JayDee's Movie Musings

Agreed about some of the nonsensical plot holes of TDKR but despite all that it's still a 9/10 movie with Begins and TDKR either 9.5 or 10/10.

I think the elaborate Plane intro was Nolan's personal audition tape for making a Bond movie.

Hathaway/Catwoman and Gordon Levitt are both fantastic, as is Bane/Hardy the first real physical threat to Batman in the trilogy. The first fight with Bane is amazing.

I never liked the criticism of "how did Wayne cross the ice". He is a trained ninja who can sneak back into places without being seen. We even see him training on thin ice in Begins. Did people who criticise this not watch Begins?

Perhaps because the previous 2 films were so successful we feel the need to pick apart the film so much or perhaps Nolan took his eye off the ball a wee bit in finishing this "greatest comic book series". Hard to decide which.

I wasn't a great fan of the ticking bomb finale cliche that feels like its been done a thousand times before. Perhaps this was all done to provide Batmans escape/death.

The Alfred/Wayne scenes were very powerful in this film tying in perfectly with the ending.

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That's for sure. Most likely the best fight of the year of 2012. (Based on the movies that I've watched) You felt every punch, every reaction.

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Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, that's a straw, you see? You watching?. And my straw reaches acroooooooss the room, and starts to drink your milkshake... I... drink... your... milkshake!
-Daniel, There Will Be Blood

Plot - As a young boy, Bruce Wayne (Bale) witnessed the tragic death of his parents at the hands of a criminal. This traumatic event forever changed his life, so much so that as an adult he travels the world seeking to understand and fight injustice. His travels take him to central Asia where he meets a mysterious figure named Ra's Al Ghul and joins his group called the League of Shadows. Trained by Henri Ducard (Neeson), Bruce eventually rejects the group when he learns about their true intentions. Returning to Gotham, he takes an interest in his father's legacy; Wayne Enterprises. There he meets Lucius Fox (Freeman), the head of Wayne Enterprises' Applied Sciences division, and with his help he creates a new persona to fight the crime that has polluted his city - Batman. As Batman takes on the criminals and organised crime underworld of Gotham, a sinister new threat emerges; The Scarecrow, a masked villain who induces fear in his victims through the use of toxins who in reality is Dr. Jonathan Crane (Murphy), a psychologist who is using his position at Arkham Asylum for nefarious means. Battling against all these foes Batman comes to rely on the assistance of a local cop, James Gordon (Oldman). Unbeknownst to him however there are secret plans and individuals lurking in the background, including an old friend he could never have envisaged meeting again.

This might prove to be quite a controversial view but I have to ask, am I the only one who thinks that Batman Begins is actually the best film of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy? I know for definite that it's certainly my personal favourite, which I will admit puts me very much in the minority. Hell I may even be the only person on this whole board who feels that way. As a result this review is going to be slightly different from the norm. As well as reviewing Batman Begins I'm going to be dipping in and out of the sequels to help make certain points about this film.

One thing that I personally never quite 'got' was the amount of praise that Nolan got for grounding his Batman in reality. For all of its serious and real-world issues, and its foundation as a gritty crime drama when you boil it all down what you basically still have are guys dressed up as bats, clowns and scarecrows doing stuff that shouldn't exist in a 'real' world such as cars that can fly across rooftops. It made for an awkward marriage at times and it almost felt like Nolan was too embarrassed just to embrace the film for what they were - comic book films. It gives them the occasional air of pretension and arrogance, as if he feels they are above it. And with The Dark Knight Nolan took things into such a dark place that while I can appreciate some of its qualities (namely Ledger's tremendous performance) I don't think I could say that I actually like it; I just found it so grim and depressing that it was actually quite a tough watch first time out. In contrast I felt that Begins managed to find the best balance for a Batman film between the dark and gritty tone of the character, whilst still retaining the colourful and pulpy nature that should be inherent in a comic book movie. I think it's got some of the most fantastical moments of the trilogy such as the scene towards the film's conclusion where Batman flies along the streets of Gotham to confront Ra's al Ghul and his men.

