Geeks logo

'Batman Returns' - That Other 'Nightmare Before Christmas'

How Does It Compare to 'Batman' '89?

By Steven ShinderPublished 5 years ago 5 min read
Like
(Credit: Warner Bros.)

With the success of Batman in 1989, a sequel was inevitable. That sequel was Batman Returns, released in 1992. For this sequel, director Tim Burton was given more creative control. The result is a more Gothic interpretation of Gotham and its villains. With a plot leading up to Christmas and music by Danny Elfman (again), this feels like a taste of what was to come in Tim Burton's 1993 classic The Nightmare Before Christmas. I could imagine Danny DeVito's Penguin as a resident in Halloween Town. The stitching aesthetic of Catwoman's suit reminds me of Sally. My nostalgia for Nightmare might be partly why I prefer Batman Returns over the previous film. To me, the pacing also feels better as Batman faces three main villains.

A Different Kind of Penguin

The Penguin (Credit: Warner Bros.)

First we are introduced to Oswald Cobblepot, born with only three digits on each hand. His socilaite parents, Tucker and Esther (played by Paul Reubens and Diane Salinger, who had collaborated with Burton on Pee-Wee's Big Adventure), leave him in a sewer, and then he is found by penguins. So, naturally, that becomes part of his identity. We see Penguin with a life like Batman's, but with a twist. They lose their parents, but in different ways. Cobbelpot was abandoned whereas Bruce's parents were killed when he was a kid. And they both identify with animals. When Cobblepot returns to civilization, he runs for mayor and wins the favor of many citizens as he tries to get rid of Batman.

The Danny DeVito version of the Penguin is more grotesque, ill-mannered, vile, crass, and crude, compared to what we're used to seeing in other Batman media. The shape of his hands carried over into the subsequently released Batman: The Animated Series, which depicts the Penguin more like the socialite seen in the comics. So that instance can be seen as a best of both worlds, though that version of the Penguin doesn't stand out to me as much as DeVito's does. Another way that this version of the Penguin influenced TV is that Paul Reubens would return to play Oswald's father in the second season of Gotham, which I think was a brilliant move. I could imagine him being related to Robin Lord Taylor. So even though DeVito's Penguin might not be the Penguin of the comics, this interpretation works really well for this film. I previously expressed how Jack Nicholsen's Joker getting killed off feels like a waste, but Penguin's death at the end of Batman Returns somehow feels right. He fulfills his role within this film.

Shreck (Not the Ogre)

Max Shreck (Credit: Warner Bros.)

Millionaire, Max Shreck (Christopher Walken), who is obsessed with building a power plant, is a bit of an odd creation for the film. Named after actor Max Schreck of Nosferatu (a film that I really love and would argue is the best Dracula film), he acts as a replacement for Harvey Dent / Two-Face. Billy Dee Williams portrayed Harvey Dent in Batman '89, and I would have liked to have seen what he would have done with the character. But I cannot really picture noble Harvey Dent committing the despicable actions that Shrek does, such as pushing a defenseless woman out of a window. Especially if it were prior to his transformation into Two-Face. So I suppose that this different character could be deemed necessary for the plot.

David Bowie was considered for the role of the Joker in the previous film, and I really wish there were a way to see what he could have done. He was also considered for the role of Shreck but passed on it to be in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. As cool as it might have been to see Bowie as Shreck, I think this was a good decision. Bowie did really well as the enigmatic FBI agent Phillip Jeffries in Fire Walk with Me. With no prior version of the character to compare to, Christopher Walken brought Max Shreck to life. This is another thing that I think works really well within the context of this film, though I cannot really picture Shreck doing anything of importance in further sequels. So perhaps having the character get killed off was a good call, as it illustrates who Catwoman is.

Catwoman and Chemistry

Catwoman (Credit: Warner Bros.)

The Selina Kyle of this film is a victim of her boss Max Shreck out for revenge. Michelle Pfeiffer does a fantastic job looking scared when confronted by him, and her transformation into Catwoman can be the stuff of nightmares. She embraces the role and makes it very memorable. She has had enough of being mistreated, and wants to take the world by a storm, even if it means turning to a life of crime. Like the Penguin, she is a criminal who associates a particular animal with her identity. And I love how their styles and mannerisms complement and contrast with each other in the scene in Penguin's room. They work together, but they can turn on one another.

Pfeiffer also has great chemistry with Michael Keaton's Batman. So much so that a viewer cannot help but want them to be together. They keep their secrets and yet are somehow honest about themselves when they are alone together. I have always liked psychological studies of Batman, and comparing these two characters side by side reveals how they use their inner darkness. Batman tries using it for justice, while Catwoman skews in the other direction. At the end, Batman says, "We're the same. Split... down the center." And I can see that. Catwoman does kill Shreck in an explosion, and this is not that much different from when Batman straps dynamite onto a henchman earlier in the film and lets him get blown up. It's a real shame that we didn't get another movie of Keaton's Batman and Pfeiffer's Catwoman together. I'm glad that she survives, but her survival makes her a dangling thread that never gets picked up again in the other sequels.

Catwoman and Batman (Credit: Warner Bros.)

Verdict

This isn't quite the Penguin, but he works well for this film. Max Shreck isn't Harvey Dent, but maybe it's good that he isn't. Batman and Catwoman's chemistry in this makes me so mad, but only because we don't get to see more of these two actors playing off of each other in any other Batman movie. They work so well together. Batman '89 was really good, but there's something about Batman Returns that is more appealing to me. It's so surreal, and yet it somehow works. I love this movie, which is why I think it deserves the following score:

9.1/10 - An excellent sequel that leaves one wanting more, but in a good way. Even if we never get more of Michael Keaton as Batman, it's nice knowing that the last Batman film he was in was a great one.

movie
Like

About the Creator

Steven Shinder

Author of fantasy horror comedy novel Lemons Loom Like Rain, which is available on Amazon. You can also read excerpts at stevenshinder.com and check out facebook.com/StevenShinderStorytelling.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.