The Official Batman Returns Thread - Part 2

[The Shape]

Watching the Blu-ray right now. This movie really looks amazing.

Yup, the Blu-ray does look great. I only wish the story was as great as the visuals. Batman Returns is harder for me to get through now than it used to be, mostly because of the time the film spends meandering around the villains and Schrek. Even the climax/resolution of the film isn't as compelling for me as the final sequences of B89.

B89 entralls me every time. I think it had a clearer focus and is more of a Batman film, while Returns seemed like Burton going off on a bit of a tangent. The Batman Returns suit tho...

 

[redfirebird2008]

Yup, the Blu-ray does look great. I only wish the story was as great as the visuals. Batman Returns is harder for me to get through now than it used to be, mostly because of the time the film spends meandering around the villains and Schrek. Even the climax/resolution of the film isn't as compelling for me as the final sequences of B89.

B89 entralls me every time. I think it had a clearer focus and is more of a Batman film, while Returns seemed like Burton going off on a bit of a tangent.

I slightly prefer B89, but I enjoy both very much. I really like the parallels between Bruce and the three villains in Returns. Each villain represents a different aspect of Bruce's persona.

 

[Comics N' Toons]

I saw this last night and got half way through to the scene after the bat-missile and fast forwarded it to the end when Keaton fights Penguin. Felt horrible for doing it, but I was kinda bored.

 

[the fixer]

I saw this last night and got half way through to the scene after the bat-missile and fast forwarded it to the end when Keaton fights Penguin. Felt horrible for doing it, but I was kinda bored.

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

I watched the blu-ray last night myself, and as always during my Christmas time tradition I thoroughly enjoyed the viewing experience, especially with that beautiful top notch transfer.

I had my wife watch it with me because she hadn't seen it in years and I was surprised at how much she loved it and said it's one of her favorite Batman films because she finds all the characters interesting and relatable.

 

[The Shape]

Yeah, my girl loves BR too, mainly because of how awesome Catwoman is. She does get creeped out by some parts, like when Penguin bites the dudes nose lol.

 

[Comics N' Toons]

Well maybe he should have made a film that was closer to what he did in 1989. Not my fault Burton has to be too odd for his own good.

The SAM HAMM script for Returns was far superior to what we got in 1992.

 

[The Joker]

The SAM HAMM script for Returns was far superior to what we got in 1992.

That's not the script where Penguin is going digging for buried treasure is it?

 

[The Shape]

That's not the script where Penguin is going digging for buried treasure is it?

Saying it like that makes it sound much more stupid and simpler than it was. It's also no more silly than Penguin's plan to kidnap and murder all of Gotham's first born sons, or building an army of actual penguins that he had control of.

The plot of Hamm's script was actually pretty cool. At least, I thought it was. More of a direct sequel to B89 also.

 

[The Joker]

Saying it like that makes it sound much more stupid and simpler than it was. It's also no more silly than Penguin's plan to kidnap and murder all of Gotham's first born sons

That doesn't sound silly. That sounds dark and twisted.

or building an army of actual penguins that he had control of.

That was silly. As campy as anything Schumacher did. An army of penguins with candy cane rockets and little metal helmets on their heads. It was total silly. But fun silly.

The plot of Hamm's script was actually pretty cool. At least, I thought it was. More of a direct sequel to B89 also.

Do you consider it superior to the final script we got?

 

[The Shape]

That doesn't sound silly. That sounds dark and twisted.

Under Burton's direction, I'm confident he could have made his villain appear dark and twisted even with the absence of a children-murdering scheme.

Do you consider it superior to the final script we got?

I think that opinion would be based on whether one prefers the material in one script over the other. I don't think the final script for BR was necessarily amazing by any stretch. The film is great, but a lot of that greatness is due to the people involved with the project and the visuals. A lot of people enjoyed all of the elements of the film, some didnt.

In Hamm's script, I liked the Vicki Vale still played a role, Catwoman was a museum curator, cat statues were apart of the story, no Schreck, etc. The buried treasure you spoke of was hidden by 5 powerful Gotham families including the Waynes, which was cool. Penguin was a little more like his comic counterpart. So it had a lot of interesting aspects to it that I wouldn't have minded seeing. The script needed some punch-up work, obviously, but I don't think it was trash by any means.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

The buried treasure thing sounds like something more akin to Meredith's Penguin, which is obviously something Burton wasn't interested in.

