Rating: Summary: Here kitty kitty! Review: Batman Returns (BR) is one of those films that was perfevtly cast. When it first was in theatres I left my sister's graduation to see it! And even though my parents gave me hell when i got home I wasn't disappointed that i skipped out early. The film was amazing DeVito's penguin was genius and i couldn't see anyone else in the roll but it was catwoman who stole the show! The scene of her transformation is amazing and made me jump out of my seat in the theatre. It was my first introduction of a strong female character who was not afraid to use her sexuality to gain power and I loved it. Not only was the action tight but Batman had an equal who was a WOMAN. The action set the tone lovley and was very over the top but this is also the film where Batman became excessive in terms of production the creep factor is there but it is lightened from it's dark original counterpart. The next two films that followed Returns were crap!! And it just show's you how much of a visionary Burton is and with Ashely Judd portaying catwoman all i can say is if I had a pet's graduation to attend and that filmed opened the same day... let's just say my cat and I would have a lovely after ceremony party.
Rating: Summary: A Flawed Masterpiece Review: Now what exactly do I mean by that? Well, in a nutshell, the term "flawed masterpiece" means that this particular film does have a few faults. The basic story structure is uneven and frequently changes direction with little notice. However, despite this, "Batman Returns" is an utterly brilliant film. First of all, the acting is phenomenal. Michael Keaton is radiant as the dark knight, who gives the character endless dimension and inner turmoil. Danny DeVito plays a wonderful Penguin, whose appearance and back stroy were altered to make him a more fertile character. And Michelle Pfeiffer deserved an oscar nod for creating a perfect Catwoman, who, instead of being a mere jewel thief like her comic counterpart, is instead the result of a shattered psyche, a woman driven to madness by the brutality of her employer, played by Christopher Walken. With this terrific cast behind them, the characters are ever so complex and multi-dimensional, each of them fighting for their last shreds of humanity while their lives open up to swallow them whole. And they ultimately fail, as shown in the tragic and very moving ending. Also,the emotion in this film is staggering. The inner struggles of these characters are brought out for all to see, and the film pulls no punches in this department. Selina's descent into madness is ferocious and raw, and the death of the Penguin is extremely heart-rending. The script, also, while having a few structural problems, is very imaginative and original, and the production design creates an urban nightmare that seems to impose on the poor souls of Gotham City. This is by no means an action film, people. This is a twisted, tragic dark fantasy in which no one gets away clean. Overall, It's the most well-acted, character-driven, emotion-packed, and multi-layered superhero film around. Forget "X-Men" and "Blade". This will always be the king of the crop. Enjoy.
Rating: Summary: Intelligent - worth a second look Review: Bleak, bitter, and satirical, Batman Returns reaffirms Tim Burton's Disneyworld-on-a-bad-acid-trip sensibilities. It reaches for - and almost achieves - a more complete funhouse-mirror reflection of the human soul's darkest corners than the film that preceded it, 1989's Batman, starring Jack Nicholson as The Joker. Batman Returns, being a blockbuster summer sequel to a blockbuster summer original, ups the star-power wattage by featuring not one, but three (or, perhaps, two-and-half) celebrity villains. Christopher Walken plays the evil department store tycoon Max Schreck (named for the star of the silent vampire classic Nosferatu); Michelle Pfeiffer is awkward seceratry-turned-sex-kitten Catwoman; and Danny DeVito takes on a very dark (rather than dapper) interpretation of the Penguin. Michael Keaton reprises the title role of Batman. The result is a somehwat overloaded film that many people found disappointing. To be fair, the plot is burdened with one too many under-developed ideas. For example, a plan by the Penguin to kidnap the first-born children of Gotham fizzles badly. It is a silly, labored plot device with a dead-end and no payoff. Yet I give this film three stars, on the strength of what does work - the battle of the sexes between Batman/Bruce Wayne and Catwoman/Selena Kyle. Unlike many popular movies that might pay lip service to an actual subtext, Batman Returns delivers on this one. I can still remember sitting in the theater back in 1992, expecting the film to keep its