That more fantastical element is also true of the film's setting. Another element where Begins is my favourite of the series is in regards to how they present Gotham. In the sequels I find Gotham to be a rather dull and bland place; it comes across just like any generic major city in the US. While you could argue once again that this is part of Nolan's attempts to ground the film in reality, as well as helping to place us in the action by having it take place on streets which look just like the ones we walk every day, I just found the Gotham we get here to be a much more vivid, interesting and unique place. It's got a much more gothic, even steampunk flavour to it with its monorail, billowing smoke and architecture. While the Narrows has the feel of a dystopia slum of a sort. All in all it was just a much more fascinating place to spend time in. And considering how iconic a part of Batman's story Gotham is I think that should be more of a character in its own right.

Film Trivia Snippets - While there are some questions over the story's authenticity, David Boreanaz was apparently the first choice for the role of Bruce Wayne but turned it down. Once he did many other actors were put under consideration. Keanu Reeves and Ashton Kutcher were both considered, with Kutcher reportedly being the studio executives' top choice. Nolan wasn't enthusiastic about this, resulting in the studio heads dropping the idea. In the end it was cut down to a shortlist of 8 actors who were asked to audition just days before the role would eventually be cast. Those involved were Christian Bale, Joshua Jackson, Eion Bailey, Hugh Dancy, Billy Crudup, Cillian Murphy, Henry Cavill and Jake Gyllenhaal. While Bale obviously won the part, Nolan was so impressed with Cillian Murphy that he cast him as Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow on the strength of that audition. /// While his work on the Batman films has won him the adoration of many viewers, they could easily have been made without the participation of Christopher Nolan. Before he took on the project, Darren Aronofsky was attached to direct with Frank Miller set to write the screenplay based on his own classic tale “Batman: Year One.” In the end Warne Bros. decided not to put the project into production, apparently because the screenplay strayed a considerable amount from the source material, making Alfred an African-American mechanic named Big Al, the Batmobile a souped-up Lincoln Towncar and Bruce Wayne homeless. Also approached to direct were The Wachowski brothers, who even wrote their own treatment also based on “Batman: Year One.” In the end though they turned down the offer to make the Matrix sequels instead. /// The language used in the film by Ken Watanabe is neither Japanese nor Tibetan, or in fact any known language at all. It is actually just some gibberish he says he made up himself for the role. /// While shooting on the streets of Chicago, a person accidentally crashed into the Batmobile. The driver was apparently drunk, and said he hit the car in a state of panic, believing the Dark Knight's vehicle to be an invading alien spacecraft.

While I perhaps wouldn't go as far to say that Nolan began to suffer from delusions of grandeur with the two sequels I do feel that they had the tendency to feel quite bloated as they strived to become more and more epic. In comparison I find that Begins is by far the most streamlined, focused and economical of the trilogy. Like its successors it moves along at a fair pace and features a decent amount of action but I just felt that there was more room to breathe. It allowed the actors to flesh out their characters and have conversations which actually aided in that, as opposed to just being huge dumps of exposition. I felt that TDKR was particularly guilty of this. It tried to cram in so much story that so many issues were either glossed over, forgotten about or dealt with in the most simplistic and quickest of ways (Levitt's character knows Bruce Wayne is Batman because he can see it in his face? Really? ) I think that in general the writing on this film is just a lot tighter in terms of both the storyline and the dialogue. The interactions that Bruce has with other characters are better written and carry more of a purpose than in the following films. So often in the sequels it felt like the conversations where merely there to move the film and the character along and that the words could have came from anyone. But here I felt that Bruce had some great character moments with just about everyone - Alfred, Lucius Fox, Ducard, Gordon etc. Moments such as the first time Bruce visits Gordon in his office, when Alfred asks Bruce “why do we fall” as his home burns to the ground around him, all of his discussions with Ducard up in the mountains which create depth and build Bruce's character etc.

I think the writing was stronger in regards to the characters it creates. It makes the motivations for the characters a lot more clear; Bruce has to overcome his fear to become a defender of the city, as Batman he has to overcome his desire for vengeance to become the defender the city needs, Ra's al Ghul wants to wipe out Gotham and its extremes of decadence etc. In comparison I found the plans of Bane and the Joker to be more convoluted and confusing. I also felt that their actions matched their characters; quite often in the later films I felt that characters were just doing stuff out of character and for dramatic effect. The origins of the character are really well established. Along with showing us how the suit and the Batmobile come to light the film shows us who Bruce is and what it is that drives him. I also like how Batman seems to rely on his wits and intelligence a bit more in this film, alluding to the detective side of his persona, as opposed to the constant use of fists and gadgets in the sequels. The film not only introduces us to the real Bruce Wayne but to both the Dark Knight he becomes and the playboy facade that he creates to help mask his secret identity. One of my main problems with the writing of the sequels, particularly TDKR, was the amount of gaping plot holes. If I'm going to be honest however Batman Begins has a whopper of its own. While the central idea of the fear toxin in the water is interesting it makes no sense whatsoever. The bad guys have been introducing the fear toxin into the water for weeks in preparation for it being activated by the microwave emitter which will turn the toxin into a steam that will go airborne. So why in those weeks is no one affected when they boil their kettle or have a hot shower? And the film completely glosses over the fact that most of the human body is made of water, but the emitter has absolutely no effect on the people when it is set off. Unlike in the sequels however I loved everything else about this film so much that I can overlook and forgive the film for that.

