................

[Bat Attack]

100 posts in this thread! It is officially a MEGA THREAD!

Wasn't Batman the most popular choice for halloween costumes in 1989?

[Batwing6655]

most likely. i bet it still is today. Batman the best superhero, and frankly, im not surprised.

i was working today at TRU and it was so cute, this little 5 4 year old baby boy was wearing one of those half masks from BB, and his parents got him the cape and costume and everything, lol.

[co2]

From what I've heard Darth Vader may be the most popular this year, but I bet Bats is #2.

[Bat Attack]

Batman is not a SUPERhero. Just a hero. ;)

[kooguy911]

i remember wearing the batman outfit for holloween when 89 and 92 came out

[Bat Attack]

I went as Batman in '95.

[PunisherPoster]

I just remember that giant bat symbol curtain that covered the theater screen at the premiere(s). Anyone got a pic of that?

The hype for this film was so big, mainly because you didn't really see tons of merchandising/hype for films back then. (I never even knew there were Temple of Doom action figures until ebay!! :( )

As someone said, I think Ghostbusters may have been the previous film to have received this sort of hype.

[co2]

I managed a theater when Batman Forever came out. To promote the movie, I painted a huge Bat-symbol on the window that covered the entire front of the theater. I felt it looked like crap, but a mother and her son stopped in simply because he wanted to see it and that made me feel so much better.

[PunisherPoster]

LOL, yup. there are very nice glasses, my mom was surprised how nice they were when we got them in '95. there cool. i will get some pics of my whole set later.:)

Those were some (surprisingly) high quality glasses. They were essentially the same make as the Flintstones glasses from `93. (I remember Gene Siskel commenting he'd rather have a set of the glasses than see the Flintstones film. :) )

I not only have those glasses, but I also have a set of the cardboard cups that the drinks came in- as well as the french fry cartons! I still have lots of Forever merchandise, everything from action figures MOC to children's books to a set of bath soaps featuring the characters carved into them.

Me and my girlfriend at the time had a lot of fun running around collecting all this junk, which is really the only reason I have all of it.

[Sauron]

i remember wearing the batman outfit for holloween when 89 and 92 came outI was the Joker in 89. I bought a Joker make up kit with Jack on the front of the box. It came out awesome. I didn't have a purple coat so I wore a regular coat with a purple shirt, still looked great though.

This one idiot looked at me and said , Oh, are you an old lady?, I was thinkin' what are you on lady, I'm the freakin' Joker! I could see if she thought I was just a clown but, come on! Some people.

[co2]

I was the Joker in 89. I bought a Joker make up kit with Jack on the front of the box. It came out awesome. I didn't have a purple coat so I wore a regular coat with a purple shirt, still looked great though.

This one idiot looked at me and said , Oh, are you an old lady?, I was thinkin' what are you on lady, I'm the freakin' Joker! I could see if she thought I was just a clown but, come on! Some people.

LOL! An old lady with green hair?! haha. She probably has no cue who the joker is. Sounds like something my mom would say. I've liked comics since I was a kid and it's like she has no clue about anything I enjoy.

[Mr. Socko]

Batman is the greatest hero of all time.

[Sauron]

LOL! An old lady with green hair?! haha. She probably has no cue who the joker is. Sounds like something my mom would say. I've liked comics since I was a kid and it's like she has no clue about anything I enjoy.
I still don't get it, does she think old ladies have white faces and psychotic grins? So wierd. She was the Mother of one of my friends at the time, my Mom was with me and she still brings up how stupid that chick was.

Still that costume looked cool, I was 10 but, made a great Joker.

And as for Mr. Socko's comment, Yes, yes he is. And always will be. I was away from Batman for a few years but, he pulled me back in. I'm rebuilding my collection, toys and books etc.

[DACrowe]

I was very young but from what I remember it was EVEYRWHERE. You think Sony's Spider-Man campaigns were big, they were nothing compared tothe campaigns for Batman 1989 and Batman Forever. Those two movies had campaigns and mania as feverisih as 1999's Phantom Menace. That's how big they were.

However today we have better movies with smaller campaigns (like Spider-Man 2, X2, and OF COURSE Batman Begins).

[Mr. Socko]

Me too. About 2 years after Batman & Robin, I stoped reading Batman comics till last year when I heard about the new film comming out.

[DACrowe]

I read them on and off, they aren't as flous as others and are more in flux so it is easy to get in and out of Batman I think for the most part though.

[Batwing6655]

I was very young but from what I remember it was EVEYRWHERE. You think Sony's Spider-Man campaigns were big, they were nothing compared tothe campaigns for Batman 1989 and Batman Forever. Those two movies had campaigns and mania as feverisih as 1999's Phantom Menace. That's how big they were.

