A Review of "Ghostbusters" (2016)

So I literally just got back from watching the new Ghostbusters movie, and you can keep your pies, fruits, and other blunt foods/objects in your pocket because...I loved it. That's right, I loved it. Hollywood managed to take the most hated trailer in YouTube history and turn it into a hit comedy, in my eyes at the very least.

The remake-boot-quel Ghostbusters started out in 1991 as Ghostbusters III written by the usual suspects Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, who played Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler in the original two films, respectively. The movie lost traction after Bill Murray lost interest due to the negative reception received for Ghostbusters II. After a few years on the shelf, Aykroyd and Ramis took their concept to a new direction and the script for Ghostbusters in Hell or Ghostbusters: The Next Generation was conceived. It would involve Stantz and Spengler (and possibly Ernie Hudson as Winston) return to teach the new generation of Ghostbusters. Aykroyd stated how the next generation would be played by the next generation of SNL stars, which in the mid-90's were guys like Chris Rock, David Spade, Adam Sandler and Chris Farley. Once that fell through due to lack of studio support, the project lost more traction and went back on the shelf. By the late-2000's as the cast was aging, Ghostbusters III was brought up again to worldwide ridicule. Many memes and videos were made saying that the cast, as they were then, were just too old to jump into the overalls and go Ghostbusting again. Unfortunately, the untimely death of franchise co-creator and Egon himself, Harold Ramis, in 2014 was the final nail in the coffin for any sort of a straight Ghostbusters sequel involving the original characters. The absolute CLOSEST thing we got was Ghostbusters: The Video Game in 2009. It starred the voices of the four Ghostbusters: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson, as well as Annie Potts reprising her role as Janine, the Ghostbusters' receptionist. It involved an original story written by Aykroyd and Ramis and Aykroyd has gone on record saying that the video game is "essentially the third movie".

By early-2015 a Ghostbusters reboot was announced boasting a new cast of characters and a new plot totally deviant from the originally-created universe. Fans were on board and anxious to see which stars were cast to play the new Ghostbusters. Turns out, they were women, but the whole situation didn't become wishy-washy until the first full trailer came out. Holy shit. It was like Rebecca Black released a new song. This YouTube trailer got so much hate that I guarantee for every one "like", there were at least seven "dislikes". So, the buildup was pretty hard-nosed to say the least. It drew a lot of heat, claiming that the backlash was due to the misogyny toward the cast being all women. Aykroyd himself even published an interview in April saying how much he loved it, but people still didn't buy it. However, the Angry Video Game Nerd published a video protesting how he would not watch the film for reasons he explains, for instance based on the title being simply "Ghostbusters", saying that it piggybacks on the success of the original film and robs the new generation of the so-called "mandatory need" to see the original. While I am ALL-FOR forcing the younger generations to watch the 1984 Ghostbusters, that doesn't mean they can't watch this one too.

Well the date finally came on July 15th when the world would find out. Reviews started coming out the few days in advance and they weren't really that harsh. At least not as harsh as everyone was expecting. IGN claimed that it was "okay" and Rotten Tomatoes even gave it a 73% critic review, higher than the 57% of Ghostbusters II even. Hell it even got a better reception than even the most anticipated film of 2016, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (which sucks something awful). But enough about that shit, let's get on to what I thought.

L-R: Leslie Jones, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon
as the new generation of Ghostbusters

I loved it. I'm not saying it's high-art or anything, but as far as being a Ghostbusters movie? It is well-deserving of praise. The cast, to me, was brilliant, and why it feels like it's mimicking the first film in its character portrayals, it really does follow a formula that has been proven to work. You had the dry humor in Kristen Wiig (Bill Murray), the comedic mumbo-jumbo spewing duo in Melissa McCarthy and Kate McKinnon (Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis) and the wise-cracking street-smart humor in Leslie Jones (Ernie Hudson). As far as the Ghostbusters themselves go, the casting was stellar. They did however go a different route with the receptionist. Whereas Annie Potts just said normal things, her comedy came from her over-the-top squeaky New York accent. Chris Hemsworth as Kevin on the other hand, went in a totally different route, going for the dumb-blonde type who just speaks in non-sequiturs to remain involved in the topic at hand.