One of the main problems that I had with the sequels is that I was unable to warm up to Christian Bale's performance in them. While I understand that the character developed and that the longer he was around the more he carried the weight of the world upon his shoulders but he became a character that I just didn't enjoy spending time with. He just growled and moped his way through the films. And we've not even gotten on to the issue of his silly Batman voice. That was a large reason why my favourite part of TDKR was Joseph Gordon-Levitt's story thread. Here however I find Bale to be a much more charismatic and likeable presence. He comes across as a much more vulnerable and relocatable character with more restraint on the half of Bale, things which all but disappeared in the sequels. And for a little while at least he seems to actually enjoy donning the suit and has a little fun with it, as opposed to it being the burden of later films. Hell he even smiles quite a few times throughout the film. In fact the film as a whole just has so much more humour about it. It may not go to the lengths that Marvel's efforts have (most notably Iron Man, Thor: The Dark World and The Avengers) but there are quite a few laughs to be found here, just making it a much more pleasurable viewing experience for me.

Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman all give very humorous and warm showings, with the only disappointment amongst the cast being Katie Holmes' Rachel Dawes. It's just a very bland performance completely lacking in any substance with every line apparently a struggle for her. Though the script doesn't help, giving the character some rather bitchy moments such as slapping Bruce and then turning him down at the end for some reason that I'm still not entirely sure on. And then there's the villains of the film. While they may have been overshadowed by Tom Hardy's Bane and especially Heath Ledger's Joker I think it should be remembered just how strong the villainous performances are in Begins. Both Neeson and Murphy are excellent. Neeson brings a great deal of strength and mystery to the role, and is helped greatly by the strong writing of his character. Initially he is set up as a mentor and surrogate father figure for Bruce before becoming his enemy, reflecting what Bruce could become if he allows his need for vengeance overwhelm him. I also thought the twist reveal of Neeson's character was well handled and really surprised me the first time I saw the film. It was a move that Nolan attempted to pull again in TDKR but that time it came off as very clumsy and unconvincing. While as Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow I really loved Murphy's creepy, unhinged performance; a very charismatic showing. I also loved how the film portrayed the effects of the fear-inducing toxins that Murphy's Dr. Crane/ Scarecrow had at his disposal. Showing us the viewpoint of the affected party the picture becomes very twitchy and shaky, while some of the monstrous images the people imagine are great in their creativity. The demonic Batman is a particular highlight, being quite simply bad ass!

I think that Batman Begins may also perhaps be the strongest in terms of the action set-pieces. For a start Batman's rescue of Rachel from Arkham Asylum I thought was the best of all the vehicle-based action sequences across the trilogy. It's a thrilling sequence that sees the Tumbler flying across the rooftops of Gotham and destroying every bit of the city's infrastructure that stands in its way. I also preferred the way that the fighting scenes were presented here. The first time around I actually wasn't a fan of those scenes, finding the shaky camera and breathless editing quite irritating and tiresome. However I've come to appreciate the scenes a lot more compared to the action in the sequels, particularly being a fan of the attack at the warehouse. The stylistic choices and the hit and move strategy show us the actions of Batman from the perspective of the thugs he is attacking, showing him in a stealthy and terrifying way. Though I will admit that some of the later fights against the minions of Ra's Al Ghul are almost indecipherable thanks to the editing. I certainly think this film comes out on top when compared to the final confrontations of the sequels. In both The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises I felt that after so much build-up the finales were rather disappointing and underwhelming. In TDK the tension surrounding the two bomb-laden boats I felt was a little flat and the actual fight between Batman and the Joker was really weak. These two are meant to be amongst the greatest adversaries of all time and yet their final fight lasts for about 30 seconds and its most interesting aspect were a few dogs. The film then rushes in a conclusion to the story of Harvey Dent/Two-Face whereas I think it would have been a lot more satisfying to have saved that for the 3rd film. TDKR's final battle was equally lacklustre I thought, not helped by how it was staged. In general I don't think that the hand-to-hand combat in the trilogy was all that exciting. It may have been more realistic but with just a series of elbow and knee strikes I didn't find it very dramatic. And in the fight with Bane it is presented in clear daylight and with little editing, making it seem duller and on occasion making it appear really obvious that they aren't actually hitting each other. Both just came across as lacklustre, convoluted, illogical and very anti-climactic. But in Begins I felt that the whole train sequence was a more eventful and dynamic conclusion told on a grander scale and one that carried a more emotional impact.

