Movie Review : Batman Returns (1992)
None of the Batman movies between Tim Burton’s original film and Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins are fondly remembered. Warner Bros wasn’t trying to make art then. They were trying to come up with pleasant, family-friendly experiences parents would keep ponying cash for via movie tickets, VHS tapes, toys, etc. It was another era in consumerism. Tim Burton’s 1992 sequel Batman Returns was arguably not that bad, compared to what would become of the caped crusader under Joel Schumacher. It aged well compared to the other movies of this era.
One thing about Batman Returns that makes it more forgettable than others is that it’s not very Batman-y. It tells the story of Oswald Cobblepot (Danny DeVito), better known as Penguin. The leader of the Red Triangle Gang, a disgraced circus troupe now living in Gotham City’s sewers. Rejected by his parents, Oswald is yearning for the approval of Gotham. So, he plans the kidnapping of philanthrophist Max Shreck (Christopher Walken), who hatches a plan for Cobblepot to take over the city and there’s only one man (and a disgruntled secretary) who can stand against it.
I don’t talk about acting often in reviews, but Danny DeVito plays a crucial part in Batman Return’s success. Oswald Cobblepot is the relatable populist threatening to swallow the entire city in order to nurse his wounds. Although the penguin is renowned to be Batman’s least relatable and exciting foe, DeVito (and screenwriter Daniel Waters) give him a disturbingly human face despite his deformities. “I’m the bird who can’t fly,” he says. I don’t know what’s more relatable than that. Part of me wanted Cobblepot to be elected mayor of Gotham.
But Oswald Cobblepot’s political strategy is populist garbage. He uses his downtrodden image to solicit voters’ sympathy and trust himself into a position of power. In Batman Returns, he engineers the kidnapping of a baby in order to appear publicly as the rescuer. He’s not looking for validation. He’s looking to inflict pain and get revenge over a world that didn’t accept him. Batman Returns is a quite political movie in that way. While contemporary Batman movies are quite right wing-y, this one’s a cautionary tales against exploitative assholes.
Not sure I like what they did to Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer), too. One of my favorite character in the DCU is painted to be a disgruntled employee, who rebelled against her abusive boss. She has none of the agency that makes her so intriguing. She goes from servitude to psychosis in a heartbeat, despite Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) falling hopelessly in love with her). In Batman Returns, Selina needs to be saved from herself. She’s not the fierce and complex character she’s supposed to be and that kind of sucked. She deserved better from Tim Burton and friends.
Batman Returns is a good movie, but it could’ve not been a Batman movie and worked just as well,. It’s kind of masquerading as a Batman film. There isn’t much of the trademark themes of the series or respect for the characters’ integrity (except for Penguin), but it’s difficult to begrudge a movie that drives its point home so well. Also, it looks better in 2020 given the populist run we’re currently experiencing. So, history did Batman Returns right. It’s a good movie, but it’s not transcendent in any way. It’s not even very good. But it might’ve earned a rewatch.
6.8/10