The plot starts off as your typical Ghostbusters movie. Something spooky happens, cut to opening title with music, cut to introducing Ghostbusters, cut to Ghostbusters investigating first paranormal event, and cut to Ghostbusters become the Ghostbusters. The first third does follow your usual Ghostbusters film, but it does change gears and starts to become a thing of its own after they catch the first ghost.

The comedy was on point and there were many laughs and laughable moments. I can understand how dry humor may not cut it anymore, but this movie went back to the roots of the original and included a bunch of dry humor. Dead-pan expressions that caused ruckus laughter in the theater. Anytime Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon had a dialogue, or Melissa McCarthy and Leslie Jones had to react to something, it was always a treat. These women carried the film on their shoulders and each one of them delivered. I don't get the supposed hate that's being leveled here, so I suppose now is when all who were hating the film for including women back-off and say they were hating it for "being a rip-off of the first movie" or some dumb stuff like that. Do us all a favor, don't go riding that high-horse into town. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the same thing as Star Wars start to finish. This did new things, went new places, tried new things, such as the Ghostbusters' new tools. A proton glove to punch ghosts? Sounded ludicrous when I first heard it, but I loved it.

The ghosts themselves were obviously a step-up visually from the 1984 version, that goes without saying. I'm not just talking  aesthetically, of course, but they were scarier too. I feel like even in the 1984 classic, the ghosts were too cutesty or child-friendly or maybe just didn't intend on scaring anyone because it was a comedy, but I divert that film to the new one. This movie had jump-scares, and it was a comedy. You don't see that too often. There were some expressions or even some overall looks that made me cringe a little bit. I'll admit, I jumped.

...because obviously the movie did have faults. I didn't like Leslie Jones' ghost-grinder thing. Totally eliminated the point of the ghost-capture trap, which is the second-most iconic Ghostbuster tool rather than the proton pack. I did like the Ecto-1 being updated to be a hearse, but I felt like it could've been renamed something else. Seeing as how this film ignores the continuity of the first two films though, Ecto-1 is fitting enough. Also, the new Ghostbusters song sucks. Fall Out Boy hasn't been popular since being a goth-emo-attention-seeker-freak went the way of Napster and Zune, and they of all the other bands in the world get to record the new theme song for Ghostbusters? That's like spending $500,000 on a four-cylinder Nissan shitbox.

VERDICT:
I don't get why the movie was getting crapped on since the beginning. It came out really well. I enjoyed it. It's an excellent addition to the Ghostbusters franchise. The dialogue was entertaining, the actresses nailed each and every one of their parts splendidly, the background characters were enjoyable, the orchestral music did new things whilst paying homage to the old Elmer Bernstein score, and the inclusion of the old Ghostbusters in cameo roles is the cherry on top. It was really a fun adventure. I didn't at all feel like I was watching the first film all over again. I felt like I was watching what I was actually watching; a lovable update for a long-dormant, popular franchise that fans craved and people should enjoy. I'm telling you if you can't enjoy this film, you're either a misogynist (or logically), you're probably just someone who has trouble enjoying things that are fun and quirky.

Besides, you're gonna tell me Ghostbusters II wasn't the exact same plot as the first movie?

Ranking the Batman Movies: #2 - "The Dark Knight" (2008)

Well here it is. The most-anticipated one.

#2 - The Dark Knight (2008)

The final Christopher Nolan entry on our list, and his second Bat-flick. The Dark Knight is a milestone for how comic book movies should be made. When the film was being made during 2007, there was an intense amount of hype that was being stirred all over the internet. The first Joker image that was released sent the internet into a frenzy for how dark and mysterious this take on the character was going to be, and many people were wondering if the movie was even going to top Batman Begins. Little did we know...

