Contributor Max Minutiae
Release Date: 6/19/1992
Cast
Michael Keaton: Bruce Wayne/Batman
Michelle Pfeiffer: Selina Kyle/Catwoman
Danny DeVito: Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin
Christopher Walken: Max Shreck
Michael Gough: Alfred Pennyworth
Michael Murphy: The Mayor
When I was a kid and first saw the Tim Burton film Batman Returns in theaters, I thought it was just about Batman continuing to clean up Gotham. On subsequent viewings I realized that Batman Returns was about dealing with trauma. Bruce Wayne dealing with the death of his parents right in front of him by becoming Batman, the Penguin dealing with his deformity and abandonment issues by becoming a "mob boss" (more on that later) and getting revenge on every family in the city that had nothing to do with his lot in life, and lastly with Selina Kyle dealing with her death by not dying and then taking on the attributes of a cat. Oh how wrong I was.
When preparing for these blog posts, the first thing I do is sit down and watch the movie I am blogging about. I had not seen Batman Returns for many, many years before re-watching it and upon my most recent viewing I realized: This movie is about sex. And freaks. If you take it one step further it's about freakish sex. This is not me reading into it, it's pretty blatant when you watch the movie.
- Penguin to Catwoman upon first meeting her, "Just the pussy I've been looking for."
- Catwoman's rubber suit is a dominatrix suit
- Penguin to a female admirer, "And your the youngest person a role model could have" and then proceeded to cop a feel of one of her breasts while putting on a button
- When Selina and Bruce are dancing at the ball near the end of the film, Bruce says something about something being difficult and Selina responds with "Well, semi-hard." Coupled with the line and the expression on Bruce's face, it's clearly a comment about Bruce having an erection. Or semi-erection.
This is visually and aesthetically a Tim Burton film, moreso than in Batman. I realize he did direct Returns, but he also directed Batman and I could see the studio involvement in that film. Batman Returns looks like a Tim Burton film more than a Batman film. It is clear in Returns that Burton had more free reign and could make the movie HE wanted to make. Visually it's reminiscent of two of his earlier films, Beetlejuice and Edward Scissor hands. Penguin is the deformed and/or otherwise hideous character for which Burton is known.
Burton's Penguin has very little to do with the comic book version of the Penguin. In the comics, Oswald Cobblepot (Penguin's real name) is a mob boss and actually sane, one of the few Batman villains that isn't crazy. In fact, in many (if not most) scenes, Penguin comes across as more like a registered sex offender than one of Batman's oldest enemies. Pre-Returns (in the comics), Penguin was just a short, dumpy guy with a long "bird-like" nose, no deformities, and did not have the albino-like appearance like in the film (however, the Penguin did have his appearance change it the comics to more resemble the Penguin from the film). Burton also changed the Penguin to a freak show attraction, making him crazy, with a taste for raw fish and young (and old) women. If you can accept the Penguin as a deformed sexual predator unaware of his own shortcomings and also a mastermind that's the leader of the Red Triangle Circus Gang (or Red Triangle Gang, or Circus Gang...the name seemed to change several times) then he was actually a pretty decent villain. I can accept that, to an extent, and I feel like the Penguin fit right into the universe that Burton created. My only problem, much like Batman '89, was that Penguin never felt like much of a threat. Batman defeated all of Penguin's schemes without much effort.
Selina Kyle/Catwoman was originally supposed to by played by Annette Benning, but Warren Beatty knocked her up, so Michelle Pfieffer stepped into the role. Selina Kyle was an assistant to Max Shreck (no, not the big green guy and no not to THAT green guy either. I mean the ogre, but that's not him. Not Max I mean, but not Hulk either. Actually, I really don't know what I mean now) and after discovering some sesitive information and idiotically telling Schreck that she knew, he pushed her out a window. Lying apparently dead on the ground, some cats come up and gnaw on her fingers which somehow brings her to life and gives her cat-like powers. She has an increased (I would almost say insatiable) taste for milk and at one point in the film needs to "clean herself" by licking her arm. Oh yeah, and apparently cat bites gave her the ability to do acrobatics and have martial arts skills, none of which she displayed before the bites.
Overall, I think Catwoman was the best character in this film, despite the somehow supernatural elements to her origin. She was more bent on revenge in Returns than the thief (catburglar) she was in the comics, but within the overall story, it fit pretty well. Michelle Pfieffer did an admirable job of being the crazy Catwoman, but at the same time a loveable Selina Kyle (both pre and post cat bites). In fact, Catwoman was really the only character to actually be proactive by stopping a rape and blowing up Shreck's Department Store. Early in the film Selina was ignored because she was a woman, but once she became Catwoman she was able to exert herself and was actually more of an equal to Batman than the Penguin was.
