Batman Returns (1995)

Batman's Darker, More Twisted, & Semi-Disappointing Return...

With the success of 1989's "Batman", Warner Brothers obviously saw the potential for a franchise in this darker and more serious interpretation of the Dark Knight. Wasting little time in putting a sequel in motion, director Tim Burton ("Batman") and star Michael Keaton returned three years later to once more fight crime within Gotham City with "Batman Returns".

"Batman Returns" follows Batman's (Michael Keaton) continuing war on crime in and around Gotham City. After taking on the likes of the maniacal Joker, how could things possibly get any worse for Gotham and its caped crusader? When a grotesque new villain named Penguin (Danny DeVito) teams up with a sultry, feline-inspired femme fatale by the name of Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer), it seems that perhaps Batman may have met his match when he discovers just what they have planned for him and his beloved Gotham City.

The previous movie, "Batman", established a serious, obviously darker take on the title character than any of his previous incarnations outside of the comic books; but with "Batman Returns" everything seems to take a decidedly more wicked turn. The story written by Daniel Waters ("Demolition Man") was fairly solid for the most part, serving as a decent follow-up to the blockbuster original. The action seemed bigger in scope, the set pieces much more grand, though not breaking away from the design established in the first movie, and the characters were still kept front and center, never sacrificing plot or development for the sake of another action sequence. However, this much darker story (which I liked the overall direction this movie went) felt a little out of sorts in places, for a majority of the movie the story flowed very well, but there were several parts in the middle of the film where the story seemed to lose its focus. What I'm referring to are the portions of the story revolving around Penguin's bid for public office (a kind of interesting, although unbelievable plot point), for some reason these scenes really felt less polished, as if the writer just couldn't figure out how to work this aspect of the character's story arc into the big picture; therefore, leaving us with a mid-section of a movie that feels out of place, breaking the movie's steady pace down to almost a crawl at times.

Director Tim Burton clearly knew what it took to make a good Batman movie after doing so well with his first effort, but I wonder if in his attempt to equal what he had done with the original film, did he set himself up to fail with this one. The general progression for the character and this franchise would be to up the stakes to some degree, and with "Batman Returns" this happened all across the board, just to varying degrees of success. The story as I stated already was much darker than that of the original, a natural evolution for the character, so I was completely fine with that, the problem occurs when the main character receives less attention than supporting characters. Just like in "Batman", it appears that Bruce Wayne/Batman doesn't get near as much time on screen as the villains he is encountering. I understand that when you have two villains instead of one, more time will need to be spent on developing them as viable threats for our hero, and also to establish them as believable characters for the audience to connect with on some level; however, when the title character feels like an afterthought, I think the focal point of the movie has been lost. By including two villains, I feel that Tim Burton and his writer, Daniel Waters, couldn't figure out how to give equal time, or at least close it, to Batman without missing out on any development for their new characters. With this obvious problem, which was no doubt an unintended consequence of trying to be bigger and better than the previous movie, "Batman Returns" felt a little off in my opinion, and not nearly up to the standard previously established with "Batman".

Michael Keaton continues to build on what he had done as Bruce Wayne/Batman, further establishing the discomfort Bruce has with his billionaire side as he awaits the time for darkness to fall over the city so that the Batman can once more prowl the rooftops of Gotham. This point was illustrated perfectly in the movie, when Bruce is sitting in his study by himself, not doing anything but sitting there, and the bat signal shines into the room and suddenly he comes to life. Without saying a single word, Michael Keaton was able to clearly portray exactly how the character was feeling and what it is that drives him in life. Danny DeVito ("Deck the Halls") was an ideal choice for Penguin, his smaller stature and heavier build makes him a nearly perfect fit for the general appearance of the villain, although it appeared that more weight was needed for the character's girth, because it is quite obvious a couple of times in the film that DeVito is wearing some sort of padding under his costume to make him look even larger. I've never really been all that impressed with Danny DeVito as an actor, I thought he was alright, but nothing all that great; however, as Penguin he really seemed to connect with the character, and something about his performance just worked and I was actually impressed with just how twisted and evil he was able to make the character become. Danny's version of Penguin was much more of a threat, and definitely more grotesque, than his previous incarnation on the 60's television series or even how he had appeared in the comic books. Michelle Pfeiffer ("Hairspray") did an excellent job of establishing two distinct sides to her character that are as different as night and day, by playing Selina Kyle as such a weak individual who can't defend herself and is constantly belittled by her boss (Christopher Walken), yet when she becomes Catwoman this entirely new side to her emerges, that is so much more aggressive and driven. I really liked the way the story intertwined both Selina's story and Catwoman's story so much that eventually she would be forced to choose which side would become dominant, because as much as she wants love and companionship, which she may have found in Bruce Wayne, her dual identity as the villainous Catwoman will prevent her from truly settling down, not to mention being a criminal puts her at odds with her lover's alter ego.

