Batman '89: Still Holds Up (and Tim Burton's Gotham is EVERYTHING)

Okay, so I just re-watched Tim Burton's Batman (1989), and I gotta say, it's still pretty darn great. I know, I know, it's like, the defining Batman movie for a lot of people. But I'm talking about specifically from a visual storytelling perspective. Burton's Gotham is just...chef's kiss. It's not just dark, it's oppressively, beautifully, deliberately ugly. Like, you can almost smell the grime and despair through the screen. The production design alone deserves all the awards. And the cinematography! I love how they frame Keaton. He's not your typical superhero build, and they use that to their advantage. There's this amazing shot in the Batcave early on, where he's just dwarfed by the technology, emphasising the almost manic level of obsession Wayne has. It's not just about being a hero, it's about controlling the chaos he saw as a kid. On the other hand, they totally let Jack Nicholson just go wild as the Joker, and rightly so! Every frame he's in is just pure, unadulterated chaos, visually reflected in his makeup and costumes. I think what I appreciate most about this film is how it committed to being itself. It wasn't trying to be realistic or gritty in the Nolan sense (which, don't get me wrong, I appreciate that style too). It's stylized, theatrical, almost operatic at times. The cathedral fight sequence is a perfect example of that. Maybe the action isn't as groundbreaking as stuff that came later, but the style is just so distinctly Burton. One minor gripe - Vicki Vale felt a little...underdeveloped? Like her character existed mostly to react to Batman and Joker, which is a shame. But overall, yeah, still think it's a great example of how a director's vision can elevate a superhero movie into something really memorable. What were your thoughts? What moments stood out to you, visually?