Heath Ledger in his Oscar-winning performance as the Joker

Christian Bale is back for his second portrayal of Bruce Wayne / Batman. His performance comes off as very sophisticated and well-aware of Batman's behavior and operation tactics. His Bruce Wayne is still very cunning but in a profound way. His Batman scenes are very action packed, and the fight-choreography is stellar and to-the-point. Much of the fights don't last long, but I think that aids the movie greatly. My only gripe is the voice. Sweet Jesus, his voice. Remember Batman Begins? How the voice was growly, but not that growly> Well, the guy in post-production in charge of dubbing and altering Bale's Batman voice for The Dark Knight needs to be fired. The point of Batman's voice is to: 1) Ensure the vocal difference between himself and Bruce Wayne and 2) to be intimidating and to inspire fear in his interrogations. Here, it got way over the top. This film is responsible for the whole "let's mock Batman's growly voice" YouTube craze of 2008 onward. Before you knew it, every ten-year-old kid who gets a camera for Christmas becomes a popular YouTuber because he uploads a two-minute video of himself snarling lines from the movie. It quite honestly sounds like Batman swallowed a cactus and couldn't quite get it back out of his throat.

...but we've talked about Bale's Batman three times now. I know what you're waiting for. Heath Ledger as the Joker. I referenced his portrayal in a couple previous posts and now we've finally gotten to it. I know I was initially skeptical. When they announced that Heath Ledger was going to portray the Joker, I was like "The guy that made out with Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain?" Well, much to mine and everyone else's surprise, Ledger took the role, ran with it, dunked it down court, inbounded it to the rival team, stole it, drove it back down court, and drained a three-pointer. The amount of charisma and drive that's being displayed on screen is mind-boggling. Ledger invented a whole new Joker by piecing together different characteristics of other Joker's that had been done. He truly made the role and the performance his own. There's no other Joker performance like his. Joker was originally brought in as a homicidal maniac, then by the 70's he had become a bumbling oaf that was played up for laughs, and by the 90's he was a homicidal madman again. This portrayal took the homicidal madman characteristic and jacked it up to eleven. Ledger was all over the board and so unpredictable that you genuinely couldn't take your eyes off of the screen whenever he's doing something. Even if he's doing or saying something really traumatizing, it was still enticing to watch. The scene where he's captured a Batman impersonator and he's interrogating him is so unsettling and unnerving but dozens of people can quote the scene verbatim they love it so. When I said the Batman growly voice inspired countless YouTube parodies, there must be six hundred and seventy-two Joker parody videos for every one Batman parody video. Joker parody videos are everywhere. Everyone wanted their chance to deliver their own Ledger impression. Some are great, some are pretty laughable.

Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent / Two-Face

The side characters are pretty great. Aaron Eckhart portrays Harvey Dent and later Two-Face. He's the district attorney that competes with Bruce for Rachel's heart who gets horribly scarred by the Joker's attack and becomes a vigilante with a literal "split" personality. Rachel got swapped from Katie Holmes to Maggie Gyllenhaal for reasons that are currently unknown to me. Huh, how about that? Heath terrorizes Maggie in The Dark Knight but makes out with Jake in Brokeback Mountain. I would say that's irony, but that's not what irony is. In this movie Rachel is essentially just there for emotional gravity. Without her, there'd barely be any emotion in the story. It'd just be Joker's chaos that Batman would have to fix. Last, but not least, the main three supporting characters are all stellar in their own right. Michael Caine does his usual phenomenal job as Alfred, spewing entire speeches with the last line of the speech supposedly being a piece of advice. Morgan Freeman is excellent as Lucius Fox, subtly delivering jabs at Bruce as well as his tech and his savvy. Gary Oldman gives the outright greatest Commissioner Gordon performance in the history of Bat-Cinema. I'm seriously in shock at how Gary Oldman got shafted for at least an Oscar nomination. I know in the past he's done some weird movies and some box office stinkers, but good God, he is so good in this movie. His determination to aid Batman in ending the Joker, his intense drive to stop all of the chaos. He's so good. As much as I love Pat Hingle's Commissioner Gordon, Oldman's is far superior and this movie was no exception to that.

