Batmans Rückkehr

The second part of Batman by Tim Burton is even better in terms of its atmosphere than its predecessor. The only thing missing is music by Prince, which managed to lift my mood a couple of times. But on the other hand, it offers Catwoman wearing a latex suit and a man-penguin and that’s not too bad, either. (21.02.2017)

Traditioneller Burton'scher Einheitsbrei für die Augen und Elfman'scher für das Gehör. Die Würze des zweiten Batman ist definitiv die weihnachtliche Atmosphäre, mit der Tim Burton Erinnerungen an seinen legendären Patenfilm Nightmare Before Christmas weckt. Berauschender Zynismus, Zerstörung von Symbolen und vor allem eine gelbe Ente im Dienste des Bösen, dieses Mal von gigantischem Ausmaß... Spektakulär, zynisch, sehr sehenswert. Aber ein Blick auf die Kulissen allein würde nicht ausreichen, deshalb gibt es zwei Schlüsselfiguren - Pinguin und Catwoman. Beide sind viel ausdrucksstärker als die Titelfigur, was eigentlich nicht schadet, denn es geht mehr um die Zweischneidigkeit dieser Neulinge als um die Heldentaten des Fledermausmannes. Batmans Rückkehr kommt ohne Geradlinigkeit und manchmal leider auch ohne erzählerischen Schwung aus. Burtons Erzählung ist unglaublich farbenfroh und leicht, aber ein paar Mal habe ich mich gefragt: worum genau geht es? Kurz gesagt, ich hätte ein bisschen mehr Emotionen und Erfahrung erwartet, aber vielleicht wurde es einfach durch die schreckliche Synchronisation und die schlechte Übersetzung ruiniert. Ansonsten sind es Burton´sche Süßigkeiten mit allem Drum und Dran. Sogar mit einer Füllung, die berauschend nach deutschem Ausdruck riecht. (23.07.2006)

All the reservations I had with the first film have been put to rest, and Burton has succeeded, making what I believe is the best comic book movie of its time. Nowadays, however, it would have it a lot, lot harder. ♫ OST rating: 4/5 (20.03.2005)

I like Burton, but he should never touch comics again. Besides, he didn't choose very good actors. Keaton annoyed me from the beginning, DeVito's Penguin is not a villain, but a desperately bizarre character, and Michelle Pfeiffer is a rather discouraging example of how to ruin a cult character of the series with Catwoman. And although Elfman's music is great and saves the atmosphere and to some extent the whole movie, this combination doesn't fit me at all. Depression and grotesqueness in the redrawn gothic setting do not equal a quality spectacle for me. I would rather watch the overacting duo Carrey-Jones in Batman Forever. 50% (25.03.2007)

This is what it’s like when, after nearly three decades, you look back at a film that made an impression on you in your early teens and you find it surprisingly bizarre, deranged, perverse, oversexed, unique and beautiful. In today’s era of thoroughly planned-out blockbusters that are meticulously controlled for the sake of corporate image despite being marketed as tremendously innovative and original, Burton’s second Batman comes across as a magnificently anti-system achievement. It’s not only that Burton ignores the comic-book canon obsessively guarded by fans, which he quite consciously doesn’t care about. Equipped with a generous budget and creative control, he spins a romantically sick and sleazily beautiful antithesis of various American myths, from the political system to superheroes to Christmas. Batman Returns is like a snowman turned upside down, its bottom revealing the hidden ugly underbelly of the kitschy idyll. With almost operatic sweep, Burton conducts phantasmagorically stylized scenes combining gothic monumentality with the deviance of expressionism. In this world, he lets the circus freaks run riot, as the heroes and villains differ only in that, for various reasons, they cannot give vent to their inner desires.  Spandex has been replaced with latex and the masks and costumes do not look like tough armour, but rather like fetishistic outfits in which the characters vainly try to hide their childhood traumas and adult perversions, obsessions and dreams of boundless power from the outside world. However, Burton’s Batman movie isn’t pompously dark and serious like those of the new millennium. In his grotesque vision, bleakness is just as essential as the classic comic-book unseriousness of the slapstick dimension. Like the world depicted in the film, its logic, violence and the antiheroes themselves are cunning, theatrical and childishly spiteful, but also full of grief, pain and a naïve longing for something better. Like all good Christmas movies, this one is about family, belonging and resting in the arms of loved ones. But with the  difference that the heroes here can only dream about that. (27.12.2022)

