 |
 1992 PG-13 / Superhero Action Directed by: Starring: |
- The Bat, the Cat, the Penguin
Summary Capsule
- Batman, uh, returns to fight evil, but finds the evil comes in green-goo-drooling form but also sometimes in hot black latex form. Yum!
Mutant Meter
     |
Movie Store [proceeds go toward monthly MRFH upkeep]
Kyle's Rating: Essentially, this is the story of my life. I’m Batman!
Kyle's Review: On the surface, Batman Returns is more of a true comic book superhero adaptation than Batman. Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) is still the ultra-brooding Batman, protector of Gotham City. When he is called into action by the batsignal, he finds he now has a cadre of villains to deal with. Oswald Cobblepot (Danny DeVito), the Penguin to his friends, has just emerged from his childhood home in the Gotham sewers with a deadly scheme and a gang of circus goons under his control. He soon joins forces with literally power-hungry Max Schreck (Christopher Walken), and they start trying to take over Gotham politically as well. Throw in the seductive but murderous quasi-feminist-in-skintight-latex Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Batman has his hands full. It’s a great comic book movie, if that’s what you’re looking for. Go rent it!
To me, this is a big tragic love story, a version of Romeo-and-Juliet full of batarangs and black rubber. Wayne falls for newly empowered Selina Kyle (Pfeiffer) at first sight, while Batman falls because of Catwoman many times. There is attraction on ten levels, conscious or otherwise, and we the audience desperately want these tortured souls to just take a batboat to a deserted gloomy isle and live happily melancholy for the rest of their lives. Ah, love!
It helps that once again everyone involved is totally awesome. DeVito is sympathetic and malevolent all at once, and you could have a long talk at any respectable coffee house about how the Penguin didn’t necessarily have to be a monster, even though he was born to look like one. Throw in the irony of Schreck growing up to be a true monster, even though he looks like... scary Walken. Woo. Michael Gough and Pat Hingle are great again, and all the Penguin’s henchmen are fantastic. The look of the film is fabulously unique and the direction is fancy-crisp (go Burton go!) and the script is witty and fun. Batman Returns is fantastic...
...and it’s Keaton who makes it happen. Apparently, there were those back then who doubted him as Batman, and there are those that still do. Whatever. Some people only want pineapple on pizzas: it’s just one of those things we normal people must grin at and ignore. Keaton is incredible. He’s moody, he’s edgy, he’s driven, he’s dark . . . yet he’s got a sense of humor (him dealing with the batmobile not immediately turning into the batmissile is fabulous!). And he goes after hot girls like the smokin’ hot Pfeiffer! You go, boy! But as Batman, he’s not about to second-guess a villain, even if she is the smokin’ hot Catwoman. Okay, he second-guesses in hindsight, but I doubt he’ll do that again.
Ideally, Batman Returns should be called Batman Totally Awesome. The movie is sad, dark, uplifting, funny, disturbing, and consistently entertaining. Every confrontation Keaton has with anybody is bristling with wit and supercharged. The first Bat-Cat-Penguin meeting is especially unforgettable. There’s the usual twisted undertones, with much more explicit sexual content. You might be turned off by the darkly moody take on everything, or you might be a comic-thumper who can’t get over Batman being a guy who can crack a joke, get a little emotional, go after a hot girl, and possibly blow up a henchman with a big bomb. I personally love Batman in the era of Burton and Keaton, and I wish we had more. But there’s always the future, thank goodness. Let’s see what Christian Bale can do.
Nancy's Rating: Four out of three times I've debated calling Christopher Walken and asking of he would please push me out of a window. Please.
Nancy's Review: Well, well, well.
A long time ago, months even, I wrote a review for Batman. I was labeled as a fangirl and rightfully characterized as insane from that point on. And ya know what? I'm okay with that. Although the image of me jumping up and down screaming "Batman Rules!" until I hit my head on the ceiling fan is embarrassing, it's also pretty accurate. But this time, instead of screaming "Glory Hallelujah" at the mention of the Bat, I'm just going to brew some tea, take a deep breath, and try to be calm when I talk to you about Batman Returns.