Conclusion - One of the iconic elements of Batman Begins is the line that Bruce's father, and later Alfred, delivers; “Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves back up.” Well after the giant fall that was the risible Batman & Robin, this film showed that Batman could get back up. And in some style. For me it's the best of all the Batman films yet to hit the big screen, perfectly capturing the tone and delivering a rollicking good time at the movies.

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I still prefer The Dark Knight, but at least you like Batman Begins.

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Fear and Loathing in MoFo... The Gunslinger 45's Top 50 Favorite Films

In the 10 Ring: Gunslinger45's reviews

Another great review JayDee! I also think that Batman Begins is the best all around film of the trilogy. My least favorite is actually The Dark Knight, mostly because I do not like Aaron Eckhart. But like I said, I really like all 3 films.

Wayne: "what's that"

Fox: "Ohhh the Tumbler, You wouldn't be interested in that"

BBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRR,,,BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

No no no!!! We already had a spate of these a while ago; no more Big Lebowski quotes!!!

You're not another of Sexy's alter egos are you?

Not to be fair I know I can get carried away and quite often admit it, especially when it comes to comic book movies.

Really? Great to hear! I'm not alone any more!

And thanks for the compliments cricket and everyone else

Well after a couple of Nolan's efforts it's time to go back and look at one of Tim Burton's visits to Gotham













Plot - After successfully defeating the Joker the caped crusader known as Batman (Keaton) has emerged as the protector of Gotham city. And the city is going to need him, for in the depths of the city's sewers a new villain is set to emerge - the Penguin (DeVito); a deformed individual who was rejected by his parents as a baby and is now intent on being accepted into Gotham society. A possible path to this acceptance comes in the form of crooked businessman Max Shreck (Walken) who aims to make the Penguin the new mayor of the city, and manipulate events to pain Batman in a negative light in the process. Everyone buys into the tragic story of the Penguin except for Batman, who aims to uncover the truth behind his intentions. His attempts are hindered however by the appearance of another costumed figure, Catwoman (Pfeiffer).

Man I had forgotten just what an odd little duck of a movie this was. I have seen this before, several times I think, but not for many years and I really wasn't able to recall much of it. And it really was a surprise to find just how weird and bizarre a creation Tim Burton concocted here. And coming on the back of watching Christopher Nolan's Batman films it makes for a real culture shock. It's hard to believe that they could have come up with two such distinct and disparate films whilst using the same source of inspiration. In fact even if Eli Roth was to direct a Batman film, followed by an effort from Pixar, it's hard to believe they could come up with two films which are more different. While Nolan strived for reality and a serious edge, Burton embraces the fantasy element of the material, delivering something that has a tendency to move into the realm of a surrealistic nightmare. In fact there's a touch of the Brothers Grimm fairytale about the whole thing, particularly in regards to the film's villains. Both The Penguin and Catwoman are much more paranormal, elemental like creations than their comic book counterparts. And Danny Elfman's excellent, ethereal score which sounds like the soundtrack to a dark fairytale is a perfect fit for this tone.

I'm actually really stunned at just how much the studio allowed Burton to get away with. I mean this is a really dark flick. Actually no, dark isn't the right word. Nolan's Batman films were dark; this is just f*cked up!!! I mean within the first two minutes alone you've got a mother and father dumping their infant son over the side of a bridge and into a river below, seemingly with the intent of killing him. It's only through a stroke of luck that he manages to survive. So that's one twisted supervillain origin. Then you've got Selina Kyle being thrown out of a window to her death, attracting a load of cats who seemingly try and eat her lifeless corpse. Only for her to come back to life! I'm telling you, it's f*cked up!!! And that's not even mentioning some of the other depraved touches that Burton throws our way - Catwoman attempting to eat a live bird for example or The Penguin's plan to kill all of the first born infants of Gotham.