Gary Oldman returns as Commissioner James Gordon

The story is superb. It really is. David S. Goyer really outdid himself, and his phenomenal story made even better by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan's full screenplay really can't be matched. The Dark Knight somehow managed to make the realism of the Nolan Bat-universe and make it still feel like you're reading a comic book. Each and every scene carries over to the next bit of story splendidly. From going to China to get Lao, Wayne's gala that turns into a night of terror for Gotham that sees Commissioner Loeb's death, followed by his funeral that also turns into an assassination attempt by the Joker, that leads to Harvey Dent's first bout of vigilantism before becoming Two-Face. It all just flows so well from one major event to the next that by the time you make it to the end of the movie with the two boats ready to be blown up by the Joker, you're practically worn out. The Joker has emotionally stretched you to your limits. My only gripe relating to the story is the run time. You'd think that since this movie's a sequel that doesn't involve an origin story of any kind, it'd be a little shorter than the two hour, twenty minute Batman Begins, but no! It's actually slightly longer at two hours, thirty-two minutes. I guess that's fine, because it is a beautiful use of the two hours, thirty-two minutes. Still, The Dark Knight Rises got carried away with two hours, forty-five minutes, but I digress...

Any way you slice it, The Dark Knight is a superb Batman movie. You could be a new-age kid that hates the new movies or a retro-phile that just digs the old movies, and yet you still can't hate on The Dark Knight. The cast is perfect with supporting characters that are just as interesting to follow as the main characters. All of the characters make defining arcs and have glorious or tragic payoffs, all of which are welcome. Take that and have it have a realistic setting with definable characteristics in a relatable environment, you have got yourself the perfect Batman movie. A villain to be feared has to be conquered after the hero has to overcome obstacles placed in front of him. The classic formula for an awe-inspiring adventure.

Ranking the Batman Movies: #3 - "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" (1993)

What's that? An animated movie made it onto the list? That's right, this is...

#3 - Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm came out as Batman: The Animated Series was continuing to set new standards and dominate children's television. Which is weird because the series was made just as much for adults as it was for kids. Batman: The Animated Series continues to be the standard which any-and-all Batman-related animated media is compared to and graded.

Batman, voiced by Kevin Conroy

What makes the series so great? While the noire-style animation and color palette makes for a truly euphoric trip into Gotham City, it really is the voice cast that makes this series one of the greatest superhero animated series, if not the best. Kevin Conroy voices Bruce Wayne/Batman, and because of his commanding vocal presence, has been doing so for just about twenty-five years. Conroy's deep voice and intimidating speech commands the audience's attention whenever he's on screen. His "I don't take any bullshit" mannerisms has become the standard for the Batman character. Not many actors preceded him, so Conroy gets a hell of a lot of well-deserved credit for creating his own Batman. Opposite Conroy in the series is a slew of talented voice actors who voice Batman's impressive repertoire of supervillains. It goes without saying that while characters like the Two-Face, voiced by Richard Moll, and the Penguin, voiced by Paul Williams, are both awesome to watch and listen to, there's only one that everyone falls back on. Even the other voice actors can't help but bow and pay tribute to his presence: Mark Hamill as the Joker. When Mark Hamill first came on board as the Joker, people had to be skeptical? What? The awkward actor from Star Wars? He's gonna be our Joker? Yes. Jesus Christ, yes. Hamill's Joker is just too great to ever be topped.

So what about Mask of the Phantasm? Well while remaining true to the standards and mythos set up by The Animated Series, Mask of the Phantasm tells an amazing story. It includes its own original villain and characters as well as incorporates characters from Batman's storied history. Everything about the movie came into place perfectly. Kevin Conroy is phenomenal as both the seasoned veteran Batman, as well as the young and hungry Bruce Wayne in the flashback scenes. He does well at demonstrating the eagerness to become a crimefighter in Gotham City. 