breezy comic book/superhero/action movie distance from its themes and characters, when this wonderful scene happens on the dance floor between Pfeiffer and Keaton. They are dressed as Bruce and Selena, each unaware of the other's superhero alter ego. They are dancing, conversing, testing the waters of a possible romance, discussing Selena's desire to kill her boss Schreck...and then this moment happens where they suddenly recognize each other as Batman and Catwoman. It was transcendent; so beautifully executed by the actors, that it made the hair on my neck stand. Pfeiffer delivers the punch line: "Does this mean we have to start fighting?" It said so much about the love-hate relationship between men and women (the masks we wear, the lies we tell, the damage we do), that I wondered if this very smartly written scene would see its payoff later; if the thesis would be met by its antithesis and then followed by a final synthesis of some kind. Amazingly, the answer was yes. In the penultimate sequence, the ritualized mating dance of a holiday office party has been pitted against a series of revelations during the inevitable Big Showdown Between Good and Evil. The masks come off, literally and figuratively, and Batman and Catwoman must confront the question of why they hurt each other when they are functionally allies, and whether or not there can be a genuine reconciliation. Is a happy ending really possible? Can men and women truly have idyllic relationships? Or do our natures dictate that we must eventually turn on one another, in spite of our best intentions? The question is answered as best it can be in a film like this. It ain't classic literature, but it's surprisingly literate. The bittersweet coda - a quiet affirmation of the Christmas spirit - strikes the perfect note. Unlike most of the Batman films, this one has some staying power. In 20 years it may be the one we most remember.
Rating: Summary: Burton Returns (with Keaton as Batman) Review: 9 years had pass. Who needs to know how good or bad is this movie? NOBODY!!! But Who's gonna read this? Just a fan like me looking for other good comments about this great "not sequel" second Batman movie by Tim Burton. Or maybe a lost soul around. Well i have bought this DVD 2 days ago. I'm a fan, a real one, but I have seen it many times on the VHS that I wasn't hurry for buy it. But I finally did it. AND I have remember why I enjoyed this movie and Why sometimes I don't know which one is my favorite between this one and the first one. BOTH are my favorites. This one has elements than the first hadn't, but don't needed. But I think you know what I'm talking about. My favorite secuence: I know that you don't care about my fav. But think about it, If you could resume a great movie in one secuence, which one could it be? In these case, the dance between selina and bruce when both discovers that they have in front to their most loved person but at the same time to their natural enemy. And with the words of Selina, "Now that it supossed that we must start fighting? I know that I have seen it one of the most beautiful love stories in "My" cinema story. The eyes crying of Michelle are simply poetry.
Rating: Summary: The Best In The Batman Saga Review: This movie is what I call my "guilty pleasure". The acting isn't the greatest, but it's just one of those awesome movies with great visual effects, an unusual plot, brilliant musical score, and just full of action. The score to the film comes through loud and clear on this DVD edition. And the art direction is much easier to appreciate. I'm sure everyone has a place in their heart for superhero movies, but this is one of the all-time greatest of any superhero movie. The Academy Award nominated make-up artists made Danny DeVito one of the best, and realistic villians in the history of cinema. And let's face it, Michael Keaton is the original Batman!
Rating: Summary: Fun but overdone Review: Batman takes a back seat to Burton's deranged ideas- killer clowns, seductive cat women, mutants, an army of penguins, and other nonsense. It's simply too much. The plot is confusing and extremely convoluted, and by the time it's half way through, you just don't care. Wheras the excellent first film had Batman fighting an actual human (though terribly scared), this time Batman spends most of his time killing rampaging circus freaks. The dark, serious, surrealistic, apocalyptic feel of the first film is totally lost here. It's been thrown out the window in favor of pure craziness, Burton-style. Plus, Elfman's score is too light and very dissapointing. But, the few action scenes it has are great, and it does have some standout performances. And it's certainly better than the Kilmer/Clooney crap movies.