However today we have better movies with smaller campaigns (like Spider-Man 2, X2, and OF COURSE Batman Begins).

begins had the smallest hype for a batman film i have ever seen. its like, omg, where are the commercials, the toys, everything? it wasnt there. i was thinking maybe around SM2 success, but it just didnt hit it. at all.i still dont get why.:confused:

anyways, the hype for B89 was crazy. i wish they would have that kinda hype for batman films these days. but IMO, B89 earned the hype. it was the first, and arguably the best batman movie ever.

[Binker]

Actually, the BB hype was still good as I read from an article. Because considering BB was the first Batman film since B&R, WB was careful in marketing and it ended with no loss. They succeeded in a new darker Batman film and in getting their money back.

So the hype was good. I think its due to this gizmo and the invention we're using right now called the computer and the internet since ads on e-mails and websites and such carried the Batman Begins title and Bale as Batman in banners and things to help out Warners.

[Doctor Goblipus]

Have the other Batman movies lowered or raised your opinion if B89 over the years. 5 years ago, I would have said B89 was a 10, but after seeing Batman Begins and all the other Batman movies in the Anthology set, my opinion has changed. Have yours?

Batman 8/10
Batman Returns 5/10
Batman Forever 3/10
Batman & Robin 0/10
Batman Begins 10/10

[Cain]

my opinion has changed. Have yours?


No not at all, anyway here are my ratings

Batman The Movie 3/5
Batman 4/5
Batman Returns 4.5/5
Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm 5/5
Batman Forever 3/5
Batman & Robin 1/5
Batman Begins 4/5

[Bat Attack]

Back to Batman 1989, how many (if any) tv spots for Batman were there?

[SHADOWBAT69]

there were a couple, i have them on dvd. all they were was clips of the movie, and after it opened they added some critic reviews and a voice over.

[Excel]

they all showed the same footage...the reviews ones ould be footage mixed with a cli of the batlogo with a different wordlike "TERRIFIC!" or "OLASSAL!" i remember were some. ther ewas also the batman cereal commercial and toy commercials with the shop"lets go shopin" line. shadow you should put those online....i have the cereal one and a review pone and a ton of making of segments.

[gnrbat]

there were a couple, i have them on dvd. all they were was clips of the movie, and after it opened they added some critic reviews and a voice over.
Are these on that compilation fan dvd out or something you made? Would be interested in seeing all these, not sure why they left them off the new DVD when they spent a good amount of time discussing the marketing campaign.

[CGHulk]

Batman Begins is the best of all, but the 1989 film is good but it's to dark, even the daytime scenes seem night and Gotham City looks like an idustrial plant and rusted looking. The Prince music bites, and when the Joker pulls Batman and Vicki over the site of the ledge by just grabbing thier hands is just silly. when the Batwing is shooting at the Joker the misiles never hit him, and the Joker shoots Batman down with a long barreled hand gun, again just silly! The Joker killed his parents, which never sat well with me! Now in the Batman Begins sequel the Joker will be just the Joker, finally!

[Sauron]

Batman 89 rocks. All the little kids who weren't there for 89 and saw it on the big screen don't know what they're talkin' about, they just see something shiny and new and bite down on it.

[Chris Wallace]

I see no mention of it, but people were actually cutting the Bat-logo into their hair.

[Sauron]

I forgot they were cutting the logo into their hair. Remember when Jim Carrey did his Joker impersonation on In living color? It wasn't bad, little did he know that someday he would be a villian in a Batman movie.

[Bat Attack]

Geez, I watched the featurette on the Batman '89 dvd and it showed video from the premiere, there was like 500 people there!

[Sauron]

Touching how Bob Kane's wife said as they turned the corner in the limo and saw everything and everyone at the premiere, he teared up and said: is this all for what I created?

I just watched 89 again the other night, man is it great. I miss going to see it in the theater, I use to go every weekend.

I just remembered when I went to see 89 for the first time the theater handed out little ordering forms for toys etc, I knew I could buy the toys at the store but I ordered Batman.

I remember in my theater they had a city scape above the concession stand and above the city scape they put a Batman logo to be the bat signal, it was awesome.

I think they had bat symbols hanging from the ceiling aswell. The theater I saw it in has a huge screen, it was so cool.

I was sad the day I went and found out Batman was no longer in that theater, instead they had the Abyss playing.

[Ceb-Man]

Batman 89- Batmania what a time watched the movie 5 times. the video .... i lost count!!!
The cerial, the cups, t-shirts, toys, logos, books! So much Batman items!
Great memories!

The Ceb-Man!!!

[spencer6891]

Batman 89 will remain my all-time favorite Bat-flick, if only for the memories. Over the years they have gotten blurry, but they're still there. Batmania was a big part of my childhood and I will always remember a time when BATMAN WAS KING!

[R3M3D1]

I was only 7 at the time but i remember in my local paper a family of mine managed to get in the local newspaper because of his 'Batman' haircut.

