Is Batman Returns a good movie or a bad movie?

[Uzumaki Goku]

It seems people are pretty split on it. It was the first movie I ever saw in theaters. That moment where Bruce wakes up with the Batsignal shining on him. Pinnacle Batman for me. But it's also got a lot of Tim Burton's trademark weirdness. I see people are largely split on if it was the last good Batman movie or the first bad Batman movie. (Let's be honest from Batman to Batman and Robin. They got progressively worse.)

But what do you guys think? Is it a good movie or a bad movie?

 

[Officer Big Mac]

It's a bad movie but I still love it.

 

[Punjabi_Hitman]

As a kid it made me feel weird and gross inside but a I watched the VHS I owned probably a hundred times.

 

[StallionDan]

Mostly good with a few silly bits.

 

[eXistor]

Probably a huge part of why I really like Batman Returns is I don't see it as a superhero movie, I see it as a Tim Burton movie. For what it's worth I think it's the best Batman movie by far, I actually really dislike the Nolan ones, all of them.

 

[Seesaw15]

Its fine but I don't like watching it for all the fuck shit Warner Bros did to Billy D Williams and Marlon Wayans during the making of that movie.

 

[Huey]

Yeah it's a complex question. I think there are great elements to it but it does not hold together very well. It's also a greatly emboldened Tim Burton expressing himself to a much greater extent that Batman 89, which leads to some kind of non-Batman-ish/more Edward Scissorhandsey design elements.

I still watch it every once in a while, but it's definitely the inferior Burton Batman.

 

[Menome]

It's a bloody great movie, with Christopher Walken being Christopher Walken, a wonderful fairy-tale like atmosphere to it and Siouxsie & The Banshees on the soundtrack.




It may not be the most "Batman" Batman film, but it's glorious as it is.

 

[digitalrelic]

As someone who just watched through the Burton films, none of them are very good today.

But Returns is so much better than Batman 89 in pretty much every conceivable way. Musical score, villians, story, character depth, budget, cinematography, acting, you name it.

 

[Liquor]

It's a great movie.

 

[Uzumaki Goku]

Its fine but I don't like watching it for all the fuck shit Warner Bros did to Billy D Williams and Marlon Wayans during the making of that movie.

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Yeah, wasn't Max Shreck supposed to be Harvey Dent and the end of the film would've led into him becoming Two-Face in the next movie?

 

[thecouncil]

It's a good movie. The best Batman movie. Incredible music, legendary lines of dialogue, great atmosphere, great characters, Christmas.

 

[adj_noun]

Could be worse.

My nose could be gushing blood!

 

[Kanann]

Really great movie but weird as hell.

 

[Bor Gullet]

Better than 89.

 

[Psamtik]

Best Batman movie, and Danny DeVito's revolting, pervert Penguin is my favorite interpretation of the character.

 

[TheMan]

I loved it when I saw it in theaters and later on in the 90s. That said, I can see how the movie would look overly cheesy now and may not hold up to the modern takes. I'm not really interested in watching it again TBH.

 

[Bor Gullet]

 

[SJRB]

It's as great as it is weird.

As a kid it felt kinda fever dream-ish, some segments were so bizarre.

 

[Incite]

The best movie easily

 

[Deleted member 29939]

Good and better than the first.

With so much Batman shit out there, I totally thought that in time more people would come to appreciate this reinterpretation of Batman as seen through an artist's distinct vision.

Still see complaints that "its not like teh comic books" tho.... so here's to 10 more years of slight variations of the same fucking thing over and over I guess.

I'm so excited

 

[Uzumaki Goku]

Best Batman movie, and Danny DeVito's revolting, pervert Penguin is my favorite interpretation of the character.

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Yeah, I remember the Animated Series design had this weird blend of Danny Devito Penguin and the gentlemenly Penguin from the comics.

 

[kurahador]

Bad. It took the worst aspect of the first movie and triple down in it.

 

[Kitsunebaby]

It's a great movie is what it is.

 

[Deleted member 7051]

Still the best Batman movie, with the best Batman and the best Catwoman.

You see movies like Spiderman 3 struggle with three villains, then you remember how Returns handled it just fine. They weren't just generic bad guys, either, they were all incredibly well written and acted.

The aesthetics too! So gothic. Beautiful set and costume design. Still love the masquerade scene where Bruce and Selina each figure out who the other is and Selina visibly breaks when she asks him if they have to fight now.

