Movie Review #27: Batman Returns

Three years after the success of Batman, Tim Burton directed the next installment of the Caped Crusader’s feature films: Batman Returns (1992). Returning are Michael Keaton and Michael Gough as Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth. And joining the cast this time around are Danny DeVito as the Penguin, Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Christopher Walken as Max Schreck.

Thirty-three years ago, the Cobblepots have a child. A horrible disfigured child. That christmas, they dump the child in the sewer where he lives his life, trains an army of penguins to do his bidding and grows a mad-on for industrialist Max Schreck who has been dumping toxic waste in the sewer system for years. The Cobblepot child, now known as the Penguin, blackmails Schreck into making him a public icon in Gotham City using the toxic waste as leverage. Soon, the Penguin rises to fame, runs for mayor and frames Batman for all the wrong doing in Gotham. Meanwhile, Schreck’s personal assistant Selina Kyle uncovers secret documents that would be damaging to Schreck’s name if leaked. So what does Schreck do? He pushes her out a window. But in Gotham City, this act does not kill. It only makes people crazy and psychotic! She creates the Catwoman persona and sets out to destroy all men that take advantage of women. Oh yeah, and the Batman jumps around and drives his cool car in this movie too.

What Tim Burton does best is create a drab, spooky environment for his subjects, who are always quirky, crazy and disfigured, to play in. Burton dives deep inside the characters and finds the sorrow, the tragedy and the heart to explore and exploit. Edward Scissorhands, Ichabod Crane, Jack Skellington, Ed Wood, these are all examples of Burton’s obsession with the odd and unusual and the Penguin and the Catwoman are no exception to this.

For the past twenty-five years, the focus in the comicbooks has been less of Batman and more on the Rogues Gallery. These characters are more colourful, more interesting and Batman is just a vessel for which their stories can be told. Thus, Batman Returns is about the tragic fate of Oswald Cobblepot and Selina Kyle rather than the Bat. Bruce Wayne and Batman really don’t have much to do with the story at all and this, in my opinion, is what make this film the best out of the four. Burton understood the importance of the villain’s role and that is why Batman’s villains and Burton made such a good pair. I would have loved to see what he would do with the Scarecrow, Clayface and the Ventriloquist had he gone on to direct more Batfilms.

This movie also played a big role in the creation of Batman: the Animated Series. The Joker, Penguin and Catwoman’s designs were directly influenced by Returns and so was the look of the city and even the Batmobile. And as a result from that, the comicbooks took many cues from the animated series and changed many of their villains’ looks too!

A couple of questions: if the Penguin spent his whole life in the sewers, how is it that he is so well spoken and quite educated? Also, How did he get all of his gadgets and toys? It’s not like someone is just throwing away ten foot tall rubber duckies and penguin-sized jet packs and rocket launchers.

I will return next week,
Toast!