Film Trivia Snippets - The script for Batman Returns went through several rewrites; in one version it was to be discovered that Max Schrek was actually The Penguin's older brother. /// Talking of rewrites, the character of Max Schrek was a pure rewrite of Harvey Dent. As such some of the film's plot points would perhaps have made more sense if Schreck had been a District Attorney as opposed to a corrupt businessman. The explosion at the film's end was to have scarred Dent and lead to his transformation into Two-Face for the third movie, Batman Forever. Billy Dee Williams apparently took the role of Harvey Dent in 1989's Batman as he knew he would eventually become Two-Face. It is rumoured that Williams' contract to appear in this sequel was bought out by Warner Bros. at a very heavy price. /// When it came to the character of The Penguin, Warner Brothers' first suggestion was Dustin Hoffman, while other names that were considered included Marlon Brando, John Candy, Bob Hoskins and Christopher Lloyd. /// When it came to the role of Selina Kyle/Catwoman it seems that just about every name in Hollywood popped up at one point or another. In fact Michelle Pfeiffer was not the original actress to be cast. Annette Bening had been cast but was replaced when she became pregnant. Demi Moore and Nichole Kidman both rejected offers, while Susan Sarandon showed great interest in the role but was considered too old. Other actresses in the frame included Sigourney Weaver, Jodie Foster, Lena Olin, Madonna, Raquel Welch, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ellen Barkin, Cher and Bridget Fonda. At one point, even Kim Basinger was considered despite the small fact that she had appeared in the previous instalment as Vicky Vale. /// Talking of alternates for Catwoman, here's one to get you thinking. A possibility for slipping into the film's famous Catsuit was Meryl Streep! Tim Burton rejected her however because he considered her too old for the role. The mental image that's creating in my mind isn't pretty.

Batman Returns is able to navigate two very different tones within its story. On the one hand the film feels very much like the spiritual successor to the campy delights of the classic Adam West TV show from the 60s, with much of the production design apparently grabbed straight from that day-glo world. The cronies at The Penguin's disposal in the film are the Circus Gang; a group comprising of clowns, circus performers and sideshow freaks that feels very much like the henchmen that Batman and Robin would usually dispatch on the TV show with the aid of a biff! a bam! and a pow! The Penguin's choice of transportation is a huge, mechanical rubber ducky; arguably even more ridiculous than something the TV show would conceive of. And then there's the film's conclusion. To start with there's the sight of Christopher Walken's Max Schrek being held captive in a massively oversized cage hanging from the rafters; a situation that the Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder seemed to stumble into every week. And then The Penguin's big plan consists of sending out a series of penguins with missiles strapped to their back. Yes really!

So you've got that on one had, and you then sprinkle it with a touch of Burton's unique stylings. Of all the directors out there, few have a more recognizable and unique style than Burton. And you can see his hand at work throughout the entire production. I've already talked about the darkness inherent in the film's storytelling, and the other extremely Burtonesque touches are to be found in the film's tremendous set and art design. In 1989's Batman, the Gotham that we see was much closer to that presented in Christopher Nolan's trilogy. It may have been quite gothic but it still felt like a real city. The Gotham here however is pure escapist fantasy, with German expressionism being a very heavy and obvious influence on the city's design. In fact you'd be forgiven for thinking that Batman had started fighting crime in Fritz Lang's Metropolis as the buildings stretch towards the skies, looming over him ominously and with great menace. The set design throughout the film, for both the interiors and exteriors really is fantastic in its creativity. It is made all the more expressive and gothic by a colour palette largely dedicated to blacks and greys and some great use of shadows. One thing I'd say about the set design is that at no point are you ever in any doubt that the action is taking place on a soundstage. It's obvious that none of the buildings are actually 'real' and that they have all been purpose built for the film, while the whole city of Gotham feels like it consists of just two or three blocks. I'm sure that some people may see this as a weakness as a result of some shoddy lighting, cinematography or direction that highlights these shortcomings. In general I would likely be inclined to agree but I think it really works for this particular film. Burton is attempting to tell a story that is so very, very out there that if he had set it amongst the real world there's a good chance it would not have worked. This grand, operatic stage that he has built however suits it to a tee.

