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Batman Returns is just as dark as the first Batman film, and almost as entertaining.
I also liked Burton´s use of animals in the film. I´m not sure what it is about seeing a flock of penguins running along the street with candy-cane striped missiles strapped to their backs, but I was laughing my butt off! Burton may not have meant it to be that funny, as the missiles were supposed to foretell Gotham´s impending doom, but it was funny nonetheless. I really enjoyed watching this film again, and I wouldn´t have a problem watching it in the future.
Video
As with most DVDs today, the picture in "Batman Returns" is clear and crisp. The color levels seem warm and rich in the scenes when the colors are meant to be so. Since this is a Tim Burton film, for the most part the colors are toned down in the majority of the film to give it a dark feel. But this does make for a stark contrast, especially when Pfeiffer is on screen in her colorless black uniform and white face, with brilliant red lipstick. There is a ballroom scene with Pfeiffer and Keaton, where the colors are very warm and soft that does stand out, even if you aren´t paying attention. I think you´d be hard pressed to find a Burton film that didn´t have impressive video quality on DVD.
Audio
The audio on "Batman Returns" offers English in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and DTS 5.1 Surround. Subtitles are offered in English, French, and Spanish. I watched the film in DTS, as I prefer it over Dolby Digital, but when I compared the two in some action scenes, I found very minor differences. The DTS track did seem to have a little stronger sound than the Dolby Digital did, but not by much. The audio in the film was very well recorded on both tracks. The bass isn´t overbearing, even in the explosive scenes, and it gives you just a hint of that 18-to-20 Hz range when there are those "big booms" on screen. Subtlety is a hard thing to master, but the sound engineers for "Batman Returns" have come close with this film.
Extras
I am not myself a Batman zealot, but I am a fan of the films, and the even the "Dark Knight" cartoon series. For those zealots out there, you won´t be disappointed with this two-disc edition. The movie disc has Tim Burton´s commentary, which is well worth listening to, as he provides some insights to the film, and his thoughts as he was filming. However, the man does use the phrase "you know" more than I´ve ever heard it used before. No offense to Mr. Burton, but, after a while, I was tempted to watch the film from the beginning just to count how many times he actually used "you know" in the commentary… you know? There is also a theatrical trailer for the film on disc one.
Disc two is where the nitty-gritty is at. Wow! There are awesome two-disc edition DVDs out there, and then there are the "wannabes" that claim to be awesome two-disc editions. The "Batman Returns" Two-Disc Special Edition" is one of the former! This disc is packed to the gills!
First up is "The Bat, The Cat and The Penguin." This special feature was hosted by Robert Urich, back in 1992, and is chockful of in-depth interviews with the cast and some of the crew of the film, as well as behind-the-scenes looks at scene preparation and the cast joking around. I enjoyed this feature.
Next is "Shadows of the Bat: Dark Side of the Knight." This feature is more focused on Tim Burton´s vision of the film and its effects. One of the things I love when watching special features is when the powers that be put in the storyboards and initial artist renderings of the characters and scenes. You get those things in this special feature. There is a lot of information in this special feature and far too much to list here. Rest assured, if you like the little intricacies involved behind the finished product, you won´t be let down.
Next we have "Batman: The Heroes." This feature intrigued me because it´s not only a deeper look into the heroes of "Batman Returns," but you get to hear from avid (and famous) fans of the comic books, cartoon series, and movies; such as Paul Dini (writer and producer of "Batman: The Animated Series," Dan Didio (VP Editorial, DC Comics), actor/writer/director Kevin Smith ("Clerks," "Jay & Silent Bob"), and a number of others. You also get the background stories on some of the original characters and an interview with British actor Michael Gough, who plays Alfred. The more you dig on this disc, the more fun you have.
