Batman Returns (Tim Burton, 1992)

I have no qualms in saying that I find much of Tim Burton's work very hit and miss, for example: I loved Big Fish and Sweeney Todd, yet found Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory very much so-so (in the case of Scissorhands, it's deeply overrated). I'm a fan of Batman as a character yet I've found that Nolan's work with the caped crusader nailed the superhero better than any previous effort and whilst Burton's Batman movies are dark, I find both the original and Returns to be, like his lesser works, very so-so.

This year, much was levelled at Iron Man 2 for being muddled and too busy and whilst I didn't agree with this, it perfectly personifies Batman Returns. Keaton as Batman takes a definite back seat to the wealth of secondary characters and is oddly sidelined, a trait that would continue until Batman Begins. I like the Catwoman story line very much but little is made of Walken's Max Schreck and his devious power plant idea, or his bid to make The Penguin (an aptly cast Danny DeVito) mayor of Gotham. Burton is so preoccupied with making the superhero equivalent of a gothic fairy tale he misses the bigger picture: the Catwoman/Batman dynamic, and it is here the movie shines. I just hope that Nolan is curious enough to touch this ground again in his upcoming Bat-flick.

I feel I can be more objective with Batman Returns as this is only my second viewing (the first being some fifteen years ago). As such, I found a film that has it's own identity but is flawed, overly long, confused and far too populated with uninteresting and needless characters. It's perfectly fine, but being a man that can take or leave Tim Burton, I found it underwhelming.

Still, the Catwoman stuff works very, very well.

3/5