Batman '89 The Michael Keaton Appreciation Thread

[DoomRulz]

$60 000 huh? TBH, that's cheaper than I expected. I'd still buy it if I coudl though lol

 

[TMC1982]

http://www.cracked.com/index.php?name=News&sid=2111&pageid=4

Coolness of Costume
'80s Batman succeeds where his predecessor, '60s Batman, fails, trading in dance tights for a bodysuit with big plastic muscles all over it, sparing star Michael Keaton the need to actually develop any. Sadly, the costume's ceramic neck brace meant BatKeaton couldn't technically turn his head, with the unfortunate side effect that he could only fight crime taking place directly in front of him. This is a design flaw that probably gets circulated around the Gotham underground fairly quickly.
"I dunno about this drug deal, Fingers. What if the Batman attacks?" "We step two feet to his immediate left or right and he'll think we disappeared." "Ah, okay."
For all its mobility issues, though: no nipples. And at least the damn costume's black, not silver.

A**-Kicking Ability
In the big final fight scene in Batman, our hero climbs to the top of a bell tower to fight three hulking goons so he can stop the Joker from putting the moves on Kim Basinger. As is the law with these sorts of movie fights, all of the three goons possess a different fighting style, each deadlier than the last: One's a ninja, one's a fistfighter, and the other's just this really humongous dude swinging a big metal chain around like a lunatic.
After beating up all three goons, BatKeaton makes short work of the Joker, pimp-slapping him around the bell tower and growling a lot of cold s*** about how Joker killed his parents, so it's on:
BatKeaton might need elevations in his boots to look tall. Sure, he has to wear plastic muscles. But still: When it comes right down to it, he's a bada**. Given that almost everything he does is scored to a fruity Prince song, that's saying something.

Those Wonderful Toys
In the scene mentioned above, where BatKeaton beats up three goons in a bell tower, we neglected to mention the coolest part: At one point, Ninja-Goon administers a Mortal Kombat-style flying kick to the Caped Crusader. BatKeaton picks him out of the air by extending a hidden metal plate from the palm of his glove (left), which connects with Ninja-Goon's genitals and sends him, crumpled and whimpering, to the ground.
That's right: BatKeaton invented a gadget whose only purpose is to hit you in the balls.
Additionally, BatKeaton's got a pretty sweet car that looks to be powered by an actual jet engine:
On the downside, trying to cut a tight corner with a car over 15 feet long can be tricky. When driving this Batmobile, you technically need to shoot out a Batarang and wrap it around a lamppost every time you want to make a hard right. Alternatively, you could just get out and walk.

Smoothness with the Ladies
For a short guy with no muscles, BatKeaton scores positively epic amounts of a** during his Bat-tenure in Batman and Batman Returns, including Kim Basinger and Michelle Pfeiffer in a catsuit. Must be that impressive wingspan on the cape.
Plus, unlike other Batmen (who refuse to get involved in relationships because it would distract from their war on crime), BatKeaton's all about the pu**y: That crime stuff can just chill out for a night, he'll get to it tomorrow. He freely reveals his identity to his girlfriends, romances them with candle-lit meals at Wayne Manor, and then makes them watch him sleep upside-down after he's bedded them. That's a little creepy, admittedly, but one could argue that after you've managed to bed '80s-era Kim Basinger, you can pretty much go ahead and do any g*ddamn thing you'd like.

Rogues Gallery
Jack Nicholson as the Joker:
Can't argue with that.

Posse
Just Alfred the butler.

Homoerotic Subtext?
Just Alfred the butler.

 

[TMC1982]

The reasons I keep hearing is that he was upset over Warner Bros. dropping Tim Burton as the director in favor of Joel Schumacher. It's terrible that the our last image of Michael Keaton's Batman had a rather unhappy note (considering how considerably unsettling and somber "Batman Returns" already was). That was a far cry from the triumphant final moments seen in the first Batman film. When Keaton left and was replaced by Val Kilmer, who in return was replaced by George Clooney, that left the series with a severe schizophrenia.

