Batman Returns (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital) [4K UHD]

BATMAN RETURNS (1992) is a personal favorite of mine. It's so quirky and EXTREMELY dark, almost to the point of being nightmarish! Tim Burton's sequel to his exciting, groundbreaking 1989 BATMAN film is a rarity in that it is a sequel that is actually at the very least GOOD! And I think it's much better than good. I like the fact that BATMAN RETURNS is almost completely different from BATMAN. While BATMAN was more grandiose, stylish and epic, BATMAN RETURNS is much more deep, dark, and scary. They really are two different films at their core. BATMAN boasted two great performances in Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. BATMAN RETURNS ups the ante and gives us FOUR great performances! Michael Keaton returns as the Caped Crusader and this time he is joined by Danny Devito (as The Penguin), Michelle Pfeiffer (as Catwoman), and Christopher Walken (as Max Schreck). This was at a time when you could populate a film with major actors/stars and it actually turn out good! Burton's casting choices in his early films are inspired and worked to perfection.BATMAN RETURNS opens with what I think is one of the greatest openings in all of film history! We hear an ominous, downbeat score as we are drawn in to a silhouetted figure standing in a window of a mansion from a distance. Then zoom in and it is the distinguished lord of the manor, pipe in mouth, monocles on (played by none other than Paul Reubens!). Then we hear a woman (his wife) in the bedroom screaming in both agony and horror as she has just given birth to an incredibly deformed baby (we are never shown the baby, just the parents and servants horrific reactions). Months later, the parents decide to abandon the baby and during Christmastime, throw him over a bridge at the local zoo and the carriage floats into the sewers as the parents look with confusion and sadness...Then the ominous music shifts to a more recognizable score: The Batman theme, but with some slight and intricate variations from the first film and then the opening credits as we watch the baby carriage go through the sewers and ends up in a penguin lair. I think that Danny Elfmann's score from this sequel surpasses his original! Should have won an Oscar! I just love this opening. Then cut to present day Gotham City 33 years later.It is the Christmas season in Gotham City and magnate Max Schreck (played with sly, cool, wicked confidence by Christopher Walken) is angling to build a new power plant and enlists the mayor's support. During the meeting, we also meet Schreck's extremely shy and underconfident secretary Selina Kyle (excellently played by the sultry Michelle Pfeiffer). Meanwhile, there are reports of a mysterious "Penguin" figure roaming the sewers of Gotham. During a tree-lighting ceremony where Schreck is giving a speech in Gotham Square, the Red Triangle Gang crashes the ceremony and terrorizing the Gothamite attendees. Commissioner Gordon (reprised by Pat Hingle) sends out the Bat signal as Bruce Wayne (again played by the great Michael Keaton) is sitting in his study alone in the dark. He sees the signal and goes to work! Batman arrives in the city and thwarts the gang for the moment, but in the melee, Schreck is kidnapped as we learn this was all planned by The Penguin (brilliant characterization by Danny Devito), as he wants Schreck to be his conduit back into normal society. He blackmails Schreck by showing proof of his dirty business dealings. Later, Selina stumbles upon papers that prove that Schreck wants to build the power plant to suck all the power from Gotham rather than supply it. Schreck pushes her out of his high-rise office and while she is motionless on the ground, she is revived by a bunch of cats and assumes the persona Catwoman. The Penguin ends up working with both Schreck and Catwoman in different capacities as each has his/her own agenda.The chemistry among the stars is great in this. Keaton and Pfeiffer are hot together as Batman and Catwoman and simultaneously sweet when they are their alter egos Bruce and Selina. DeVito and Walken are hilarious in their scenes as they scheme to bring down Gotham City and Batman. Also, Keaton and DeVito's scenes, although few, are very emotional and powerful. The tragic irony is that both men were born rich and lost their upbringing in a normal family and that is what made them into the "freaks" that they've become. But it's like watching 2 sides of a coin as Penguin hates the world and wants it to suffer as he has, while Batman channels his anger to do good and prevent incidents that happened to him as a child from ever happening again...Fascinating!The great thing about BATMAN RETURNS is that Burton skillfully juggles the stories of 4 main characters and forms a memorable ensemble. Each characterization is unique and singular and well performed. This is a much more introspective film that it's predecessor as there are times when you really get into the characters' psyches and see what makes them tick. But, make no mistake, there is still a good amount of action (not as much as original), but the action here all feels more natural and necessary. Burton expertly places the action sequences in healthy doses throughout the film and they are all very well executed. He was underrated as a director of action. The dark, wintry setting also gives this sequel a more dire, apocalyptic tone and feel to it. The ending scenes are very tragic and sad almost to the extent of being hopeless, rather than hopeful. The film invested a lot into the actual characters, so even though they are all villains (except Batman), you actually felt bad when they got theirs in the end because they all had viable reasons for becoming evil. Well done, Mr. Burton!

Again, I just adore Michael Keaton as Batman (the best one). In this sequel he takes on the amazing & crazy Danny DeVito (he's such a good actor) as the Penguin and a beautiful villain Michelle Pfeiffer (also one the best actresses) as Catwoman. Each one of them put themselves into their characters so deeply that they seem real. The acting with them & Keaton is spell binding. Great special effects and cinematography! Keaton should never have left his character he was the absolute best. DVD sent on time and it played perfectly.

With this Batman movie, Tim Burton put even more of himself creatively into things. His idea for the Penguin to be a deformed creature living in the sewers and for Catwoman to be mentally unstable are very edgy and work. The Penguin is usually a jewel thief with a pet bird so the new concept was kind of refreshing. Batman and Bruce Wayne are more open this time around, not much more open but you learn more about the characters themselves. In the first movie, Batman was very stoic and mysterious so you could never really read Bruce Wayne or Batman. Danny DeVito plays the role of the Penguin very well and Michelle Pffiefer is above and beyond with her portrayal as Catwoman. The crooked businessman Max Shreck (Christoper Walken) is a nice addition to the villain line-up and Christoper Walken gives a knock-out performance. Some people criticize this for having too many villains but I think that they needed that many for the story plot to work (which it does very well). The story is a lot darker this time around and it's a lot more grotesque at times; like a graphic novel translated to the big screen. Even though this is a more adult Batman movie, nothing changes the fact that it's well written and well acted. Tim Burton sets this story in the winter so Gotham City is a snow-covered, creepy, dangerous place that makes this movie have an even stronger gothic feel to it. Without a doubt this is the most "dark and adult" Batman movie.Some people say that this sequel eclipses the original but I disagree. Yes, this movie has a great story with strong performances and a very affective atmosphere (not to mention a new brilliant score by Danny Elfman). People need to understand that the two movies are equal to each other in their own right because one was a visual work of art masterpiece while the other was a brilliant, darker and more for mature audiences type of film that focused more on exploring the characters.If you haven't seen this, I'm very surprised and see it immediately hahaIf you have, I'm sure you know what I mean. Buy this