History YMMV / Batman1989

* UncannyValley: Ironically, the Joker looks ''far'' [[http://photobucket.com/gallery/user/guyver12/media/bWVkaWFJZDo5MDY0NTEyNw==?ref= creepier]] when he's wearing the skin-toned makeup to make himself look normal than when he's being his regular, clown-faced self.

* TheissTitillationTheory: A more subtle and family-friendly variation than most. It occurs when the Joker has taken Vicki hostage and is forcing her up to the cathedral's belltower. He removes her white high-heeled shoes (and kisses them) to enable her to climb the stairs faster; soon after that, he removes her trench coat (this time, just for the hell of it), leaving her in just her white dress. [[FridgeBrilliance (It's possible that this is partly to bait Batman by leaving the various items of clothing behind as he pursues the Joker, making him think that Vicki is being subjected to a]] ShamefulStrip.) While Vicki's dress is very modest by most standards, it is also quite sheer and has very loose straps that have slid down Vicki's shoulders a bit; it also strongly suggests pre-industrial-age women's underwear, which is fitting given the pseudo-medieval setting of the cathedral. The scene allows for just enough titillation without seeming overly sexual.

** Alfred leading Vicki into the Bat-Cave might be this as well.
** In said Bat-Cave scene Vicki says to Bruce "I've loved you since I met you..." when their relationship seems based mostly on a one night stand. Seems Bruce must be great in bed...
** The use of Music/{{Prince}} songs was cringe-inducing enough at the time, and is now even worse as they instantly date the film every time they appear. What makes it worse is that Prince did write a song -- "Dance With the Devil" -- that more closely fits the mood of the movie and has dated quite well, but it was cut from both the movie and the tie-in album for being "too dark."
** [[ItMakesSenseInContext "HE STOLE MY BALLOONS!"]]

* {{Big Lipped Alligator Moment}}s:
** The [[EnemyMime "mime assassins"]] at Ricorso's killing. They are never seen again after that scene, and are only vaguely referred to by Mayor Borg as "these gangsters." It was probably intended to be understood that these were the Joker's usual henchmen ''disguised'' as mimes, but the movie never makes that explicit.
*** It's clear that they are the same six guys (the fat guy, the really fat guy, the short guy, the skinny guy, the bald guy with the mustache, and the Asian guy) who follow around the Joker and Bob (they're also seen together at the museum). The Batman movie wikia has pictures of some of them both in and out of "mime-face."
** The "Partyman" sequence in the museum could also qualify. Although it is indeed foreshadowed ("Daddy's going to make some art, darling") and serves a purpose in bringing the Joker and Vicki Vale together, it otherwise contributes nothing to the plot and is never mentioned again once Batman shows up. ([[RealitySubtext Outside of the movie]], this scene was just inserted to get one of the songs by pop star Music/{{Prince}} incorporated into the movie's soundtrack.)
** Vicki fainting after she sees the "flowers" the Joker brought her - or may be a SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment|s}}.
** The Batplane locks perfectly onto the Joker, yet none of the bullets touch him as he stands completely still. The film makes no attempt to explain why this happened. [[note]]The simplest explanation is that the Batwing wasn't designed to hit a man-sized target given where the weapons are placed.[[/note]]

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Danny Elfman's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgpmdqUEQRM legendary theme]], which became instantly influential (see the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' theme).
** The theme became so iconic that it was even used in the trailers for ''Batman Forever'' and ''Batman & Robin'' despite the fact that Danny Elfman did not do the scores for those two films. Not to mention the fact that composer Eliot Goldenthal wrote an entirely different theme.

* AwardSnub: Anton Furst during his acceptance speech chided the [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Academy]] for not nominating Creator/JackNicholson's role as The Joker. Became HilariousInHindsight 19 years later, when Creator/HeathLedger won a posthumous one for the same role in ''Film/TheDarkKnight''. For that matter, Music/DannyElfman's score wasn't nominated.

* CompleteMonster: ComicBook/TheJoker, real name [[PsychopathicManchild Jack Napier]], is an [[AxCrazy insane, sadistic]] criminal. [[YouKilledMyFather Murdering the young Bruce Wayne's parents]], Jack is only stopped from killing the boy himself when his partner warns him the cops are approaching. After being transformed into the Joker, Jack goes on to kill the mob boss who betrayed him, before killing the other Mafia higher ups to take over the Gotham syndicate. Using [[DeadlyGas Smylex]] mixed in with everyday products, Jack causes a string of deaths of unsuspecting innocents. Jack also [[BastardBoyfriend abuses his girlfriend]], Alicia Hunt, disfiguring and eventually killing her, before trying to seduce Vicki Vale immediately after her death. Taking advantage of Gotham's 200th anniversary parade, Jack tries to gas the gathered civilians with Smylex to amuse himself and takes out his frustration over Batman stopping his plans by killing his loyal second-in-command.

** Knowing him, it was probably intentional.

** The Joker himself during his brawl with Batman. The most glaring example is when the Joker tries to attack Batman by distracting him through spitting out fake chatter teeth. He takes the moment to try to strike Batman by surprise, but ends up hurting his fist when Batman promptly crushes it before he could strike.

** The Joker hogging most of the screen time. Sure, it was setting up his origin story, but it would be more problematic in the later movies with their dual villains taking more time than Batman.