Tim Burton assembled quite the cast for this sequel, arguably the most eclectic and interesting cast put together for any of the Batman films, or superhero films at large for that matter. To begin with you've got one of the most unique actors around in the form of Christopher Walken, taking on the role of business mogul Max Schrek. Of all the actors out there few seem to deliver the exact same performance more often than Walken. Time and ttime again he seems to just merely play himself on screen. But then when you're such a unique and oddly captivating individual why wouldn't you? His character is arguably the most evil of the film's villains. Whereas both The Penguin and Catwoman have tragic origins which explain their behaviour, Schrek is just a sleezy, piece of s*it politician. In the role of The Penguin, Danny De Vito is absolutely terrific. Talk about someone being born to play a specific role. With his diminutive stature and natural aptitude for playing creepy and sleezy characters while somehow still remaining funny and likeable makes him a perfect fit. Despite his wicked, villainous ways I can't help actually liking the character however. Through a combination of his tragic story and the sheer conviction with which De Vito plays the role, I find that an unavoidable sense of sympathy is created for the loveable little gargoyle. And the moment where he slides off into the water with the penguins after his demise I find to be oddly touching. The Penguin is also a fine example of great make-up and costume work. I remember when I watched this as a kid being genuinely scared of DeVito's Penguin.

As awesome as DeVito is however, the most iconic element of this film inarguably belongs to Michelle Pfeiffer and that outfit. That leather/PVC suit that she wears really is quite something, pushing the kinky/BDSM nature of the character right to the limit and creating an image that was seared into the minds of pubescent boys the world over. Beyond the suit however there is still a great deal to enjoy about her performance. Pfeiffer really goes for it, following the character's initial geekiness she delivers a terrifically sexy, sultry and alluring performance. It's enough to get the Bat hot under the collar, and I'm guessing every red blooded male watching was in a similar predicament. Her Catwoman is just so much more interesting than the rather flat creation that Anne Hathaway got lumbered with in The Dark Knight Rises. Up against all those strong performances and colourful characters Batman himself actually fades into the background a touch and struggles to make anywhere near the same kind of impact. There's almost a sense that Burton was bored with the goody-two-shoes character, instead devoting the large majority of his time and creative juices to the villains. As a bit of conjecture perhaps the studio told him that Batman was off limits, he couldn't mess about with him, so instead he decided to have his ghoulish fun with the villains. I mean there's one point where I noticed the running time (I think it was around the 35-40 minute mark) and realised that Bruce Wayne/Batman had only featured for a total of about two minutes up until that stage. I may have put Michael Keaton's name first in the credits but it really is only out of courtesy. He would come very low down on the list of things that you remember from this film. While I know that he has quite a number of fans for his turn as Batman I don't find him all that special, but it's not really his fault. Neither of his films really gave him enough of a chance to shine and create a character. The first was dominated by Jack Nicholson's Joker while this sequel was also all about the villains. That said he still does a nice job and does admittedly have some great chemistry with Pfeiffer.

For all of his fans, Tim Burton also has a great number of critics. One of their main gripes is that too often he allows his films to slip into the trap of being very much a case of style over substance. And while Batman Returns is undoubtedly stylish, these characters that I've been discussing also allow the film some of the substance that those critics accuse Burton of being incapable of finding. All three of the main characters (Batman, Catwoman, The Penguin) were created through tragedy; their lives were destroyed and forever changed by the cruel society in which they live. The Penguin was abandoned as an infant by his parents; Batman was robbed of his parents due to senseless murder; and Catwoman was first oppressed and trodden upon by her male superiors, before being killed by said oppressor. These traumas caused a split in all three characters, creating dual personalities. In particular the characters of Batman and The Penguin are very similar. Both have suffered traumatic experiences in their childhood related to their parents. The difference comes in their reactions. While The Penguin seeks revenge against the society that inflicted this pain upon him by targeting the innocent, Batman has vowed to protect the innocent from men like The Penguin. In Star Trek there was something called the mirror universe; a parallel world where everyone and everything where the exact opposite of that in the 'normal' universe, so good became evil and vice versa. In a way The Penguin acts as the dark reflection of what Batman could become if he were to allow his sense of justice and vengeance to get the better of him. He could easily become the kind of criminal that he is seeking to stop with temptations frequently presenting themselves to him. And in this case the temptation comes in the rather comely figure of Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman. Following her apparent death a new side to her character is born. Alongside the meek secretary that was Selina Kyle there is now the supremely confident and vivacious Catwoman. As Selina struggles to reconcile these two wildly different personas, so too does Batman struggle to resist her enticing and seductive ways.