Andrea Beaumont killing as the Phantasm

Another main character is Andrea Beaumont, played by Dana Delaney. She's the voice actress who made the animated Superman series' Lois Lane so bossy and she's the main love interest in the movie. She's an important person in Bruce's past that almost caused him to cease his career as a crime fighter. They just happened to stumble onto one another at the cemetery and boom! Romantic couple. I know I'm sucking a lot of the emotion out of it, but it really is heavy. Bruce can't bear to watch crime happen in his city, leading to a scene where he takes on a motorcycle gang during a date. They even get so in love that Bruce proposes and intends to marry her. She agrees and they celebrate, but soon her father Carl, voiced by Stacy Keach, runs afoul with the mafia and they both have to flee town, leading to her immediate and painful exodus from Bruce's life. This throws Bruce into a flux of turmoil, ultimately leading him to resume his war on crime as the Batman. In the present, she returns to Gotham as ***SPOILER*** the Phantasm, a ghostly apparition that comes to life out of the fog to seek revenge by murdering the mafia conspirators that killed her father. The Phantasm is one of the creepiest and coolest Batman villains ever created. I only wish more storylines since then have included him/her. When he appears out of the mist, and a deep, bone-rattling voice calls "Your Angel of Death Awaits..." it's so fucking cool. His kill scenes are artsy, creative, and chilling. Buzz Bronski's death scene in the cemetery feels like it's straight out of a horror movie, but that's what makes it awesome. Now, Bruce (as Batman) must grapple with the fact that is long-lost love is back in town as the Phantasm and must fight within himself whether or not to end her quest for vengeance or stand aside and let her commit these atrocities, knowing her pain and suffering and also feeling anger for the mob ruining not just Andrea's chance at happiness, but his as well.

Batman and Andrea's love/hate relationship is made even worse by the other main villain; Mark Hamill's Joker. This is when Hamill was still fresh to the role, so the Joker has a lot of energy and is very upbeat in the film. His dialogue is witty but unnerving and his laughter is extremely boisterous. Not like later where you could tell that while the energy was there, Hamill's voice was more choked out and weaker. The Joker steals the show and is often the most quotable character from the movie. I find myself quoting his phone call with Batman scene many times with how utterly ludicrous he says things. The scene where he tortures Arthur Reeves and cripples his psyche is also so awesome yet mildly unsettling, maybe even terrifying. The part where his laughter builds and builds while he tortures him is so shocking I'm surprised it even got kept in the movie...you know, for kids! He's even kind of creepy toying with a robotic chef that he even hits on a little. I find it highly irregular for a kid's movie that the Joker makes these and other sexual references. He talks about Andrea being the "spawn of her father's loins", pinning Andrea down in their fight in a rather provocative manner, about how much it sucks "getting in the mood just when company shows up", and even being hinted at that he pinches his robo-maid's buttocks, frequently pulling the rubber skin off of her.

Bob Hastings and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. reprise their Animated Series roles as Commissioner Gordon and Alfred Pennyworth. Alfred's role is expanded on quite a bit in Bruce's flashback scenes, but Gordon's kind of cut short here. There isn't much screentime to be had for him.

The Joker interrogates/tortures Arthur Reeves

Batman: Mask in the Phantasm excels in almost all aspects. I already mentioned the gravity of the story and how much it's stellar, so we'll move on from that. Another reason is the voice cast and the acting. The well-acted dialogue keeps one attentive and receptive to what's going on. Being an animated movie, you'd think the acting would be toned down and maybe even a little hokey, but it isn't. It's played up extremely well. Every voice actor brings their A-game. As stated, this movie has an A-list cast. Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Dana Delaney, Robert Costanzo, Bob Hastings, Efrem Zimablist, Jr., with appearances by Stacy Keach and Abe Vigoda as well. The acting is truly superb! Couple that with the animation, which is a step-up from the Animated Series. It's fluent, smooth and colorfully representative of the universe it resides in. Pile on the masterful score the film comes with. The opening theme is excellently done and continues to be commonly played by me either on YouTube or when I'm watching the movie itself. The music gets spine-tingling whenever the Phantasm appears and goes for the kill. It even stays oddly celebratory but also mournful when Bruce first puts on the cape-and-cowl in a flashback. Take all of that and mix-in the very adult themes of the story and characters. Like I said, the Joker got pretty crazy with his oddball sex references, but there's also the violence. The violence is pretty intense for a kid's film. A man gets killed flying from one building into another, a man is crushed by a cemetery statue, a man is mummified by the Joker (which is terrifying) and then rigged to explode, demolishing an entire building.

