Happy 25th Anniversary

[Azrael]

History doesn't seem to be looking as fondly on Burton's two films as I'd hope  -- and I'm not sure why --

Only if you believe revisionist rubbish from some websites. I'd pay no attention to them if I were you.

Agreed. Nowadays I get a fairly positive vibe from most movie-related outlets when they mention Burton's era. Some are more positive than others, but the "what is this crap" attitude is rare to see. In 2015, Empire, the definition of mainstream tastes and attitudes in movies, placed Batman Returns at # 7 in their 30 best comic movies, and #8 in their best 30 best Christmas movies. That was 2015, pretty deep in the modern era of comic films.

There's a few Batman gurus who maintain a negative attitude (one of them, known for holding a PhD in applied Batmanology, once wrote a "Thank you" text mentioning everyone who contributed to the screen versions of Batman, and went out of his way to forget anyone from the Burton team), but they seem to be a minority.

[The Laughing Fish]

There's a few Batman gurus who maintain a negative attitude (one of them, known for holding a PhD in applied Batmanology, once wrote a "Thank you" text mentioning everyone who contributed to the screen versions of Batman, and went out of his way to forget anyone from the Burton team), but they seem to be a minority.

Ha! Those so-called "gurus" are talking out of their asses. Especially if they snub Burton, but praise a film where Batman frames himself for crimes he didn't commit.

[The Dark Knight]

I think Batman Returns' use of shadows, while minor, is great. The Penguin's basket projecting against the sewer walls in the opening credit sequence, the cat shadows against the wall as Selina lays unconscious and Catwoman's shadow when Bruce tells Alfred to stop the car. I don't recall any others but small touches like this really helped give the film a mysterious atmosphere, coupled with the snow and dark visuals.

I love how emotionally charged Selina's breakdown is after Max tried to kill her. Selina just doesn't smash the miniature doll house...she destroys the big doll house she was actually living in. The pink tones represented her innocence which she outright rejects after her incident with Max. She 'kills' the stuffed animals because she doesn't want to be a victim ever again. She sews her catsuit to try and stay together, both physically and emotionally, but she finally unravels near the end.

There's so much to analyze with this film, such as Penguin's yellow duck toy dangling outside his cage as a baby. Every time I watch it I could probably find something else to discover.

[Paul (ral)]

A quarter of a century. Scary!

[The Laughing Fish]

I think Batman Returns' use of shadows, while minor, is great. The Penguin's basket projecting against the sewer walls in the opening credit sequence, the cat shadows against the wall as Selina lays unconscious and Catwoman's shadow when Bruce tells Alfred to stop the car. I don't recall any others but small touches like this really helped give the film a mysterious atmosphere, coupled with the snow and dark visuals.

True. BR uses shadows as a unique visual motif. Another good example is the Organ Grinder being frightened by the sight of Batman's shadow against a wall, before Batman grabs and puts an end to kidnapping of first born children.

Here is a blogger paying tribute to BR, reminiscing how he grew up adoring the film.

http://www.theflitecast.com/blogdc/2017/6/19/batman-returns-is-the-macabre-classic-of-batman-movies

[The Dark Knight]

Another good example is the Organ Grinder being frightened by the sight of Batman's shadow against a wall, before Batman grabs and puts an end to kidnapping of first born children.

I forgot about that one. Nice.

[Azrael]

A quarter of a century. Scary!

Everything is scarier if you think in centennial terms, lol.

[The Dark Knight]

A quarter of a century. Scary!

Everything is scarier if you think in centennial terms, lol.

It's been a while, that's for sure.

Honestly, one of the few things I'd change about BR is the ending shot with Catwoman looking at the batsignal. Apart from the obvious goof that Catwoman is hovering in thin air (what is she standing on?), I preferred the ambiguity of the shadow.

[Paul (ral)]

A quarter of a century. Scary!

Everything is scarier if you think in centennial terms, lol.

That's why I don't think about my age on those terms lol

[The Laughing Fish]

Honestly, one of the few things I'd change about BR is the ending shot with Catwoman looking at the batsignal. Apart from the obvious goof that Catwoman is hovering in thin air (what is she standing on?), I preferred the ambiguity of the shadow.

I don't mind that ending shot with Catwoman. It parallels with Batman staring at the Batsignal in B89. That's another motif that Burton uses in BR; visual cues that calls back to earlier scenes in the same film or the previous one.



It's similar to how Snyder uses imagery to convey a pattern in BvS i.e. falling bullet casings, people falling, the use of horses etc.