BATMAN!!!

I feel like I am going to have to break out the boxing gloves for this one. You see, I am very aware that in the last few years Christopher Nolan has rebooted the Batman franchise. Christian Bale is a great Batman and The Dark Knight is currently the 3rd highest domestic grossing film of all time. The 2 Batman films that Christopher Nolan has done are arguably two of the best comic book films ever made.
But I am not talking about Mr. Nolan's vision of Batman. I'm talking about Tim Burtons vision of Batman and I find comparing the two directors works to be a completely fruitless endeavor. Under no circumstances do I believe the quality of Nolan's work should be used to detract from the quality of Burton's work. And on a similar subject, even more pointless is trying to compare Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker to that of Jack Nicholson. Nolan's work is darker and transcends a feeling of being closer to a real life mobster dramas than a cartoon. Burton's focus may not have been true to the comic book but it reflected the feeling and style of a comic book world.
The Burton vision is filled with a dark sense. It gives the impression that we are watching Batman from is very beginning. He is getting his name out and making an impression on Gotham City. We also see Jack Nicholson as second in command mobster Jack Napier and Harvey Dent is the recently elected district attorney determined to bring the mob down. Batman catches wind that something is going down at the chemical plant. There is a shoot out between the cops hired to kill Napier and his gang members and Batman arrives and drops Napier into a vat of chemicals creating The Joker.
From here on The Joker takes over as mob leader and begins running his twisted plans on Gotham City. Caught in the middle of this story is Vicky Vale, a reporter who is intrigued by the Batman story and who has caught the eye of the Joker.
What I defend in this film is that it achieves it's own vision of the Batman story successfully and skillfully. To this day I love Nicholson's performance as the Joker. He is maniacal and enjoyable and hits every line with a sense glee. Michael Keaton is a great Bruce Wayan and a good Batman. The rest of the characters are all played well and the story is enjoyable.
The reason I feel defensive in discussing this film is that I know this film does not compare with the work of Christopher Nolan, but it still should not detract from this film. The best comparison I could make would be to use a classic like caper film like the Sting to Ocean's Eleven. If you grow up today and see a film like Ocean's Eleven packed full of twists and little things you catch on repeat viewing it makes a film like The Sting seem sorta simple. But The Sting is still considered a classic because of it's place in film history and the fact that films like Ocean's Eleven may never have gotten made with out it. Of course the Nolan films are deeper and offer more. Of course Ledger's performance has more depth and is infinitely more captivating. So I submit to anyone reading this to remember that Tim Burton's original "darker" version of Batman is what paved the way for directors like Nolan to take comic book material to an even darker more realistic level. Plus, it is still considerably better than Joel Schumacher's ridiculous takes on Batman.