I really can't say anymore that you won't see for yourself. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is the single-greatest animated Batman feature film. Sub-Zero would be good, but it just feels too much like an Animated Series two-part episode. This feels more like a standalone Batman film and it's awesome in almost every way. I recommend checking it out if you haven't. There's no way you can be disappointed in it. Everything about it will drop your jaw and keep you coming back for more. The characters, the score, the themes, the dialogue, the acting; all superb. Truly an animated masterpiece of cinema.

Ranking the Batman Movies: #4 - "Batman Returns" (1992)

As we continue the Bat-countdown, we hit the second of Tim Burton's two entries...

#4 - Batman Returns (1992)

Batman Returns was released in 1992. Immediately following the immense success of Batman, Tim Burton was given the green light from Warner Bros. to go as insane as he wanted. He was given free range and less-than-no studio interference to produce whatever Batman film he wished to produce.

Michael Keaton as Batman

In his second portrayal of the dark knight, Michael Keaton does his usual phenomenal job of capturing the very yin-yang personalities of both Batman and Bruce Wayne. As Batman, he's very cunning and sinister while still remaining the hero. As Bruce Wayne, he's very boisterous and commanding but also still very timid and reserved. I won't get to it until we reach Batman, but let me just say that there's a reason why Michael Keaton is the master of portraying Batman.

Let's cover the villains, because this movie has three of them. First, there's the main villain; Oswald Cobblepot AKA The Penguin, played by Danny DeVito. The Penguin is an odd character in this movie. Aside from being a clone of Edward Scissorhands in a way, he's a very, very mixed bag. He's extremely fun to watch and commands the presence of the entire screen for his speech, but he's also kinda gross to look at. I'm sure that was their intention, but there's just something about him that seems off. While he's creative with his portrayal of the Batman mythos, Tim Burton sort of got carried away here. I can understand wanting to shock the people, but it got a little out of hand. In the film, the Penguin attacks (possibly eats) a cat as a child, he plots to kidnap and murder children by drowning them in a vat of toxic waste, he chews off the nose of somebody hired to help his mayoral campaign, chews food very vigorously with an open mouth, and spits a black liquid whenever he talks. While his dialogue is fantastic and his on-screen banter with several characters is insanely quotable, much of his physical appearance or his mannerisms for enacting social chaos are very wishy-washy and of an acquired taste not many Bat-fans have. When he's not being gross, he's one of the best characters in the Batman franchise.

Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman

Joining him is Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle AKA Catwoman. I take my hat off to Tim Burton. He really succeeded in nailing the Catwoman character. Even Catwoman's costume is on point, being a crudely-stapled together latex, full-body suit. Still, she does have her negative characteristics. Speaking purely from a parental standpoint, she does, at times, come off highly sexual. While Burton's two Batman films were made for adults as much for kids, you still have to remember that many more children are going to flock to the theater to catch a Batman movie than adults. She also speaks in like a constant-orgasm voice. Always stretching the vowels like she's having the time of her life. Plus she gets Burton-weird when she starts behaving like a cat, giving herself a tongue bath and rolling around in kitty litter. It's awesome, but not without being fuckin' strange as hell.

