the by far most compelling interpretation of the dark knight

Rating: 8/10 (27 April 2008)

i was terribly disappointed by Burton's first batman movie. so i was very surprised by "batman returns", which just blew me away. what a great interpretation of a great superhero!
"batman returns" has the atmosphere of a dark, Gothic fairytale, full with Burton's trademark grotesque and whimsy, and a dash of sexual kink. the set pieces, costumes and make up are gorgeous. but the darkness never becomes depressing, the movie is always fun to watch. for adults, anyway; for children, it might be a bit too dark and violent.
Batman fights three villains, all of which are compelling characters. Danny DeVito and Christopher Walken give good performances as the psychotic Penguin and the ruthless businessman Max Shrek. but its Michelle Pfeiffer who steals the show with her amazing interpretation of the arguably greatest DC character ever, Catwoman.
"batman returns" has a couple of flaws, most notably Batman himself, played by Michael Keaton. he delivers a solid performance, but he has absolutely zero sex appeal or charisma. it doesn't help that he wears a dorky looking rubber costume that stands out in its ugliness amidst all the beautiful set-pieces and costumes. its a good thing then that the movie seems to focus more on the villains than the hero, since each one of them is far more interesting than the lead.
other flaws include the story, which feels more like a series of events rather than a well constructed arc, or the rather mediocre action scenes. but these things barely register, since "batman returns" has more than enough momentum and charm to even get away with having a weak lead. this is the by far most compelling interpretation of the dark knight and the twisted world he lives in.