Batman Returns (Two-Disc Special Edition)
by Tim Burton
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DVD details
Actor: Christopher Walken, Danny DeVito, Michael Gough, Michael Keaton, Michelle PfeifferDirector: Tim Burton
Brand: BATMAN RETURNS
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 126 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-10-18
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Reviews of Batman Returns (Two-Disc Special Edition)
DVD Review: Okay, I guess...
Summary: 3 Stars
Micheal Keaton's even worse this outing, but Penguin and Catwoman are excellent, as is Christopher Walken. Rent it.DVD Review: THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE BATMAN!
Summary: 4 Stars
After the huge success of the first Batman film in 1989, Burton was given full reign with this beautifully grotesque sequel. Forget Batman Mythology as this film bares little resemblance to the comic books we read as kids. This is Burton's fantasy this time and anything goes! If your open minded, you should like this film as much as I did, it took balls to make a film like this and I admire that!
One major improvement was not having Kim Basinger return, because it's the relationship between Batman and Catwoman(played deliciously by Michelle Pfeiffer)that is one of the reasons this film is better the first one. Tim Burton's visual style is all over this movie and it looks like a precursor to his animated classic 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'.
Gotham City has a new look in this film which reminded me of the classic 'Metropolis'. This is not a kid's movie, but it does have an absurdity that only adult kids may enjoy. If you accept this as Burton's Batman you will accept the incredible ugly and disgusting Penguin that Burton dreamed up for this sequel. It's not pretty and DeVito gives an unforgettable performance.
Over all this film still has the campy-ness of the TV show, but done with Burton's wicked dark style. I would have loved to see what he would have done with Part 3!...it's a shame, we'll never know. The 2 disc DVD set has a great transfer and some interesting Batgoodies for fans. This one edges out the first by a nose......a long Penguin nose! :-)
DVD Review: Brilliant Action Totally Magnificent Astoundingly Nice
Summary: 5 Stars
In case you haven't noticed, my Review Title... every 1st letter of a word, altogether, spells, "BATMAN"!DVD Review: Burton and `The Bat' seem a slight mismatch...
Summary: 4 Stars
It's funny when you look at the old (by old I mean Burton and onward) Batman films in contrast to the recent Nolan masterpieces; they just don't stand up. `Batman Returns' is probably the better of the previous four, but even still it's apparent that Tim Burton was missing the point.
I'm going to say this upfront, as a longstanding fan of Batman in every shape and form he comes in, that Batman is a very serious comic. The one thing that makes Batman so great is that he is not a superhero in the essence that he has superpowers or superhuman abilities. He's a superhero in that he is a man trying to avenge a city; just a man, in a suit, kicking butt. The villains he encounters are not superhuman or mutated or anything of the sort. For the most part (with some exceptions) they are regular people who are either violently insane or just violent. The reason I say that Burton misses the point is that he insists on making Batman and the people around him more than what they are. They become caricatures of their former selves.
Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't.
I am one of the few who thinks that Jack Nicholson's performance in `Batman' was horrendous (the more I think about it the more I wish I had given the film a C) and especially after watching Heath Ledger's (R.I.P.) marvelous performance in `The Dark Knight' I have grown to detest what Nicholson had done all the more. That said, Danny DeVito can sit right alongside Jack. His interpretation of The Penguin is so horrifically altered from what it should have been that I am sick to my stomach when I think about it. He just went right for the obvious, sort of like Nicholson.
The film finds Batman in a bit of a bundle. Penguin, a crazy man from the sewers, has teamed up with tycoon Max Shreck in an attempt to control the city of Gotham, steal its electricity and destroy Batman's good name. While he is struggling with this power couple he has to contend with the ravaging Catwoman, a disgruntled employee of Shreck's who has an agenda all her own.
Thankfully Burton infuses enough darkness into his newly crafted Gotham to make up for many of his unfortunate misinterpretations, and in the end the film comes off much more rewarding than its predecessor. This is also thanks in large part to a wonderfully inspired performance by Michele Pfeiffer. As Catwoman she is obviously having fun with her character's puns but she does so in such a convincing and effortless way. Where DeVito comes off forced and contrived Pfeiffer comes of elegant and commanding. Her performance has been rendered as the greatest comic book performance of all time, and that may be correct (although Ledger was utterly flawless on so many levels).
In the end I hand the film a B, for its better than the rest of the bunch (pre-Nolan bunch) but it never manages to connect all the dots. I love Burton's style, but in my opinion he is too cartoonish for Batman. He may have seemed like a perfect match at the time, but in retrospect he just didn't get it.
DVD Review: Tragic irony or poetic justice?
Summary: 5 Stars
This review focuses on Burton's Batman (Batman89, Batman Returns), Nolan's Batman (Batman Begins, the Dark Knight), and 1992 original Batman: The Animated Series. I'm excluding Schumacher's Batman (Batman Forever, Batman and Robin), the 1960's Batman series, and "The Batman", simply because I believe they are the weakest representations.