* LoveToHate: The Joker is this by default, but it's made more apparent by his [[Creator/JackNicholson choice of actor]] and his show-stealing antics.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: The first film was unique at the time. Comic book movies, and there weren't that many of them then, had never been so darkly elaborate before. It was also by far the darkest take on Batman beyond the actual comics. But after both the {{Franchise/DCAU}} take on the characters and the [[Film/TheDarkKnightSaga Christopher Nolan reboot]] proved to be exceptional adaptations in their own right, ''and'' the lingering bad aftertaste of Schumacher's sequels tainted the series' reputation, it's harder to appreciate the Burton films for what they were/are.

** The opening scene where Keaton's Batman says, "I'm Batman"

** One of the actors that could have been Batman was Robert Downey Jr, the actor who would later go on to be Iron Man in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse. Furthering the HilariousInHindsight was that Michael Keaton, who actually ''did'' portray Batman in this film would appear as the Vulture in ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'', which also featured Robert Downey Jr. reprising his role as Iron Man.

** As Creator/GrantMorrison pointed out in ''Supergods'', Vicki Vale wears so much makeup in some scenes she could pass as the Joker herself. This trait was shared by just about the entire female cast across both Tim Burton films (sans Selina Kyle during her HollywoodHomely phase).

* CompleteMonster: ComicBook/The Joker, real name [[PsychopathicManchild Jack Napier]], is an [[AxCrazy insane, sadistic]] criminal. [[YouKilledMyFather Murdering the young Bruce Wayne's parents]], Jack is only stopped from killing the boy himself when his partner warns him the cops are approaching. After being transformed into the Joker, Jack goes on to kill the mob boss who betrayed him, before killing the other Mafia higher ups to take over the Gotham syndicate. Using [[DeadlyGas Smylex]] mixed in with everyday products, Jack causes a string of deaths of unsuspecting innocents. Jack also [[BastardBoyfriend abuses his girlfriend]], Alicia Hunt, disfiguring and eventually killing her, before trying to seduce Vicki Vale immediately after her death. Taking advantage of Gotham's 200th anniversary parade, Jack tries to gas the gathered civilians with Smylex to amuse himself and takes out his frustration over Batman stopping his plans by killing his loyal second-in-command.

* CompleteMonster: [[PsychopathicManchild The Joker]], real name Jack Napier, is an [[AxCrazy insane, sadistic]] criminal. [[YouKilledMyFather Murdering the young Bruce Wayne's parents]], Jack is only stopped from killing the boy himself when his partner warns him the cops are approaching. After being transformed into the Joker, Jack goes on to kill the mob boss who betrayed him, before killing the other Mafia higher ups to take over the Gotham syndicate. Using [[DeadlyGas Smylex]] mixed in with everyday products, Jack causes a string of deaths of unsuspecting innocents. Jack also [[BastardBoyfriend abuses his girlfriend]], Alicia Hunt, disfiguring and eventually killing her, before trying to seduce Vicki Vale immediately after her death. Taking advantage of Gotham's 200th anniversary parade, Jack tries to gas the gathered civilians with Smylex to amuse himself and takes out his frustration over Batman stopping his plans by killing his loyal second-in-command.

* {{Fanon}}: While Jack Napier's partner who grabbed Mrs. Wayne's pearls is generally believed to be Bob, several fans assume him to be Joe Chill; [[ShrugOfGod not even the script]] names him.

* SpecialEffectFailure: The matte painting of the Batsignal clearly moves and ripples in each shot it's in.

* AwardSnub: Anton Furst during his acceptance speech chided the [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Academy]] for not nominating Creator/JackNicholson's role as The Joker. Became HilariousInHindsight 19 years later, when Creator/HeathLedger won a posthumous one for the same role in ''Film/TheDarkKnight''.
** For that matter, Music/DannyElfman's score wasn't nominated.

** Creator/MichaelKeaton being cast as Batman, and now after all these years fans still divided over him, perhaps even more so now thanks to the Creator/ChristopherNolan Batman films starring Creator/ChristianBale. Some fans still insist Keaton was, is and will always be the one true honest, most perfect definitive Batman and that no one else will ever surpass him and hate on Bale for not sounding like Creator/KevinConroy, while other fans still feel Keaton was miscast and will always feel he was miscast and prefer Bale for being a closer physical match to Batman's comic book self and for playing up both sides of the persona. And then there are fans who don't like either actor in the role, and there are fans who like both actors in the role, and others who feel Keaton did well enough with what he had. That's not even bringing up Creator/ValKilmer and Creator/BenAffleck which can complicate things even further.

** Creator/MichaelKeaton being cast as Batman, and now after all these years fans still divided over him, perhaps even more so now thanks to the Creator/ChristopherNolan Batman films starring Creator/ChristianBale. Some fans still insist Keaton was, is and will always be the one true honest, most perfect definitive Batman and that no one else will ever surpass him and hate on Bale for not sounding like Creator/KevinConroy, while other fans still feel Keaton was miscast and will always feel he was miscast and prefer Bale for being a closer physical match to Batman's comic book self and for playing up both sides of the persona. And then there are fans who don't like either actor in the role, and there are fans who like both actors in the role, and others who feel Keaton did well enough with what he had.

** The use of Prince songs was cringe-inducing enough at the time, and is now even worse as they instantly date the film every time they appear. What makes it worse is that Prince did write a song -- "Dance With the Devil" -- that more closely fits the mood of the movie and has dated quite well, but it was cut from both the movie and the tie-in album for being "too dark."

* NarmCharm: As cheesy as the Prince songs are, there's something fitting when it comes to seeing the Joker dancing around to both "Trust" and "Partyman" like a maniac given his PsychopathicManchild behavior.