BATMAN RETURNS

BATMAN RETURNS

D: Tim Burton (1992); with Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken.

When the first Batman hit theatres, people went wild in the streets. T-shirts and caps with the famous Bat logo were everywhere, Bat toys were once again hip, and comic fans finally had a superhero movie worth seeing. This sequel did well but wasn't as much of a runaway hit. Nonetheless, it's still superior in some ways. A criminal circus is terrorizing Gotham City. At the heart of this ghastly crew is the vile Penguin (DeVito in grotesque make-up), who was abandoned by his affluent parents. Batman is soon on the case, but things get complicated when local energy baron Max Shreck (Walken doing what he does best) gets involved. The evil Shreck murders his administrative assistant Selina Kyle (Pfeiffer), but she's resurrected by cats and becomes Cat Woman. The plot changes from scene to scene, but everything's easy to follow. This was Burton's final Batman film, and it's a shame. Like the original, there's dark imagery, humor, and strong characterizations. Unlike the first film, there's a greater concentration on action and a shorter introduction to the principal characters. The cast works well together, and Keaton and Pfeiffer share good chemistry. Most effective are the two villains Walken and DeVito. And as with most Burton efforts, he creates a world that's lost in time. Gotham City is neither in the past nor in the future. The expressionist architecture lends a dreamy feel to the film. Similarly, the costumes (while not true to the comic) are kinky and fun. Despite a few gaps in logic (how do alley cats breathe life into a dead person?), this is truly one of the best comic adaptations ever produced, as well as one of Burton's most understated fantasy efforts.