The Penguin also manipulates the media! Ya gotta love that. You have to love a little social commentary thrown next to tonight's serving of superhero. Before I get to Batman, let me talk about Danny DeVito here as The Penguin. Although he is known for playing unfavorable roles, here he is downright unrecognizable. He is so grotesque; before I had watched this eighty thousand times, I was even known to wince when he devours fish. He scurries about, doing his little evil bidding and manipulating Gotham City from the inside out. He makes them turn against their beloved Batman. Holy crap, I forgot there was a penguin army!!! Okay. Okay, sorry, I'm calming down.
Let me try to approach the subject of Catwoman calmly. She is by far the coolest image I can imagine. Not only does she evoke the same tough and strong aura that Batman does, she also has a few pros Batman does not possess. Not saying I'm not devoted to Bruce Wayne, but there are a few Catwoman qualities he can't pull off. One is that, he's not a lady. And with her little jumpsuit, Catwoman is by far the sexiest icon in Amercan culture. At least by my standards. She is the ultimate of what I want to be. Now, I shouldn't talk, because I stayed far, far away from Catwoman – The Dirty Movie. But I hate Halle Berry. I really, really do. And I feel bad that more people now think ‘Halle’ as opposed to ‘Michelle’. Because Michelle Pfeiffer is downright incredible, embodying a nerd girl turned Gotham City underground terrorist with a confused heart of gold. Oh man. I'm taking deep breaths but it is just so difficult not to hit 'shift' + '1' and have this entire review be six paragraphs of exclamation points.
All anyone talks about these days is Spider-Man being the nerd transformed into hero. Every now and then I feel a little guilty. Because, you see, I love the nerds, and I'd rather be on their side. Yet I'm always rooting for the smooth and sturdy bat, and sometimes I feel a little guilty. I feel like I should push up my taped-together glasses, snort and say "Go Spidey!". But I just love the Bat for unexplainable reasons. And now I realize, Selena Kyle, at least in Batman Returns, is by far a nerd. And she is more my type of nerd. She's awkward, she has messy curly hair, she works as a secretary and doesn't get enough respect. Guys, she's me. She's really me. And then after being betrayed for the umpteenth time, she gets to turn into a dangerous and beautiful vixen, and also gets to kiss Batman! I've finally figured out this problem that has plagued me, about how I am most certainly a nerdy girl and yet I root for Batman over Spider-Man. It's Catwoman. It's Selena Kyle. I am Selena Kyle.
Ya know, if I hadn't written this review, I might have never know this about myself. I wonder if every mutant has a moment like this...
Hey, it's just cool.. It's the epitome of all cool. It's sleek, it's crazy, it's funny and it's great. The entire movie would be great, even if it wasn't about Batman. I mean, the acting, the cinematography, the directing, the set, it would all piece together to something amazing, even if it just so happened that this movie wasn't about my favorite cultural icon. Now, that really says something. It’s just the most fun you can have sitting down and watching a movie.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 Snooty Pee-Wee and a cross-dresser
|
- During the scene where Penguin's henchmen are wrecking a shop, there is a reprise of the "Making Christmas" theme from The Nightmare Before Christmas, which Danny Elfman also composed.
- Paul Reubens and Diane Salinger from Pee-wee's Big Adventure reunite briefly at the beginning of the film as The Penguin's father and mother.
- It appears in one scene as if Batman sticks a live bomb to the stomach of a fat goon and then knocks him into an open sewer to explode (thereby killing the goon). Some say that when the explosion goes off and a shower of red confetti explodes up out of the sewer, that means that the bomb was a fake and Batman knew all along, so Batman is still the upstanding moral guy he is in the comic books. Others say that it’s more fun if Batman is willing to use the criminals’ tools and tactics against them, even matching them kill for kill. You will have to decide which you prefer...
- In Kyle’s opinion, the first time we see Bruce Wayne in the movie, where he’s brooding in a chair and waiting for the batsignal to shine through the window and jolt him into bataction, is the coolest movie scene ever! When I bring a date home, I’ll conveniently have Batman Returns in my DVD player so I can flip to that scene and be like “That’s me, babe, I hope you can understand that,” and see how she reacts. Stellar!
Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits?
Just to hear more Danny Elfman Batman score, absolutely. Go Elfman go!
Intermission! [some sources: IMDb]
-
Danny DeVito was forbidden to describe The Penguin's makeup to anyone, including his family.
