What were people's first impressions of this movie? When I first saw it I thought it was great. Easily the best of the Batman movies in my opinion. I had already seen Batman '89 and Batman Forever and liked them but Batman Returns was better than both. Over the years I've only come to love it more now that I'm older, wiser and understand more of what's in the movie.
I never got to see the film at the cinema during its initial release, but I'd read the Making Of and tie-in adaptation prior to watching the film. I even had the Panini sticker album. So I pretty much knew everything that was going to happen.
I really liked it, even without any surprises, because I could soak in the gorgeous art direction, costumes and atmosphere, as well as the brilliant, spot-on performances.
Batman '89 is still my favourite Batman film though. That one knocked me out when I first saw it on TV circa 1991.
I saw the Burton films and Batman Forever in order, even if I did so about 19 years after BR was released. At first I liked Batman Returns, but not as much as Batman '89.
That changed with time and they're pretty much equal to me now. Great in different ways, the two Burton films.
And I've also come to like Forever more than the last two Nolan films, after getting used to the new direction and Carrey and Jones trying to go 60's camp style. :)
I was graduating from college when this came out. I found it very uneven upon my first viewing. I thought DeVito was over acting as the Penguin and they tried too hard to make him grotesque like the Joker was. I HATED Christopher Walken as Max Shrek because his villainy was so dry compared to the others, plus I thought his power plant scam was very vanilla. Of all the things corruptible politicians do, this was his great plan? It just felt very uninspired and tired. But most of all, I felt like Keaton had nothing to do in the movie. He just felt like a prop being moved around in the story when it was time for some Batman screen time.
Over time I have grown fond of the film, and appreciate it's social messages and dark humor. But at the time, it felt like a pretty big miss from a franchise that was just getting started. I was not remotely surprised when Keaton passed on the next film. I will also add though I LOVED the Batman costume in this film. Very nicely done. It was more streamlined and the bat-insignia was properly displayed.
Wow. I'm going way back in time for this since I saw it the first year (on VHS). First impressions? Hm....tbh I was frightened a bit by it. I had been, erm, sheltered by my mom from a lot of things that this movie featured. Selina getting shot was the first time I'd ever seen that happen to a woman in a movie. I thought only guys got shot, not even kidding lol. It freaked me out. So did the Ice Princess' fall and her uncensored crash landing. For a six year old girl who was her mommy's little princess, that was very heavy for me to see at that age. Worse than that, she thought it was just fun old Batman, like the TV show and the cartoon which I was watching all the time, so she had put the movie on and gone to do chores and stuff so I was alone in my bedroom watching this by myself. At the time, to be honest, I didn't really care if I ever saw it again, but as Batman said (well short pale and ugly said it first) "Things change."
Things did change, and so did I. Those scenes that frightened me as a child are among my favorites in any movie ever now. This movie had a very profound impact on me. Mr. Edd (aka Max) could tell y'all all about that (if he does I'll kill him, lol). The darker, more sexual sides of my personality were born straight out of this movie. The whole thing, it's a screwed-up fairy tale just like me. And I love it.
I was 11 when it came out. I was incredibly stoked... and somewhat disappointed that there wasn't more action and gadgets and stuff. I enjoyed what we got; I just wanted more. I saw it on opening day with my dad, who was a little creeped out by the movie.
As I got older, what I realized is that BR might not have been the action-packed summer blockbuster I wanted at that time but it's an amazing piece of cinema and is a visual banquet. That's satisfaction money can't buy.
When I first saw it I was sucked into the world. As a youngster I found BR more atmospheric than B89. And if there's one thing I love, that's atmosphere.
The transformation scene in Selina's apartment sticks out as a moment you never forget, with such power and emotion. And even as a young kid I knew Michelle's Catwoman was a real woman. Someone I'd love to hang around, even if I didn't exactly know why at that stage.
Frankly, the film had me sold just with the opening title sequence with the carriage moving through the sewers. That was atmospheric and mysterious to the max with me.
I probably wanted more action, but loved the characters.
Quote from: JokerMeThis on Mon, 18 Jan 2016, 23:40
What were people's first impressions of this movie?
Enchanted. When I was a kid this movie spoke to me in ways no other movie ever did.
