Cyberpunk, meet German Expressionism

Rating: 10/10 (21 June 2007)

Raise your hand if you've ever heard the term "German Expressionism." If your hand is still timidly at your side, but you've seen this movie, put it in the erect position.
Tim Burton returns to the age of silent movies and the spooky mise-en-scene of the likes of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu (which starred the real, and naturally hideous, Max Schreck as the vampire) with his follow-up to the Academy Award winning Batman.
German Expressionism is rather simple in theory, but takes a master to execute. Basically, it means that the scenery surrounding the story is not an accurate representation of what we would expect to see, but rather an extension of the attitudes and moods of the central characters. In this case, we get a abysmally dark and lifelike Gotham City. Burton intentionally mixed clashing architectural styles so that nothing seemed to make sense in his phantasmagorical world.
Score composer Danny Elfman is also back and provides a soundtrack that feels more like an opera than simple movie music. He writes and edits his notes and dynamics so that they line up with everything, right down to the physical movement of the characters. For a crash-course in how to create a great film moment with music, pay special attention to the meltdown of Selina Kyle in her apartment.
Just as with Jack Nicholson in the original film, the focus is again on the villain(s), not Batman himself. Some people, especially connoisseurs of the comic book series, seem to despise Burton's decision to do so. However, I find it captivating and mesmerizing when coupled with the almost-cyberpunk landscape in which the story unfolds. DeVito and Pfeiffer do well enough to carry this responsibility.
However, this film does not ride on the coattails of its stars. Rather, Burton's imaginative genius and Elfman's haunting score create a world that I feel like I've visited in my dreams, though I know it exists only in the depths of a few creative minds.