Batman Returns
Batman Returns (1992)
Released in 1992 I already had a mild love affair for all that was Batman due to the first film. I collected all the cards which included a very hard stick of pink powdery chewing gum with each pack of five. But there was something about this film that bewitched me. I was obsessed. I had the VHS, the toys and the comic book (still do somewhere). The iconic imagery seduced me. It was Catwoman’s silhouette. It was Penguin’s underground lair. It was Christopher Walken’s winter tan and frosty bouffant hair.
The plot follows Oswald Cobblepot (Penguin) who enlists the help of corrupt magnate Max Shrek to become legit in the world above the sewer. When this doesn’t go to plan Penguin sets out to frame Batman in a finger up to society. Meanwhile in an attempt to silence his inquisitive secretary, Max Shrek pushes Selina Kyle through the window of his skyscraper and thus Catwoman is born with an understandable vendetta against bullies.
This is a superhero film concerned more with supervillains. How interesting is Batman once you’ve established his origin story? Give me an unstable anti-heroine, or a rejected outsider any day.
Danny Devito’s grotesque creation reasons “It’s human nature to fear the unusual” as he desperately attempts to cheat his way into high society. His narrative actually strikes a present day chord. By trying to be something he’s not he fails. It’s when he accepts who he is and returns to the underworld that he becomes a genuine threat. But for me this is Catwoman’s show.
If the awards bodies were fair and just Michelle Pfiefer’s performance would’ve snatched every trophy going. Her transformation from awkward jabbering doormat to the throaty vigilante in high-heeled boots is legendary.
Once the cats of Gotham’s alleyways nibble her back to consciousness Selina 2.0 is taking no shit from no one. Least of all her answer machine. Triggered into a frenzied attack on her former self, she destroys her pink apartment and any trace of her pushover past. As she feeds her black plastic coat through the sewing machine she looks demonic, severe and focused. This sequence set the standard for comic book adaptations; if I don’t see the villain make their own costume I’m not buying it.
A rare instance where deviating from canon succeeds. In the comics she’s a bored socialite who steals diamonds. Here she’s a woman sick of a world where sleazy spoilt men run the show and life is seen solely through the male gaze. This Catwoman is fascinating. Her suit rips and her body scars. Ultimately she won’t stand with the villains and can’t stand with the heroes.
As if I wasn’t already infatuated with this film can you imagine when I noticed - sat cross legged 6 inches from the tv in the living room - that when Catwoman is performing impressive front flips her boots have no heels. And then in the next shot they do! Game. Changer. I must’ve rewound and watched that shot a million times enthralled at the magic of the movies.
And 90’s Tim Burton was the wizard casting that spell. From Beetlejuice to Edward Scissorhands, his world-building is unique and instantly recognisable. Inhabited with gothic romanticism and wonder. The sharp contrast between the black night sky and thick white snow. The Art Deco architecture and fashion. The newspaper sellers announcing the day’s headlines. The flashing bulb cameras of the press all evoke a bygone era. This is Burton’s Gotham City. Accompanied as always with musical collaborator Danny Elfman composing the ideal dramatic yet cheeky score, this alliance of sound and vision conjures a perfect freaky Christmas.
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