What's on the bat-console?

[Grissom]

So watched Batman again Saturday night and its brilliant and stunning as always. Great thing about this film is that you notice things that you really haven't quite noticed before.

When Batman takes Vicki to the Batcave and explains Joker's scheme, he gets up and moves to the side and drops the file. On the console there appears to be either mouthwash or some sort of other cosmetic item as he was obviously investigating the chemicals involved in Joker's terror plot.

I've actually never noticed it before and I think it's very cool I'm noticing these things after all these years. 

[The Laughing Fish]

I've noticed the mouthwash sitting on the console when I first saw the movie. It obviously meant that Batman had been investigating hard to find out which chemicals that the Joker had contaminated to create the Smilex poison. As you know, he then collected his findings and presented them to Vicki in the Batcave before he gave her all the evidence to warn everyone in Gotham.

That's another thing what I liked about Burton's take on Batman. We may not be shown a lengthy backstory about where Batman gets his gadgets from or explain everything from A to Z, but it gives you clues how resourceful he is without needing to spell anything out. Another example includes Bruce repairing the damaged Batmobile in BR. You'd have to be pretty simple-minded if you think those scenes aren't hinting at his skills and his intelligence.

[Grissom]

Agreed, we must also give great credit to the screenplay by Hamm with some revisions  by Skaaren.  In fact, Hamm ' s screenplay was called "noirish  and highly acclaimed." Will try to upload that article clip soon.

Burton understood that comic book films are highly visual, it's a shame that some recent conic book films miss that point.

[The Laughing Fish]

Burton understood that comic book films are highly visual, it's a shame that some recent conic book films miss that point.

You can say that again. Another good example of Burton knowing how to convey what's happening on screen without always resorting to exposition includes the scene where Catwoman finds a chink in Batman's armor in BR. She distracts Batman by seducing him with creepy sexual foreplay and stabs him in the stomach with her claws. Later on in the film, Catwoman tries to claw Batman in the chest, but fails because Batman had upgraded the suit to blunt her claws. We see Batman pulling the claw out as Catwoman looks at her damaged claws whispering "damn it". No extra dialogue is needed to inform the audience that Batman upgraded his armor. The message gets across for anyone who is paying attention. Had a scene like that appeared in any Batman movie that was made in the last decade, the movie would waste fifteen minutes explaining to the audience that the suit can't sustain claw attacks and so on. 

[Grissom]

True, when it comes to visuals Burton gets it. Many scenes in his Batfilms are just left up to the viewers to interpret. One of the things I love about the Cathedral scene is that you have two forces of nature Batman and the Joker fighting at the highest point in Gotham for the soul of the city below. It's wonderful allegory.