Too often, when a movie comes out, and it is perceived as being dark, the audience splinters into groups that either think the movie was great or that it was too dark. Batman Returns, along with its first installment Batman presented a movie that not only was dark, but did not turn off people by the darkness of the film. When you are dealing with characters who have been created by the worst part of the criminal element, you have material that is inherently dark to begin with. When the material is already dark, there is no point in sugar coating it, and if the movie stays true to its own story, then you come away with something that is not only worth watching, but seeing a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th time as well. Just as Batman was a great story showing the "underbelly" of the criminal element of Gotham City, Batman Returns picked up right where it left off, and did not try to trick the audience into thinking that crime or criminals were colorful to the eye. Instead this movie focused on the colorful personalities of those involved.


Batman Returns cam out in the Summer of 1992, and was a much anticipated sequel to 1989's Batman . Returning were the Director of the first one Tim Burton, and the man who played Batman, Michael Keaton. Both had done a great job in the first film, and had earned themselves a lot of success because of how well the film turned out. Batman had been the savior to a comic book industry that was trying to reach a mainstream audience, and had tried the big-screen as a method to get the stories of their characters out to the average fan. Not since the Superman movies, and for a long time before that, had a movie based on comic book characters done so well in he theaters. When Batman came out, it was a success to both critics and fans alike, and when it breezed past $200 million, there was no doubt that Part 2 could not be too far behind. It was important to everyone surrounding the movie that Burton and Keaton return, and the buzz for the second movie soon surrounded the cast of characters that would come up in supporting roles.


Before I get into the review of the movie, I think that a background story is needed about Batman and what happened in the first movie. Batman is in real life, multimillionaire Bruce Wayne, who was orphaned earl in life when his parents were killed outside of a movie theater. The first movie took that as the basis of its storyline, as the killer, Jack Nappier, came back as The Joker, and Batman is forced to deal with him. While facing his own personal demons, and the demonic form that Nappier takes on, the character of Bruce Wayne evolves into that of a mild-mannered playboy, who by night seems almost sadistic in taking out bad-guys left and right. But, when they attack first, it almost becomes a self-defense mechanism to use any means necessary to protect yourself, and defend the city against these foes. Gotham City is Bruce calls home, and he is rich from money that he inherited from his parents. But, he did not let that money just sit there, rather he made wise business decisions and good investments to keep his capital growing to the point where he could lead his double life. By day Bruce Wayne, millionaire and philanthropist, and by night, Batman.


For the main character, Bruce Wayne, the movie picked up right where the first installment had ended. He was now the dark knight of Gotham, who would come when called by the bat-shaped spotlight he had given the Commissioner. Entering the cast of characters in this film was first of all Danny DeVito as Oswald Cobblepot. Cobblepot, in this version of the story, is an orphaned child as well, who has lived in the sewers of Gotham City for 33 years. The only people who have sheltered him from the outside world are circus-folk, who understand and accept the abnormalities that he was born with. In a cruel fate thrown upon him, Oswald had been tossed into a river by his parents when he was just a baby, and knew nothing of the outside world except that which ended up in the sewers. Now, 33 years later, he feels it is time to come back to the surface and claim his birthright. He takes on the name Penguin for two reasons. First, he befriends penguins that have access to the sewers through the old Gotham Zoo, and second because the abnormalities that he was born with (webbed fingers and a waddle) lend him to look like a penguin. To top that off, he likes raw fish, so he fits the role nicely.


Christopher Walken plays the role of tycoon Max Shreck who has a plan to take over control of all of the power in Gotham City. If you are looking for a main villain in this movie, then Shreck is your man. He ends up convincing Cobblepot to work for him, and Walken does a great job in he role of a crazed man who is out only for himself, money, and the power that comes with years of greed. Taking cobblepot under his wing, he is convinced that he now has a henchman to do all of the dirty-work that will get him where he needs to go. But it soon becomes unclear just who is using who in the relationship, and it is left to the audience to determine exactly who has the most power between the two of them. With Walken as a leader, DeVito plays a great "Penguin." He is able to be quite dark under layers of make-up, and he brings credibility to the role of the grown-child who wants revenge for the way that he was treated as a baby. Only two things appear to stand in their way of taking over the city, one of which is Batman.


Along comes Catwoman. In a role that was coveted by many of the best actresses at the time, Michelle Pfeiffer was given the chance to strut her stuff as the sultry Selina Kyle. Having been an employee of Shreck, she has also turned down the path of revenge, and takes on the personality of CatWoman to seek revenge in the way she sees fit. Only, instead of just seeking revenge, she too becomes someone who strays from her path, and strides right in front of Batman. Batman now has 3 enemies with which he must to battle, and the question soon becomes will he be able to take them all on, or will he be destroyed by the one thing that keeps him going: the memory of his parents. The story grows in twists and turns as Batman and Catwoman fight by night, but unbeknownst to them, Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle (their real life personas in the film) are also showing interest in dating. The weird relationship between them starts to flourish, but can it survive if they figure out who each other is?


At the heart of this film, is the fact that everyone is out for revenge. Bruce Wayne is still not satisfied with what happened to his parents killer, and he still seeks what he can not find, The Penguin seeks revenge on everyone for what has happened to him, and CatWoman is seeking revenge against he former boss for what he has done to her. Everyone has their own path, and the paths crisscross as the film progresses, all the while showing parts of each of the characters for what they really are: people hiding from their pasts by putting on masks. Tim Burton does a great job at making the characters from the comic-books come to life, and he does not settle for a superficial look into the psyche of each one of them. Instead, he develops the characters as far as they can go b showing us the backgrounds that each of them came from. Put that together with some great action sequences and comic book character antics, and Batman Returns scores a huge hit. Burton makes it that much better by blending great color schemes with topnotch sets.


With Batman Returns, both Tim Burton and Michael Keaton put themselves down in the books as great director and great person for the role of Batman. His brooding style made for a very believable character, and that coupled with Burton's vision of a dark, dreary city help make this film one of their best films. The story is quite complex if you try to break it down, but Burton does a great job doing all of the hard work for the audience, but at the same time keeping it developed enough so that the story does not fall apart. Some people do not like the climactic ending of this film, or the unclear message about where the characters are headed after this story. But, I liked the movie a lot, and I could not wait to see when Part 3 to the story would be coming out. I highly recommend this movie as a must-see if you are a fan of anything to do with Batman. While the characters are slightly different than what they appear as in the comic books, they are still likable and well-done in this film. It was a shame that it would be Keaton and Burton's last film together, but their time together will always have a place in film History here.



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups