Batman Returns: What’s It Really About?

Last Updated on December 20, 2023

The Holiday season is not just a time for family gatherings and ugly Christmas sweaters. Sure, we love to sit around a warm fire with our loved ones and sip on Aunt Judy’s famous spiked eggnog- But the winter months are also a time of reflection, anticipation, and in some cases- the death of one thing, and the rebirth of something else. After all, winter signifies the death of leaves, grass, and the calendar year before everything is born again in the spring. So, naturally, it’s the best time for one to cozy up on the couch and revisit those comforting movies that put us in a nostalgic headspace while we reflect on the year behind us.

Such is the case for Tim Burton’s second outing as the director who brought audiences into our “Dark Batman Era” with 1992’s Batman Returns. This is a movie that, like any piece of Batman media, gets talked about online exhaustively. Whether it’s being praised for its boundary-pushing visuals and incredible casting, or it’s being criticized for its shortcomings when being compared to the original- there is no doubt A LOT to talk about when it comes to this caped Christmas-time classic.

But, for me, this movie has always stood out, especially in the lineup of movies that take place around Christmas, because it typically gets overshadowed by Tim Burton and Henry Selick’s Nightmare Before Christmas, which, of course, is an absolute banger, from Halloween to Christmas every single year. But the truth is, there are a lot of topics left on the table when it comes to Batman Returns. You’ve heard about Danny DeVito’s iconic performance as the Penguin, and you’ve seen the beautifully designed shiny black leather of Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman…

But today, I want to get deeper than that and revisit this iconic sequel with one goal in mind. Figure out what Burton was trying to say with what ended up being his final run at the big screen Batman, and see what we can learn from analyzing the film, its creators, and the themes that have stood the test of time for the last 30-ish years. I just want to know: What is Batman Returns REALLY About?