It’s no stretch to say that opening sequence of a movie can make or break the rest of the film. Opening sequences introduce audiences to new worlds, establish a tone, lay the groundwork for what will and will not fly in this world, introduce characters, and set the stage for conflict. In a matter of minutes, a strong opening tells audiences everything they need to prepare themselves, setting both expectations and planting the seeds for future surprises further into the film’s runtime. The perfect opening sequence is like poetry, effortlessly telling audiences so much without them realizing exactly how much information has been relayed across the silver screen.
In the case of Batman (1989), the opening does more than just establish what kind of Gotham City and Batman film this is, it quite literally reintroduces the concept of Batman to filmgoers who, before its release in 1989, were most likely only familiar with the light and silly 1960s TV show and subsequent Adam West film.
In just shy of five minutes, a dark and serious Batman haunts the screen, and the world of Gotham is painted as a labyrinthine, Noir-ish nightmare-scape, full of dark alleyways, flashing red lights, billowing smoke, and dangerous predators watching helpless tourists from afar.
The camera descends into Gotham City’s streets. Image copyright: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Right from the get-go, after the camera shows us the first two shots, one of a looming, haunted castle-like Gotham Cityscape across a night sky and another of an overshadowed main street buried beneath skyscrapers, we’re introduced to Gotham’s predators. We sense them minutes before we see them, as once the camera descends to the street level, it stalks tourists from across the street, following them as they struggle to hail a cab after leaving the Monarch Theatre.
The camera in these moments is a fascinating creature. Gothamites walk to and fro in front of it, obscuring its view as this out-of-place family struggles to secure a ride. The camera zooms in when the father talks with a cab driver, then leaps back across the street, hiding behind obstacles as the family walks behind blurred objects that obscure the view. This tells us that in the hustle and bustle of a busy Gotham, something (or someone) is stalking this family. The fact that the father is so hell-bent on them not looking like tourists suggests the opposite, and in a way, further connects with the audience. Why? Because, like them, we’re tourists to this new world, and this is our first glimpse of Gotham City.
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A few shots woven into this opening sequence descend on the family from above. At first, it seems a stylistic choice, but it’s incongruent with the theme of the predator stalking the family from across the street. These downward long shots from up above could be someone else, informing audiences that something is also lurking above in this concrete jungle.
After failing to hail a cab, the father leads the family into an alley. It’s here when the danger ramps up. As they walk in this massive, labyrinthine alley, the cacophony of city noise dies down as the soundtrack bristles with mystery. The camera continues to stalk the family from behind as they turn corners, watching from fire escapes as they descend into an abyss of emptiness.
Up until they meet a beggar, the camera is constantly watching them, never taking its eyes off of this helplessly lost family. But like so many real crime stories of pickpockets and thieves, the beggar distracts both the camera and the audience, and the camera lingers on this beggar’s watchful gaze as the family hurries away—
—right into the butt of a revolver that appears from around the corner, knocking the father unconscious! It’s a subtle bit of misdirection that surprises audiences, telling us that danger lurks, quite literally, around every corner. Throughout the first two minutes, we’ve followed one family, watching their every movement from afar, from unseen eyes studying them like prey. The moment a distraction interrupts the flow and rhythm of the scene, danger strikes!
It’s eerie, methodical, and a mastercraft in setting the stage for what this new vision of Gotham City is. What follows is the mugging of a father as a wife screams and a child watches on — mortified.
Most Batman fans will instantly recognize that this assault of a mother, father, and son in an alleyway outside of a theater echoes the origin story of Bruce Wayne. It’s a tether and foreshadowing to the Batman origin story that will unfold near the latter half of the film. It’s also a reference to a story in Detective Comics #439. In the story called “Night of the Stalker,” Batman sets out to avenge a boy whose parents were murdered in a similar fashion to his own. Batman doesn’t speak in this storyline; he just hunts down the murderers, bringing them to justice. It’s important to point out that Detective Comics #439 is considered the best Batman story by Executive Producer Michael Uslan, who spent 10 years getting this new interpretation of the Dark Knight produced. This very issue was shared with Director Tim Burton by Uslan before the making of Batman. We know this because Uslan wrote about it in his first autobiography, The Boy Who Loved Batman (a great read for any Batman fan!).
