And even though Keaton only played Batman again because of his $10 million salary, he still tops his performance from the previous installment. It says a lot that while the two found their makeup and costumes uncomfortable, they put everything into their performances. Pfieffer loved Catwoman since she was a young girl and relished her role while Danny DeVito loved the chance to get evil and hammy as Penguin. This talent includes Michele Pfieffer as Catwoman, Danny DeVito as Penguin, and Christopher Walken as Christopher Wa-er, I mean, Max Shreck.Īs with any job, you usually do better work when you enjoy what you’re doing. However, this time, they are joined by a whole host of other incredible talents. Michael Keaton, Michael Gough, and Pat Hingle reprise their roles as Batman, Alfred, and Gordon respectively. Here are 10 ways Batman Returns is better than Batman 1989. “The best thing that can be said about Batman is that it led to Batman Returns, which was a far superior effort”, states film critic James Berardinelli. Despite that, Burton’s inaugural foray into Batman’s universe is a flawed gem, with some pacing issues, inconsistent characterization, and a so-so storyline. And sure, Michael Keaton exuded the loneliness and melancholy nature of the character, albeit overshadowed by Jack Nicholson’s charismatic Joker.
#BATMAN RETURNS MOVIE#
Sure, it’s the first movie to take the Dark Knight as seriously as he was in contemporary comic books. It’s OK, but it was more of a cultural phenomenon than a great movie.” Tim Burton’s 2008 confession to Empire rings true for many regarding the director’s 1989 hit flick Batman. That so many people seem prepared to listen is a testament not to Warner's vast marketing machine but to Tim Burton's uniquely twisted vision.“I liked parts of it, but the whole movie is mainly boring to me. He does, however, once again prove himself as a filmmaker of rare vision here, with the atmosphere of a city on the brink expertly created by a man who knows exactly what he wants to say. it's never explained why or how she does it), and between them they succeed in getting up The Dark Knight's nose, with The Penguin allying with the evil Max Shreck (Walken) in a bid for the office of Mayor of Gotham and Catwoman perpetrating athletic revenge on the arrogant, patronising and (in Walken's case) murderous men in her life.ĭespite some tortuous one-liners, the shock here is the remarkable lack of any humour, as if Burton and screenwriter Daniel Waters are somehow taking the whole thing too seriously, a surprise since Burton has proved himself a highly competent director of comedy. Meanwhile, the mousey Selina Kyle (the excellent Pfeiffer) is transformed into Catwoman in a uniquely Burton moment (i.e. Jack Nicholson's Joker is, of course, replaced by Danny De Vito's hideous Penguin as Batman's nemesis, with the little man frankly doing a far better job, at once sadly pathetic and evil-minded. Indeed, despite Burton's professed irritation at having his work described as "dark", it is hard to conceive of film being any darker than Batman Returns if the audience are to see anything on the screen at all.ĭespite the absence of the late Anton Furst's set designing skills, Gotham City is if anything more impressive here, with the soaring buildings brilliantly created via special effects and the street-level sets immaculately detailed and strangely compelling. Gothic architecture, adorned with bizarre gargoyles, is constantly powdered with snow (Edward Scissorhands), the Danny Elfman score swells around the action like a tempestuous sea (Edward, Batman) and the oddball characters are constantly preoccupied with their outsider status (Edward, Batman, fee Wee's Big Adventure). In fact, the extraordinary success of both movies comes as something of a surprise, since these are intensely personal affairs, with Batman Returns coming across as even more of a Tim Burton Film than did the original. Instead, of course, Tim Burton pulled it off once again, smashing Batman's opening weekend record of $42 million with a $47.7 million take in the US.
Having created one of the biggest-grossing movies of all time, the hope must have been that, with any luck, Batman Returns would do the expected sequel trick and pull in 75 per cent of the original's take. And so Batman Returns with A vengeance that must surely tax even the most optimistic Warner executive's credulity.
0 kommentar(er)