He had the bat symbol shaved into the back of his head! I dunno if my mum kept the newspaper.

I'll dig around...

I think my mum bought me some Batman pyjamas lol

1989 was the year of Bat!:up:

*oops* just read the posts about the bat hair above

[Dangerous]

the bat dance video is pretty horrible tho

[Sauron]

When I got the Anthology, I told myself I wasn't going to watch the Prince videos but, I got curious, it's been so long since I'd seen them.

I watched them like one watching a freak show or car accident. What garbage. I still would've liked it better if they'd have just let the soundtrack be the score and that's it.

But, WB wanted a WB artist on there so, oh well. It does kind of fit during the museum scene as the Joker dances around destroying the paintings.


I love 89. I never watched features on a dvd twice before but, with the new dvd I had to.

[Milkman95]

When I watched the B89 special features, I really forgot how much hype this film really had. Everybody was wearing Batman stuff. This was even BIGGER than Spider-man or Spider-man 2 ever got, even though in the end Spider-man made more.........

[Detective Flass]

No not at all, anyway here are my ratings

Batman The Movie 3/5
Batman 4/5
Batman Returns 4.5/5
Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm 5/5
Batman Forever 3/5
Batman & Robin 1/5
Batman Begins 4/5

Batman The Movie 3/5
Batman 5/5
Batman Returns 3/5
Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm 4/5
Batman Forever 4/5
Batman & Robin 1/5
Batman Begins 5/5

[spencer6891]

This was even BIGGER than Spider-man or Spider-man 2 ever got, even though in the end Spider-man made more.........


Batman has made more so far. A LOT more. Spider-man did better in theatres, but not in total.

[Chris Wallace]

If you're talking video sales, it did have a 13-year head start.

[Bat Attack]

Batman *****
Batman Returns *****
Batman Forever ***
Batman & Robin *
Batman Begins *****

[Sauron]

I love 89, I got the soundtrack yesterday at Sam Goody. The score not the Prince garbage.

I like the BB score but at times it just sounds like sound effects and the same sound on a loop. There's just not that much to it. The second ST needs to have more to it.

[ZER0C00L]

i remember i was 8 i had the batman costume the movie on VHS and i turned all the lights off in the house and pretended i was in the batcave and watched the movie. was awesome.



My nephew is around the age now and he said Batman Begins was boring and shut it off.

[pwl4life]

well begins is a more mature movie so ho probroly wouldn't understand alot of it, he might lik eit if you jump to the chapter where bruce gets all his gadgets from Fox and watch from there. and if all else fails, little kids love the shumaker films (at least they'd better, since there the reason the turned out the way they did)

[ZER0C00L]

well begins is a more mature movie so ho probroly wouldn't understand alot of it, he might lik eit if you jump to the chapter where bruce gets all his gadgets from Fox and watch from there. and if all else fails, little kids love the shumaker films (at least they'd better, since there the reason the turned out the way they did)


i dunno Joker burns a guy alive, talks to his corpse. People drop dead in the resturaunt. the joker gasses people in the streets of gotham. Theres sexuality in batman he beds her in the movie. the joker deforms his girlfriends face then she comits suicide. its mature and there was a lot going on in it that kept my eyes glued to the screen when i was his age.

He said Begins was boring and didnt care about it.

[pwl4life]

well he's 8, he wouldn't understand what character development,back story, or plot devices are, all he probroly likes about movie is flash and action, by mature I meant that it takes a good hour until we finally see Batman, in 89 he's there right off the bat so naturaly 89 would hold his attention better.

[Chris Wallace]

My kids liked "Begins". And they're 6 & 9. Then again, when my youngest was two, his mom & I decided to let him choose his own Halloween costume (He was Spider-Man the year before; my choice) & on his own he picked Batman. So he's something of a fan. My 9-year-old, on the other hand, was put off the character by the new animated series. I took him to "Begins" to get that nasty taste out of his mouth.

[Sauron]

My nephew's 9, I didn't take him to see it 'cause I was afraid he'd freak out at the Batman Scarecrow scene when Batman's all scary, and there are certain things he doesn't like but, when I bought it he watched it and loved it. He was glued to the screen. I think he's getting out of that squeamish phase.

My other nephews saw it with me at the theater and they loved it, they're older though. I told all of them before hand that you don't see Batman right away, so they wouldn't get anxious but they understood and they loved it all.

They really like 89 but they haven't seen it in years. My youngest hasn't seen it at all I don't think, I'm going to have to bring over the dvd of 89 someday. I think he'll love it.

It's such a great movie.

[UltimateJustin]

When I got the Anthology, I told myself I wasn't going to watch the Prince videos but, I got curious, it's been so long since I'd seen them.

I watched them like one watching a freak show or car accident. What garbage. I still would've liked it better if they'd have just let the soundtrack be the score and that's it.

But, WB wanted a WB artist on there so, oh well. It does kind of fit during the museum scene as the Joker dances around destroying the paintings.