The first script draft of Batman Returns was intended to be a direct-sequel to the previous film. As a result, subplots and continuity from the first film that would have been addressed included gift shops selling fragments of the destroyed Bat-Wing, further revelations into the past of the now deceased Jack Napier AKA Joker, and even Bruce Wayne proposing to Vicki Vale by the end of the film. However, Tim Burton was uncomfortable in making a direct sequel and as a result, the script was rewritten. However, several plot elements from the original script did make it into the final draft. This included the Penguin and Catwoman's alliance, their framing of Batman, and the Dark Knight's escape via Bat-Glider. Further elements even made their way into the third film, Batman Forever, most notably the storming of Wayne Manor and the Batcave.
The role of Max Schreck was originally written to be District Attorney Harvey Dent. The explosion at the end was only to scar Dent, which led to his becoming Two-Face in the third movie. Also, most of Schreck's plot points and political aspirations would make more sense if they came from a D.A. and not a department store owner. Reportedly Billy Dee Williams took the role of Harvey Dent in the first Batman movie because he knew that the character would eventually become Two-Face. Rumor has it that Williams' contract to appear in the sequel was bought out heavily by Warner Bros.
Marlon Wayans was signed on to play Robin in this movie and Batman Forever - he even went through costuming for the five minutes that he appeared in the script. But when the script was re-written and Joel Schumacher took over as director, the role went to Chris O'Donnell. Wayans was paid for both movies.
Burgess Meredith (the original Penguin from the ‘60s Batman television show) was asked to play The Penguin's father at the beginning of the movie and he accepted, but due to an illness couldn't play him.
Groovy Quotes
-
Selina Kyle: I don't like normal men, they always let you down. The sick ones don't scare me, at least they're committed.
Henchman: But killing children. Isn't it a little...
The Penguin: No! It's a lot!
Catwoman: I am Catwoman. Hear me roar.
The Penguin: You're just jealous because I'm a real freak and you have to wear a mask.
Batman: Mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it.
Catwoman: A kiss can be even deadlier if you mean it.
Chip Shreck: Dad, you buy that bleary business?
Max Shreck: Women. Nothing surprises me Chip, except your late mother. Who'da thought Selina had a brain to damage. Bottom line, she tries to blackmail me, I'll drop her out a higher window. Meantime, I got better fish to fry.
The Penguin: They wouldn't put me on a pedestal, so I'm layin' them out on a slab!
Max Shreck: Bruce Wayne? Why are you dressed like Batman?
Catwoman: Because he is Batman, you moron.
Ice Princess: The tree lights up, I press the button ... No wait, I press the button and --
Young Female Volunteer: You're the coolest role-model a young person could have!
The Penguin: And you're the hottest young person a role-model could have.
The Penguin: My dear penguins, we stand upon a great threshold! It's alright to be scared; most of you won't be coming back. But, thanks to Batman, the time has come to punish ALL of God's children! 1st, 2nd, 3rd AND 4th-born! Why be biased? Male and female! Hell, the sexes are equal with their erogenous zones BLOWN SKY HIGH! FORWARD MARCH! THE LIBERATION OF GOTHAM HAS BEGUN!
The Penguin: Touring the riot scene. Gravely assessing the devastation. Upstanding mayor stuff.
Catwoman: I don't know about you, Miss Kitty, but I feel so much... yummier.
DVD Review
-
Like all the other Batman films, there are only bare bones dvds out there. Everyone wants cool special editions to watch and cherish. I (Kyle) certainly remember watching some tv special on Batman Returns before the movie came out, so we can see that and stuff. Until we get the great fully-loaded dvds, go buy the one that is out there, because this movie is perfect for late-night viewing and brooding.
Soundtrack Review
-
More Danny Elfman batmagic, so it’s awesome! Whoa, I guess the song “Face to Face” is credited as “words and music by Danny Elfman and Siouxsie & The Banshees.” That’s awesome! Siouxsie rules, and so does Elfman! Excellent!
If you liked this movie, try these:
Part of
This review page was last updated on 9.4.06
MRFH Home . Reviews . Findaflik . Features! . MRFH Forum
© 2004 Mutant Reviewers From Hell (Original Content). All Rights Reserved.
