Showing my son the film for the very first time...

[1989Batmancom]

Hey all!

After waiting almost 11 years to show it to him, my oldest son Blaze finally got to watch the 1989 Batman film yesterday! I have been building up the excitement for this viewing literally since he was born in the hopes of making an event out of this 24-year-old film... The video in the linked post at my blog shows his reaction to the surprise viewing, my reasons for waiting him to be this age, and his initial thoughts after viewing it. Enjoy!

http://www.1989batman.com/2013/06/special-feature-showing-my-son-film-for.html


-James

[THE BAT-MAN]

Great Video.  It's good to know that Tim Burton's Batman films still have a strong impact on the young and the old.

[The Laughing Fish]

Great stuff! I hope your son got a good laugh when Joker was dancing around dead bodies to that corny Prince song in the museum, like I did when I was younger. 

[Paul (ral)]

Great stuff James! Great to see Batman 89 still have that sort of impact on young viewers.

I'm surprised you could wait 11 years 

I have shown my 3 yr old bits of B89 over the past couple of years and he loves it - but I will probably wait until he is a little older to let him watch it in a full showing - as there are some bits that are either unsuitable for him at the moment or may not hold his attention.

[Cobblepot4Mayor]

Hey all!

After waiting almost 11 years to show it to him, my oldest son Blaze finally got to watch the 1989 Batman film yesterday! I have been building up the excitement for this viewing literally since he was born in the hopes of making an event out of this 24-year-old film... The video in the linked post at my blog shows his reaction to the surprise viewing, my reasons for waiting him to be this age, and his initial thoughts after viewing it. Enjoy!

http://www.1989batman.com/2013/06/special-feature-showing-my-son-film-for.html


-James

I can't tell you how much this brought a smile to my face. I was 1 years old in 1989 and my deepest regret was obviously being far too young and unaware to appreciate the utter madness that was "the summer of Batman". That fact your from the U.S also indicates you must have been right in the malestrom of that movie's world domination madness which must have been quite an experience and a joy to behold as a fan lol

These days we poor Burton fans are constantly told by rather overzealous Nolan disciples that no young viewers can appreciate or care about Batman movies of the past for various ridiculous reasons. Almost as if there is a deranged campaign to wipe them from existence. Utter nonsense of course and your wonderful video sort of helps to prove it. Doesn't matter who's playing Batman, who directed the movies, when they came out, comic book fantasy vs gritty realism yada yada yada. They'll always be an audience for them simply cos....it's Batman!

I think it's important to keep the flame of the old films alive (even the Bale films when they reach their 20th anniversaries) and continue to introduce them to newer generations along with brand new incarnations of movies. The original film and it's sequels mean a lot to me from my childhood. To see your son seemingly absolutely love it (and passing on it's greatness to his friends no less!) was nothing short of a triumph for we grumpy old Keaton fans lol Can I ask had he seen the Christian Bale Batman movies first but not any of the 1990's series? Great stuff dude!

[The Joker]

That was such a cool video, and it's great how you were able to make your son's initial viewing as much of an 'event' as possible by the ways you kept the anticipation/hype going until it was finally time. I also liked seeing, just by his expressions, how much he actually enjoyed the film itself. Just a really outstanding video, and thanks for sharing. 

[Gotham Knight]

Don't let the dream die out!

In all seriousness, I was so pleased to take the time to appreciate this video. My heart rarely warms to anything.

Best regards to you and your son. Love the website. I visit everyday. The photos are so crisp and wonderful. Retro merch is a big highlight for any nostalgic fan of the time. (And terror for me knowing I had most of the Returns stuff you listed and have lost most of them.) If I had a nickel for every batman figure I ever owned....

And to Blaze personally. Welcome to Gotham! The flugelheim is up, Axis Chemicals is down, and the Monarch is this way!



Shameless Sleepy Hollow References for the win.

[1989Batmancom]

Great Video.  It's good to know that Tim Burton's Batman films still have a strong impact on the young and the old.

Great stuff! I hope your son got a good laugh when Joker was dancing around dead bodies to that corny Prince song in the museum, like I did when I was younger. 

Thanks guys! It definitely made quite an impression on him... He has probably watched it 5 times since the first viewing, and it has been pretty much non-stop Batman talk at my house.

Great stuff James! Great to see Batman 89 still have that sort of impact on young viewers.

