So much better than the first Burton Batman outing

Rating: 8/10 (5 September 2010)

Three years after Batman Tim Burton was back with the caped crusader and what a difference a holiday makes. Batman Returns is very different from the first outing. Firstly it oozes Burton, the musical score that plays from the very outset is very reminiscent of other Burton films, it has that element of fantasy and whimsy to it.
The style of the film is different. Gotham City is no longer dark and ominous, but more lighter, there's more colour and the sets and back drops seem to work better and look more realistic. That adds a much more enjoyable element to the film and makes it more watchable. But there is more to like in this film. The villains are fantastic in this. Danny DeVito is brilliant as the creepy deformed Penguin, his performance is so good, combining a dark character with hints of DeVito's comic side. Michael Keaton returns in this sequel and he's good, but again he has little to do really. Christopher Walken also does a good job, but he is less Walken in this and that seems a shame. However the stand out here is Michelle Pfeiffer. Playing the hard working secretary who is reborn as Catwoman, she is brilliant. The contrast between the Selina and Catwoman is perfect, with her Catwoman being sexy, sly and full of wonderful lines; the scene where she says 'Meow' before the building blows up, may be the best delivered singular word line in movie history! There are wonderful fight scenes between her and Batman that touch on the campness that can be found in the TV series and Batman gets to play with some more toys and vehicles. The Penguin's mob and the theme of Freaks and circus's also work well and also show the Burton mind at work.
It's amazing how different the two films are and how much better and more enjoyable this one is despite the same director and movie studio being involved. The next two Batman films in this outing had different directors and actors playing Batman and were very much disliked. It would have been interesting to see what had happened had Burton stayed, of course he didn't, but at least we still can enjoy this.
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