FIRST TIME WATCHING *BATMAN (1989)* 

Batman the animated series, from the 90s, is an absolute must watch. Because of the writing and production you almost forget its a cartoon

IIRC, Burton and Keaton wanted to present a Bruce who can barely function as Bruce. Because he’s Batman.

RIP Michael Gough, Jack Palance, Lee Wallace, Prince, and William Hootkins. I was just a five-year-old when this movie was released, and I saw it at the drive-in theater near my home. I love this movie.

Best Batmobile design in any movie

The reason Jack Nicholson is credited first is because that was part of the agreement that he made with the studio.

Michael Keaton's filmography is a testament to his incredible range and versatility. From Batman to Beetlejuice, from Gung Ho to Pacific Heights, from Night Shift to My Life... The guy can do ANYTHING.

Keaton still delivers the most bad ass “I’m Batman” of all

Fun fact: the entire city was built/created inside the studio lot for this movie. Also Keaton Batman kills

Tim Burton’s Batman didn’t have a strict ‘no killing’ policy just like the original 1939 Batman.

Definitely react to Batman Returns. A lot of people, including myself, like it better.

My favorite line is the Jokers, "where does he get those wonderful toys?"

Fun fact. The surgical tools used in Joker's plastic surgery are the same tools the dentist uses in Little Shop of Horrors. Same exact props.

I was 18 when Batman first came out. EVERYONE saw it in the theater. It was really hyped up for months, we were all looking forward to it, but many questioned how good Michael Keaton could possibly be as Batman. It all paid off, though, and audiences loved it. Most of us never noticed or cared how he had to move his whole body to look right or left or straight up. Plus, we didn't notice how many people he killed, or caused the deaths of. And everyone agreed that Jack Nicholson set the bar for the Joker. He was the best we had ever seen or envisioned on screen.

Anton Furst was the production designer behind Batman 89, which gave us a mind-blowing Gotham City that is still the best depiction of Gotham in live-action, alongside Batman Returns. Gothic Revival meets Art Deco wonderland that gave Gotham its unique personality. Combine this with the timeless aesthetic that acted as a hybrid between the 30s/40s and the late 80s, and we have such a visually unique setting. The Batman Animated Series (1992) pulled heavily from the Burton films but went for a more Art Deco direction, fully embracing the timeless 1940s aesthetic to give this cool retro-futuristic look. Where people drove around in retro 30s to 40s cars and wore retro clothes, yet we had '90s computers and voice recorders. And of course the Arkham games, giving us a more modern timeless depiction of Gotham, 1930s to 1950s to 1970s meets the 2010s. The more modern Batman films, like the Nolan trilogy, depict Gotham as a generic East Coast American City. Batman Begins was all right, but Dark Knight and Rises were just about Chicago, Pittsburgh, and New York. The Batman (2022) was much better at capturing more of that Gothic look and feel, filming in the UK and Chicago and mixing it all with CGI to craft a good depiction of Gotham. But for me, Anton Furst's Gotham City is still the best.

Batman 89 is awesome, but Batman Returns is a masterpiece.

You're going to love Batman movies from this era. They have their highs and lows, but none of them are boring.

It's hard to believe there was a time when super hero/comic book films were rare and successful ones were rarer still. Before this, it was really just the 1966 Batman film with Adam West, (which was a modest success) and the 1978 Superman film (with diminishing returns for the sequels). There were also a few others, like Supergirl, Howard the Duck, and the Punisher, none of which had done well. Michael Keaton was also a very controversial choice with fans. There was actually a bit of a backlash. In the 80's, he was more known for comedies like "Mr. Mom" and "Beetlejuice". Jack Nicholson was a popular choice with fans to play the Joker, however.

When this came out a lot of us still remembered the 60s TV Batman which defined the word campy

I love this movie a lot. It's my favorite movie of all time. Michael Keaton will always be my favorite Batman.

Fun Fact: Robin Williams was initially offered the role as Joker in this, but the studio rejected him in favor of Jack Nicholson.

Jack Nicolson 🃏 most comic accurate Joker ever

When Keaton returned as Batman in The Flash movie they made him a more movable costume. However he said the moment he tried it on he told them it wouldn't work for him. He had grown accustomed to the original suit and wanted it made like that 🦇

Quotes from this movie still pop into my head at random. You ever danced with the devil in the pale moon light?