I'm surprised you could wait 11 years 

I have shown my 3 yr old bits of B89 over the past couple of years and he loves it - but I will probably wait until he is a little older to let him watch it in a full showing - as there are some bits that are either unsuitable for him at the moment or may not hold his attention.

Man, it was tough to hold out... But the fun of the build-up definitely helped. I have another 5 years to go with my younger son Keaton, but this time I have blaze's help to keep me strong!

I can't tell you how much this brought a smile to my face. I was 1 years old in 1989 and my deepest regret was obviously being far too young and unaware to appreciate the utter madness that was "the summer of Batman". That fact your from the U.S also indicates you must have been right in the malestrom of that movie's world domination madness which must have been quite an experience and a joy to behold as a fan lol

These days we poor Burton fans are constantly told by rather overzealous Nolan disciples that no young viewers can appreciate or care about Batman movies of the past for various ridiculous reasons. Almost as if there is a deranged campaign to wipe them from existence. Utter nonsense of course and your wonderful video sort of helps to prove it. Doesn't matter who's playing Batman, who directed the movies, when they came out, comic book fantasy vs gritty realism yada yada yada. They'll always be an audience for them simply cos....it's Batman!

I think it's important to keep the flame of the old films alive (even the Bale films when they reach their 20th anniversaries) and continue to introduce them to newer generations along with brand new incarnations of movies. The original film and it's sequels mean a lot to me from my childhood. To see your son seemingly absolutely love it (and passing on it's greatness to his friends no less!) was nothing short of a triumph for we grumpy old Keaton fans lol Can I ask had he seen the Christian Bale Batman movies first but not any of the 1990's series? Great stuff dude!

Thanks very much! Yeah, there was nothing like that summer. It is almost impossible to explain to anyone who wasn't around for it. There just isn't another film experience to reference it against... Batman WAS 1989.

And I concur on your sentiments about the Burton films. I sometimes take it personally when the over-zealous Nolan group dogs the Burton stuff (even though they probably loved it before Nolan came along). I just don't get it. If you like the Nolan films... Great. More power to you. I personally do not, but that doesn't mean I need to bash the Nolan stuff to make my love of the Burton films more valid.

Blaze had not seen all the Bale films, no. He had seen part of Batman Begins, but didn't really enjoy it. I haven't shown him Dark Knight, as I feel it is a little too dark for a younger audience. That is one of my main issues with those films... In an effort to achieve super-realism, they kind of lose the ability to be as accessible to all ages. Burton's films, while dark, still have this "comic book" element to them, which makes them a good fit for both young and old audiences. And judging by how he has reacted to '89 versus Begins... I think there is still a lot of life left in '89.

That was such a cool video, and it's great how you were able to make your son's initial viewing as much of an 'event' as possible by the ways you kept the anticipation/hype going until it was finally time. I also liked seeing, just by his expressions, how much he actually enjoyed the film itself. Just a really outstanding video, and thanks for sharing. 

Thank you for watching it and the kind words! Yeah, he hasn't stopped talking about... and he has watched it probably 5 times since the first viewing (which is unusual for him to go back to a movie for so many repeated viewings so quickly). In fact, just last night I caught him at 11 o'clock in his room watching the movie on the iPad under his covers. I let the late night slide since it is summer vacation... and its Batman.

Don't let the dream die out!

In all seriousness, I was so pleased to take the time to appreciate this video. My heart rarely warms to anything.

Best regards to you and your son. Love the website. I visit everyday. The photos are so crisp and wonderful. Retro merch is a big highlight for any nostalgic fan of the time. (And terror for me knowing I had most of the Returns stuff you listed and have lost most of them.) If I had a nickel for every batman figure I ever owned....

And to Blaze personally. Welcome to Gotham! The flugelheim is up, Axis Chemicals is down, and the Monarch is this way!

Shameless Sleepy Hollow References for the win.

Thank you very much! And I am glad you are enjoying the site! And I will pass the greeting on to Blaze...

-James

[The Joker]

Thank you for watching it and the kind words! Yeah, he hasn't stopped talking about... and he has watched it probably 5 times since the first viewing (which is unusual for him to go back to a movie for so many repeated viewings so quickly). In fact, just last night I caught him at 11 o'clock in his room watching the movie on the iPad under his covers. I let the late night slide since it is summer vacation... and its Batman.

That's simply outstanding he's enjoying the film so much! With the repeated viewings, and the Burton Batman centric Bday party, 2013 is most definitely looking like a memorable year of Batman for Blaze. I wonder if he'll ever surpass his dad in the number of repeated viewings?