I love 89. I never watched features on a dvd twice before but, with the new dvd I had to.

I dont remember the hype for this movie cause I was still in my dads balls at this point in time, but even a baby sperm knows that Prince is awesome.

[Cain]

No not at all, anyway here are my ratings

Batman The Movie 3/5
Batman 4/5
Batman Returns 4.5/5
Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm 5/5
Batman Forever 3/5
Batman & Robin 1/5
Batman Begins 4/5

Since this post I have seen the first 3 movies in one sitting back to back. So my appreciation of Batman Forever has actually increased. They did a better job of tying it to the first 2 movies than I initially thought back when it was still in theaters. So I would actually now bump the score up by 1 point making it a 4/5.

[Sauron]

I dont remember the hype for this movie cause I was still in my dads balls at this point in time, but even a baby sperm knows that Prince is awesome.
Shows how young you are. Prince sucks. Has no place in Batman, WB just wanted a WB artist in the movie.

[Chris Wallace]

Ok-I'm 33 & I disagree with you.

[Sauron]

Since this post I have seen the first 3 movies in one sitting back to back. So my appreciation of Batman Forever has actually increased. They did a better job of tying it to the first 2 movies than I initially thought back when it was still in theaters. So I would actually now bump the score up by 1 point making it a 4/5.
I was watching Forever this morning and it still bugs me how plain Val is, just dull. There's nothing there. And I'm not saying he's a bad actor because he was a great Jim Morrison and I love the Doors movie.

Just when it comes to Batman he was like in a daze. He said he tried to get ahold of Joe for the fourth and Joe said he ignored him but, I believe Val over that peice of garbage so called director. I'm glad Val didn't ruin his career with the fourth movie. Oh, and he was cool as Doc Holiday in Tombstone, bad guy : (somethin like, )" you can't hit me,You're seein' double." Doc: "Well I've got two guns, one for each of ya'."

[Cain]

Shows how young you are. Prince sucks. Has no place in Batman, WB just wanted a WB artist in the movie.

I'm a fan of Prince's music but I agree that he doesn't really fit Batman. It was Nicholson's suggestion & WB felt it was a good idea so it was what it was. I was underwhelmed with his songs on the soundtrack. The only ones I actually liked where Scandalous, Electric Chair & The Future. I have to admit though that Partyman & Trust were used well in the film.

[Cain]

I was watching Forever this morning and it still bugs me how plain Val is, just dull. There's nothing there. And I'm not saying he's a bad actor because he was a great Jim Morrison and I love the Doors movie.

Just when it comes to Batman he was like in a daze. He said he tried to get ahold of Joe for the fourth and Joe said he ignored him but, I believe Val over that peice of garbage so called director. I'm glad Val didn't ruin his career with the fourth movie. Oh, and he was cool as Doc Holiday in Tombstone, bad guy : (somethin like, )" you can't hit me,You're seein' double." Doc: "Well I've got two guns, one for each of ya'."

I actually think he did very well with what he had to work with. If you pay close attention he actually kept a lot of Keaton's mannerisms while adding a couple of his own. I think that worked well continuity wise but alot of people didn't really dig it. Tombstone & Unforgiven are the best westerns of the past 15 years. I used to watch that movie so much when it was released on VHS. I was hoping Russell & Kilmer will one day make another movie together. They made a great duo as Earp & Holiday.

[UltimateJustin]

You didnt like "Arms of Orion"? I have a hard time believing that. Its a duet!

[Cain]

You didnt like "Arms of Orion"? I have a hard time believing that. Its a duet!

I find Sheena Easton annoying.

[ZER0C00L]

I was watching Forever this morning and it still bugs me how plain Val is, just dull. There's nothing there. And I'm not saying he's a bad actor because he was a great Jim Morrison and I love the Doors movie.

Just when it comes to Batman he was like in a daze. He said he tried to get ahold of Joe for the fourth and Joe said he ignored him but, I believe Val over that peice of garbage so called director. I'm glad Val didn't ruin his career with the fourth movie. Oh, and he was cool as Doc Holiday in Tombstone, bad guy : (somethin like, )" you can't hit me,You're seein' double." Doc: "Well I've got two guns, one for each of ya'."

Yeah I agree, i always felt the same way when i saw him in Batman Forever.


Pretty strange how things end up sometimes in movies.

[kooguy911]

this thread if we can keep it up will probably become the best thread in the misc movies thread.

[Batwing6655]

Yeah I agree, i always felt the same way when i saw him in Batman Forever.