If you want to make an adaptation of classic comic books, the biggest problem is how you want to deal with the fact that it was consumable material for the working class, basically commercial junk. They were naive stories with superheroes and villains, who look highly inappropriate in today's setting. Even though the action aspect is great in Nolan's trilogy, it seems out of place with its pathos and serious image. The vast majority of comic book adaptations suffer from schematism and an attempt to please the teenage audience. They try to impress, and they rely on effects. Burton's Batman is playful, visually polished, has a unique style and unmistakable poetics, and it is original and perfected to the last detail. Most comic movies have a problem with overkill, whereas this Batman is irresistibly ironic, evidently not taking itself too seriously. I don't think it's just the best Batman film, but also one of the best comic movies overall. Overall impression: 90%. (24.02.2019)

Ein Film mit Batman? Einzig und allein der hier. Denn ein Fest der faschistischen Ästhetik, das mit der Perfektion des Art déco einhergeht, ist eine Vereinigung der Liebe. Raffinierte Filmkunst mit einer Bewunderung für die Perfektion der Bildhauerei. So ist Geschichte von Catwoman und dem Pinguin. Anfang der 90er Jahre wurde Hollywood von einer sehr interessanten Welle erfrischt, die sich von den 30er Jahren inspirieren ließ, und so nett die Remakes mit ihrer Rückkehr zu den Wurzeln von Universals klassischen Monstern auch waren, Burtons Team verstand es, die wahren Genusserlebnisse zu kreieren. Aber wenn sie etwas Komisches für die dekadente Welt des Neuen Expressionismus brauchten, wählten sie die Eiskönigin, inspiriert von Clowns der 1940er Jahre wie Betty Grable. So definierten sie klar den Anfang des schlechten Geschmacks und das Ende des Glücks. Ich liebe Michelle Pfeiffer als ambivalente Selina und Danny De Vito als vogelähnlichen Oswald. Michael Keaton hat mich definitiv besser amüsiert als im ersten Film. Wenn Sie ein Faible für Batmans Rückkehr haben, sollten Sie sich die 2-DVD-Version zulegen. (03.02.2009)

The incredibly dark atmosphere together with Danny Elfman's music deliver a true comic book experience. I dare to say that the second Batman movie is not only more skillfully directed, but also visually more impressive, more atmospheric, and far darker. There isn't as much action, with more emphasis placed on the characters. Batman's gadgets are once again presented in full glory and for the entire two hours, there’s no chance of getting bored. The magnificent production design makes us forget about Joel Schumacher's later colorful escapades. (24.12.2005)

Together with the first two parts of Nolan’s trilogy, this is the best cinematic Batman. Burton’s visual style works better than in the previous one – probably it’s really fitting for the Christmas period, Burton has always been good at finding moral filth and darkness behind a snowy facade. DeVito is great as The Penguin, delivering a solid balance between caricature and a real threat hiding in the sewers and wearing bizarre costumes, and the story also has room for another (semi-)antagonist, the splendid Catwoman (with the magical face of the most beautiful actress of her generation). Batman is only one part of a balanced triangle of characters, he only reacts to the actions of the other two (and it’s the only one with pure intentions). The character of Christopher Walken is also important and brilliant, he’s the one who brings everyone together. The final confrontation was bit a silly and the drama is not very effective, but everything is compensated by the clever relationship structure and an inimitably morbid comic-book style accompanied by Elfman’s music score, a joy to watch. 85% (22.12.2020)

Unlike the movie "Batman," this one seems quite scary to me, which is probably due to the character of the Penguin and other twisted inhabitants of the Gotham sewer system. It is more Burtonesque, more eccentric, which is also reflected in the interesting portrayal of Catwoman. I still enjoy this and although Michael Keaton is a very peculiar Batman, I still love him. (21.05.2014)

For me, Tim Burton's second Batman is clearly better than the first. And for several reasons. First of all, I love the dark atmosphere, and Burton serves it up much more frequently and also more palatably (I'm not saying digestibly) here compared to the first. The sets and the production design are absolutely perfect, and every shot breathes sophistication and the incredible care with which Burton built each scene. I admit, and also agree with the opinion of others, that it may be harder to digest for some with weaker stomachs, as it is a bit scary at times. The lion's share of the slickness and quality of the whole film is due to Danny Elfman, whose soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal and matches all the features of the second Batman to a tee. If it weren't for Christopher Nolan, this would be the best Batman ever and could hardly ever be topped. But The Dark Knight is The Dark Knight.) (24.04.2009)