Comments on: BATMAN RETURNS (1992)

By: Tormentor

Tormentor — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:50:14 +0000

BATMAN RETURNS was arguably the greatest Batman movie ever made, and i say that even after watching Begins which has to come in second. Why? Because the way Burton handled Batman’s character in the film simply outdoes Nolan’s portrayal. Here, we dont have any corny lines, any slip-ups and the only part with the revealing infront of Selina and Shreck… well that was Burton’s attempt at gothicism’s romantic side. Here we have a Batman more akin to his shrouded persona, and Catwoman realigns that. But i do agree that Returns is more Burton than Batman, but hey, its supposed to be a Gothic City. Though comparing this with Begins is mere idiotic owing to the fact that both directors had different takes on the same character. Returns had Gothicism cut down the middle perfectly, with Selina’s transformation, Penguin’s psychological descent, and even Bruce Wayne’s stability. Great review, but I’d say you are being too negative with it. The Bat-suit looked better than the original movie and even better than Schumacher’s (i really dont have to point it out anymore), the designs were more sleek and in essence to the comic’s dark origins than the one Nolan’s doing with the new exoskeleton suit. Plus, the batmobile rocked! Taken that the does not stick to continuity with Selina’s character, Burton could not use the dominatrix Catwoman from Year One because of the movie’s ratings. And the parents were offended because of the deadly mistletoe scene? please… All in all, kudos to Burton for giving us a memorable Dark Knight and quite possibly the best one in the entire franchise. Now lets see if Nolan can fry a better fish.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 06:59:12 +0000

Ookay, half of my post got deleted between the Preview and Post buttons o_0

*sigh*

By: Llyerly

Llyerly — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 06:58:27 +0000

I’m another person who does nitpick about details in movies I love. I sit there and go through scenes and find those things, so I’m in no position to tell you off, but maybe it’s time to lighten up a bit.

I myself DO read Batman comics, the old and the new, and while I liked the first Batman, disliked Batman and Robin and HATED Batman Forever (poor old Harvey’s character was changed from menancing and dangerous to comic relief. I mean, tigerstripes?!)but I adored Batman Returns (though not as much as the darkly brilliant Batman Begins). Gotham was never bright and wonderful as portrayed in the later movies, and I loved Tim Burton’s darker take. While Selina Kyle’s transition to Catwoman was a best an eyebrow-raiser, Burton’s take on her was excellent. Though the way she licked Batman’s face was overdone >

By: Emmet Style

Emmet Style — Thu, 14 Jul 2005 15:23:12 +0000

After enjoying Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman Begins’ which was a surprisingly realistic adaptation of the Batman legend, I rented ‘Batman’ & ‘Batman Returns’ from the local video store as I thought I’d check them out again as the last time I had seen them was on my parents grainy & dusty supermarket video tapes which they recorded from TV a decade ago. I watched the original & thought of how much I missed it & I began to understand the story & dialogue more than when I was 6. Then I eagerly watched, ‘Batman Returns’. It blew my mind & I fell in love with it all over again. I haven’t read the original comic books & whatever so I still have no previous perception of the character’s origins except for Bruce Wayne & I thought Tim Burton’s dark & deliciously gothic vision was excellent, always keeping me on the edge of my bed. And what a project Burton had to stretch his wings(pun not intended), not only did he add a fresh villain but also a wilder & malevolent plot, not one but two much loved villains creating havoc simultaneously, grimmer production design, more action with character development, plus a more wonderfully violent & disturbing musical score from masterful & frequent collaborator, Danny Elfman & all working in synthesis to make the greatest sequel to a comic-book film ever! I am once again impressed & why the studio execs opted for a more ‘family friendly’ approach I will never know as I’m sure the film went a storm at the box-office anyway. And indeed this is the last great Batman movie no thanks to Joel “Batman Killer” Schumacher, for if ‘Batman Forever’ was the death of the once interesting franchise then ‘Batman & Robin’ is surely the funeral. Best of luck to Christopher Nolan(Insomnia) who looks like he is off to a great start but by the look of ‘Batman Begins’ he will never replace Burton’s mastery.

By: Kwaylon

Kwaylon — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:30:08 +0000

Man You have too much time on your hand, it seems that you try your hardest to find the smallest things wrong with this movie. I.E. the example about the eye paint, who cares, it’s a movie and a fictional story so get over it. How can people expect these Batman movies to be 100% believable when the story is fictional. With the exception of the 2 films with Robin, The other 3 Batman films have just the right balance of campiness, and truthfullness. So quit trying to downrate these good movies. Your thoughts or problems with these movies are like asking why no one knows Supermans real Identity since all he does is take his glasses off. I’m pretty sure that you’ve never said because you know it’s fiction. Just let your mind believe what’s going on and take you away for a couple of hours, instead of looking for small things to complain about.

By: ED209

ED209 — Sat, 11 Jun 2005 17:30:05 +0000

I actually enjoyed the film. I have no problems with it.

By: LYT

LYT — Fri, 10 Jun 2005 23:25:10 +0000

“Also, the makeup around the eyes isn’t meant to be taken literally – it’s just supposed to make the costume more seamless.”

Whether it is or not, it looks like paint.

“It would look silly without it”

I disagree. In the scene in BATMAN RETURNS where it magically disappears prior to unmasking, it looks fine.

I say either have it or don’t, but don’t insult my intelligence by pretending it doesn’t exist if it does. Especially if you’re going for a realistic take — I was hoping Bale’s Batman would acknowledge the paint — apparently an early draft of the script did.

As for the penguin commandos, I liked ‘em. Them and the umbrellas were at least a nod to the comic Penguin.

By: Ghostboy

Ghostboy — Fri, 10 Jun 2005 22:15:51 +0000

Oops, thanks!

By: David Scott

David Scott — Fri, 10 Jun 2005 22:03:48 +0000

Hey, Ghostboy, your URL needs another ‘W’.

By: Ghostboy

Ghostboy — Fri, 10 Jun 2005 21:59:59 +0000

Also, the makeup around the eyes isn’t meant to be taken literally – it’s just supposed to make the costume more seamless. It would look silly without it, because you can’t get the rubber cowl to form-fit to the eyes without obscuring them.

Bale wears it with the new Batsuit, too.

Catwoman didn’t need it because her costume was supposed to look ragged and handmade.