"BATMAN/BATMAN...RETURNS"

The warm-hearted story of a boy, a bat, and a ball..

1989-ACTION/ADVENTURE...PG-13...COLOR 126 mins.

1992-ACTION/ADVENTURE...PG-13...COLOR 126 mins.

  • DIRECTOR: Tim Burton

  • CAST: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Bassinger, Jack Palance, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfieffer, Christopher Walken, Pat Hingle

    • Tim Burton's deft treatment of the Dark Knight finally brought dignity to the world of the super-hero. This finely-honed epic showed the cinematic industry, a comic book hero could be translated to the big screen with awe and majesty. The previous "BATMAN", (based on the insipid Television series of the same name), was a dismal flop. Bob Kane's tragic character had become the laughing stock of the entertainment industry. Burton, (relying heavily on Frank Miller's updating of the Dark Knight Mythos), finally gave BATMAN fans everywhere what they had been clamoring for.

    • The super-hero genre has not enjoyed success in the cinematic world for many years. This is probably due to the difficulty in staging these tales with inadequate early special effects and a lack of understanding of the genre. Hollywood was also probably unaware of the massive interest in comic book characters. At any rate, after the enormous success of "SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE"; Hollywood finally began to take notice! (Incidentally, Television has had a terrible track record with our favorite heroes!)

    • "BATMAN" & "BATMAN RETURNS", finally tell us the tale of a deeply troubled loner, and his inner struggle with justice and morality. His inner demons constantly conflict with his enormous intellect, as he struggles to live within a world of chaos.

    • The villains are of note, in that they also feel this conflict. Unfortunately, their inner demons rule, and their madness is externalized.

    • BATMAN is less about the triumph of good over evil, and more about madness. The most interesting of the Dark Knight's challenges; always seem to revolve around the insanity of the task. In the comics, ARKHAM ASYLUM is the repository for all of the BATMAN's conquered, insane enemies. It is here that we meet our own "inner demons", personified by the bizarre characters that populate the fantastic world of the BATMAN.

    • The first two BATMAN films were wondrous and full of intrigue. Unfortunately, the next two sequels were absolutely awful! Hopefully, Burton will someday return to clean-up this mess!

      POOR DILUTED GIRL..!

      SEE ALSO: "FRANKENWEENIE" & "SUPERMAN"

      Internet Movie Data Base...The most comprehensive Film Site in the world!

      SEE DC COMICS:

      (BACK) - (MENU) - (NEXT)

      "COMMENTS?...QUESTIONS?...SUGGESTIONS?"

      E-MAIL ME AT: THE WIZARD OF ODD

      BATMAN and all related elements, are trademarks of DC Comics. Their use here is not intended to infringe on said trademarks, or properties.