 

[Cain]

Sadly, the costume's ceramic neck brace meant BatKeaton couldn't technically turn his head, with the unfortunate side effect that he could only fight crime taking place directly in front of him. This is a design flaw that probably gets circulated around the Gotham underground fairly quickly.
"I dunno about this drug deal, Fingers. What if the Batman attacks?" "We step two feet to his immediate left or right and he'll think we disappeared." "Ah, okay."

Additionally, BatKeaton's got a pretty sweet car that looks to be powered by an actual jet engine:
On the downside, trying to cut a tight corner with a car over 15 feet long can be tricky. When driving this Batmobile, you technically need to shoot out a Batarang and wrap it around a lamppost every time you want to make a hard right. Alternatively, you could just get out and walk.

BatKeaton might need elevations in his boots to look tall. Sure, he has to wear plastic muscles. But still: When it comes right down to it, he's a bada**. Given that almost everything he does is scored to a fruity Prince song, that's saying something.

unlike other Batmen (who refuse to get involved in relationships because it would distract from their war on crime), BatKeaton's all about the pu**y: That crime stuff can just chill out for a night, he'll get to it tomorrow. He freely reveals his identity to his girlfriends, romances them with candle-lit meals at Wayne Manor, and then makes them watch him sleep upside-down after he's bedded them. That's a little creepy, admittedly, but one could argue that after you've managed to bed '80s-era Kim Basinger, you can pretty much go ahead and do any g*ddamn thing you'd like.

truth

 

[theMan-Bat]

 

[Two-Face]

Funny as well hell

 

[Carlynn Carnage]

He is my fav Bats

 

[Bat Attack]

gotta love Keaton. He will always be Batman in my mind.

 

[Cobblepot]

Just showing a little appreciation.

 

[ShaneHelms]

Looks Great.

The gold works better on the belt, glad you decided you change it from the yellow.

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

We'll always have the Keaton bat-films!

 

[ShaneHelms]

Damn Straight.

That's something i'll never forget. If one thing however I wish we had just one more Keaton Batman film, Returns left you or me for this example wanting to see what more was in store for Keaton's Bruce Wayne/Batman especially after you see the Bat-Signal come into the sky and Catwoman rise into frame at the end. For me Keaton and Batman from The Animated Series will always be my favorite takes on the character of Batman.

 

[Bat Attack]

Damn Straight.

That's something i'll never forget. If one thing however I wish we had just one more Keaton Batman film, Returns left you or me for this example wanting to see what more was in store for Keaton's Bruce Wayne/Batman especially after you see the Bat-Signal come into the sky and Catwoman rise into frame at the end. For me Keaton and Batman from The Animated Series will always be my favorite takes on the character of Batman.

I agree totally!

 

[Cobblepot]

Looks Great.

The gold works better on the belt, glad you decided you change it from the yellow.

Thanks man, I like this better also.

 

[Cobblepot]

Here's a better picture

 

[Mr. Socko]

Keaton's Batman was a very interesting take on the character, different than the comics(especially his Bruce Wayne) but very interesting and another great way to also portray Batman/Wayne. The only thing I really disliked about Keaton was his hair, ugh.

 

[Superwoman Prime]

Different from contemporary comics.

Go back to the very early days, and you see Keaton Batman.

 

[DocLathropBrown]

Keaton's Batman was a very interesting take on the character, different than the comics(especially his Bruce Wayne) but very interesting and another great way to also portray Batman/Wayne. The only thing I really disliked about Keaton was his hair, ugh.

I wouldn't say he was that different from the comics. His Wayne just seem to lack a few of the "essentials."

His Wayne lacks the "foolish playboy" act, most prominantly.