"Batman Returns" is a fairly solid sequel, containing a decent story, with a heftier dose of action (even though there seemed to be fewer fight scenes, the scenes were much longer than what had been done previously), and more great performances from the actors involved. However, a very slow midpoint in the film, caused by an uninteresting and unfocused character arc, forced the movie to lose momentum, which it struggled to get back and maintain for the remainder of the movie's duration.

"Batman Returns" is rated PG-13 for violence and language. August 16, 2008

Tim Burton's Batman is genius

While not as impeccable as the original batman, this sequel is still a mastrpiece in its own right. its more tim burton than it is batman. but tim's implemented ideas where genuine and genius. he totally recreated the penguin for the better!! before this he was just a rich snob, now in the comics he's depicted as a monster. thats how influential this film was. i also love how dark it is. THIS AINT FOR KIDS!!! michelle phiffer was excellent as catwoman and devito was remarkable as the penguin! he had some great dialogue. i love the line when Max first sees the penguin and he's speechless and then the penguin says, "i believe the word you're looking for is AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" that was classic i love it! the only bad thing to me was the penguins dragging the dead body at the end but that was less than a minute so i still give it 5 stars. number one: THE DARK KNIGHT number two: BATMAN number three: BATMAN BEGINS number four: BATMAN RETURNS and I HATE JOEL SHUMACHER AND IF YOU LIKE HIS BATMAN MOVIES YOU SUCK! August 10, 2008

Batman Returns-Two Disc Special Edition.........

Tim Burton returns as director in the sequel to his first movie. It takes a wicked turn with the villainous exploits of the freakish and mean-spirited Penguin (Danny DeVito), whose criminal collaboration with evil tycoon Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) threatens to drain Gotham City of its energy supply. As if that weren't enough, Batman (Michael Keaton) has his hands full with the vengeful Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer), who turns out to be a lot more dangerous than first expected. Clearly, this movie is alot darker than the first one. While the first movie will always be my favorite, this movie comes in a close second. July 31, 2008

Returning With a Vengeance

The Good Things
*Loads of great action and a few very nifty special effects.
*Cinematography is as good as the previous film, if not better. It's definately darker and more dramatic.
*Production quality is still great, and introduces a number of great new gadgets, vehicles, costumes, and settings to the saga.
*Storyline, although more complex, is great. Expect good amounts of drama, action, a bit of romance, and a bit of comedy.
*Characters are great. The genesis for both the Catwoman and Penguin are very dramatic, and they grow into very interesting enemies. Good acting all around.
*Good music.

The Bad Things
*Still a bit goofy; possibly goofier than the last film (but still enjoyable).

The Questionable Things
*Heightened violence and some innuendo makes it a little inappropriate for young kids (rated PG-13).

For the longest time, this was my favorite Batman film (until "Batman Begins" and the "Dark Knight" came out). It still appeals to me, for it is very intense, emotionally dramatic, and has some great action in it. The acting is great, and the characters are quite memorable. It's definately worthwhile for all Batman fans, or superhero fans in general.

The one-disc version had okay video and sound quality and no special features. The two-disc version has good quality, and includes some featurettes and music videos. July 24, 2008

A Cat, A Bat, And A Penguin

After the 1989 "Batman" film brought the iconic superhero back to being a household name, "Batman Returns" followed it with another quality installment in the Batman franchise.

With Bruce Wayne's backstory already dealt with, this film focuses on his interaction with the two main villians, Catwoman and Penguin. The style and the feel of the film (very gothic) are in line with the original film, unlike the splashy future Joel Schumacher installments or the gritty, realist Christopher Nolan films. Batman is still pure black, the camera shots are almost always dark (or without flashy distractions), and the villains are actual monsters (not caricatures).

The plot is simple...Catwoman and Penguin aspire to take over Gotham City, while the Caped Crusader tries to stop them. However, Batman's personal relations to both characters make for an interesting climax to the film, as Bruce Wayne can understand the Penguin's status as social outsider, but is also madly in love with Catwoman's alter ego Selena Kyle.

The acting is, for the most part, very well done. Michael Keaton is again great as the serious Batman, while also portraying a much more "human" and emotional Bruce Wayne than the original film. Danny Devito's Penguin is genuinely creepy, and could perhaps even be too spooky for small children. Michelle Pfieffer plays the Catwoman villain adeptly, but her philosophical Selena Kyle was often too annoying to consider a true Bruce Wayne love interest.

Overall, this was a great sequel to the blockbuster original Batman movie. The acting was engaging, the plot was standard superhero fare, and the backstories of the characters were just interesting enough to keep viewers entertained when either the Cat, Bat, or Penguin were not "in costume". The only reason I give this film four stars instead of five is because it lacks the originality of its predecessor, what with the Wayne backstory already in the books. However, there is nothing this film could do about that, so it's just a case of a sequel being good, but not different enough from the original to establish its own niche. July 23, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...