To be fair Batman only had a no killing rule in the 40. There are early comics where he and Robbin use a ww1 machine gun to take down thugs from a bell tower.

Imagine if Nolan's movies had Burton's costume and production design...perfect.

i agree! that bat-symbol using the moon was pretty cool! 👍 really enjoyed your reaction ☺

When this movie released, I was 13 years old, and my mom took me to see it with my younger brother on opening day when I left the theater, I instantly became a Batman fan.

Batman doesn't live in the shadows, he is the shadows

Fun fact @yasminareacts at 20:14 that mention you made actually happened in this film’s comic adaptation. In a panel you see a guy with a surprised look and next panel it’s jokers face on a bill

I like to think that Bob was the same guy who was with Jack when he killed Bruce's parents. This would mean that they've been working together for at least 30 years, which makes it all the more shocking when Joker just up and kills him on a whim.

You were absolutely right about the Joker's face on the money as a payoff to his previous statement. However, the scene where they revealed that was cut.

If you loved the moon shot, wait until the spotlight shot in the sequel.

This was my Batman when I was a kid in the 80s. 😁

Yasmina, you might like the sequel, Batman Returns (1992) , in 1989, jack nichoson got inspired by george lucas, george asked for the toy rights when he made star wars, and the studio gave them to him, not thinking anything of it, he made billions off the toys, so jack wanted the same deal, and the batman logo was on everything from hats to t shirts in 1989

I don't know if they ever actually filmed the scene, but it was originally in the screenplay (as well as the novelization and comic adaptations) that the One Dollar bills at the end were indeed fake (and poison-laced) bills with Joker's face on them.

She always has soo much fun watching movies. You can really tell how much she enjoys every viewing. Makes her reactions a lot of fun to watch too.

"He's not a vampire." Actually, there's a trilogy of alternate universe stories where he is one, following a disastrous encounter with Dracula himself. Said trilogy, *Red Rain,* was the career-making gig for recurring Batman artist Kelley Jones.

I've always really enjoyed Keaton's take on Batman. There is definitely some great comic book fun and silliness, but also some nice serious moments, and Nicholson is great as The Joker.

Batman returns!

“Yasmina, has anyone ever mentioned that you appear like the police commissioner’s daughter….Nonetheless, where did your fascination with Batman begin 🖤🖤🖤🖤….The Bat is not a crime fighter, why did you find 17 deaths offensive….If you must know, the real concern of eating across the table with your committed love interest; there are two salt shakers and only one saucière”

Fun Fact: Bob the Goon had his own action figure back in the day. He was the only goon to get one. XD

7:42 The rubber in the costume was too thick so Keaton couldn't turn his head. They fixed this in the sequel.

Batman 89 Batman Returns is a masterpieces

This was really the general public's introduction to the origin of Batman. The 1966 TV show made one or two passing mentions of Bruce's parents being killed by a criminal. The comics in the 1950s and 1960s rarely mentioned it (though, from 1969 on, it seems that there's a flashback to his parents' murder almost every other month). But to people who didn't read comics, Batman was a goofy crimefighter who wore a silly costume for no reason, until this movie came out.

This is what it looks like when you turn a comic into a movie. The city might look unrealistic, but it is stylish and fits the theme of Batman perfectly. And the characters, especially Vicky Vale act like they are in a comic. This Joker remains my favourite. He is just crazy and justifies it with being an artist. Jack Nicholson in a different role? Give 'Mars Attacks' (1996) a try.

Let's get nuts!

I fell in love with the Joker character. He’s just a really good villain (and I’ve only seen this movie) it’s a Crazy, Creepy and somehow funny character. I absolutely love it

I went to see this as a 14-year-old when it came out in the cinema, and I like the fact that you seemed to have similar reactions to the exact same moments that I did. For example, assuming that nuclear family wandering round Gotham at the start were the doomed Waynes. Also, I remember being genuinely a bit scared by the scene with Jack/Joker and the doctor with the medieval tools - and I was already into Freddy Krueger even back then! 🙂

this is my favorite batman. its has the best joker. you have to see batman returns next, but that's a Christmas movie so idk if you want go and watch it right away. it's up to you.

