Batman Returns or Superman Returns?

[Kevin Roegele]

Both movies are wonderful.

Waitasec....neither is completely 'faithful to the comics'....

They both suck.

 

[summersgod]

Batman returns easy my favourite batman film. Superman Returns wasn't that good Kevin Spacey, I thought saved the film.

 

[Rockbottom]

I love both films. Well i dont love SR but it was still great, I find it the most watchable Superman even though i like the first 2. Batman Returns is just well, Batman so he wins by default since i grew up on it.

 

[hulkamania85]

1: Superman
2: Batman Begins
3: Superman II
4: Batman
5: Batman Mask of the Phantasm
6: Superman Returns
7: Batman Returns
8: Batman Forever
9: Superman III
10: Superman IV
11: Batman and Robin

That's how I'd rank them. Supergirl could go somewhere between Returns and Forever, just in front of Forever but far from Returns.

 

[DX]

Batman Returns, easily

 

[GoogleMe94]

Waitasec....neither is completely 'faithful to the comics'....

you dont have to be completely faithful to the comics to be a good movie.

 

[DX]

you dont have to be completely faithful to the comics to be a good movie.

I think he was joking....

 

[Two-Face]

Batman Returns

 

[Cain]

Batman Returns with ease cause I heart that movie to death in all it's surrealistic gothic holiday glory. Though I'm one of the few that although Superman Returns was not what I expected I still prefer what it ended up being to Batman Begins and Batman has always been number one to me. It was just a much more bold an original approach to an iconic character where as BB felt very by the numbers to me.

As a character study of Superman it was good enough. As an ending to the Chris Reeve Superman series also pretty good. Only flaw was that I felt that Singer and his team really came up short in delivering what they wanted to with the film. Their goal was to focus on a reflection of his isolation and alienation and the reaction of the world to his return after perceived abandonment. I felt they didn't meet the potential of that goal for the most part though how they tried was still good enough.

 

[Paste Pot Pete]

Slight edge to Batman Returns if only for nostalgia and my personal preference of Batman over Superman.

Both are beautiful films; visually, they're like moving paintings.

The music is incredible in both films; I consider Elfman's BR score his all-time masterpiece. The way he mixed the rousing march of the first film with new themes of utter tragedy and melancholy makes for a really wonderful listening experience (it's in my car cd player right now!). And I also think Ottman did an amazing job adapting Williams' classic march and love theme while adding some really awesome new bits (Lex's theme is really dark and menacing).

BR is practically a non-stop good time while, yes, SR drags in certain parts (namely scenes of Lex and his cohorts). Though parts of BR get a little too silly for me, I still appreciate them for being undeniably Burton.

I give the action edge to SR, even though most people complain of its lack of fights. The plane sequence is something I can watch over and over again; it's not just a great piece of action, but it's a great cinematic re-introduction to the character. The ending at the stadium gives me chills.

 

[Mr.E.Nygma]

Slight edge to Batman Returns if only for nostalgia and my personal preference of Batman over Superman.

Both are beautiful films; visually, they're like moving paintings.

The music is incredible in both films; I consider Elfman's BR score his all-time masterpiece. The way he mixed the rousing march of the first film with new themes of utter tragedy and melancholy makes for a really wonderful listening experience (it's in my car cd player right now!). And I also think Ottman did an amazing job adapting Williams' classic march and love theme while adding some really awesome new bits (Lex's theme is really dark and menacing).

BR is practically a non-stop good time while, yes, SR drags in certain parts (namely scenes of Lex and his cohorts).

Yes, YES!!!! I couldn't agree more (to what I kept from your post, but still, I kept the major part of it )!

 

[Mr.E.Nygma]

Batman returns easy my favourite batman film. Superman Returns wasn't that good Kevin Spacey, I thought saved the film.

Without a doubt, he is enigmatic and mystical in almost every movie he touches! One of my fav actors! But you gotta give credit to Routh, he was an excellent actor to walk in the giant steps of Reeve

 

[Merkel]

As good as Batman returns is (and the score is indeed a masterpiece), many scenes with Batman are some of the worse in the history of the franchise. And Gotham Plaza looked way too much like a set. There was no sense of scale to it.

 

[Thot]

As awful as BR was, SR was worse. Maybe by just a hair, but worse nonetheless. I find both unwatchable. SR just pisses me off more due to the wholesale slaughter of Superman and his universe.

 

[Thespiralgoeson]

I effing love Batman Returns.

 

[BatFitz]

Definitely Batman Returns...come on....Burton....Michael Keaton...

there's almost NO yawning during Batman Returns...not nearly as much as I did while watching Superman Returns

 

[Thespiralgoeson]

Batman Returns really is an atmospheric masterpiece. The performances are all fascinating, particularly DeVito's (which I honestly thought trumped Nicholson's Joker). The sets and backgrounds are all breathtaking. The themes and interactions between the characters are all intriguing and moving. But what I remember most of all about Batman Returns is the music. I think Batman Returns was the zenith of Danny Elfman's creative genius. As masterful as the score to the first film was, Elfman expounded upon it and made it a more complete and more effective piece in Batman Returns. As much as I love Batman '89, I have to say that as a whole Batman Returns is the better film.

And I don't care what anyone says. Both Burton movies are extremely faithful adaptations of the Batman character. In fact, I'd say they are dead on interpretations of the Kane/Finger Batman. Some comic fans just don't realize that there are more Batman comics than Year One and The Long Halloween.

