After watching the likes of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, it’s easy to dismiss Tim Burton’s work on the Batman franchise when looking at the whole picture. I’m sure many people simply think about Batman Forever and Batman & Robin and they just lump the original and Returns in with those. That’s a slight bummer, because Tim Burton’s Batman is still really good stuff.

I actually haven’t seen this movie in its entirety in probably over 10 years, which is great because I was able to appreciate the movie on a different level. I think the thing I love most about the original Batman is that Burton wastes no time on an origin story. Batman is already running around Gotham making a name for himself, and as a result we get right into the thick of things. Sure, I absolutely love the origin story in Batman Begins, but I admire that Burton trusted the audience enough to understand why Batman exists.

Speaking of Batman the character, Michael Keaton is still awesome as both the caped crusader and Bruce Wayne. It’s interesting knowing that their was a huge fan outrage when the studious announced that (then) comedic actor Keaton would don the cape and cowl. Looking back, it’s still a ballsy move, especially when you look at every Batman that has come since then. Kilmer has the looks for Wayne and the build of Batman, Clooney had the looks too for Wayen (but was a nightmare in the suit) and Bale too hits both notes. Keaton isn’t known for being a sex symbol, instead appearing like an ordinary guy. How could he look good in the suit? The guy is like 5′4″ and barely had an ounce of muscle on his body, yet he nails both characters. As Bruce, he’s a charming fellow with that great charisma that Keaton previously brought to his other roles, and as Batman his pronounced lips and intense eyes not only sold him in the suit but was mimicked by Kilmer.

I think the thing I love most about this portrayal of Batman is what appears to be his outright confidence. I was watching the movie with my wife and she kept pointing out that whenever Batman was on the scene he was simply “walking” around. I told her that I loved the fact that he’s just walking around, as he’s showing us that he is completely confident in what he’s doing. I love Bale’s Batman, but when the shit gets real there, Bale is as real as anyone other human that’s caught in a fight. Which is great, because it works perfectly for the Batman story they’re telling there, but in the original, Batman is like some sort of unstoppable force that no one is going to mess with. His confidence and “walking” around, I think, tells us a lot about the character. It is almost as if he feels like he has nothing left to lose. His motivation, while still a result of his parents murder, seem more disturbing than Bale’s mindset. In a great scene between Bruce and Vicky Val, she questions why he’s Batman. His answer is great, saying he’s not even quite sure why he’s doing it, he just knows he has to. It gives a feeling that Bruce hasn’t even come to complete terms as to what he’s doing and that maybe it even scares himself that he’s Batman.

I also really appreciate the feel of the whole film, in that it plays out more like a comic book than any of the other Batman films. While I absolutely love the “real” feel of the newer films, I also love the fantasy type elements present in Burton’s film. The Joker in particular is like a cartoon character come to life, and I can’t help but laugh at Nicholson’s performance. He might not be as downright fantastic as Ledger’s Joker, but he’s still in a league of his own. When going back and watching Forever, it’s almost painful watching Tommy Lee Jones trying to completely ape Nicholson’s version of the Joker.

The Joker is also interesting in that while he literally “laughs” off his newly deformed face, it actually bothers him quite a bit. It bothers him to the point where his goal is to make everyone ugly like him, in an effort to feel normal. So while the Joker never has a moment where he cries to himself about his situation, he’s clearly torn up about the whole thing.

I also can’t end this without mentioning Danny Elfman’s score. The Batman theme is still as epic as it was then, and the rest of the music fits the mood perfectly. Elfman is on top of his game here, with plenty of haunting and memorable themes. It’s hard to believe that this is the same guy who scored the newly released Terminator Salvation. I was a little excited when I saw Elfman’s name in the title credits of that movie, but was disappointed that he played the whole thing safe simply by using the same Terminator theme over and over again. Compared to what he did on Batman, I almost wonder if maybe Elfman exhausted all of his creativity over the last 20 years. Elfman has had some awesome scores since this movie (like Nightmare Before Christmas) but this easily rests up there with his best work (though he did even better work in Batman Returns).

Anyway, if you can get by the fact that this is a completely different Batman than the ones we’re used to these days, there is still much to enjoy and admire about this film. Check it out if you haven’t seen it lately, or at all.