Clearly some inspiration was taken for this opening scene, and much like the “Night of the Stalker” story, what follows is vengeance being meted out by Batman. In 1989, it’s hard to say whether filmgoing audiences connected the dots between Batman’s origin and Batman’s attack on these hoodlums, but 35 years later, the complexity and layers of this opening definitely resonate.
As the mugger turns to the mother and threatens her with a gun, the beggar, seen only moments ago, runs into frame, lifting the unconscious father’s wallet. The two criminals, clearly in on it together, dart off, and the camera backs away, climbing back up to the rooftops to watch as a helpless wife runs to her fallen husband, screaming in horror. It’s at this moment that the audience gets its first view of Batman. As the woman screams, something way up in the Gotham sky turns and walks towards the light, Batman’s musical theme swelling.
From this point on, the opening of the film changes. Gone is the predatory camerawork, lurking and watching from afar. As the two criminals look through their score and discuss the myth of The Batman, a dark angel of vengeance descends behind them, his black suit cutting through the smoke and haze of the city. It’s an iconic character introduction, one Batman fans often cite as being instrumental to their falling in love with the character (and for good reason).
The Batman descends on Gotham’s criminal element. Image copyright: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
It’s also the moment that the film heightens the fear. Many of the shots following this character introduction are close-ups and medium shots of the criminals’ faces. We see the fear in their eyes and etched on their faces. Their pale, pasty skin is ghost-like against the dark, Gotham cityscape.
One of them fires on Batman, dropping him to the ground. This tells the audience that Batman is mortal and can take hits, but it won’t keep him down. The Dark Knight is relentless, and he towers before the criminals, raising his arms once more before leaping into action. One ferocious kick sends the beggar through a door, and a batarang quickly ropes up the mugger.
The camera offers a clear view of the action, but the editing is fast and frenetic. It’s inferred that Batman is quick when he wants to be and that ordinary criminals are no match for the Caped Crusader. As the roped-up criminal pleads for his life, Batman slowly pulls him closer. The camera is angled down on the mugger now, keeping the theme of a looming Batman and also clearly putting the power dynamic on display.
This hoodlum never stood a chance, and Batman can take his time, amplifying that fear with each tug of the Bat-rope. It’s not a slow sequence, but the pacing is slow enough to let the power dynamic sink in. Batman then lifts the criminal and holds him over the alleyway. The camera explicitly shows us dangling feet over an abyss as Batman offers his deal. In order for the criminal to “live,” he must spread the word that Gotham City belongs to Batman.
“I want you to tell all your friends about me.”
“I’m Batman.” Image copyright: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
As soon as the message is delivered, Batman disappears, descending back into the shadows as quickly as he appeared. The final few shots of the opening make sure to cement this fact, showing the criminal crawling over to the rooftop edge only to be greeted by an empty alley. Was this real? Was it an illusion?
Our final shot of the opening sequence is one of exasperation, relief, mortification, and trauma. It’s a complicated tapestry we read all over the face of the mugger. Ironically, only a few minutes ago, this hoodlum was a faceless arm swinging out from behind a corner. Now, he bears the reflection of a wildman, unsure if he truly survived an attack from The Batman. The predator that stalked the family mere moments ago clearly became the prey.
The opening is barely four and a half minutes, but in that time, audiences are introduced to a daunting Gotham City landscape, one full of danger, smoke, and darkness. A fully-formed Batman is also revealed, a dark protector who successfully avenges a boy suffering from a similar crime to the one that transformed a young Bruce Wayne into a vigilante. This Batman is mythic, using fear and rumor to scare the bejesus out of criminals. Clearly, it’s going to take someone much scarier to challenge Batman, which sets the stage for the Joker to terrorize Gotham later on in the film.