The real main villain in this movie wasn't Penguin or Catwoman (who wasn't really a villain, but more of a "neutral" hero, not really a good guy, but not a bad guy either), but actually Max Shreck. Shreck, after being blackmailed by Penguin, helps the Penguin run for mayor due to the simple fact that the current mayor isn't helping Max get the power plant Max wants built. Max also pushes Selina Kyle out a window, thus creating Catwoman and his eventual downfall. Shreck is played by Christopher Walken and, much like Nicholson in Batman, basically plays himself, albeit a toned down version. To be quite honest, it feels like Walken is phoning it in most of the time. He just seems bored and I know he's a better actor than that. Maybe that's the way Burton wanted it played, but Walken just doesn't come across as an evil character with devious machinations, but rather a bored character looking for something to do. Which kind of makes sense because there are at least six plots (or subplots really, because there doesn't really seem to be a main plot) going on and yet, it doesn't feel like much happens.
Instead of Batman Returns, they should have called this Batman 2: Now With Less Batman! This is because Batman was almost an afterthought in this film and he wasn't in it all that much. In both films Burton chose to focus more on the villains (that is why the Joker had an origin story and Batman did not) and that is the problem with having two villains and a "neutral hero". There had to be an origin story for both Penguin and Catwoman, which left less time for Batman. Not only is Batman in this movie less (or feels like it anyway) than in Batman, but he does even less. He stalks Penguin for awhile (after telling Alfred that he, Bruce, hoped Penguin found his parents and then immediately distrusts Penguin), fights Catwoman and "kills" her by knocking her off the roof of a building and she, conveniently, falls into a truck of kitty litter. Then, Batman redirects the Penguin's penguins away from the center of town and back to the zoo. Penguin is actually defeated some bats get scared and fly out of a tree knocking Penguin through a skylight (which is in the ground at the zoo) and seemingly to his death. Penguin isn't actually dead and pulls out a "cute" umbrella and then falls over dead. Batman didn't even do anything to beat the Penguin. Batman doesn't even take care of the other villain, Max Shreck (remember, I think Catwoman is a "neutral" hero). Shreck is killed by Catwoman, who gives him a kiss using an electric stun gun that fries Shreck (similar to the Joker's joy buzzer from Batman). Catwoman doesn't die as we see her looking at the Batsignal at the end of the film. Batman doesn't do a damn thing to capture/kill his foes. It's the old "I'll just wait and see what happens and maybe the situation will fix it's self" gambit.
After 20 years, I still cannot figure out if I like this movie. There are aspects that I like, despite the departures from the comics (and I fully realize, and in some cases endorse, departures from comics if it makes sense). I still like the the penguins as pallbearers for the Penguin after he dies. He refers to them as his "babies" several times, so it shows that they look to him as a father figure and wanted to give him a "proper" burial. I think it's a poignant scene, but one of the few.
I like the Batsuit, the Batmobile, Pfeiffer's portrayal of Catwoman, and the visual look of the film. But the major problem is that it's too busy and doesn't really go anywhere. Batman seems to defeat all of Penguin's schemes without much effort and in fact defeats the "kidnap every first born son of Gotham City" plan simply by showing up. The end of the movie is very anit-climactic and I never felt like Penguin or Shreck could actually defeat Batman. Basically, this is a decent movie for killing some time or if you're bored, but not very good as a Batman film.
I give this movie an "Acceptable" rating. Not great, but not bad. It's watchable from time to time but not worth repeat viewings, maybe just every few years or so. You can see the film scoring system here.
Thank you for reading my second blog post. My goal is to have a post about Batman Forever on Tuesday, Batman and Robin on Wednesday, Batman Begins on Thursday, Dark Knight on Friday, and the Dark Knight Rises on Saturday (I will have two views of Rises by then. The first time I just want to enjoy it, the second time is to get a better feel for the film). I cannot guarantee that I will actually follow that schedule, but that's the goal.
Max Minutiae's Minute Medley
- Batman Returns was in fact the first movie shot in Dolby Digital.
- The film was nominated for 2 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup
- It had a production budget of $80 million, todays equivalent $124 million
- Was written by Daniel Waters and Sam Hamm (Hamm wrote Batman, but Daniel Waters was brought in to fix the script), with characters by Bob Kane who was the artist and co-creator of the Batman comic book series
- Its domestic gross was over $162 million, but adjusted for inflation it grossed $263 million. It was technically a financial success, but Warener Bros. felt like it underperformed expected grosses
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