Conclusion - Several times on here I've stated that I'm not a particularly big fan of The Dark Knight, citing its darkness as being the main reason. So it might seem rather odd and even hypocritical that I'm such a fan of Batman Returns. While this film is just as dark as TDK, if not even more so, it's a different type of darkness; it's a ghoulish and playful kind of darkness compared to TDK which I found to be dark in a very dreary, grim manner. This one is just so much fun though with some wonderfully inventive set design and costume work, and some great performances. By far my favourite of the original Batman films, and second only to Batman Begins as my personal favourite.

As I've said many times on the site, easily my favourite and, therefore, the best Batman film. As you pointed out, it combines all the sillyness of the Adam West Batman with Burton's Gothic German Expressionist staging. Throw in three wonderful performances (De Vito, Pfeiffer and Walken) and you have two hours of fun.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

Ick. Batman Returns is my least favorite Batman movie. I can't stand the love that movie gets, even from Honeykid. Especially from Honeykid -- he should know better.

Catwoman is okay, but the Penquin and Christopher Walken... they ruin it for me. It is also way too Tim Burton dark and dreary. The first Batman he did was sort of saved from this because of Jack Nicholson.

I think I might put my reviews into hibernation until the 80s list is done. That's taking all the attention just now and people seem to be missing out on my reviews. Just 5 reps?!!! All work and no reps makes JayDee an angry little rep whore!

I knew that was one of the comic book reviews you'd actually approve of. Although I notice that there's a lot of compliments for the film but not my review. In fact you never seem to praise my work anymore. I think we're drifting apart.



I'm a little surprised Sexy. For some reason I thought Batman Returns would be your kind of flick.

Over time we've discovered we have quite similar tastes on a lot of films, but we go very different paths with the Batman films. I'm not much of a fan of the first Batman film, precisely because of Jack Nicholson. The film has quite a lot of good stuff about it but for me it's sabotaged by Nicholson overpowering and dominating the film.

I remember loving this movie as a kid, but I have not seen it since then. But I will say that for me, Michelle Pfeiffer IS Catwoman. Way more so then Hathaway.

Also I am surprised you missed the trivia part where Sean Young donned a Catwoman outfit and tried to force Tim Burton to give her the role of Catwoman.

Sorry, what I meant to say was...

Best. Review. Ever.



I've been a little surprised by how much he dislikes it, too. Like you, I thought it'd be right up his street. However, I think I included it on the list I sent him for commentaries and I seem to remember then that he didn't care for it.

It could be because Batman Returns is the only Batman movie out of all of them that have been released since 1989's Batman that I didn't see at the movies. Perhaps that affected me. But still, I just don't like DeVito's Penquin and Christopher Walken.

Last time I watched the Jack Nicholson Batman movie, I thought it sucked. I hadn't seen it since I was a kid and then I watched it again and I didn't get what was so great about it. But I don't blame Nicholson -- I blame Burton.

The only Batman movies I really like are Batman & Robin, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.

While I continue to contemplate a possible hiatus/hibernation I just wanted to say that I remembered the other director I had on my shortlist to focus on this year. It was Akira Kurosawa. I've seen 5 or 6 of his films and really liked/loved every one of them so want to expand my exposure to his work. There were also a few other directors I considered but didn't get as far as checking which of their films I had access to or were interested in tracking down - Oliver Stone, Peter Weir, John Woo, Paul Verhoeven etc

Oh and I've had a fairly sizeable season of Scorsese films over the last few weeks, which may or may not have inspired a review or two.

See I don't believe you. I don't feel that you're being entirely sincere, feels a little disingenuous to me!

Which Kurosawa movies have you seen? Also, Scorsese? I approve!

Aside from Seven Samurai obviously I've also watched and reviewed Throne of Blood and Rashomon. In addition I've seen Yojimbo and Sanjuro and I feel there was another but can't think of it just now. What was the film were a signal was sent on a stream with flower petals/blossoms? Was that Yojimbo or Sanjuro or something else?

There are a number of others I want to watch plus I'd like to rewatch Throne of Blood, Yojimbo and Sanjuro. Throne especially I'd like to rewatch to see if that could join Seven Samurai on my top 100.

That's from Sanjuro.

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