Review of Batman Returns (1992) by Steve R — 26 Dec 2012

Director Tim Burton brings us back into the dark,brooding atmosphere of Gotham City with Michael Keaton returning as the tormented hero known as the Batman, the flawless casting of Danny DeVito as the wicked and nightmare giving Penguin, Michelle Pfeiffer as the sexy, delightfully dark, and fractured Catwoman and Christopher Walken as a self maniacal tyrant known as Max Shreck have given Batman Returns that rare honor of being a sequel that surpasses the original.

Now I know I said Batman trumped all its sequels but I also said that the only obvious exception is Batman Returns. Well, I meant that Batman Returns topped Batman definetely. Tim Burton nearly makes Batman into a horror film with all this film's violence and gore. Danny DeVito as The Penguin is sure to induce nightmares, it did with me. He is a hideously deformed freak of the sewers. Penguin plots with evil businessman and tyrant Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) to become mayor and turn Gotham into a swarming city of crime. Upon overhearing this, clumsy secretary Selena Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer) is tossed out of a high rise window by her boss. Rescued by cats, Selena transforms into the leather clad Catwoman. Although she teams with the Penguin and Shreck to overthrow Batman, she is in the fold for her own reasons and has some dark scores to settle.

Wow. What a film. Tim Burton weaves his dabbling in the horror film arts and mixes it in with some of his experience from making the original Batman to make a dominant sequel. It is your usual dark and unsettling Burton flick, but my God it is violent! From pulling a human hand out of a bag to sticking a tazer in somebody's mouth, its surprising this film even got a PG-13. But that's okay. Its Tim Burton, most of his flicks are violent. Maybe he was pushing the envelope and maybe he wasn't, I dunno. But despite the violence, it really is a great film. To me, Batman and Batman Returns stick out when I think of the original 4 Bat-flicks. I know Burton produced Batman Forever and Forever was much better than Batman and Robin, but Burton's Bat films are in a league all their own. I can't help but smile as I write this down because these two were so good. I can't help but crack a smile as I think about the multiple times I sat down on my couch and watched them.