It’s sort of weird coming home from the gym and learning that today marks the 25th anniversary of Tim Burton’s Batman. The reason is that I literally work out where I saw the film all of those years ago (as the theater turned into a gym, clearly). Running on a treadmill in the exact spot where I saw Batman is such a bizarre experience – not to mention that it makes me feel crazy old.
I remember being obsessed with the movie, and that my dad went out of his way to hunt down the first action figure, which was impossible to get because the toy store employees kept grabbing the “Batman” figure for themselves and local comic shops. If you wanted a “Bob the Goon” action figure, you were in luck…
I also have a strong recollection of sort of hating that Batman was all black. I grew up watching the old TV series and always pictures him with the classic blue and grey getup. The explanation that the yellow logo would draw gunfire to his bulletproof vest was enough, though, to sell me on the new look.
25 years later I still believe that Michael Keaton was the best Batman, although Christian Bale is clearly a better Bruce Wayne. Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale, don’t get me started (mmmm mmm mmmm). And let’s not forget how incredible Jack Nicholson was at The Joker, and how Prince’s music stole the show. All of these years later the movie has aged like fine wine, becoming a classic comic book adaptation that is everlasting. If you haven’t picked up the blu-ray yet, I strongly advise doing so because the blacks in the movie are so dense that the HD really amplifies just how incredible it looks.
Batman was money 25 years ago, and it’s still money today.