good villains

Rating: 7/10 (14 May 2005)

If De Vito and/or Pfeiffer were in every scene in this movie I probably would tack on at least one additional star. Their characters, Penguin and Catwoman, are developed so well they elevate the film from the rather dubious crop of comic book that have been made. Burton's direction and visual flare, and Elfman's genius score are a perfect pair yet again. It's a huge improvement over the first "Batman," which was low on story and high on Jack Nicholson's scene-chewing. It's a hell of a lot spookier and darker than its predecessor, making it more faithful to its comic book source. If the movie were just overall better, De Vito's Penguin would go down as movie history's wickedest villains (he's like a Charles Manson with lame wings), and Pfeiffer's Catwoman would be among the silver screen's greatest female roles. The uneven script stifles the flow of the movie, and I'm sure the studio tinkered with Burton's singular vision with its need for blockbuster box office and perpetual tie-in merchandising.