Rating: Summary: Only one thing holding me back from a 1 star rating... Review: My love for cats and penguins! Michael Keaton still sucks as Batman. Danny DeVito was basicaly the only choice for the Penguin so I can't hold anything against him. Michelle Pfiffer can't act at all. There are a couple parts of this movie that confused me. 1. If Batman found out that Penguin escaped from a freak show, why did we see that prolouge with PeeWee Herman throwing a baby into the sewer? 2. Why does Artic World let their penguins roam freely in the sewers without a fence to keep them from running away? 3. Why does Artic World have hundreds of penguins? I doubt that a zoo would have that many penguins. And don't argue with me about the Penguin breeding them underground because at the begining of the film he didn't have very many. And last but not least, 4. Why did the people of Gothom name the man who lives in the sewers the Penguin even though they never met him befor? If you ask me, this storyline would make a lot more sense with Killer Croc. Michelle Pfiffer wasn't even one demensional with the character of Catwoman, watching her try to deal with the role was very annoying. Danny DeVito was very good as Penguin but the costume was terrible! Probably the thing that makes me watch this film again is the end with all those penguins scurrying about. I can't help but giggle when I see them (I love penguins)! If you're not a penguin or a cat lover then skip this movie entirly!
Rating: Summary: Very entertaining but not for the kids Review: This time the Caped Crusader battles the schizo Catwoman, the Penguin and the millionaire Max Schreck (pun) who wants the Penguin elected as mayor. Having been consigned at birth to the sewers (where he grew up) due to his deformity, the Penguin is hell-bent against society. A fun, stylish, but dark and mean spirited movie that is very entertaining if you don't consider a few holes in the script. Visually compelling as expected from virtuoso Burton but definitely too grisly for the kids.
Rating: Summary: The "French flipper trick" Review: Oh, this movie is so sad! It really is! This is a fantastic movie simply because it isn't afraid to be all of the other things that the original "Batman" was, also: Funny, exciting, thrilling, haunting, dark, romantic, and endlessly clever. It also features three terrific performances from the three leads; Michael Keaton as the Dark Knight (Bruce Wayne), Michelle Pfeiffer looking hot as ever as the sleek and smooth Catwoman (Selena Kyle), and Danny Devito as the diabolically demonic Penguin (Oswald Cobblepot). And we can never forget Christopher Walken, playing Max Schreck (yeah, just like the guy who played Nosferatu), who is quite the fiend. The film opens with a rather heartbreaking scene that sets the tone for the entire movie, which takes the lightheartedness of the Joker character in the original and tosses it right out the window. Instead, we have the emotionally scarred darkness of the Penguin, who was literally sent up the river like Baby Moses in a covered wicker baby basket on Christmas Eve simply because he wasn't a normal child born with five fingers instead of the shiny flippers he has extending from his wrists. Despite his ghastly, unsightly appearence and mangled people skills, we sympathize with the Penguin's plight simply because we would never wish what happened to him on our worst enemy. Sure, being sent up the river worked out fine for Moses, but Penguin is no Moses, and he is not on a mission from God. He's on a mission for a simple reason: Revenge. Revenge of biblical proportions by kidnapping every first born child in Gotham City, in honor of his own castaway status on Christmas Eve, more than 30 years prior. Meanwhile, we have the newly resurrected-from-cat-saliva Selena Kyle, who decides to try on a skintight vinyl suit with a whip draped around her feminine feline torso, desperate to avenge her "death" at the hands of her boss, Schreck. And amongst it all, Bruce Wayne is in love with Selena Kyle and trying to shut down the blatantly illegal operations of Schreck, trying to connect him to the Penguin, who he theorizes runs the Red Triangle Gang that terrorizes the streets. His hands are quite full as Batman, too: He is trying to stop Catwoman, is unaware of Selena's murder at the hands of Schreck, he knows that Penguin is up to something but can't prove it, and he is being framed. It's an amazingly confusing plot to explain, but it all works seamlessly through the carefully constructed pace of the film, for which I credit Tim Burton, whose direction is flawless, as usual. He keeps the characters interesting while making sure the background is just as visually stunning as Pfeiffer in that catsuit. "Batman Returns" may take a few viewings to totally appreciate it, but you're astounded a little more each time. It's one of the best comic book movies ever made.
Rating: Summary: Dark Vision, Cute Penguins Review: Same dark vision and atmospehre as the 1989 original, but the cast of characters is somewhat different. I liked the first one a little better. But the little penguins, with rockets strapped to their backs, are awefully cute and give this movie an extra star in my book. Everyone delivers are solid performance in this one. But I don't know, if I find any of the characters likeable anymore, maybe not even Batman. It seems too much like a comic book (which is of course the source of all this: characters seem to be interested only in fighting each others.
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