This youtube video has been featured on the forum site before, but I felt it was appropriate to feature here as well. Hope you all enjoy.
https://youtu.be/VW3CPNSs9zE
My first impression was even though I enjoyed it, I felt that it was a very sombre movie. The ending of B89 glamoured everything up as a triumph once Batman avenged his parents. But this movie never glosses over the tragedy for all the main characters, and it stays consistent to that tone to the very end. By the time Batman saved the day, it still felt like a loss because he was deprived of a potential love interest in Catwoman. As Max Schreck (aka Edd Grayson) said in another thread, no one got a happy ending here.
Quote from: Wayne49 on Tue, 19 Jan 2016, 16:52
I HATED Christopher Walken as Max Shrek because his villainy was so dry compared to the others
Were you taken by surprise at how much screentime he got? One could be forgiven for feeling misled since Schreck didn't appear in the trailers or film poster, and yet it turned out that he was equally prominent to the plot as the other three characters.
I'll be the first to admit I didn't like Shreck at first, but actually Walken turned an original character into someone quite memorable and that fits the film like a glove.
Max Shreck in the film was the one pulling the strings, willingly or not, about the other villains, and his arrogance and lust for power and determination to have a "legacy" were shown perfectly in the film, from the start to his final moments...
To me Max is the true villain of the movie. Walken plays such a wonderfully wretched bastard.
My first impression was I didn't know who the hell he was. I had a coloring book that the pages were like wax paper and there was actually a page of him pushing Selina through the window. At first I thought it was Bruce! lol
He really frightened me as a little girl too obviously. I mean I was so Catwoman obsessed going into the movie, I even dressed up as her for Halloween before I saw the movie, and the way he pushed her through the window earlier and then shot her really scared me. I was glad he ended up burnt to a crisp for being mean to my Selina. That freaked me out too though lol.
Quote from: The Laughing Fish on Thu, 21 Jan 2016, 11:49
Quote from: Wayne49 on Tue, 19 Jan 2016, 16:52
I HATED Christopher Walken as Max Shrek because his villainy was so dry compared to the others
Were you taken by surprise at how much screentime he got? One could be forgiven for feeling misled since Schreck didn't appear in the trailers or film poster, and yet it turned out that he was equally prominent to the plot as the other three characters.
Very true! What most people don't realize is Christopher Walken was in the middle of this run as a kind of hip, up and coming, star in high profile movies through the mid to late 80's. In 1985 he played the main villain in the James Bond film " A View to a Kill" and had a key role in the Sean Penn movie "At Close Range" with the breakout Madonna hit "Live to Tell". By the time Batman Returns was going into production, his name was still in circulation so I think that played a big part in why he got so much screen time.
And while I don't use this film to put down Walken, because he has done his share of descent films, I never felt like he belonged in ANY big budget film where he had to play something larger-than-life like in a James Bond or Batman movie. For me, he just doesn't carry that kind of onscreen presence that contrasts well against someone who is flamboyant or colorful. He's a very eclectic actor with an odd personality. I guess Burton thought that quirkiness would play into his world of strange characters. I think it made it more convoluted.
It's interesting that we are talking about this, because my grandson who is only four wanted to watch this and I had to start the film past the opening sequence which essentially shows the penguin as a baby being abandoned in a sewer. Those are images you can't put in front of a child. Really the film as a whole is one that has to be edited through for kids because it really carries too much raw adult language and innuendo that is hard to disguise for young eyes. And I think ultimately THAT is the reason why the movie had problems then, and still carries issues today. It just has too many tonal problems as it relates to certain audiences. And for me, when we're talking about Batman that should never be the case.
I first watched it at 9 in 1998, having seen and liked Batman Forever and some TAS/MotP but not a lot else. It did feel a little weird to see Batman without Robin but I loved how timeless it was and even then I think I liked that the villains reflected Batman. I was already a fan of DeVito and loved that the Penguin was really warped and how Catwoman was a dark but sympathetic anti-hero.
I would have been 9 when it came out. I remembered liking the first movie when I saw it on TV or video (can't remember which) but I definitely remember Batman Returns on VHS was the gift I wanted and got for Xmas 92. I can't remember my favourite parts as a kid but I do remember it scared me in a good way- not enough to give me nightmares but enough to be on the edge of my seat and afraid for the characters. I remember the Penguin scared me the most, so much so that I was actually afraid FOR Max. Selina/Catwoman scared me too, I was always frightened by people possessed by evil.