I could gush about that movie for hours.

 

[Teenage Fansub]

Great movie. The villains are incredible.

 

[Zvonimir Boban]

Still love the masquerade scene where Bruce and Selina each figure out who the other is and Selina visibly breaks when she asks him if they have to fight now.

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That scene is a delight

 

[Seesaw15]

Yeah, wasn't Max Shreck supposed to be Harvey Dent and the end of the film would've led into him becoming Two-Face in the next movie?

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Yep. Burton was setting up Billy D to be Two-Face but after Batman '89 was a huge hit Warner didn't want a black guy in the role so they bought him out of his contract. Same thing happened with Burton wanting Marlon Waynes to be Robin and Warner bought him out too and painted his action figures white. Hence why Robin has a high top lol. All the baggage surrounding the films ruins my desire to revisit them.

 

[SweetVermouth]

It's a good movie but it has a few weird, silly bits in it. Just like the 89 Batman.

 

[Uzumaki Goku]

Yep. Burton was setting up Billy D to be Two-Face but after Batman '89 was a huge hit Warner didn't want a black guy in the role so they bought him out of his contract. Same thing happened with Burton wanting Marlon Waynes to be Robin and Warner bought him out too and painted his action figures white. Hence why Robin has a high top lol. All the baggage surrounding the films ruins my desire to revisit them.

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Wow. Never knew that. Personally, I think cutting Robin from the first film was probably a good call. Batman should always start solo.

 

[Sign My Guestbook!]

It's a bad movie with good parts.

I'll always love the scene where Christopher Walken pushes Catwoman out the window. That's just great directing, acting and editing. Good stuff.

 

[Teenage Fansub]

Shouldn't Batman and his villains be "weird"?

edit: Or at least Batman's world, if not Batman.

 

[apocat]

I haven't watched it in years, so I don't know for sure how well it holds up, but I remember it fondly. Generally speaking I think the Burton movies were more fun than the Nolan ones.

 

[Seesaw15]

Wow. Never knew that. Personally, I think cutting Robin from the first film was probably a good call. Batman should always start solo.

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Robin was supposed to be in Batman Returns not 89 but all the mentor plot with Bruce got cut that's why Batman is kind of a non character in the movie.

 

[Uzumaki Goku]

Robin was supposed to be in Batman Returns not 89 but all the mentor plot with Bruce got cut that's why Batman is kind of a non character in the movie.

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Yeah, then Robin got into Batman Forever. I mean the Batman movies are... loosely connected in continuity.

 

[jviggy43]

Its fantastic. Both the burton movies are.

 

[Deleted member 7051]

That scene is a delight

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There's so much attention to detail too. I love how "Selina" and "Bruce" are their masks - which is why they're the only ones at the masquerade without any - and they're both tired of wearing them.

 

[Doober]

I'm not a big fan of Tim Burton when he goes full Tim Burton, which is what he did in Returns.

It's far from the worst Batman. Not even necessarily a BAD Batman.

 

[Maligna]

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This was the movie and character specifically, that sexually awakened me. Ha.

 

[FTF]

It's a decent to good movie.

 

[Haribokart]

My favourite Batman movie by a huge margin.

 

[Uzumaki Goku]

There's so much attention to detail too. I love how "Selina" and "Bruce" are their masks - which is why they're the only ones at the masquerade without any - and they're both tired of wearing them.

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the Burton and Nolan films do have similar themes but an argument can be made that Burton was more subtle about them than Nolan was.

 

[DeltaRed]

It's a bad Batman film but a great film in its own right.

 

[Deleted member 6173]

I love Batman Returns. It's my favourite batman film.

 

[MisterHero]

YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS BECAUSE I'M A GENUINE FREAK AND YOU HAVE TO WEAR A MASK

...You might be right.

 

[Spooky_Lantern]

I love it. I often say it's more of a Tim Burton movie than a Batman movie. Such a ridiculous and fun movie.

 

[Strangelove_77]

It's a fantastic movie. I actually prefer it to the first one.

 

[Deleted member 21339]

It is a triumph of design and mood, but the story sucks and the Penguin was just annoying. Was anyone really moved by his plight?

 

[Uzumaki Goku]

Strangely the Penguin's death scene. It actually kinda works.

 

[SArcher]

It's a bad Batman film but a great film in its own right.

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Same with TDKR and arguably TDK.