Dark Meat

Rating: Null/10 (27 July 2003)

Tim Burton has lost his visionary skills. I am, of course, referring to his abysmal remake of Planet of the Apes. At one time in his life, he was capable of making audiences sympathize with even the most grotesque creations.
Batman Returns is probably his darkest, ugliest, and most gothic film. While Batman had a sense of evil (with Nicholson pulling all the stops), Returns is more a sense of despair. There are a few comic moments thrown in, but they offset the balance and cause confusion as to what the movie is trying to be.
Fortunately, the script is far superior to the original. Instead of guessing and making things up as they go, the screenwriters actually make a coherent story that doesn't collapse under itself like the first one. This ignores the graphic novel roots of the characters, but does create a less politically-correct view of Gotham and its inhabitants.
SOME FOLLOWING SPOILERS Michael Keaton once again underplays his role. The problem is not helped by his absence from the first half-hour. Danny DeVito is interesting under all his makeup (kudos to Stan Winston), but his motivation was all wrong for his actions. Michelle Pfeiffer ekes whatever she can from her paper-thin character and winds up being the most sympathetic character. She is far superior to Kim Basinger in the original and almost ties with Nicholson as the best portrayed villain in the series. Christopher Walken is entirely wasted on an unneeded part. Had his role been eliminated altogether, the movie would have flowed better and some problems with the script could have been fixed in another way. Michael Gough is brilliant as always, but this time he seemed to have more depth rather than say "Mr. Wayne, [insert name here] called again."
Danny Elfman's score is haunting, some segments reminding me of Elmer Bernstein's work on Ghostbusters. The conclusion has a somber note only Elfman can pull off mixed with a smidgen of John Williams. No wonder Burton always relies on him. While the editing is, yet again, incomplete, Burton's twist with the camera remains both engaging and stimulating. The film might just have a purpose in its twisted soul.
Overall, an interesting, near-parodizing, view of the world of Gotham. I can't say I enjoyed it better than the first one, but it had more human elements to it. Probably the best sleeper movie of the Christmas season. 3.5 out of 5 stars.