In those days it was common for kids to watch the same movies over and over again on their VHS. In 1991 it was the Back to the Future movies for me. By xmas 92, Batman Returns took over my VHS player until summer 93 when I got Home alone 2. I didn't watch it again until I decided to buy the special edition DVD. Watching it again as an adult, I found Max and Batman to be the scariest characters. Walken could go from calm to sadistic or just act creepy on queue. Keatons Bat had me afraid for the bad guys, the highlight being the scene in which the goons are driving around with the captured children before he sees the shadow of the bat on the roof and then the Bat hands reach down and grab him.
Sadly I no longer own the movie. No offense to those who hold it dear to their hearts, as you can see I did at one time too but I no longer desire to watch it regularly as I do the first and third films in the series. I find the plot to be quite a bit weaker than that of the first film. The first film felt more like a crime drama with a superhero while this one felt more like a superhero fantasy movie. Not that there's anything wrong with it, I'm just not as much as a fantasy fan. I'll still catch it when I have the chance but it's been 3 years since I saw it last. It still remains a fun film for me on occasional viewings, while the finale wasn't as epic as the Bat-wing scene, I enjoyed the Bat-sub scene immensely and in hindsight, Batman and Alfred hacking the exploding Penguins was ahead of its time.
To this day, I still think some of the editing towards the end is uncharacteristically sloppy. Using the same shot twice of Batman turning around when the penguin missiles are exploding. The obvious missing paint around his eyes before Batman tears his mask off. And that huge electrical transformer behind Shreck falling over three times in sequence when he's being electrocuted. I get the impression Burton was fatiguing or perhaps rushed because to the release schedule and some compromises were made. But they jumped out at me during the first viewing and they're even more blatant now. I still don't understand why Burton shot that scene with his makeup missing around his eyes when he tore the mask off. To me that's a huge continuity oversight. Like audiences wouldn't notice? If we're supposed to pretend like he has no makeup there, then why not edit the shot where he's tearing off the mask with it on and just not have it there when the mask is off? I don't know. I like the idea of the scene. I just don't like the way it was executed.
Quote from: Wayne49 on Mon, 18 Sep 2017, 11:17
I still don't understand why Burton shot that scene with his makeup missing around his eyes when he tore the mask off. To me that's a huge continuity oversight. Like audiences wouldn't notice? If we're supposed to pretend like he has no makeup there, then why not edit the shot where he's tearing off the mask with it on and just not have it there when the mask is off? I don't know. I like the idea of the scene. I just don't like the way it was executed.
B89 had its share of continuity errors too. For instance, take a look at the scene where Batman and Vicki are about to leave in the Batmobile after the alley fight scene. One shot has Batman speaking in a small microphone to command the Batmobile to stop driving, and he puts his hand down. But as we the Batmobile stopping right in front of Batman in the next shot, he's still holding the microphone near his mouth.
I noticed that these continuity mistakes were quite common to see in movies that were made 25 to 30 years ago. Such mistakes still exist in today's movies, but they appear to be less obvious. I imagine today's editing software is a lot more sophisticated in removing some mistakes.
Yep. I noticed the arm positioning too in the 89 film. I think what made the unmasking in Returns so important was just the relevance of the scene. I mean there had to be a conversation that said, " We can't have black makeup around the eyes here." I can't imagine someone didn't say, "Will they notice?" :-[
Quote from: Wayne49 on Mon, 18 Sep 2017, 16:01Yep. I noticed the arm positioning too in the 89 film. I think what made the unmasking in Returns so important was just the relevance of the scene. I mean there had to be a conversation that said, " We can't have black makeup around the eyes here." I can't imagine someone didn't say, "Will they notice?" :-[
It is weird that they shot it in the most obvious way to highlight the missing eyeliner. Shooting it pretty much any other way would've made the moment a bit less jarring.
Quote from: thecolorsblend on Mon, 18 Sep 2017, 21:30
Quote from: Wayne49 on Mon, 18 Sep 2017, 16:01Yep. I noticed the arm positioning too in the 89 film. I think what made the unmasking in Returns so important was just the relevance of the scene. I mean there had to be a conversation that said, " We can't have black makeup around the eyes here." I can't imagine someone didn't say, "Will they notice?" :-[
It is weird that they shot it in the most obvious way to highlight the missing eyeliner. Shooting it pretty much any other way would've made the moment a bit less jarring.
Exactly. I think that's what makes me wonder if those scenes were late in the principle photography schedule and feeling under the gun, Burton didn't work through basic setups for scenes. As you said, Burton seem to take the worst possible angle to execute that moment. And the thing is, I love that moment, but I still have to cringe a bit because of the lack of continuity. Very glaring. I almost wish they would go in digitize it to fix that.