Back in the 80s, this was a nice transition between the comedic Batman of the 60s TV series we all had in our heads, and the dark Batman of the original comics. Not completely one or the other, but a departure from the groovy, boyscout-like Batman from the TV. I don't think Tim Burton cared about Batman's rule of not killing.

There are two Batmobiles which will always, in my opinion, be iconic. The 1966 Batmobile from the series, a Ford Futura concept car that legendary Hollywood automobile designer guru George Barris allegedly purchased from Ford for $1, and the '89 version which is commonly referred to now as the Keaton Batmobile. Fun anecdote. The Keaton version supposedly required them to clip the ears on the cowl of the suit because they wouldn't fit inside the interior when the canopy slid into place. Not sure if that's true or not, but wouldn't be surprised.

We ALMOST got Billy Dee Williams as Two Face. He was set to appear in Tim Burton’s cancelled third Batman film.

I used to work in a museum and they know people are really clumsy, so the the statue is usually bolted to the pedestal and the pedestal is bolted to the floor. Lol

When this came out, it was a game changer. Excepting Superman, which was a decade earlier, this was the first movie that really even made an attempt to really use comics as inspiration. Because big corporations move slow, Marvel didn’t get their act together for another decade before we saw X-men and Spider-Man . In between, there were a lot of indy comics made to movies: The Crow, Tank Girl, Dick Tracy, Road to Perdition, and American Splendor were of this era and great watches.

The tactical advantage of a stiff neck is nobody can choke him out and he survives a high fall and a plane crash with a reinforced neck

I once saw a video that describes things that wouldn't be/weren't in the comic books. They said that Batman would never take Vicky Vale to the Bat Cave. They also said that Jack Napier/Joker never killed the Waynes in the comics.

I loved your editing of Jack falling into the chemicals, that was epic! 😃

18:11 Imagine being in the theatre with surround sound at full blast for that. We had to peel ourselves off the ceiling.

Another amazing Nicholson performance is 'One flew over the cuckoo's nest' (1975), 5 Oscar winning (Best picture, best director, best actor, best actress & best script).

The No Killing rule is mostly true but in 1939 when he debuded he did kill for a whole year until Robin then they decided that people with a minor in tow

I still have my large black cup with the bat 🦇 logo on it that you would get at the theaters when this came out in the cinemas, i was only 10 and in my 40s now this and part 2 is still my favorites

This was my Batman

Batman 89's Gotham set was built on the backlot at Pinewood Studios in England. The city set was one of the biggest at the time for the Studio covering roughly 95 acres & Warner Brothers bankrolled Pinewood very handsomely. Other Batman movies have continually shot in the UK including The Dark Knight trilogy & even as recently as 2022's "The Batman"

20:11 Don’t know if anyone in the comments mentioned this already, but as a matter of fact, the comic adaptation of this movie revealed that the bills that Joker gave out did have his face on them.

They were supposed to show that the money was fake, but we got it in the novelization

10:25 Glad ya got that, a lot of people who watch this movie assume the white stuff is make up, and get confused, when really the peach stuff is the make up

Let's go Classic

You ain't seen nothing yet until you've seen Batman Returns!

Just discovered this channel. All time classic film since i was 2.

I’m fairly certain that that it was intentionally funny at times. Burton has a great way of mixing humor with the macabre and I think it works great for Batman; leaning into the darker elements while acknowledging the inherent silliness of the entire concept.

Keaton used his claustrophobia as fuel for his portrayal of batman. The bat turn was born from this it even was brought back in the dark knight. When Fox said you want to be able to turn your head. When Keaton was brought back in the flash he refused to wear the cowl they made. The cowl they made was better for him to move his head. He told them no that's not my batman he wanted to be true to the 89 movie. He will always be my batman he shaped my childhood. There is a batman 89 comic it's set three years after returns. There was so much backlash when Keaton was cast as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Once the movie came out it proved he was the right pick. If you want to watch a campy batman watch Adam West batman.

I love watching first time reactions to this movie. I’ll never forget the first time I saw it. Such a classic.