Pretty strange how things end up sometimes in movies.

yeah i didnt like val kilmer as bruce/batman. not just that he was plain, but his "val lisp" he always has in his movies, like in that scene when he goes "tell me doctor, do you like the thircuth?". and also, he had none of the great intense-ness that keaton almost always had as batman, hell, even as bruce wayne. keaton, for me, made bruce wayne COOl, as well as his Batman (DEFINTLY as Batman). val, while looking i guess "more the part", certainly didnt act the part. and the script made it even worse. its almost like hollywood was saying "hey! lets see what happens when we just pick some random hot actor at the time and see how he does as batman!". keaton may not have been the obvious choice, but he was the BEST choice, and if burton made a batman 3 with keaton, i would probably die a happy man.

[ZER0C00L]

yeah i didnt like val kilmer as bruce/batman. not just that he was plain, but his "val lisp" he always has in his movies, like in that scene when he goes "tell me doctor, do you like the thircuth?". and also, he had none of the great intense-ness that keaton almost always had as batman, hell, even as bruce wayne. keaton, for me, made bruce wayne COOl, as well as his Batman (DEFINTLY as Batman). val, while looking i guess "more the part", certainly didnt act the part. and the script made it even worse. its almost like hollywood was saying "hey! lets see what happens when we just pick some random hot actor at the time and see how he does as batman!". keaton may not have been the obvious choice, but he was the BEST choice, and if burton made a batman 3 with keaton, i would probably die a happy man.

Lol hah yeah i thought i was the only one that Noiced his lisp. specialy the circus line to Chase. haha.

I didnt think he looked more the part. all i could see was Val Kilmer the whole time. Its funny people were upset about keaton being batman before the saw the movie. then when it was anounced a new director and a new batman people were upset keaton wasnt batman.

I totally agree that Keaton was the diamond in the rough. the best choice:up:

[Cain]

like in that scene when he goes "tell me doctor, do you like the thircuth?"

yeah that's true lmao that was hilarious. Still even though I liked Keaton a lot considering the circumstances (WB did not want Burton meaning no more Keaton) I feel that people were a bit too harsh on him. I think he was at his best during his scenes with Dick Grayson.

[Castlewood]

The Mania occurred when I was 2. And yes, I remember alot of it, thank god.

In my opinion, we'll see Bat-Mania again.......when the sequel to Batman Begins comes out.

We'll have Batman and The Joker squaring off once more, and it's in 2008.....which is almost the 20th Anniversary of Keaton and Nicholson. Apart of me wants this sequel to come out in 2009, just to pay homage.

It's hard to believe that it was almost 20 years ago. Almost 20 years since we've seen a live action Joker. That's a damn shame.

I can't wait for the next two years, guys. This will be the best two years to be a Batman fanboy. This new era will have an old-school feel to it, just like '89. I just know it. THE MANIA WILL RETURN.

[ZER0C00L]

The Mania occurred when I was 2. And yes, I remember alot of it, thank god.

In my opinion, we'll see Bat-Mania again.......when the sequel to Batman Begins comes out.

We'll have Batman and The Joker squaring off once more, and it's in 2008.....which is almost the 20th Anniversary of Keaton and Nicholson. Apart of me wants this sequel to come out in 2009, just to pay homage.

It's hard to believe that it was almost 20 years ago. Almost 20 years since we've seen a live action Joker. That's a damn shame.

I can't wait for the next two years, guys. This will be the best two years to be a Batman fanboy. This new era will have an old-school feel to it, just like '89. I just know it. THE MANIA WILL RETURN.

the thought of it is pretty cool

[Sauron]

yeah i didnt like val kilmer as bruce/batman. not just that he was plain, but his "val lisp" he always has in his movies, like in that scene when he goes "tell me doctor, do you like the thircuth?". and also, he had none of the great intense-ness that keaton almost always had as batman, hell, even as bruce wayne. keaton, for me, made bruce wayne COOl, as well as his Batman (DEFINTLY as Batman). val, while looking i guess "more the part", certainly didnt act the part. and the script made it even worse. its almost like hollywood was saying "hey! lets see what happens when we just pick some random hot actor at the time and see how he does as batman!". keaton may not have been the obvious choice, but he was the BEST choice, and if burton made a batman 3 with keaton, i would probably die a happy man.
Yeah that's how it seemed, just pick a random actor, Joel said it's 'cause he saw him in Tombstone. Keaton and Burton doing "Forever" would've been great, would've had a better name, and if Robin was in it would've been better too. I don't think he would've used Wayans as Robin, I'm sure he would see how dumb that is and done something else.

[Sauron]

Lol hah yeah i thought i was the only one that Noiced his lisp. specialy the circus line to Chase. haha.

I didnt think he looked more the part. all i could see was Val Kilmer the whole time. Its funny people were upset about keaton being batman before the saw the movie. then when it was anounced a new director and a new batman people were upset keaton wasnt batman.

I totally agree that Keaton was the diamond in the rough. the best choice:up:
So true.

[Two-Face]

Yeah that's how it seemed, just pick a random actor, Joel said it's 'cause he saw him in Tombstone. Keaton and Burton doing "Forever" would've been great, would've had a better name, and if Robin was in it would've been better too. I don't think he would've used Wayans as Robin, I'm sure he would see how dumb that is and done something else.