Next up, as you might expect is "Batman: The Villains." Here we get interviews with actor Danny DeVito, executive producer Michael E. Uslan, director Tim Burton, stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, and many more. As well as the "Heroes" section, we also get background information on the Penguin, Catwoman, and Max Shreck characters. The Max Shreck character in particular (played by Walken) was interesting to look into deeper. One juicy tidbit we find out is that not only does Walken unnerve people in the movies, but initially Burton didn´t want to cast Walken because he was afraid him!
The "Beyond Batman" segment has a myriad of features within it, most of which you´ll get the gist from their titles: "Gotham City Revisited: The production design of Batman Returns"; "Sleek, Sexy and Sinister: The costumes of Batman Returns"; "Making up the Penguin"; "Assembling the Arctic Army"; Bats, Mattes and Dark Nights: The Visual Effects of Batman Returns"; and finally "Inside the Elfman Studios: The Music of Batman Returns." Seemingly impossible at this point, you actually get even more information and different looks at the specifics of the film and making of the sets and costumes. These special features are quite amazing.
Finally, wrapping up this slew of bonus items is a "Face to Face" music video by Siouxsie and the Banshees. It´s been a while since we´ve heard from this band, and I´m not exactly sure why. They produce some of the strangest and most unique music possible, even by today´s standards. The video is designed in a similar dark format as "Batman Returns," with clips of the film here and there. The band dons similar costumes to those used in the movie, which lends to a "Batman" feel to the music as well. This video had something of a hypnotic effect on me. It´s not exactly my style of music, but it was like watching a traffic accident in slow motion. Even though you know you shouldn´t, you just can´t keep from looking.
Parting Thoughts
Ah, parting is such sweet sorrow. I really enjoyed reviewing "Batman Returns," and while I wouldn´t say that it´s better than Burton´s first "Batman," it´s definitely up there as sequels go. This is not your typical sequel that either goes straight to video or is buried and never heard from again. Tim Burton´s "Batman Returns" is fun, spooky, and dark, a real roller-coaster ride.
Though I had a few complaints with some of the sound effects, story building, and stunts, they don´t stand out enough to bring down the film´s value on the whole. Tim Burton hesitantly went into "Batman Returns," but he came out standing tall. As I mentioned earlier, with a strong cast, I´m sure it wasn´t as hard for Burton to pull off, even though this was his second go-around with this series.
Video
As with most DVDs today, the picture in "Batman Returns" is clear and crisp. The color levels seem warm and rich in the scenes when the colors are meant to be so. Since this is a Tim Burton film, for the most part the colors are toned down in the majority of the film to give it a dark feel. But this does make for a stark contrast, especially when Pfeiffer is on screen in her colorless black uniform and white face, with brilliant red lipstick. There is a ballroom scene with Pfeiffer and Keaton, where the colors are very warm and soft that does stand out, even if you aren´t paying attention. I think you´d be hard pressed to find a Burton film that didn´t have impressive video quality on DVD.
Audio
The audio on "Batman Returns" offers English in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and DTS 5.1 Surround. Subtitles are offered in English, French, and Spanish. I watched the film in DTS, as I prefer it over Dolby Digital, but when I compared the two in some action scenes, I found very minor differences. The DTS track did seem to have a little stronger sound than the Dolby Digital did, but not by much. The audio in the film was very well recorded on both tracks. The bass isn´t overbearing, even in the explosive scenes, and it gives you just a hint of that 18-to-20 Hz range when there are those "big booms" on screen. Subtlety is a hard thing to master, but the sound engineers for "Batman Returns" have come close with this film.
Extras
I am not myself a Batman zealot, but I am a fan of the films, and the even the "Dark Knight" cartoon series. For those zealots out there, you won´t be disappointed with this two-disc edition. The movie disc has Tim Burton´s commentary, which is well worth listening to, as he provides some insights to the film, and his thoughts as he was filming. However, the man does use the phrase "you know" more than I´ve ever heard it used before. No offense to Mr. Burton, but, after a while, I was tempted to watch the film from the beginning just to count how many times he actually used "you know" in the commentary… you know? There is also a theatrical trailer for the film on disc one.