To be perfectly honest, I love Burton, Nolan, and BTAS equally. All three interpretations are so different, that they cannot be compared. And it is really annoying that I find people on YouTube trying to see which one is better (most opinions are biased). So here it goes with MY opinions:
BATMAN: Michael Keaton, Kevin Conroy, and Christian Bale have given us excellent performances. Conroy (from BTAS) has the perfect voice for Batman, though the physical depiction seems a bit too much. Bale really acts well as Bruce Wayne, but his voice for Batman is too deep and goofy. To me, Keaton is the ultimate "Bruce". He has the awkwardness and the eccentricity of the character, and plus his hoarse voice for the Bat is far superior to Bale's. It's too bad that he doesn't get that much screen time in both of Burton's films.
VILLAINS: Mr. Freeze, Riddler, Clayface, Mad Hatter, Scarface, Killer Croc, Bane, Baby Doll, Penguin, Clock King, Harley Quinn, Professor Milo, Poison Ivy, and Rupert Thorne appear only on BTAS, and they are marvelous in their own right.
The Scarecrow was better portrayed in BTAS (voice by Henry Polic II) than he was in Begins. Cillian Murphy looked too young as Doctor Crane, and the actual villain was much underused in the film. Two-Face had the scariest appearance in TDK; Aaron Eckhardt was flawless. However, Two-Face in BTAS (Richard Moll) had a much better origin. Years of suppressing anger can do that, you know. Ra's al Ghul is much more interesting in BTAS (David Warner); Liam Neeson's performance in BB was just above average as he wasn't very believable to me. The Penguin, one of my favorite Batman villains, has been blessed with both BReturns and BTAS. Danny Devito and Paul Williams have done superb jobs with this antagonist. Same goes with Catwoman: Michelle Pfeiffer had the better dialogue and better catsuit, while Adrienne Barbeau was a better Selina Kyle, and her chemistry with Batman is deeper.
Finally, for the Joker we have Jack Nicholson (B89), Mark Hamill (BTAS), and Heath Ledger (TDK). All three of them are perfect. Nicholson has the best dialogue, Hamill has the best laugh and look, and Ledger has the best sadism. Three different worlds, three different performances. People on YouTube should understand that.
SUPPORTING CHARACTERS: I couldn't see Michael Caine as Alfred, so it's thumbs down from me. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and Michael Gough are the ideal Alfred's. Aaron Eckhardt is truly a one-of-a-kind Harvey Dent. I Believe in Harvey Dent! Billy Dee Williams was great in B89, also, and he had the tough and virtuous personality, as did Richard Moll in BTAS. Gary Oldman and Bob Hastings are the definitive Commissioner Gordon's; Pat Hingle is the weakest, but certainly not at all terrible. He's just a bit too short. Morgan Freeman is the one and only Lucius Fox; Brock Peters of BTAS had the better persona, but Freeman had the better chemistry with Batman.
GOTHAM CITY: Burton captured the dark and gothic feel of the hellish city perfectly. It looks as if "Hell came sprouting out of the concrete and kept right on growing. You gotta give credit to Anton Furst, the film's art director, for creating this atmospheric universe. Gotham in BTAS also has its advantages. The towering skyline, the dangerous alleys, and the red sky make it all more mesmerizing. Nolan's Gotham looks hellish, too, but it looks too much like Chicago (filming location for both BB and TDK). But other than that, it succeeds in creating a Faustian nightmare.
EVERYTHING ELSE: The gadgets in BTAS were the most realistic, while the Batmobile for B89 was better-looking. Keaton's Batsuit is classic, while Conroy's cape and cowl is ultimately frightening. The heroines (Basinger, Holmes, and Gyllenhaal) are lovely additions, although I wish Basinger would stop screaming throughout B89. And let's not forget the music: let's give it up for Danny Elfman, Shirley Walker, James Newton Howard, and Hans Zimmer. These are the composers who gave us those catchy Batman themes. We will never forget them or their work.
CONCLUSION: Burton's universe, Nolan's universe, and Timm's universe are near ideal. I love them equally, really. I can't wait for the next film.
Description of Batman Returns (Two-Disc Special Edition)
The Caped Crusader returns to do battle with Catwoman and the Penguin.No Track Information Available
Media Type: DVD
Artist: BATMAN RETURNS
Title: BATMAN RETURNS
Street Release Date: 10/18/2005
Genre: ACTION / ADVENTURE
The first Batman sequel takes a wicked turn with the villainous exploits of the freakish and mean-spirited Penguin (Danny DeVito), whose criminal collaboration with evil tycoon Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) threatens to drain Gotham City of its energy supply. As if that weren't enough, Batman (Michael Keaton) has his hands full with the vengeful Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer), who turns out to be a lot more dangerous than a kitten with a whip. As with the first Batman feature, director Tim Burton brings his distinct visual style to the frantic action, but this time there's a darker malevolence lurking beneath all that extraordinary production design. --Jeff Shannon
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