Maron Wayans was signed to play Robin and Billy Willams would be Two-Face in Returns then WB bought the contracts of both actors then they cast Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face and Chris O'Donnell as Robin in Batman Forever. If Burton did Batman III then Robin Williams as Riddler, Johhny Depp as Scarecrow, Rene Russo as Dr Chase Meridan and Michael Keaton would be return as Batman/Bruce Wayne.

[Sauron]

Would've been better with Keaton and Burton that's all I know.

I miss my 89 toys.

[Sauron]

This is the greatest thread on this forum, let's keep it goin'. This thread brought back so many wonderful memories, it turned me back into the Bat-fan I use to be. I was out of Batman for about 5 years but, I'm back and better than ever.

It's been great talking about all of this. Everyone has their own favorite Batman movie, and everyone has their reasons and their right to like what they like, but my favorite will always be Batman 89, Batman Begins had the detail but 89 has the heart, for me.

[Morgoth]

This is the greatest thread on this forum, let's keep it goin'. This thread brought back so many wonderful memories, it turned me back into the Bat-fan I use to be. I was out of Batman for about 5 years but, I'm back and better than ever.

It's been great talking about all of this. Everyone has their own favorite Batman movie, and everyone has their reasons and their right to like what they like, but my favorite will always be Batman 89, Batman Begins had the detail but 89 has the heart, for me.I love this thread. It really has brought back alot of memories.:up:

[Duneboy]

Heck yeah I remember '89. My local mall had the longest friggin' line to see the BatMan flick. In fact, after seeing that movie I fell in love with the medium.

[Morgoth]

I really liked Batman growing up, watching the 60's show every chance I got, and the Superfriends show, but once I saw the movie when I was 10, I fell in love with Batman.

It became an addiction, I had all the Batman 89 toys. I loved how the Joker's flower actually squirted.

I really miss my toys, I shoulda' kept 'em!

[Bat Attack]

I got a 1989 warner bros. catalog that I bought on eBay today. Lots of interesting merchandise. There was a special edition Prince batman soundtrack in a round glossy back case with a raised bat-logo on the top.

[Danny No-Shame]

I was 12 years old when the movie came out. I remember cycling all the way to the top of my cobblestoned road to the local cinematheque to see it. It cost 4 shillings and ha'penny and I still had change for the bus home. I left my bike there.

I actually sold my mother for the money to buy the ticket. It were all fields 'round here when I was growing up. Music today is too loud and you can't tell boys from girls.

Are you my son?

[Bat Attack]

I really liked Batman growing up, watching the 60's show every chance I got, and the Superfriends show, but once I saw the movie when I was 10, I fell in love with Batman.

It became an addiction, I had all the Batman 89 toys. I loved how the Joker's flower actually squirted.

I really miss my toys, I shoulda' kept 'em!
Did you ever have the Bob the Goon action figure?

[Damiean Dark]

thats how big it was a coke advert says it all. I measure the hype by comparing it to the fellowship of the ring and then multiplying it by 1000 lol.

though i was young when B89 was released i remember the hype of it and of other films. batman, batman returns, Jurrasic park, die hard 1/2, true lies, the running man, total recall,terminator 1/2, predator 1/2, aliens 2, ninja turtles the movie... ahh the period between around 1984 to 1995 was the best years in current cinema history for big blockbuster action movies IMO these are movies which are still shown on tv and anyone in the know probably has them all on DVD what makes them great is their replay value i can still watch them after all these years and have a great time in comparison to films like Batman Begins and sin city that although they look great and are good films just dont have the x factor that makes them great and infinately rewatchable imo.

[fixer79]

I remember I was on holiday in Westende, Belgium when the movie came out. While lying on the beach, I saw a plane towing a huge banner with the bat logo flying through the air.
I never saw a promo-stunt like that for another movie.

[Catman]

I could've sworn that I posted something in this thread. I guess this thread has been done so many times that I'm thinking of another one. :o

[Cobblepot]

I'm a fan of Prince's music but I agree that he doesn't really fit Batman. It was Nicholson's suggestion & WB felt it was a good idea so it was what it was. I was underwhelmed with his songs on the soundtrack. The only ones I actually liked where Scandalous, Electric Chair & The Future. I have to admit though that Partyman & Trust were used well in the film.

Are you kidding me?
Prince, Burton, Nicholson and Keaton made this a blockbuster!