Disc two is where the nitty-gritty is at. Wow! There are awesome two-disc edition DVDs out there, and then there are the "wannabes" that claim to be awesome two-disc editions. The "Batman Returns" Two-Disc Special Edition" is one of the former! This disc is packed to the gills!
First up is "The Bat, The Cat and The Penguin." This special feature was hosted by Robert Urich, back in 1992, and is chockful of in-depth interviews with the cast and some of the crew of the film, as well as behind-the-scenes looks at scene preparation and the cast joking around. I enjoyed this feature.
Next is "Shadows of the Bat: Dark Side of the Knight." This feature is more focused on Tim Burton´s vision of the film and its effects. One of the things I love when watching special features is when the powers that be put in the storyboards and initial artist renderings of the characters and scenes. You get those things in this special feature. There is a lot of information in this special feature and far too much to list here. Rest assured, if you like the little intricacies involved behind the finished product, you won´t be let down.
Next we have "Batman: The Heroes." This feature intrigued me because it´s not only a deeper look into the heroes of "Batman Returns," but you get to hear from avid (and famous) fans of the comic books, cartoon series, and movies; such as Paul Dini (writer and producer of "Batman: The Animated Series," Dan Didio (VP Editorial, DC Comics), actor/writer/director Kevin Smith ("Clerks," "Jay & Silent Bob"), and a number of others. You also get the background stories on some of the original characters and an interview with British actor Michael Gough, who plays Alfred. The more you dig on this disc, the more fun you have.
Next up, as you might expect is "Batman: The Villains." Here we get interviews with actor Danny DeVito, executive producer Michael E. Uslan, director Tim Burton, stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, and many more. As well as the "Heroes" section, we also get background information on the Penguin, Catwoman, and Max Shreck characters. The Max Shreck character in particular (played by Walken) was interesting to look into deeper. One juicy tidbit we find out is that not only does Walken unnerve people in the movies, but initially Burton didn´t want to cast Walken because he was afraid him!
The "Beyond Batman" segment has a myriad of features within it, most of which you´ll get the gist from their titles: "Gotham City Revisited: The production design of Batman Returns"; "Sleek, Sexy and Sinister: The costumes of Batman Returns"; "Making up the Penguin"; "Assembling the Arctic Army"; Bats, Mattes and Dark Nights: The Visual Effects of Batman Returns"; and finally "Inside the Elfman Studios: The Music of Batman Returns." Seemingly impossible at this point, you actually get even more information and different looks at the specifics of the film and making of the sets and costumes. These special features are quite amazing.
Finally, wrapping up this slew of bonus items is a "Face to Face" music video by Siouxsie and the Banshees. It´s been a while since we´ve heard from this band, and I´m not exactly sure why. They produce some of the strangest and most unique music possible, even by today´s standards. The video is designed in a similar dark format as "Batman Returns," with clips of the film here and there. The band dons similar costumes to those used in the movie, which lends to a "Batman" feel to the music as well. This video had something of a hypnotic effect on me. It´s not exactly my style of music, but it was like watching a traffic accident in slow motion. Even though you know you shouldn´t, you just can´t keep from looking.
Parting Thoughts
Ah, parting is such sweet sorrow. I really enjoyed reviewing "Batman Returns," and while I wouldn´t say that it´s better than Burton´s first "Batman," it´s definitely up there as sequels go. This is not your typical sequel that either goes straight to video or is buried and never heard from again. Tim Burton´s "Batman Returns" is fun, spooky, and dark, a real roller-coaster ride.
Though I had a few complaints with some of the sound effects, story building, and stunts, they don´t stand out enough to bring down the film´s value on the whole. Tim Burton hesitantly went into "Batman Returns," but he came out standing tall. As I mentioned earlier, with a strong cast, I´m sure it wasn´t as hard for Burton to pull off, even though this was his second go-around with this series.
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[release]16667[/release]