 

[El Payaso]

Batman Returns really is an atmospheric masterpiece. The performances are all fascinating, particularly DeVito's (which I honestly thought trumped Nicholson's Joker). The sets and backgrounds are all breathtaking. The themes and interactions between the characters are all intriguing and moving. But what I remember most of all about Batman Returns is the music. I think Batman Returns was the zenith of Danny Elfman's creative genius. As masterful as the score to the first film was, Elfman expounded upon it and made it a more complete and more effective piece in Batman Returns. As much as I love Batman '89, I have to say that as a whole Batman Returns is the better film.

And I don't care what anyone says. Both Burton movies are extremely faithful adaptations of the Batman character. In fact, I'd say they are dead on interpretations of the Kane/Finger Batman. Some comic fans just don't realize that there are more Batman comics than Year One and The Long Halloween.

I agree about DeVito: he made maybe the best villiain in the franchise, BB included. His portrayal of the pathetic man-beast is fantastic. He goes from pitiful to funny to tragic to monstrous to scary to despicable with no problem. You can shed a tear for him at the end even when he tried to kidnap and kill Gotham's babies 10 minutes ago.

 

[Thespiralgoeson]

I agree about DeVito: he made maybe the best villiain in the franchise, BB included. His portrayal of the pathetic man-beast is fantastic. He goes from pitiful to funny to tragic to monstrous to scary to despicable with no problem. You can shed a tear for him at the end even when he tried to kidnap and kill Gotham's babies 10 minutes ago.

Totally agree. One thing that has always amazed me about that performance was that DeVito completely disappears within the role, meaning that you completely forget the actor altogether and only see the character. That's something that I honestly can't say about any other performance in any of the Batman movies. While Nicholson was fantastic as the Joker, he still maintained a great deal of his 'Jack Nicholson' persona, and while always entertained, I never necessarily forgot that I was watching Jack Nicholson underneath the makeup. The same goes for Keaton, Pfiefer, Bale, Neeson, Carrey, Kilmer, etc... That's not necessarily a criticism of those actors' respective performances, but just a greater testament to DeVito's performance.

 

[ALP]

As good as Batman returns is (and the score is indeed a masterpiece), many scenes with Batman are some of the worse in the history of the franchise. And Gotham Plaza looked way too much like a set. There was no sense of scale to it.

What?

I think you are confusing this movie with Batman and Robin

 

[Doctor Baywatch]

Both movies are abominations of the source material, but Batman Returns is at least entertaining. Superman Returns is just boring.

 

[El Payaso]

Well, DeVito's Penguin put abominatingly comics Penguin to shame.

 

[Thespiralgoeson]

Both movies are abominations of the source material, but Batman Returns is at least entertaining. Superman Returns is just boring.

See this is the kind of thing I hate. Abominations? Hardly... People forget that comic-based movies are adaptations, not carbon copies. As long as the spirit and general essence of the story and characters is captured, then the film I'd say is a faithful adaptation, regardless if a few details have been changed for dramatic purpose, which I think is most certainly the case with both Burton movies. A lot of people also don't realize that some changes are in fact good. If a character sucks in the comics, and is changed and made more interesting in the movie, then the change was an improvement. I think this has never been more true than with the Penguin and Catwoman, both terribly overrated, boring, just plain lousy characters in the comics IMO, and Burton actually made me like them.

And exactly what source material are you talking about here? Read of any the Batman stories actually written by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, and the Burton movies are pretty damn close. They're also really close to the same spirit as books like Arkham Asylum: ASHOSE, and DKR. Like I said before, it seems like most Bat-fans these days don't seem to understand that there were actually Batman comics written before Year One.

 

[Thespiralgoeson]

Well, DeVito's Penguin put abominatingly comics Penguin to shame.

Thank you.

 

[Doctor Baywatch]

See this is the kind of thing I hate. Abominations? Hardly... People forget that comic-based movies are adaptations, not carbon copies. As long as the spirit and general essence of the story and characters is captured, then the film I'd say is a faithful adaptation, regardless if a few details have been changed for dramatic purpose, which I think is most certainly the case with both Burton movies.

Essential things were actually changed. They are adaptions, yes, but essential things have to be right. THe penguin is not a sewer freak. Invent your own character. Catwoman is not a mystical cat-zombie.

A lot of people also don't realize that some changes are in fact good.

Can be - if essential things are still kept.

If a character sucks in the comics, and is changed and made more interesting in the movie, then the change was an improvement.

If a character sucks you don't use him. I think that would be the best solution.

I think this has never been more true than with the Penguin and Catwoman, both terribly overrated, boring, just plain lousy characters in the comics IMO, and Burton actually made me like them.

The penguin was a cool gimmick villain and the number two after the Joker, but okay, the modern "sophisticated" audience may not like something like that. And catwoman was never a boring character. Never.

And exactly what source material are you talking about here? Read of any the Batman stories actually written by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, and the Burton movies are pretty damn close.

... I've read the first 50issues of 'Tec and Batman and almost all of the 70s and 80s. So yes, I know that Batman killed. But this is an element that disappeared about a year after his creation. And BTW, Batman killing is not my problem I have with the Burton movies.

They're also really close to the same spirit as books like Arkham Asylum: ASHOSE, and DKR.

No they are not. DKR is actually a kind of 80s action movie, loud and intense. And AA, well, is just bad.