I saw this movie for the first time back in 2002 when I was 9. Up until that point I'd only seen Batman Returns, and both of the Schumacher Bat-flicks. This film absolutely floored me. For a solid month I would come home from school, do my homework, and watch "Batman" everyday. As a kid this was one of my all time favorite films, and the same is still true as an adult.
"Batman" is solid escapist entertainment. It transports you to a unique world where it feels like anything is possible. I can easily see this Gotham inhabiting every Rogue that Batman's ever faced from the comics. The mixture of 1930's fashion combined with contemporary elements is extraordinary. You can clearly see the effect this had on the comic book films of the 90's with the likes of Dick Tracy, Darkman, The Crow, The Shadow, etc.. In my opinion this type of filmmaking has been lost in recent comic book films. I miss the days where superhero films took you to a place that you'd never seen before. Nowadays they all take place in contemporary cities, or they take the Nolan approach of grounding a fictional metropolis in a real city. To be clear I do like that element of the Nolan films, but I don't think that style translates well for every comic book film.
As stated above I'd seen the other Batman films, but I would usually skip all the Bruce Wayne scenes in order to get to all the outlandish action sequences with Batman. For the most part I always found Bruce Wayne to be an uninteresting character in the Schumacher films, and I don't think the character received enough screen time in "Batman Returns". However, this was the first film where I was completely invested whenever Bruce Wayne was on screen. For me it was just as entertaining seeing Wayne as it was seeing Batman. Keaton really is the standout of this film. He is still the only actor to successfully make Bruce Wayne and Batman two distinctly different people. Keaton's Wayne is charismatic yet awkward, but his Batman is focused, calculating, and silent. It's quite the balancing act but Keaton executes both roles with ease.
Similar to my complaint about "Batman Returns" many have criticized this film for not giving Bruce Wayne/Batman enough screen time. I completely disagree, both characters are given just the right amount of screen time. Clearly the film wants to keep Batman as a mysterious figure, and to me that's an interesting approach. I like that this film doesn't reveal everything there is to know about Bruce Wayne. The filmmakers give you enough to make your own conclusions about the character. In case you need evidence that this was a deliberate choice look at the scene where Vicki discovers what happened to Bruce's parents. The film plays that plot point as a sort of twist or reveal. It definitely isn't an oversight on the part of Burton & co.
I can keep going on about why I love this film, but I don't want to write a novela with this post. To this day "Batman", and "The Dark Knight" are the only Batman films that I absolutely love. I can kind of understand the negative reaction that some people have towards it in a post Nolan world, but for my money it's still an awesome film. I'm not sure why so many fans fall into either the Nolan camp, or the Burton camp. I proudly plant my flag at both camps. One of the great things about Batman in the comics is the variety of interpretations artists have had over the years, and the same is true of the character in film. Both Nolan, and Burton's visions of Batman are valid interpretations of the character. Here's hoping Matt Reeves will join their ranks with his new film.
