THE BLACK SHEEP is an ongoing column featuring different takes on films that either the writer HATED, but that the majority of film fans LOVED, or that the writer LOVED, but that most others LOATH. We’re hoping this column will promote constructive and geek fueled discussion. Dig in!
Batman Returns (1992)
Directed by Tim Burton
“The movie didn’t disappoint then, and it sure doesn’t now.”
Ah, it’s the holidays. A time for families to gather. A time to enjoy some booze. A time to exchange some gifts. And, if lucky, a time to catch a flick. However, time can be limited, so it’s important to choose a worthy movie of that time. Now on the TV, there are a number of crappy and sappy holiday films to choose from. But for those of us who need things a little stranger, we need pick our own with some snow, Santa, and sin…components that make the season work.
For me, I need something with a little romance, a little chaos, a little vengeance, and a lot of latex. So, allow the Black Sheep to give my holiday selection: Batman Returns. Now I’ve already computed negative reaction. The one with the penguins? The one where Christopher Walken sports that shitty gray wig? The one where Batman stupidly rips his mask in half? Yep that one. Tim Burton’s second outing in Gotham is superior to all Bat films in many ways. Really. It’s got the style, it’s got the mojo, and it’s got one Mike Keaton.
I’m a life long Bats fan. It’s the first comic book I ever purchased, a comic I still read, and a comic I still annoy my friends with with my worthless comic knowledge. While I recall seeing the first Batman in theaters, it’s the sequel is the one I’m most fond of. I remember it being a true event, the first time me and my mates gathered for an event movie. The movie didn’t disappoint then, and it sure doesn’t now.
Batman Returns is filled with great moments. The pussy nature of the police force as at the first sign of trouble, Commissioner Gordon immediately begs for the signal. Penguin’s first appearance in his lair where he tells Walken, “I believe the word you’re looking for is, Aarragggh!” Christopher Walken bringing a fish to coax the Penguin into running for mayor. But first, let’s talk Christmas.
Now the easy selection of a bloody holiday choice is Die Hard, the ultimate Christmas miracle. However, I think Batman Returns should be right behind it. The movie begins with the great Paul “Pee Wee” Reuben’s learning of the birth of his mutant child. It’s not the Christmas miracle Pee Wee hoped for. Think about it. His kid eats a cat within the first minute. Anyway, it’s a perfect setup. The movie is about freaks, specifically, a city filled with them.
By 1992, Burton had captured his bizarre S&M style. While Batman introduced fans to the modern comic book adaptation, the sequel gave life to the city, finally making Gotham into a living entity. Sure, Jack Nicholson’s Joker will forever be apart of cinematic history, but may I suggest Danny DeVito’s Oswald Cobblepot as a more tragic, more interesting villain, someone who truly emphasizes Burton’s strange world, which always looks as fabricated as Justin Bieber’s success. Somehow though, the obvious fakeness works wonderfully. It creates the comic book world that so few movies have ever been able to capture.
The Christmas setting of Batman Returns gives it something more. The stark white environment gives the black latex a sense of vibrancy and power. Gotham is shown covered under a blanket of white, adding to the dimension of the dark city. The coldness of winter speaks to the coldness within all the characters here. B Wayne’s empty soul. Oswald Cobblepot’s rejection by humanity. Selena Kyle’s loneness and desperation. Each remain emotionally as cold as a corpse buried in Antarctica.
Beyond all that analytical fancy pants stuff, Batman Returns boasts a hell of a cast. DeVito is fantastic as the mutated Penguin, giving him the depth and humanity that Nicholson’s Joker lacked. Michelle Pfeiffer is at her utter sexiest as the Catwoman. Walken plays the ultimate jerk, sleaze bag politician with a heart of coal. But it’s Michael Keaton’s show.
He has the voice, the style, and the look. It’s a shame we never got to see he and Burton’s trilogy. If they had continued on the trend of improving the world of Gotham, the sky would have been the limit. After all, Returns brought the dark out of the Dark Knight. Something I hope comic book movies will rediscover.
Disagree? Get the DVD and discover for yourself.