Batman Returns is just as dark as the first Batman film, and almost as entertaining.
Tools:
Send to a friend »
You have to love Tim Burton; his talent for eerie films is amazing and immediately reminds me why I love them so much. From the moment his movies begin, Burton draws you in with morbid curiosity; and 1992´s "Batman Returns" is no different.
Supported by Danny Elfman´s brilliant music, Tim Burton´s famous visuals are dark and foreboding in the opening shots of this sequel. There´s a shriek from a woman giving birth in a grandiose mansion, as the doctors and nurses run from the room. We´re never shown, but it´s assumed that the cause is a hideously deformed baby. The rich parents are distraught and throw baby and basket into an icy river to rid them of the atrocity that is their child. The basket then takes a dismal journey through the tunnels of the Gotham sewer system and finally arrives among a family of penguins living therein.
Prior to this review, I hadn´t given much thought to the Burton "Batman" movies in quite some time, even with the most recent installment in the series "Batman Begins" releasing to DVD. However, when I do think of Burton´s versions, I usually picture Michael Keaton in the Bat Suit and Kim Basinger from the first "Batman." I tend to forget about all of the other excellent actors that are in the films as well. Not only do we have the pleasure of seeing Michael Keaton and Michelle Pfeiffer in "Batman Returns," we´re also entertained by the likes of Danny DeVito (the Penguin), and Christopher Walken (Max Shreck).
"Batman Returns" is just as dark as the first "Batman" film, and almost as entertaining. While I do like Burton´s films, he has made some mistakes along the way. I´d first like to say that seeing Pfeiffer in the "Catwoman" suit might be worth the price of the DVD alone. However, her performance while in the suit does comes across as a bit over the top. The conversion from mild-mannered, nerdy secretary Selina Kyle to the full blown Catwoman made no sense at all. Pfeiffer´s character is pushed out the window of her office skyscraper by her boss, Max Shreck. She bounces around a few hanging banners on her way down and then finally hits the ground, where she lets out a final breath. Moments later, cats come rushing in from every direction to lick, bite, and generally walk all over her. A few seconds pass, a few twitches, and Selina´s eyes open wide. She´s then back home, starts destroying her apartment and, subsequently, a black rain coat, which she then quickly turns into her "Cat Suit," and, like magic, you´ve got an Easy-Bake "Catwoman" (ding!). For some odd reason as well, Catwoman uses backwards summersaults as a mode of locomotion. It´s cute the first time, but quickly grows tiresome the second time. Luckily, I think Catwoman only does this twice in the film, which, as I mentioned is once too many. In fairness to Burton, however, he probably didn´t have the time needed to properly build the Catwoman character in just over a two-hour movie.
Oddly enough, Burton did a decent job of developing the "Penguin" character, played by Danny DeVito. In the audio commentary, Burton mentions having DeVito in mind for the "Penguin" character from the beginning. I have to say, when I think of as insidious, as disgusting, and as beguiling a character as Burton´s vision is of the "Penguin," DeVito would be the last person I´d think of. However, after revisiting the film, I don´t believe Burton could have chosen a better actor. I´ve seen most of DeVito´s work over his acting career, and this man has got range. From the black spit and drool leaking from his mouth throughout "Batman Returns" to his scarfing down a fish, DeVito surprises one throughout the film. Burton also mentions in the commentary that DeVito did this for real, and it was not a cutaway while he pretends he´s eating the fresh fish. While DeVito is basically just eating sushi, it´s one thing to eat a prepared and pleasant-looking tuna roll, but it´s quite another to be ravenously tearing into a scaly, silvery fish, with its dead eyes looking back at you.
I think I´d have to say Michael Keaton is my favorite actor as Batman, with Christian Bale and Val Kilmer following up. Keaton was able to properly portray the duality within Batman and not just play the cool, dark side that everyone loves to see. That ideal is more true to the Batman character in my opinion. If you carefully watch Keaton in either the first "Batman" or "Batman Returns," you see him as the dark, tough, and angry Batman that we´ve all grown to love in the Batsuit. But when Keaton is portraying Bruce Wayne, there´s a subtle innocence about him that makes him seem like a very kind and caring person. None of the other actors that have played the Batman character to date have brought that level of detail to the screen. If the "Batman" legacy continues on the screen, it would be nice to see Keaton return to the role.
Christopher Walken is always fun to watch in any role. He brings a sort of chaos, or madness, and unpredictability to every character I can remember seeing him play. Here, Walken is the unscrupulous, power-hungry, billionaire "Max Shreck" (which was the real name of the actor who played Count Orlok in the 1922 classic, "Nosferatu"). This Shreck has an agenda to build a massive power plant under the guise that the new plant will prepare Gotham City for an inevitable power need in future growth. In reality the proposed plant will draw from Gotham´s overabundance of power and store it for Shreck´s own purposes. Shrek attempts to manipulate anyone who can make his plans come to fruition. Joining forces with the "Penguin" and some dirty politicians, and even vying for the support of one Bruce Wayne, Shreck won´t stop until he´s accomplished his goal. I find it funny in the movie that Walken, someone who is so adept at projecting insanity, control through fear, and chaotic behavior in his acting, is afraid of penguins and other small animals. Burton also mentions in the audio commentary that while working with the various penguins and monkeys on set, Walken was "freaking out a little," even in the shots kept in the film.
Originally, I think I might have tallied "Batman Returns" as one of my least favorite of the series, but after watching it again, as I´ve mentioned, you forget just how good Tim Burton really can be. "Batman Returns" is well paced, and it has a cast of well-known, quality actors. The sets, too, are amazing for a few reasons. You have the gargantuan settings that are meant for a lot of action or a lot of scenes shot in them, and then there are the miniatures for wide-angle shots of a fictitious city or area. Even today, Burton is one of the few directors who hasn´t given in almost entirely to CGI. "Batman Returns" has some amazing panoramic shots and some very dramatic dark-and-light contrasts throughout the film, in standard Tim Burton fashion. There is plenty of action in "Batman Returns," as there is in every one of the films in this series. Maybe the special effects for the explosions are a little lacking or weak in comparison to what we´re used to seeing on screen these days. This doesn´t necessarily detract from the film per se, but it was a little distracting. I had a few minor complaints about some of the sound effects throughout the film, too, but nothing worth going into detail about.
Average user rating (1-5):