Interesting Dan Waters Interview

[zDBZ]

Came across this today - interesting read: http://www.money-into-light.com/2016/06/daniel-waters-on-batman-returns.html

I think the best bit is the way he distinguishes between Burton's approach and Nolan's: "Christopher Nolan's work is prose, Tim's is poetry, but they can co-exist in the same stratosphere..."

[thecolorsblend]

Interviewer- "What did Tim respond to the most in your drafts?"
Dan Waters- "Tim really liked my take on Catwoman. My take had nothing to do with the comics. To this day when people tell me I went away from the comics I tell them ''F the comics. My version is better.'"

Purdy much. At the time Waters worked on BR, he could adapt an amnesiac, a battered wife or a hooker from the comics. I honestly don't blame him for declining all three of those and going off in his own direction instead.

Also, in case it wasn't clear before, Waters is adamant that he didn't write a Big Mac movie. He wanted to do his own thing with the material. That would never happen these days so I appreciate the fact that he got to do it. BR was edgy, subversive and thrilling. I cherish it.

[Wayne49]

What really fascinates me is just how hard-wired people are to the perceived "legacy" of these films. Someone like Dan Waters can call it a misfit in the series and a director like Nolan can pretend it doesn't exist. But overtime Returns has only grown in popularity. Hell the critical review on Rotten Tomatoes is actually higher on Returns than the '89 film. Not to say Rotten Tomatoes is the best source to validate a position but it does give you the current trend of thinking on movies.

If I had to compare the evolution of a film's popularity from the days when it was first released, I would compare Returns to something like Carpenter's remake of the Thing. People were really down on that movie back in 1982 and the public were squeamish about violence in films. It probably didn't help that ET came out soon after the Thing as well for contrast. But over time the remake of the Thing has become a certified classic amongst horror buffs and even got a prequel made to it a few years back (not nearly as good either).  The swing in opinion also shows dramatically for both critical and audience reviews on RT.

I think where I scratch my head a bit at the criticism of Burton not to follow the comic origins of it's villains, Nolan is hardly swinging from a different tree when he made the Joker or Catwoman himself. By every measure I can see, the Burton films are far closer to the comics than Nolan ever was. So these claims about the film being a heavy departure are quite honestly par for the course in today;s films. In some cases they are near sacrilege. I never recall Tony Stark playing daddy figure for Peter Parker and making his suit for him. But I digress.

[Azrael]

I had forgotten one of his credits was Demolition Man. I need to rewatch that film. An underrated 90s sci-fi actioner.

[thecolorsblend]

What really fascinates me is just how hard-wired people are to the perceived "legacy" of these films. Someone like Dan Waters can call it a misfit in the series and a director like Nolan can pretend it doesn't exist. But overtime Returns has only grown in popularity. Hell the critical review on Rotten Tomatoes is actually higher on Returns than the '89 film. Not to say Rotten Tomatoes is the best source to validate a position but it does give you the current trend of thinking on movies.

IRC, Returns was praised by critics. They went in expecting a semi-brainless action movie and instead they got, well, Batman Returns. It was the public who allegedly took issue with it. But honestly, I lived through all that and I don't remember widespread outrage over the movie. The consensus that I remember was that BR was good but nothing will ever match the original, Nicholson can't be topped, lightning never strikes twice, etc. I think people make too much out of the opposition BR received because of the McDonald's thing.

[The Dark Knight]

BR and BvS are the two ballsiest films in the franchise. I think BvS took things to a whole other level, as represented by the hysterical critical reaction. BR and BvS have real depth to the characters and actually test our heroes. I've said this before, but when I saw the Wayne murders sequence for the first time on the big screen, I knew Snyder had one-upped Burton in terms of intensity. This isn't family friendly stuff, and you need balls of steel to 'go there'. But I'm forever thankful he did. BR and BvS are so special because we'll likely never see anything like them again. The studio let the directors have free reign and do their thing without much interference.

[Wayne49]

Returns was praised by critics. They went in expecting a semi-brainless action movie and instead they got, well, Batman Returns. It was the public who allegedly took issue with it. But honestly, I lived through all that and I don't remember widespread outrage over the movie. The consensus that I remember was that BR was good but nothing will ever match the original, Nicholson can't be topped, lightning never strikes twice, etc. I think people make too much out of the opposition BR received because of the McDonald's thing.

I remember it very well. I was 27 years old when Returns came out. Geez, I'm getting old. Reviews were pretty mixed. No it wasn't an outright lynching by critics, but it wasn't the ball of praise the studio was looking for either. How Siskel & Ebert looked at it pretty well summed it up. Some got it, while others didn't. Plus the weekend drops were nearly double each week from the original. This was not the results Warners was looking for by any measure. It was a different time and movies in this genre had not yet risen to the level Returns aspired to be. Without question it was ahead of it's time, which is what age and evolving opinions have demonstrated.