DC fans are at each other’s throats over whether Michael Keaton’s 1989 ‘Batman’ film holds up

With Michael Keaton‘s return as Batman coming in just a few weeks, it’s no surprise that fans want to rewatch his old performances from the 80s and 90s. While it’s no secret that filmmaking and storytelling techniques changed over the years, especially in the superhero genre, one DC fan had a hot take that got people divided.

Over on r/DC_Cinematic, Reddit user u/gusfring88 shared his experience rewatching the 1989 Batman movie. According to the Redditor, watching Keaton’s debut as the Dark Knight in 2023 is “unwatchable.” The author of the thread has listed a handful of criticismsof the film, such as subpar action scenes, “terrible” CGI, the characters not being “comic book accurate,” and how the film is pretty much laughable and “hard to watch.”

This modern review for the 1989 Batman film was certainly a divisive ones for the subreddit’s followers. There were a few who agreed with the author, but one pointed out that the reason why the film was “laughable” was because it’s Tim Burton’s aesthetic and that most of his films have that sort of effect. Meanwhile, others agreed that the film felt dated now compared to when it was first screened in 1989. However, it doesn’t mean that Keaton’s and Nicholson’s performances weren’t good.

Of course, there were others who leapt to the defense of the film, saying it still holds up despite its flaws, and that the “lack of CGI” made the film look even better. One commenter, claiming to be Gen Z describes it as “phenomenal,” and only gets better with every rewatch. The author of the thread may have their spicy gripes with the 1989 film, but as of today it still retains its high rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average critic score of 73 percent and an audience score of 84 percent.

At the end of the day, this is the author’s take on the film after years of not watching it until now. Who knows, maybe some of Keaton’s combat scenes will be improved in the upcoming Flash movie. If you want a recap on Keaton’s performance as the Dark Knight, Batman is available to stream on HBO Max.