Tim Burton’s Batman was released 30 years ago and to celebrate Warner Brothers have released 4K restoration prints of Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever and Batman and Robin at the cinema.

As ridiculously excited as I was to snare a ticket to see Batman on the big screen it was slightly disappointing to know that cinemas less local to me were showing the Tim Burton films as a double bill. But setting aside that disappointment it was great to enjoy a film on the big screen that to date I had only seen on the small one.

As soon as the film opens with Danny Elfman’s now iconic score I have to say it was a goosebump moment. I recall seeing Burton’s Batman on VHS as a kid after loving Edward Scissorhands in one of my earliest cinema memories (at the age of 9). I knew nothing of the character and certainly had never read American comics at that point. I’ve seen it many times since of course but I always think it’s special to see a film at the cinema.

Whilst the special effects and technical facets of the film are starting to creak a little it is still an iconic movie. Keaton is exceptionally good as Bruce Wayne and Batman, in my opinion only bettered by Christian Bale since. And for some reason every time I see the film Jack Nicholson’s performance as The Joker always takes me by surprise. He is larger than life and extremely odd. Some of it really works and some falls flat.

The film itself zips along at a great pace, in part because it starts with Batman fully formed. Unlike current superhero films obsession for an origin story this one explains the Bat’s beginnings in a short segment near the end and puts its villains origin at the beginning.

Burton would go on to make the even better Batman Returns and of course the Bat would continue to be Warner and DC’s most famous property. With Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck taking on the role and recent news suggesting that the next Batman will be Robert Pattinson or Nicholas Hoult.