The megahit "Batman" was influenced less by the old DC Comics and TV series than it was by the Batman "graphic novels" written and drawn in the late 1980s by Frank Miller. The Gotham City of this film is a grimy, decaying urban crime pit; small wonder that the sleek, state-of-the-art Caped Crusader seems to be the "cleanest" thing in town. As we all know, Batman is really millionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton), who turned to crimefighting after his parents were brutally murdered before his eyes. The only person to share Wayne's secret is faithful butler Alfred (Michael Gough): Robin, the Boy Wonder, does not exist so far as the filmmakers are concerned. The principal villain in Batman is The Joker (Jack Nicholson) who'd been mob torpedo Jack Napier before he'd been horribly disfigured in a vat of acid. The Joker's plan to destroy Batman and gain control of Gotham City is manifold. First he distributes a line of booby-trapped cosmetics, then he goes on a destruction spree in the Gotham Art Museum (while the music of Prince blasts away in the background), and finally he orchestrates an all-out campaign to win the hearts and minds of the Gothamites, hoping to turn them against the Cowled One. Meanwhile, girl reporter Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) becomes the love of Batman's life-which of course plays right into the Joker's hands. Magnificently photographed by Roger Pratt, designed by Anton Furst, and scored by Tim Burton's favorite composer Danny Elfman, Batman is one of the most mean-spirited films ever to become a box-office hit (to the tune of $100 million in the first ten days of release--$82,800,000 in North America alone), but that's what 1989 audiences apparently craved. It's easy to see why Michael Keaton eventually bailed out of the Batman/Bruce Wayne role: Jack Nicholson's Joker is not only the most fascinating character in the film, but he also receives the most screen time-and thanks to Nicholson's percentage-of-merchandising deal, he made the most money. Incidentally, Billy Dee Williams' comparatively small role as DA Harvey Dent was originally designed to set up the sequel, wherein Dent was to convert into master criminal Two-Face; but by the time the producers got around to that character in 1995's Batman Forever, Two-Face was played by Tommy Lee Jones. 1989

1. Batman Theme
2. Roof Fight
3. First Confrontation
4. Kitchen, Surgery, Face-Off
5. Flowers
6. Clown Attack
7. Batman to the Rescue
8. Roasted Dude
9. Photos/Beautiful Dreamer
10. Descent into Mystery
11. Bat Cave
12. Joker's Poem
13. Childhood Remembered
14. Love Theme
15. Charge of the Batmobile
16. Attack of the Batwing
17. Up the Cathedral
18. Waltz to the Death
19. Final Confrontation
20. Finale
21. Batman Theme (Reprise)