Good

Rating: 7/10 (21 August 2014)

Batman Returns was well-received in its American premiere. The film is dark, brooding, intense and most of all depressing. One knows from the start that there is no way for it to really end well. I found the film a little too dark and a little too slow as it moves to what seems like an inevitable bitter end. I think it could use some editing to speed the pace a bit. The film is hard to watch at times and difficult to call enjoyable, but the story is still powerful. It is difficult to imagine that such a dark film will attain much cinematic success. It is a powerful film, but I doubt I will ever want to watch it again. With this culture of ignorance in the Information Age persisting, fed by the corporate media, Michael Keaton has appeared in one of his best films yet, and in one that brings humanity down to its root nature.