 

[COMPO]

http://www.cracked.com/index.php?name=News&sid=2111&pageid=4

Coolness of Costume
'80s Batman succeeds where his predecessor, '60s Batman, fails, trading in dance tights for a bodysuit with big plastic muscles all over it, sparing star Michael Keaton the need to actually develop any. Sadly, the costume's ceramic neck brace meant BatKeaton couldn't technically turn his head, with the unfortunate side effect that he could only fight crime taking place directly in front of him. This is a design flaw that probably gets circulated around the Gotham underground fairly quickly.
"I dunno about this drug deal, Fingers. What if the Batman attacks?" "We step two feet to his immediate left or right and he'll think we disappeared." "Ah, okay."
For all its mobility issues, though: no nipples. And at least the damn costume's black, not silver.

Yeha that was bad note. But, the fight scenes in Returns were good. I liked the bit were the guy jumps out on him and he punches and and flings him away. Total Batman.

A**-Kicking Ability

In the big final fight scene in Batman, our hero climbs to the top of a bell tower to fight three hulking goons so he can stop the Joker from putting the moves on Kim Basinger. As is the law with these sorts of movie fights, all of the three goons possess a different fighting style, each deadlier than the last: One's a ninja, one's a fistfighter, and the other's just this really humongous dude swinging a big metal chain around like a lunatic.
After beating up all three goons, BatKeaton makes short work of the Joker, pimp-slapping him around the bell tower and growling a lot of cold s*** about how Joker killed his parents, so it's on:
BatKeaton might need elevations in his boots to look tall. Sure, he has to wear plastic muscles. But still: When it comes right down to it, he's a bada**. Given that almost everything he does is scored to a fruity Prince song, that's saying something.

Thats thing about some fans is that they moan about him having his ass kicked by the guy with the chain and what seems to slip their mind is: He's just been in a plane crash. Got blown up. Had to climb what ten flights of stairs, had bell nearly hit him and he's had to fight a ninja a fist brawler and a chain guy. I'd be friggin knackered.

Those Wonderful Toys

In the scene mentioned above, where BatKeaton beats up three goons in a bell tower, we neglected to mention the coolest part: At one point, Ninja-Goon administers a Mortal Kombat-style flying kick to the Caped Crusader. BatKeaton picks him out of the air by extending a hidden metal plate from the palm of his glove (left), which connects with Ninja-Goon's genitals and sends him, crumpled and whimpering, to the ground.
That's right: BatKeaton invented a gadget whose only purpose is to hit you in the balls.
Additionally, BatKeaton's got a pretty sweet car that looks to be powered by an actual jet engine:
On the downside, trying to cut a tight corner with a car over 15 feet long can be tricky. When driving this Batmobile, you technically need to shoot out a Batarang and wrap it around a lamppost every time you want to make a hard right. Alternatively, you could just get out and walk.

Yeah the batmobile was good. I thought it was wierd that he had a big turnstile underneath it for when he wants to turn around. lol

Smoothness with the Ladies

For a short guy with no muscles, BatKeaton scores positively epic amounts of a** during his Bat-tenure in Batman and Batman Returns, including Kim Basinger and Michelle Pfeiffer in a catsuit. Must be that impressive wingspan on the cape.
Plus, unlike other Batmen (who refuse to get involved in relationships because it would distract from their war on crime), BatKeaton's all about the pu**y: That crime stuff can just chill out for a night, he'll get to it tomorrow. He freely reveals his identity to his girlfriends, romances them with candle-lit meals at Wayne Manor, and then makes them watch him sleep upside-down after he's bedded them. That's a little creepy, admittedly, but one could argue that after you've managed to bed '80s-era Kim Basinger, you can pretty much go ahead and do any g*ddamn thing you'd like.

Yeha Batman had it goin on. Although Kilmer had nicole kidman in a nightdress and just a sheet so....

 

[MrSmith1114]

Here's a better picture

This is awesome. I'd like to have something like this in my room. I can't find one model/statue from the first four Batman films. That's disappointing. Warner Bros. should get on that.

 

[someone]

Keaton's Batman voice was perfect. Bale kinda overdid it in BB. I hope he reduces it a little bit in TDK. Though it didn't really bother me that much.