 

[Brother Jack]

The buried treasure thing sounds like something more akin to Meredith's Penguin, which is obviously something Burton wasn't interested in.

Well there was a time on that show when Penguin ran for mayor.

 

[The Shape]

The buried treasure thing sounds like something more akin to Meredith's Penguin, which is obviously something Burton wasn't interested in.

In the script, it wasn't really as campy as it sounds.

I wouldn't describe the script as "amazing" or near perfect, but I think it had a lot of interesting concepts that could have made for a great film.

 

[DocLathropBrown]

That was silly. As campy as anything Schumacher did. An army of penguins with candy cane rockets and little metal helmets on their heads. It was total silly. But fun silly.

What makes it work is that the penguins are being radio controlled, not following orders of their own free will. That's why Batman's able to turn them around. It is silly, but it's at least plausible by comic book standards.

 

[regwec]

I think the killer penguins are a nice touch. All movies of this type have a plot-device doomsday weapon, and I appreciate the fact that Burton themed them for his villains (see also The Joker's deadly balloons). I find that more amusing than yet another bomb or warhead.

 

[The Joker]

Well there was a time on that show when Penguin ran for mayor.

Romero's Joker also had an episode where he went into a museum and destroyed the paintings by spraying paint all over them, and started thinking of himself as an artist.

What makes it work is that the penguins are being radio controlled, not following orders of their own free will. That's why Batman's able to turn them around. It is silly, but it's at least plausible by comic book standards.

I'm not talking about the plausibility of it. I'm talking about the campiness of it. Plausibility or not, it was so campy seeing an army of cutsey penguins with candy cane rockets on their backs and little metal helmets on their heads, marching through absolutely deserted Gotham streets bold as you like.

It was total camp.

 

[regwec]

Totally, man. It was, like, the kind of thing you'd see in a comic book or something.

 

[The Joker]

Totally, man. It was, like, the kind of thing you'd see in a comic book or something.

Totally man. Just like this is something you'd see in a comic book:

We should start a petition for it to be in the next Batman movie

 

[regwec]

I'm sure there is a point you're trying to make. Is it that much of what we find in comics is inherently campy? Good, because I agree.

 

[Two-Face]

Totally man. Just like this is something you'd see in a comic book:

We should start a petition for it to be in the next Batman movie

And yes, get Affleck to wear it. Wait what? lol

 

[Kane52630]

I can dig it.

 

[Lord]

What was this thing with a treasure regarding the 5 Gotham families? When you talked about Penguin going after a treasure it seemed cheesy, but now that part is actually interesting me, can anybody give a brief synopsis of what the film was going to be like?

 

[The Shape]

What was this thing with a treasure regarding the 5 Gotham families? When you talked about Penguin going after a treasure it seemed cheesy, but now that part is actually interesting me, can anybody give a brief synopsis of what the film was going to be like?

This is somewhat of a loose synopsis by SHH user Gianakin from back in 2007 when the script was posted here:

"Basically, Bruce still is a couple with Vale, Penguing is a criminal who is just getting out of jail and Catwoman is a thief who is like a sex addict, in a twisted way. The main plan of the Penguin is to retrieve the money from the vault of Gotham City and the key to that treasure are 5 cat statues I think. Selina is the curator of the Gotham museum and as Catwoman she works for the Penguin to steal them. It is revealed that the 5 big families of Gotham hid the treasure somewhere and the Waynes were one of those families. And eventually it is revealed that the treasury is somewhere under the batcave.
Penguin finds out who Batman is (the final act takes place in Wayne Manor), Catwoman doesn't. Penguin is killed (falls to his death) and Selina is arrested. Oh, and Robin (Dick Grayson) is introduced (he has something to do with the statues I think) and finds out about Bruce=Batman and he helps him in the final act. Plus, there are Batman wannabees in it.
In the end Bruce proposes to Vicky."


Wish I could find an official synopsis somewhere that sums it up better. Some similarities to the Batman Returns we got:


- Winter Setting
- Penguin and Catwoman Team Up
- Batman's Framed
- Penguin's Zoo Lair

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

To be honest I'm much more happy with the script and final product that we got, even though I don't think Daniel Waters is a very good writer by any means, his Catwoman script was pretty bad.