Batman Returns

I absolutely love this movie. Tim Burton was granted full control on this film to make his vision of the Batman mythos and thats what makes this film so great. His takes on Catwoman and Penguin, though very far from the source material, are terrific. The Penguin is turned into a tragic figure who was abandoned by his parents and raised by penguins. Now all he wants is to belong and will do whatever it takes to get it. Catwoman is a mousy secretary thrown from a window by her boss and later adopts the Catwoman persona. She is liberated, conflicted, and falling apart at the seems. Batman in this film is mostly in the shadows as he has let the Batman persona take over his life even further until he is introduced to Catwoman. He also naturaly becomes suspicious of the Penguin and his plans to become the mayor. Another character is in this film, Max Shreck. He is a corrupt buisness man with plans to build a power plant to provide for his son, but the mayor wont allow it so he must find a way to achieve his goals. Shreck in a way ties the plot together and helps connect the characters and events together. His role in the plot was originally suposed to be filled with Billy Dee Williams back as Harvey Dent, but they replaced him with an original creation because Burton felt there were too many characters and I dont mind this because Christopher Walken is great. In fact all the performers seem great. Michael Keeton is still a great Batman. Danny Devito is incredible as the Penguin, but Michelle Pfieffer steals the movie as Catwoman. The plot is basically The Penguin is abandoned by his parents and now 33 years later he kidnaps and blackmails Max Shreck into helping him fit into society. Conveniently Shreck needs a way to get his power plant. Together they hatch a scheme to make the Penguin mayor and satisfy both their needs. Selina Kyle is his secretary and finds his plans for the power plant and so Shreck kills her. She comes back to life and wants revenge. It is up to Batman to maintain justice. The plot is a little messy, but the experience more than makes up for it. The action in this film is pretty good with the Batman and Catwoman one being a standout. The sets and costumes look really good and still hold up. I also love all of the Penguin's trick umbrellas. Danny Elfman's score is really good and helps give this film a darker more personal feel to the film. Another big reason I love this film is how much it was influenced by German Expressionism. Tim Burton uses this style to transform Gotham City into a cold and claustrophobic city with buildings inspired by those in films like Metropolis and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. Shreck's building resembles The Tower of Babel in Metropolis only with a large cat head on top. The city square resembles the village found in the Cabinet of Dr Caligari and large statues echoing scenes in Metropolis. Penguin and Catwoman look similar to their comic book characters but with the German Expressionism giving them a unique and memorable look. Max Shreck himself is named after Nosferatu actor Max Schreck and is wearing a wig resembling the mad scientist in Metropolis. This a film that I have studied and absolutely love. The style and the way it not only takes inspiration from the comics, but also this film style. I would highly recommend this film if you already havent seen it.