Batman Returns Review: Wonderfully Weird

Batman Returns might be a better Tim Burton film than it is a Batman story, but it thrives on being something superhero movies used to be: weird.

Returns on its own is a fascinating beast, a movie following iconic characters that have been interpreted and reinterpreted throughout the years. Yet, it’s a movie only Burton could have made. Watching it over 30 years after its release, it remains clear how the film’s look, tone, and frankly, its weirdness cemented its legacy as one of the finest, most vision-driven superhero movies ever made.

In Batman Returns, Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton, of Beetlejuice) continues his crusade against crime as Batman. During the Christmas season, Batman must confront The Penguin (Danny DeVito), a new villain attempting to join Gotham’s elite inner circle and wreak havoc on its citizens. Penguin, or Oswald Cobblepot, has a deformity in his hands, causing them to appear like a penguin’s flippers. He is short of stature, growls and grunts when he speaks, and lives in the Gotham sewers after being abandoned by his wealthy parents as a child. Also in the mix is Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer, of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), a single, lonely, office assistant who survives an attempted murder by her boss, corrupt businessman Max Schrek (Christopher Walken, of Dune: Part Two). Despite a potential romantic connection, Batman must stop Kyle from enacting her revenge upon those who wronged her.

The three main characters emphasize an important theme in Batman Returns, a theme prominent in many of Burton’s films: loneliness and the different responses that come with being “different.” All three – Batman, Penguin, and Catwoman – experience tragedy and trauma. Penguin is abandoned by his parents and left for dead. Catwoman is overlooked by the men in her life and is nearly killed by one of them. And while this film does not mention the death of Batman’s parents, audiences know that tragedy is part of the character’s make up. Each one has a reason to be angry at the world, and yet Burton masterfully weaves together the different responses to their misfortunes. Buried beneath the goofy action scenes and Burton’s idiosyncrasies lies a complex message about how the world mistreats those who look and act differently than most, and how those who are mistreated respond to their circumstances.

Speaking of Burton’s signature style, the best way to prepare someone who’s never seen Batman Returns is to emphasize how much of Burton film it truly is. It’s easy to see how this version of Gotham and its inhabitants came from the same mind of the man who crafted such strange and intriguing worlds and characters found in Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and others. While this film goes for a dark tone that matches versions of Batman many of us are familiar with, it adds in a layer of Burton’s touch, which I can only describe as whimsical creepiness.

The occasional use of bright colors to contrast the darkness is one such example. I’m especially fond of a shot involving Kyle, completing her transformation to Catwoman, knocking out two letters in her room’s bright pink neon sign that says, “Hello There.” Now reading “Hell here,” the sign lights up the dark night as she emerges from her window. The entire film, ranging from the production design to Danny Elfman’s score, begs audiences to recognize how singular this version of Gotham really is. Comic book diehards may not love everything about this interpretation, but cinephiles will certainly appreciate it on a filmmaking level.

For a Burton film to work, it cannot simply rely on the director’s cinematic characteristics. The actors also need to give fully committed performances, embracing the weirdness. The three central performers in Returns give their all and then some. Keaton feels more confident in the role (despite being sparingly used in the film’s first act), and DeVito is purely deranged. But this is Pfeiffer’s show. Her mannerisms, the way she purrs out every line, and her ability to elicit sympathy for her character’s predicament make her turn as Catwoman one of the best performances in a comic book movie.

The movie certainly has elements that can be nitpicked. The scarcity of the film’s titular character in the first 45 minutes is odd, and there is an overall feeling of clunkiness as the movie moves through its plot points. It also certainly feels “small scale” compared to the superhero movies that would come after, but for many, that’s part of the charm. Despite not being as epic or grandiose as other films in the genre, Burton’s style and commitment to his vision elevates Batman Returns beyond the normal bounds of superhero cinema. The film’s legacy will not be tarnished even as it continues to feel quaint and weird in an ever-expanding genre.

Batman Returns is now available to watch on digital and on demand.

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