Burton impresses again!

Three years following Tim Burton's brilliant neo-gothic reinvention of Batman for the big screen, the outstanding director once again preserved his incredible nightmarish version of Gotham City on film with the much-awaited sequel, Batman Returns. In tradition with the law of a highly successful film, executives at Warner Bros. demanded a follow-up. Thankfully, director Tim Burton returned to fulfil the directing duties, with the exceptional Michael Keaton portraying the title role. Batman Returns can't match the brilliance of Burton's 1989 Batman, but it certainly served its purpose at the box office. It's virtually impossible to dislike director Tim Burton. His unique talent for eerie films is amazing, and he immediately reminds me why I'm so fond of his previous films. From the moment his movies begin, Burton draws you in with morbid curiosity. The visually amazing initial shots of Batman Returns conform to this standard. The title sequence in particular is enough to have you completely riveted.

This sequel is unfairly maligned and pasted, but it's still a visual masterpiece. It's a lot darker and more malevolent than its predecessor. Humour and comic relief is in short supply. Instead, Burton opted to craft a Batman feature aimed at a more mature audience who will appreciate its darker tones. This sequel is a worthy addition to the Batman canon. It features plenty of nuances, breathtaking imagery and marvellous performances all around. It's also far more a tragedy of Shakespearian proportions than its predecessor, with its final moments reminiscent of Hamlet. Unfortunately, with less room to accommodate the infants the film is already inferior to its predecessor.

Thankfully, the fantastic vision of Gotham City is retained. Burton's production designer on the previous film stepped away, and in some ways this interpretation is far more visually intriguing. It's set at Christmas, and hence the snowfall coupled with the frequent night-time setting looks similar to Edward Scissorhands. Even more effective here is Danny Elfman's score. It's evocative, breathtaking and sometimes very touching. Elfman's unique Batman theme is a recurrent element of the score. During an action scene, or a sequence featuring Batman flaunting his wonderful toys, Danny Elfman's score is valuable and gratifying.

This adventure of Batman finds the Caped Crusader (played by the remarkable Michael Keaton) continuing his mission to rid Gotham City of crime. A mutilated human who calls himself the Penguin (DeVito) spent his life since childhood in the sewer; abandoned by his parents. As an adult he resurfaces to win the hearts of the citizens of Gotham City. While appearing as a heart-felt person, he's secretly plotting to overthrow Gotham City with his squad of circus freaks (who seem more like the live-action cast of Nightmare Before Christmas) as well as his army of penguins. The Penguin is assisted in his goals by megalomaniac Max Shreck (Walken). Also thrown into the characters is Catwoman (Pfeiffer) who appears to be on no-one's side but her own. Aside from an obvious plot concerning the villains, Burton unfortunately never implements a clear-cut plot which is hopelessly lost towards the film's conclusion. This is one of the few drawbacks on an otherwise fine Batman adventure.

A key element firmly holding Batman Returns together is the magnificent cast. Tim Burton is known for his seemingly odd choices to fill the cast...and they end up working tremendously well. Michael Keaton once again impeccably pulls off the dual role of Bruce Wayne and Batman. As millionaire Bruce Wayne, Keaton has a subtle charm and he's simply a shy man of few words. It's impossible not to love his version of the character. And as Batman, Keaton has the looks and the voice. Danny DeVito perfectly executes the role of the Penguin. No-one could have imagined someone like DeVito portraying a character so repulsive and grotesque. Needless to say, it's impossible to imagine anyone other than DeVito as the Penguin. The brilliance of DeVito's portrayal is successfully being sad and innocent in his con of the citizens of Gotham City, while revealing himself to be evil and deep as well. It's interesting to note that DeVito was actually feasting on a dead fish at times. Michelle Pfeiffer makes a fantastic Catwoman. Granted, her transformation is peculiar and makes little sense, but her acrobatic stunt-work and striking outfit almost overshadow this marginal fault. Then we have Christopher Walken as Max Shreck. Interestingly, this name is a slight reference to the classic vampire film Nosferatu. The title vampire was played by German actor Max Schreck. There is a slight spelling difference of course.

Batman Returns is skilfully paced, and it flaunts quality visuals. The sets are utterly amazing for numerous reasons. You have the array of settings meant for a lot of action to unfold, and then the miniatures for wide-angle shots of a fictitious city or area. These are brought to life with eye-popping special effects. Even today, Burton is one of the few directors who hasn't given in almost entirely to employing CGI. Burton's Batman Returns contains astonishing panoramic shots with some vastly dramatic dark-and-light contrasts throughout the film. There is plenty of action present in the film, as there is in every instalment in this series. Another fantastic aspect is Burton's wonderful use of animals in the film. I'm not sure what it is about seeing a flock of penguins running along the street with candy-cane striped missiles strapped to their backs, but it's absolutely hilarious and will have you giggling uncontrollably! Perhaps Burton didn't mean for it to be that funny, as the missiles were intended to foretell Gotham's impending doom, but these scenes are funny nonetheless.

Infused with quality filmmaking, enthralling visuals and tonnes of fun action, Batman Returns is a sequel that will long be remembered. In my opinion, Burton's contributions to the Batman franchise will look a lot better as time goes by. This is mainly due to its practical effects as opposed to over-the-top, cartoonish CGI and wirework. The film is immensely entertaining, and visually it's a masterpiece. Also worth mentioning is Danny Elfman's brilliant musical contributions that set an immaculate atmosphere. Although the plot becomes slightly muddled towards the end, Batman Returns is much darker than its predecessor, and very emotionally satisfying. It's not as good as its forerunner, but a terrific effort nonetheless. Followed by Batman Forever.

8.2/10