[Batman_Fan_2000]

Batattack, I agree with those who have said this was bigger than the Spiderman films. It was bigger, marketing-wise, than anything any of us had seen up to that point. And I was 17, the perfect age to be absorbing everything releated to Bat-mania. I had really loved the Adam West reruns as a young kid, and I felt that the rest of the world had finally caught up and realized what I'd long known: Batman ruled. I still recall when, months before the film's release, I took an issue of Starlog to school with me which included nice shots of Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson in costume. Since there was no internet in those days, we had to rely on print, and USA Today also gave the film quite a bit of coverage, reporting on the excitement the trailer was generating. Both Keaton and West were featured in Rolling Stone magazine (Keaton, dressed in a tux as Wayne, made the cover). Guys at my school, even the jocks who were normally too cool for such things, saw the Starlog and were like, 'Whoa! That looks awesome!' It was something everyone was looking forward to.

As for Prince's music, "Batdance" was used in commercials for the inevitable revival of the West series, which every local tv affiliate began airing again that summer. It was amusing indeed to see West and Cesar Romero fighting while Prince's music played. Then someone took it a step further and remixed Batdance, replacing all the Batman '89 soundbites with audio samples from Batman '66! That actually got radio play; it was Prince's original music with changes such Kim Basinger's "Vicki Vale" line being replaced by West saying, "Miss Kitka".

Between June and December (yup, in Houston, it was still playing in a few theaters in December), I saw the film a total of 8 times. :yay: After the film had been out in theaters awhile, WB issued a new tv spot which intercut footage from the film with the words:

"How many times...

Have you seen...

[Batsymbol]"

THAT was cool. :word:

[Nepenthes]

i had so much batman stuff in 89. my favourite was a yellow bandana with little bat logos all over it. you could actually get shiiit like that back then! come to think of it, i was much cooler when I was six

[NolGoyHater]

I got a 1989 warner bros. catalog that I bought on eBay today. Lots of interesting merchandise. There was a special edition Prince batman soundtrack in a round glossy back case with a raised bat-logo on the top.

I have one. I found it at a local used bookstore for like $8 2 years ago. It was made and released in England if I recall correctly. The CD is black and dark charcoal grey with the Bat symbol in it. Inside is a little circle shaped flip book and behind it is a nice black spongy pad so the CD and booklette don't flop around. A really cool thing.

I was 9 when B89 came out and didn't see anything or know about it until one weeknight my family was watching tv and on came the trailer. My brother and I immediately got our favorite blankets out wrapped them around our shoulders. We were swimmers so we had our Speedos on all the time. So with the capes on we felt like Batman. I begged and begged my parents to take us when it came out. They said we'll see it on your birthday (July 15th). My parents had a bad habit of going to the movies way to late and the movie was out of the theaters already. Looking back that might have been for the movies that we wanted to see and they didn't. LOL!!! Anyway, so I said sadly it won't be in theaters anymore by then. We all saw it again in mid August. How wrong I was.

I also remember everywhere you looked was something with Batman. We went to a fabric store and they had Batman fabric. They had a key chain rack, those big rotating ones full of only Batman key chains. That is where I saw my first Grey and Black Batman. I thought it was cool.

For my birthday I had $40 in Birthday money to spend I wanted to blow it all on Batman toys. So my mom took my brother, cousin, and I to target. They were completely sold out of Batman toys. I mean nothing was there. Not even the lame Joker van or Bob the goon. I have never scene this before or since, but they had a Rain check booth set up just for Batman toys. I made my mom out down rainchecks for Batman the Joker, Batwing and Batmobile for us 3 to buy when they got them in again. But this kid asked us if we were looking for Batman toys to go down the street to Smittys they had tons. He just went there and showed us his Batman figure he pulled out from his fanny pack. Totally kick ass. Needless to say, we went over there and we 3 each got our Batman and Joker figures.

God Batmania was awesome!!!! I do hope to god that the world can experience it again one day in my lifetime.

[The-Dark-Knight]

I have one. I found it at a local used bookstore for like $8 2 years ago. It was made and released in England if I recall correctly. The CD is black and dark charcoal grey with the Bat symbol in it. Inside is a little circle shaped flip book and behind it is a nice black spongy pad so the CD and booklette don't flop around. A really cool thing.

I was 9 when B89 came out and didn't see anything or know about it until one weeknight my family was watching tv and on came the trailer. My brother and I immediately got our favorite blankets out wrapped them around our shoulders. We were swimmers so we had our Speedos on all the time. So with the capes on we felt like Batman. I begged and begged my parents to take us when it came out. They said we'll see it on your birthday (July 15th). My parents had a bad habit of going to the movies way to late and the movie was out of the theaters already. Looking back that might have been for the movies that we wanted to see and they didn't. LOL!!! Anyway, so I said sadly it won't be in theaters anymore by then. We all saw it again in mid August. How wrong I was.

I also remember everywhere you looked was something with Batman. We went to a fabric store and they had Batman fabric. They had a key chain rack, those big rotating ones full of only Batman key chains. That is where I saw my first Grey and Black Batman. I thought it was cool.