Jack Nicholson received $6 million AND a percentage of the box office. When all was said and done, Nicholson pocketed $90 million for playing the Joker. Still the record for the highest amount of money paid to an actor for one movie.

8:44 Trying to replicate Bruce's posture here was pretty funny😅. Idk how he does it either

this revolutionized superhero movies when it came out.. before this there was the old Superman movies with Christopher Reeve, which were great but pretty campy and fluffy. It wasn't until Tim Burton made Batman that hollywood realized you could make darker and edgier superhero movies and they would make boatloads of money. This movie made Tim Burton *mega* famous overnight and thus he had the creative freedom to push things even further with his movies after that. Batman Returns was even weirder and edgier and the rumor is that the studios weren't happy because it went too far. but I always loved it possibly even more than the first.

I like watching reactions to movies that someone sees for the first time now, but I saw it as a little kid like 30 years ago and can't even imagine that my brain once existed in a state where it hadn't seen Batman 89 yet :) Weirdly enough, I only watched the first sequel Batman Returns this year, and loved it, so, recommended. And both very much were meant to be darkly funny ;)

See Jack as a not-so-crazy-person in A Few Good Men. A truly classic movie.

I also love Gotham city and imagine my surprise when, watching the Gotham TV show as it first aired, seeing someone I went to school with playing Barbara Kean. Caught me off guard (felt particularly odd at the time since Erin Richards and I are from a medium-sized town in South Wales)

Great Reaction.... Vision and Direction by Tim Burton, Music by Prince, Excellent Conbination.... So Many other performances, Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger..... This is the only storyline that has Jack/Joker Kill Bruce's Parents, in the comics and other movies they were killed by Joe Chill..... I Enjoy how the Tim Burton Batman and Batman Returns have the comic book vibe Gritty balanced with over-the-top Comedy..... Batman/Bruce was scared by bats as a child, so as a way to face his fear, he shares his fear with Villians.....

24:36 - I've never seen that with closed captioning, but apparently someone couldn't tell the difference between Billy Dee as Harvey and Pat Hingle as Gordon.

Ur the FIRST reactor to comment about the money correctly! Some reactors ask where he got the money from or why he would give it away. But in the novelization as everyone is grabbing it up, they start to notice that it's fake because it has Joker's face on it! So u get top marks! When u said that I was like "Wow! Clever girl...."

Tim Burton directed this one and Keaton really surprised me because I always thought of him as a comedic actor.

in the original script of batman 1989 joker face was going to be on one dollar bill

As a long time Batman fan, he has most definitely killed in the comics, although over the last 20 to 30 years, he has refrained from doing so.

The jokers chemical hideout lar was also used in James Cameron's 1986 movie ALIENS for the queen alien nest

The 'code' of no killing only really became popular due to Michael Bay. Batman traditionally avoiding killing but was more grounded in reality where sometimes he would have to, at least compared to other heroes. Also he got more fantastical afterwards where he was doing absurd fights vs beings he has no business fighting. Now you can argue he did that before but they were all heavily toned down. It was more like a universal nerf so it still made some sense. All of these feels like it was made to keep modern Batman the same (no killing). You can argue that's my opinion but it's the only logical way to explain why Batman got op out of nowhere when fighting these beings that should just wipe out tons of people. Now granted you can find exceptions like Zack Snyder where he came AFTER Michael Bay but I'm more use to this Batman. And honestly Batman himself in Michael Bay movies was pretty bad all around. Not saying the movies were bad. It was the story and the villains that carried those movies. But the animated series of Batman every character just felt amazing, including Batman and Robin.

As you can tell by my icon, I’m a huge Batman fan and specifically a huge Michael Keaton as Batman fan. This is my third favorite film of all time, after Raiders of the lost Ark, and then Jaws. Is it perfect? No… There’s some dumb crap in it like the swordsman that producer Jon peters insisted being included, And no Batman should not kill. It is, though what I think is the best interpretation of the character in live action, and Keaton nailed the fact that there aren’t two people, there’s actually three: there is Batman, there is the Bruce Wayne persona and then there is the actual Bruce Wayne, who only Alfred and a few others ever get to see. Nicholson was amazing in this, and was intelligent enough to ask for a percentage of the merchandising which he realized would be worth of vast fortune. So very happy you enjoyed it, highly recommend the animated series and the film mask of the phantasm, which is a movie length version of that.

