by Matt Bird

Created on: August 19, 2010

Prior to Tim Burton's arrival on the scene, most people knew Batman - at least on the big and small screen - as a jaunty, somewhat happy-go-lucky crime fighter in tight spandex who fought crime with the eye of a brilliant detective. His punches came with sound effects attached, and nothing REALLY bad ever seemed to happen, mainly because Batman always had an anti-something spray along to deal with trouble.

That depiction, of course, was based on a Batman who was woefully out of date, so when the 80s and 90s strolled around a new one was needed. Thus came this new, updated Batman, and boy was he a sight for sore eyes.

In many ways, despite its rapidly advancing age, Tim Burton's Batman is exactly what we needed, and is still one of the ideal depictions of the guy. Don't get me wrong - the new Batman Begins and The Dark Knight movies are fantastic - but it's difficult to forget such a proper beginning.

In this movie Batman is almost like a myth. No one knows much about him: he just swoops down out of the darkness, taking villains by surprise and then disappearing again. Unlike the old Batman he's a creature of few words,a  slightly deranged yet fully dedicated man - and he stays that way throughout the movie. Batman and Bruce Wayne are two very different people here, unlike in the old show where, well, Batman was Bruce Wayne with a costume on.

And he has an excellent foil in the Joker. Indeed, Jack Nicholson is arguably the real star of this movie, as he puts such deadly flair into his character that he's tough not to like. Despite adopting all the looks of the old time Joker he's as vicious as they come, acting the part of a clown while murdering, poisoning and blackmailing his way to the top. That crazed laugh of his is tough to forget. He and Batman could probably star in this alone and still make it a good movie - though fortunately all the backup characters play their parts well (particularly the fatherly Alfred).

But what really sets this movie apart is the environment. Gotham City isn't just another unpleasant neighborhood, it's Gotham City. It's dark and mysterious, filled with gothic structures and crumbling decadence that's a pure joy for the eye. (A shame this landscape would later be marred by flashing lights. Ugh.)

This movie is fantastic. Watch it. Even if you hated the later Batman movies, and I wouldn't blame you, watch this one. It's a visual treat, and still stands up well against the test of time.

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