Review of Batman Returns (1992) by Thequietgamer — 25 Mar 2018

Tim Burton turns Gotham into a madcap circus of the deranged and silly. Returns has a irreverent sense of humor and a seemingly endless stream of innuendos at it's disposal. It's like a giant cartoon where literally anything can happen. People love to hate on the two Schumacher films for being "tacky" and "over the top," among other things. To those people I ask, have you even seen this movie? The only thing setting it apart is Burton's twisted vision. Where later Batman films aimed for a more family-friendly tone, this movie isn't afraid to linger in it's own darkness.

I've always found Burton and Keaton's take on Batman to be incredibly bland. Where this and the 1989 film succeed are in their villains and visuals. The latter giving the film an appearance similar to that of the beloved animated series. Danny DeVito's Penguin is fantastic and Michelle Pfeiffer, while underutilized, is an empowering Catwoman. Christopher Walken is also worthy of our attention as the manipulative Max Shreck. They're all tragic characters in their own ways. The film really shows how damaged they are, adding to the sense of unabashed madness that is so delightfully entertaining.

I enjoyed Batman Returns because I never knew what was around the next corner. It's unpredictability is refreshing. I do feel the final act suffers from Burton getting a little too out of control. All that stuff with the actual penguins was a little too dumb. But for the most part I enjoyed the insanity. I can't say I like it as a Batman movie though. There's just so much it gets wrong about the character. One of the complaints people had with Batman v Superman is that the dark knight had no problem taking lives. Bruce Wayne spills plenty of blood here, so I don't see why it gets a pass. Despite being very adult and quite dark in content, Returns is pretty lighthearted when it comes to it's depiction of the caped crusader himself. Leading to an overall unsatisfactory comic book adaptation. Yet, I still like the film.

Returns is both a bad Batman movie and a strong watch in it's own right. Burton's penchant for creating bizarro experiences works out here in a myriad of ways despite it's bloated, packed running time and mishandling of the title character. The director let the craziness really flow out of him and it's often brilliant because of that. It's a mix of Gothicism and feminism where the hero is just as a big a sociopath as the foes threatening the city are. Everyone is broken and split down the middle, having multiple personalities. So in a sense it does get something right about Batman. Makes me wonder what Burton could do if he decided to create his own masked "hero" character. I suppose he kind of did. This is a very original take on Batman. Not a particularly likable one, but the vision for the rest of the film is exciting in a very unhinged sort of way. After watching this I'm just as split between two personalities as the protagonists/antagonists are. I have two conflicting views on the movie. I'm siding with the more positive one for now.

8.