LogFAQs > #980310234

Bubbagump posted...

I think you have to put the film in its proper context. In 1989, when most people thought of Batman, they thought of the 1960s campy Adam West version. This Batman was the first one to bring a darker (comparatively) tone to the series and did it quite successfully. It was also one of the first big summer blockbusters that had huge merchandise tie-ins (games, books, toys, etc), and made a big splash within the culture. Everyone was wearing batman shirts, consuming batman media, the stuff was everywhere! There had never been anything like it except for maybe Star Wars.

It definitely was. While Superman 78 was the first big superhero movie, the cultural impact that Batman 89 had was unparalleled, and it is arguably considered the movie that broke barriers and allowed all successive comic book media with complex storylines or characters, be it tv show or movie, to exist in some shape or form. Batman was almost considered a goofball before this movie, on an Aquaman level, due to stuff like the Adam West show and Superfriends.