The _Superman_ (1978) movie credits listed Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman before Christopher Reeve. Star power usually determines billing, not the lead role. Enjoyed your reaction very much and hope you'll follow this with _Batman Returns_ . I'm curious as to which of them you'll like more.

I believe that Nicholson's Joker laugh was based on the type given by Cesar Romero in the 1960s Batman television show.

Nicholson didn't get paid for this film. He instead opted for a portion of the profits and merchandise. He ended up making a lot more than he would have taking a fee. He was also billed first because he was a bigger star than Keaton at the time.

20:21, about that......... that's an idea dropped from the movie only to be picked up in the comic book adaptation of said movie.

Batman animated movies Mask of the Phantasm, Batman Under the Red Hood, Batman vs Mr Freeze Sub Zero, Batman Year One, and the animated Dark Knight Returns movie you should watch as well. The Phantasm has Luke Skywalker as Joker. Red Hood has Bender from Futurama as Joker.

Batman '89 is one of my top-10 favorite movies of all-time. I don't know exactly why - I'm honestly not even that big of a Batman fan - but everything about this movie hits me the right way. A quick rundown of the rest of the series: Batman Returns - I'm not a fan. It's not really a Batman movie. And not just in the "Batman '89 is more of a Joker movie than a Batman movie" way, more in a "Burton sidelines Batman and the Batman villains because he's more interested in the mayoral race" kinda way. It's not a bad movie, it's just not a Batman movie. I'm not a fan, but a lot of women seem to like it; I think it's partially a Burton thing (the specific weirdness of his movies seems to resonate with women, in my experience), and probably also a Catwoman thing. Batman Forever - it's not a good movie, but the worst thing a movie can be isn't bad, it's boring; I don't think Batman Forever is boring. It's weird and interesting enough that I think it's worth a watch. Banger fucking soundtrack too; Kiss From A Rose is the obvious classic, and "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" was the other big single, but the Riddler song by Method Man was really great too, and "Passenger" by Michael Hutchence is a fucking banger. Batman & Robin - fucking TERRIBLE movie. Very very few people defend it. Those who do try to argue that it's campy and fun; no. It's *trying* to be campy and fun; it fails. I keep telling people: if you want a campy, fun, silly Batman movie, skip Batman & Robin and instead watch Batman '66. It's a fucking STUPID movie, it's the dumbest movie you'll ever see... and I love it. I didn't even like the show, but something about the movie hit me just right, for some reason. So... watch or don't watch those movies, that's all fine by me. I don't think you *should* watch Batman Forever, for instance, but I'd say don't skip it simply because you were told it was bad. Although again, I'd say skip Batman & Robin. If you're willing to watch it thinking it might be over-hated... nope. Batman '66 instead.

When Michael was cast as the character, people hated the choice because he is known for comedy like Mr Mom. Fans were hoping this movie would redefine the character after the goofy Adam West days. Fans actually petitioned for a recast. Tim Burton assured fans Michael was the right actor for the role. After seeing Beetlejuice though, I had complete faith Tim picked the right man.

Batman '89 marks the bridge from the goofy 70s Adam Weat Batman (which was failing the fans, despite it being a great look into the socio-economic details of the time) and the modern era of the 90s, with the world becoming more tech and global savvy. Definitely jump into BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES before you go further into DC films. It is pivotal you get the full Batman experience from BTAS.

You are correct about the museum scene where Joker responds to Vickie's question with "My face on the one dollar bill." I didn't notice it in the theater but later, when it was released on VHS tape, I found a frame during the parade where one of the bills lands on the brim of Joker's hat. Yes, George Washington has been replaced by a cartoon Joker face.

4:47 lmao! That eye twitch.

People who throw the no kill rule in the Tim Burton's don't know the real concept of those films. Michael Keatons Batman killed because he knew that if he didn't the same villain could cause havoc again and again which yes does stray from comics but to this iteration it makes perfect sense. On top of that it's why Gotham is so safe in the flash. In my opinion

And it is the Billy Dee Williams version.

Night wing the best. Batman: the black mirror is one the best comics . Dick Grayson my favorite Batman