Batman... Lives UP!

 

Two actors who don't know how the movie ends.

The Live UP podcast reviewed the 1989 Tim Burton version of Batman, and declared that it still lives up to our memories of it. It's moody, has beautiful design throughout, and two fantastic lead actors (whether Michael Keaton is your favorite Batman or not, he still does a great job).

For people our age, Batman was the first major summer blockbuster in our living memory. We were too young to see Ghostbusters or any of the Star Wars sequels in the theater, and weren't alive when Jaws came out. Interestingly, what Amanda recalled - more than the film itself - were the TV commercials for the merch....

Alfred should do a Mentos commercial next.

In the summer of 1989, "Batmania" spread across the globe - driven both by genuine fan love for Batman, and an over-the-top merchandizing spree. The producers wanted to cash in on everything possible! No product was left unbranded. The Batman merchandizing shamelessly eclipsed levels that Spaceballs had parodied two years earlier. 

This led to a barrage of Batman-tie in TV commercials targeting kids during Saturday morning cartoons (or, if you were lucky enough to have cable, they were all over Nickelodeon). Thank goodness for the internet... some of these commercials are still online! 

• Action figures 
• Batman and Taco Bell collab
• Diet Coke

Ah, the nostalgia... we remembered the commercials more clearly than the movie!

I'm Batman... the cereal!

Even worse than the commercials, Amanda has a distinct memory of Prince's #1 hit song, Batdance, being all over the radio that summer... and that it was kinda terrible. The Batdance music video also went all the way to #1 on the MTV... despite looking like a "community theater doing avant garde".  The video is worth a watch, if only to remind yourself how weird it was. 

To hear all of our thoughts on Batman, please listen below, on Youtube, or any of your favorite streaming platforms.