Finally, we come to the best villain in my opinion. Max Schreck, played by Christopher Walken. If the Penguin and Catwoman had any downfalls, Max Schreck more than makes up for them. Being a sideline villain, Walken does his usual shtick and steals the show. His goofy line delivery that only he can do carries over even to this film. There's a scene where Max pushes Selina out of a window and in that scene alone, Walken has three our four incredibly funny yet terrifying lines. Walken is able to portray this character as such, somebody who can be witty and unassuming while carrying nasty, sometimes deadly secret intentions. Max Schreck steals the scene no matter what's going on around him. Easily one of the best original Batman characters ever put on film.

Danny DeVito as the Penguin

Rounding out the background characters are Alfred and Commissioner Gordon, played by Michael Gough and Pat Hingle, respectively. While Michael Gough does another fine job as Alfred, Commissioner Gordon is kind of robbed as he's not in the movie very much. He's in it a lot less than in Batman, and it would only get worse as he's barely in Batman Forever, and then hardly ever seen in Batman & Robin.

A lot of people consider Batman Returns to be the black sheep of the Batman filmography. While I do personally enjoy the film and enjoy it more and more with each repeated viewing, this movie is far from perfect. The HUGE problem with Batman Returns can almost certainly be pointed at Tim Burton, himself. After Batman, Burton took a breather from Batfilms to direct and produce Edward Scissorhands, a movie about a sad misfit who's looking to fit in in an society that doesn't seem to accept him. Why am I telling you this? Because Batman Returns is essentially the exact same story, just with obvious changes. Batman Returns is a weird Batman movie. Aside from being overtly violent and off-putting as a whole and then sort of boring when nothing Batman-related is going on, it never really feels like a Batman movie. Why? Because it's Edward Scissorhands, just with DeVito's Penguin being Edward. That's right. Batman isn't even the main character in this movie. He may be marketed as the main character, but he's not. Penguin is the main character. Oswald Cobblepot gets the most story and the most character development. Bruce Wayne and Batman get the shaft to one of his villains. I know a similar argument can be made for Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight about how he's the bigger character, but Batman in that movie isn't fully given the shaft. Here, he is. He has almost nothing to do. He just mopes around his mansion until there's evil to be fought. 

Christopher Walken as Max Schreck

This all stems from the movie just being conceived to be too dark. I know that's weird given some of the graphic novels that exist and even some of the movies that are out now, but being only the second (or third) major Batman film released in theaters, it's pretty messed up. There are scenes of children being kidnapped with the intent to murder them, scenes depicting Penguin's neglectful parents, violent bloodshed at the hands of Catwoman, and Penguin bleeding profusely by the film's climax. Countless accounts of the film's screenings in 1992 have told of children crying their eyes out once the lights come up and parents yelling at theater staff being outraged at how tragic and unhappy the tone was for their kids. McDonald's even was forced to pull their Happy Meals promotion following a protest campaign by parents angry at the movie's nature. The movie sparked a major backlash and the studio was unwilling or unable to handle all of the negative reception it was getting, despite being a moderate box office success. This led to the decision to bar Tim Burton from having anything executive to do with future Batman films, effectively terminating his would-be directed film Batman 3. Warner Bros. would make the decision to correct for the negative reception of Batman Returns by ensuring that the next film would be far more kid friendly and marketable to all ages, hence how we got Batman Forever.

In my opinion, Batman Returns is okay. It's art direction is severely underrated and superb and the acting is truly a treat, but the story being recycled from Edward Scissorhands slapped with a Batman license, the grotesque nature of the violence and the tragic tone of the film's three main characters really does alienate a lot of people. In the end, it is in no means a "happy" film. The movie ends with the Penguin and Max Schreck dying, Selina disappearing (only to be teased at the end for a return in Batman 3 that never happens) and Bruce returns to the manor just as alone as he was in the beginning of the film. It is almost certainly depressing, really. Still, it carries the Batman moniker and because of that, it's got marquee value. It's action sequences are entertaining and Michael Keaton delivers his usual fine performance as the caped crusader, so it's still worth watching. Just don't expect to be really happy or overjoyed with the results.