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What portions of Batman (1989) have aged the worst?

posted 5 years ago by TMC-4 (19392)
16 replies | jump to latest

Considering that next June will officially mark 30 years since the release of Batman. There are some parts that still hold up tremendously like Danny Elfman's score and Anton Furst's production design. But there are some parts if you ask me, that don't hold up as well. In fairness, I don't know for sure if it was entirely intentional, but Batman seemed to try to mix different decades. Like a little bit of it felt like the '40s (when the Batman comics were first starting) and a little bit feels like the '80s. In other words, it isn't an out and out period piece but it isn't a straight-forward take that could take place in "our time" (like the Christopher Reeve Superman movies) either.

I think that Prince's smooth-funk music, some of Vicki Vale's fashion choices most naturally make it feel like an '80s movie. There's also the line that Knox gives to Vicki during the parade scene (when Joker is handing out the money) regarding Gotham's "greed":
https://www.nationalreview.com/2004/06/decade-greed-richard-mckenzie/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/03/18/the-glow-and-greed-of-the-80s/3fc93774-05f6-43eb-87cf-bdcb2b9db91e/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b821e047718d

https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/46mbah/why_was_the_80s_labeled_as_the_decade_of_greed/

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1992-01-23/news/1992023038_1_greed-1955-and-1980-charitable-giving

[–] mikethemartian (6057) 4 years ago

It was definitely influenced by film noir of the 1940s.

[–] captainbucky (15252) 4 years ago

Don’t encourage him

[–] TMC-4 (19392) 4 years ago

The way that Alexander Knox sometimes acts around Vicki Vale post-#MeToo:
http://citizens.trouble.city/showthread.php?tid=161250&pid=4623461#pid4623461

He makes an inappropriate comment about her legs.
He offers to pose nude for her.
He proposes marriage.
He invites her to lunch at her expense.

Then at the end of the movie she kisses him.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (12248) 4 years ago

The 80s hair and clothes.

[–] TMC-4 (19392) 4 years ago

Yeah, you have Michael Keaton kind of sporting a mullet (it's not as long or extravagant as the hairstyle that he sported in Clean and Sober, The Squeeze, or The Dream Team but still) and Kim Basinger's "mall hair" in some scenes (like Vicki's first date with Bruce at Wayne Manor or the museum scene). Jennifer Lawrence sported a hairstyle like that in X-Men: Apocalypse.

[–] L1 (1316) 4 years ago

It fails in nearly every conceivable way.

[–] AnubisRaydeen (7897) 4 years ago

That 2 hour portion in the middle.

[–] ebhaynz (3525) 4 years ago

I tried to watch this recently and it certainly has that 80's cheese factor throughout the whole movie. To say Jack Nicholson carried this movie is a vast understatement. I would say Keaton and Basinger phoned it in but that would be doing a disservice to late 80's phone technology.
Not all movies pass the test of time..I do remember when Batman came out and became a huge summer hit, and this was against several other huge summer releases like Indy 4, Star Trek 5, Abyss, Dead Poet Society, Ghostbusters 2, Lethal Weapon 2. We have to admit Batman did a great job beating out almost all these supposed titans.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

I do remember when Batman came out and became a huge summer hit, and this was against several other huge summer releases like Indy 4, Star Trek 5, Abyss, Dead Poet Society, Ghostbusters 2, Lethal Weapon 2. We have to admit Batman did a great job beating out almost all these supposed titans.

I BEG your pardon??

[–] ebhaynz (3525) 4 years ago

ok, I meant Indy 3 vice Indy 4. I'll admit this is a criminal act simply because Indy 4 is one of the most disappointing movies I've ever seen!

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

The 1980s music. But then again, 1980s nostalgia has become the new big thing with "Stranger Things" and other shows.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

It's 2020, 1980s nostalgia is over and done with, now it's the turn of 1990s nostalgia. You mark my words.

[–] TheAdlerian (2092) 4 years ago

It's is supposed to be in a different world, so the mixed time periods is fine.

I recall seeing this opening night and is was very impressive that the city was Gothic in its appearance. Movies back then would be filmed in some city and they would call it Gotham. But, this was in a city that was designed for the film to be Gotham.

However, when you watch the film now, the city looks like paintings and fake. So, that has not aged well. If you used modern CGI to create a gothic Gotham, that would be amazing.

Also, Batman's suit hasn't aged well. Batman is supposed to be an acrobatic ninja and it is just too stiff and rubbery.

I like Michael Keaton a lot but he doesn't look like a person who could curl a full grown man.

Kim Basinger could have any kind of hair she wants because she is super beautiful. There's something wrong with you if you notice her hairdo, lol.

[–] TMC-4 (19392) 4 years ago

[–] TheAdlerian (2092) 4 years ago

I can see it.

There's a beautiful softness to the inside of her face that would be hard to capture. She has a very defined jawline and all but she was very tender looking.