Tim Burton: October Review Star
Directed By: Tim Burton
Written By: Daniel Waters
Staring: Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfieffer, Danny DeVito, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough, and Michael Murphy
Saved by kitty litter. -Catwoman
Review
It’s a shame when acting performances are overlooked based on the film they are in. Action-Adventure movies, those of the science fiction genre, and fantasy suffer this fate, and so did Michelle Pfieffer for her tour de force performance in Batman Returns. This sequel was every bit as dark and powerful as Batman in 1989 and part of what made it so much fun was the exhilarating performance by Michelle Pfieffer as Catwoman.
Tim Burton returns to direct this one, and frankly until Christopher Nolan got his hands on Batman, things went severely downhill after Batman Returns. We have returned to the dark, yet almost cartoonish Gotham, Burton’s Gotham, and once again are floored by the astounding cinematography and score with a breath taking set design, but also the wickedly insane main actors played by Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfieffer, and Christopher Walken. Each delivered convincing performances as their comic book icons.
The pathos of Batman Returns is melancholy and Burton focuses on what he knows best, outcasts in society. When a deformed child is turned away in a cold snowy night in Gotham, cruelty and conformity is exploited at it’s worst. As dark as Batman Returns gets, it strays away from more of the action oriented moments and swallows itself in a much more character driven drama. Bruce Wayne may be complex, but his eccentric attitude and hermit behavior make his character the least dramatic. The Penguin was difficult to really view as maniacal and viscous, because his character drew empathy. It was the kinetic energy of Catwoman that made this sequel exciting.
Batman Returns fell slightly short from Batman, but it still was a commanding addition to the Batman family with some of the most compelling performances of its time. The Burton world of sadness in a deformed beauty is like a drug you can’t deny. There is something wrong about it, but it feels so good you simply give in to it’s pleasure. With Burton’s insatiable creativity and the brilliant acting, Batman Returns was a great sequel.
As you know from my best comic book movies I think this is a better film than the first one. It has a better story and is perfectly cast, I refer to the whole cast not just Michelle Pfieffer who was especially brilliant as you say. The film also helps prove a point about the type of film the Oscars recognise. Michelle Pfieffer was nominated for an Oscar that year for Love Field, I am sure very few people who have seen both films (if many people have seen Love Field) can honestly say Love Field is a better performance, it just conforms to the expected norms of the academy.