10 Best Batman Moments
5. The Beginning of the Final Showdown
“Who do you trust?”
In any build-up to a fight, there is palpable tension in the air. We know how the story usually goes, and we know that the hero is most likely to win. But, as the villain gathers their cronies and weapons, it is here that they are at their strongest. Doubts cloud our minds, and we begin to fear that our hero will not live to see his battle through.
The Joker seizes an opportunity to address Gotham, whilst Batman destroys Axis Chemicals. He announces that he will be giving away free money to all who attend Gotham’s bicentennial parade. The Joker also invites Batman for one final faceoff at the parade. When the fateful day comes, The Joker sits atop a float, with a large balloon attached to it. As Prince’s “Trust” plays, The Joker begins to dance and throw money down to the citizens. The Batwing eventually arrives, flying over the scene, but the Joker’s tricks don’t end there. The giant balloon opens, sending toxic gas into Gotham.
Exuberant yet menacing, this scene epitomises The Joker’s nature of turning the unassuming into the destructive. The Joker is in his element, fanning the flames of Gotham’s upheaval with wads of dollar bills; sitting atop a pink cake parade float, seated in a purple throne, he presides over a city in ruin. Shots of Gotham’s forgotten citizens show them reaching their hands upwards, taking the only hope they’ve been offered. “Trust – who do ya?” sings Prince, creating a camp effect but also speaking to the film’s introspective themes – out of two revenge-seeking madmen, who should Gotham trust more? As gas weaves through its sickened streets, Gotham realise they have trusted a man who has poisoned them. Batman bears witness to this, flying just above the city’s highest hopes. Burton creates a wider picture here, something we may have missed all along – Batman can defeat as many big names as he pleases, but he’ll never conquer Gotham’s ingrained misery.
4. The Final Showdown in the Cathedral
“I made you, but you made me first.”
The final showdown between any two characters isn’t just a singular, all-or-nothing brawl. In its purest form, the final showdown is the ultimate display of our characters’ identities and morals; it represents their relationship in its most intense form. Their every decision has culminated in this moment, and it is in this moment alone that they bare themselves to the audience, and to each other.
Batman swoops down in his Batwing, snatching the toxic-gas balloons from The Joker’s parade. But The Joker shoots him down, and he crash-lands just outside Gotham Cathedral. The Joker then grabs Vicki Vale and takes her to the lofty heights of said Cathedral. Batman finds them; after fighting off more goons, a brutal fight takes place. As Bruce confronts The Joker about his parents’ deaths, The Joker suddenly discovers who Batman truly is.
In a scene that pays homage to Vertigo, the heights of Gotham Cathedral reflect the stakes of the battle. With Elfman’s gothic crash of a score, this moment becomes bolder with each floor The Joker climbs. Burton creates a labyrinthine effect here, as Batman confronts confusion at every turn. It’s a spinning crack of madness, with The Joker entering the final stages of insanity; he is completely unknowable as he waltzes with Vicki to circus music. When Batman eventually finds The Joker, every punch thuds in your own gut. There’s something horrific in The Joker’s reactions, as he combats the conflict with gags (for example, spitting out fake teeth when punched in the face). Something even more horrific, however, lies in Batman’s catharsis of their twin identities, as Burton’s mythology is actualised. As he stares at The Joker’s bloodied face, he realises that they each have made a monster in the other. Though no bells will ring out in Gotham that night, The Joker’s final cackles are sure to reach every street corner.
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3. The Joker’s Takeover of the Flugelheim Museum
“Gentlemen, let’s broaden our minds!”
The villains of a story are often the ones who give it colour, shape and life. Operating outside the norms of our structured society, they soar against the narrative. Where we have seen a dozen heroes, each with single-colour capes and overly-serious demeanours, we look to the mad villains they are trying to cage. And, when we do look there, we never quite know what we’re going to get.
After becoming smitten with Vicki Vale, The Joker manages to track her down at the Flugelheim Museum. As she waits for Bruce to arrive for their date, she receives a conspicuous present. Inside it is a gas mask and a note, telling her to put it on immediately. Just then, purple gas floods from the vents and Vicki immediately puts the mask on. It is then that The Joker and his gang appear, and they begin to destroy the museum’s art. As “Partyman” by Prince rings out, The Joker dances around gleefully. He then arrives at Vicki’s table, orchestrating a twisted date for the pair.
In amongst many dark, shadowy scenes, this moment represents a much-needed dopamine hit in the film. For whilst The Joker is the main antagonist, he is also comedy relief. Dressed to the nines, Nicholson delights as he doodles on artwork and knocks statues down. The whole scene feels like a subversion of a music video but is addictive to watch. “Partyman” is the perfect encapsulation of The Joker in this scene; Prince wrote the song after his first on-set meeting with Nicholson and truly bottled his erratically fun energy. However, there is yet another dark twist. After referring to himself as a homicidal artist, he reveals to Vicki his intentions of making everyone in his image with the use of Smylex. Whilst on the surface this scene appears to be Burton having a bit of fun, he never once neglects his intention – showing us just how disturbed Jack Napier has truly become.