...hahaha that's funny cuz its one of the things I love from bale. his voice is awesome to me, in scenes like when he get flass and starts to "interview" him hehe. also when he gets poisoned and yells "...ALFRED!!!, HELP ME!!!" or shorta...everytime I get that is like "...sheeet man!!!...he sounds menacing!!!"

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

I always thought the fight scenes were way better in 89 than Returns, I remember hearing cause Burton had some help with shooting them for 89 and not BR.

 

[Bat Attack]

Burton is sooooooo not an action director. He said it himself. But yeah, I thought Keatons voice was great, quiet, calm, and almost psychotic sounding. When he says "I'm gonna kill you" to the Joker I get chills.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

Bale acted the part as well...

Not well, IMO. It felt very phoned in. Although I don't blame Bale really, I blame Goyer. Goyer writes these scripts filled with one-liners and cornball exposition dialogue and then hands it over to a director, Christopher Nolan, who is used to dealing with complex, subtle and under the radar type plots and characters: and that is what we get. The movie has a definite lack of focus, and moreover so does Bale. Bale could never get the dicotomy between Bruce and Batman right. He often makes jokes, when we know damn well Batman doesn't have a sense of humor. He had this forced, almost comical tough guy voice. I think fanboys get caught up in the fact that he was big and could play an irresponsible socialite well. In reality though he only got a scant few aspects of Batman right, and missed the boat on the really big ones: the tortured psyche, the eccentric qualities, the almost aloof demeanor and behavior, the something "off" about him. Batman isn't some glorified ninja, he's a genius who has been racked with guilt over his parents death, has a "minor" superiority complex and has a wee bit of trouble truly relating to the average joe. Bale's Batman was tough no doubt, but he didn't carry that slight bit of insanity Keaton brought to the character.

In my mind Keaton was still leaps and bounds beyond the second best Batman, Christian Bale. I also think that Bale will have to really step up his game if he hopes to survive the next film with praise. Bale has lost a lot of size, and that was his major contribution to the bat-films: an actor who could create a physically intimidating pressence onscreen.

 

[Parents-Gun-Bat]

Not well, IMO. It felt very phoned in. Although I don't blame Bale really, I blame Goyer. Goyer writes these scripts filled with one-liners and cornball exposition dialogue and then hands it over to a director, Christopher Nolan, who is used to dealing with complex, subtle and under the radar type plots and characters: and that is what we get. The movie has a definite lack of focus, and moreover so does Bale. Bale could never get the dicotomy between Bruce and Batman right. He often makes jokes, when we know damn well Batman doesn't have a sense of humor. He had this forced, almost comical tough guy voice. I think fanboys get caught up in the fact that he was big and could play an irresponsible socialite well. In reality though he only got a scant few aspects of Batman right, and missed the boat on the really big ones: the tortured psyche, the eccentric qualities, the almost aloof demeanor and behavior, the something "off" about him. Batman isn't some glorified ninja, he's a genius who has been racked with guilt over his parents death, has a "minor" superiority complex and has a wee bit of trouble truly relating to the average joe. Bale's Batman was tough no doubt, but he didn't carry that slight bit of insanity Keaton brought to the character.

In my mind Keaton was still leaps and bounds beyond the second best Batman, Christian Bale. I also think that Bale will have to really step up his game if he hopes to survive the next film with praise. Bale has lost a lot of size, and that was his major contribution to the bat-films: an actor who could create a physically intimidating pressence onscreen.

this "tortured soul" and "insanity" is ABSOLUTELY not needed for Batman! That's relatively new. And since when doesn't have Batman a sense of humor? THat's again such modern comic book crap. From 1939 till the mid of the 90s he (yes, as Batman) often made and said funny things! In BTAS he was quite funny at times as well. Yes, I am quite satisfied with Bale too but a lot just seemed to be really PHONY and he lacks natural charisma and an alpha male vibe. But well, what can you EXPECT??!