For my birthday I had $40 in Birthday money to spend I wanted to blow it all on Batman toys. So my mom took my brother, cousin, and I to target. They were completely sold out of Batman toys. I mean nothing was there. Not even the lame Joker van or Bob the goon. I have never scene this before or since, but they had a Rain check booth set up just for Batman toys. I made my mom out down rainchecks for Batman the Joker, Batwing and Batmobile for us 3 to buy when they got them in again. But this kid asked us if we were looking for Batman toys to go down the street to Smittys they had tons. He just went there and showed us his Batman figure he pulled out from his fanny pack. Totally kick ass. Needless to say, we went over there and we 3 each got our Batman and Joker figures.

God Batmania was awesome!!!! I do hope to god that the world can experience it again one day in my lifetime.

Great story, sadly i never experienced Batman in the cinema (the only one i havent seen on the big screen so far)

[kooguy911]

its hard to believe its almost batman 89's 20th aniversery

[Bat Attack]

The movie isn't even 18 years old yet. But it's getting there...

[SideSkroll]

I can't believe there's a group like this :D I LOVED Batman... I still watch it from time to time... Would any of you happen to know anything about a fanedit DVD that was floating around the net sometime ago? I think it was called "Batman 1989 superhero hype" or something like that? It had all of the interviews, ads, trailers etc from that era.. I'd love to get a hold of that. If you have any idea of what I'm talking about would you please send me a message. Even if you only have the name of it. It would help a LOT.
Thanks.

PS: Sorry for reviving a very, VERY old thread but I'm looking for this DVD everywhere with no luck... Besides, this should stay alive for years to come :D

PS2: it is 20 years old now :D xD Funny how time goes by...

[Two-Face]

Batman 89 is 20 years old now. I love this movie very comic booky from Kane/Finger eras.

[Fresh Prince]

Batman89 was more popular in 1989 then TDK was in 2008.

[Two-Face]

I don't wanna get into this as I love both movies I don't care which was popular.

[Two-Face]

I can't believe there's a group like this :D I LOVED Batman... I still watch it from time to time... Would any of you happen to know anything about a fanedit DVD that was floating around the net sometime ago? I think it was called "Batman 1989 superhero hype" or something like that? It had all of the interviews, ads, trailers etc from that era.. I'd love to get a hold of that. If you have any idea of what I'm talking about would you please send me a message. Even if you only have the name of it. It would help a LOT.
Thanks.

PS: Sorry for reviving a very, VERY old thread but I'm looking for this DVD everywhere with no luck... Besides, this should stay alive for years to come :D

PS2: it is 20 years old now :D xD Funny how time goes by...


Welcome to the Hype. :up: :2face:

[SideSkroll]

Happy to be here... But still, I can't find that DVD I mentioned before... And after reading some of the pages on this thread I came across one that mentioned something about some screens of that DVD.... But that was 4 years ago :(
Damn it! I can't find the damn DVD... I knew I should've downloaded it when I found it...

[TruerToTheCore]

I've made my peace with this movie some time ago.

[mothy]

from what i have heard, batman (1989) was on a completely different level of anticipation. it must have been insane. in terms of pure hype, the dark knight came close to it, but not quite.

[SideSkroll]

And you've heard correctly. It was ****1ng INSANE... Good times... I even had Batman underwear xD. Anything about the DVD I'm looking for? :(

[Bruce Malone]

from what i have heard, batman (1989) was on a completely different level of anticipation. it must have been insane. in terms of pure hype, the dark knight came close to it, but not quite.

Maybe but even in terms of inflation the dark knight sold more tickets than the original Batman. # of Tickets sold is a good way to gauge the popularity of a film aside from dealing with inflation. Like how gone with the wind only made 198 million unadgusted to titanics 600 milllion but sold over 202 miilion tickets to titanics 128 million tickets sold.

Batman sold 62,954,600 tix to the dark knights 80,765,300 tix. Begins sold 34,560,700 tix.

[El Payaso]

Maybe but even in terms of inflation the dark knight sold more tickets than the original Batman. # of Tickets sold is a good way to gauge the popularity of a film aside from dealing with inflation. Like how gone with the wind only made 198 million unadgusted to titanics 600 milllion but sold over 202 miilion tickets to titanics 128 million tickets sold.

Batman sold 62,954,600 tix to the dark knights 80,765,300 tix. Begins sold 34,560,700 tix.

Mothy talked specifically about anticipation only, not BO numbers.

One of the reasons was that back in 1989 there weren't 5 superhero movies released every year and 20 more being announced. We had Superman and that's it. But I have to mention the Joker as another gigantic reason. The names of Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger were huge magnets for people, specially Ledger who become another legend by dying so young having such a great talent just before the release of the film.



But yes, I remember perfectly the time and it was incredible; everything was Batman and had the bat-logo somewhere.

[TruerToTheCore]

The hype was great, TDK was nothing compared to it. The bat logo was everywhere.