Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) was high up on my favorite movies of 2014 list, and like practically everyone else I’ve talked to, Michael Keaton was primarily the reason why. Michael Keaton, you guys! How easily he veers between stoic and stone-faced and bizarre and unhinged; how effortless he makes those contrasting emotional states look. Keaton excels with it in Birdman, but look at his filmography and it’s always been there – of course in Beetlejuice, but also importantly in Batman Returns.
It’s strange to
go back and watch Batman Returns now that our pop-culture psyche has been
shaped so thoroughly by Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, but since Tim
Burton’s sequel is set during Christmas time and it is now, you know, Christmas
time, you should do it. And get ready for just how Tim Burton-y it is, a dimly
macabre – and almost anti-capitalist – view of the holiday season. All in all,
it’s quite strange: Batman (Keaton) and the Penguin (a perfectly cast Danny
DeVito) are supposed to be doubles, and the movie amps up the Penguin’s
physicality to drive home their differences; Michelle Pfeiffer goes full
unhinged, oozing confrontation in a way that Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman never
did; and CHRISTOPHER WALKEN. Christopher Walken! Christopher. Walken.
Still need more
reasons for why you should cue up Batman Returns in the next few days? OK,
fine, let’s do this.
+ Reason 1: The overall set design! Want to see Christmas put
through some kind of fascist nightmare? Look no further than the depiction of
Gotham in Batman Returns – all ominous statues; imposingly tall,
leaning-over-you buildings; marble and granite and materials that feel like no
warmth will ever make its way into your body again. Christmas is supposed to be
a festive time, but here, Gotham feels unabashedly cold – and as an indictment
of the season, it works.
+ Reason 2: Alfred! Our favorite manservant spends this movie
decorating Bruce Wayne’s almost grotesquely opulent Christmas tree and doling
out hard truths to our favorite orphan. And he does them both like a badass
because, you know, it’s Alfred. What is he going to do, fuck those things up? Please.
+ Reason 3: Michelle Pfeiffer’s scarily sexual Catwoman. The
perfect mix of teasing and terror. And look, those hairdos speak for
themselves.
+ Reason 4: Speaking of hairdos, please take note of
Christopher Walken’s exceptional bouffant. It’s silver as hell and it’s moussed
within an inch of its life and it does
not fuck around.
+ Reason 5: The Penguin’s penguin army. If you have any kids in
your life interested in seeing Dreamworks’s Penguins of Madagascar this holiday, shut that down immediately and
show them Batman Returns instead. They might have some nightmares, but that’s a
natural part of life, right? And then you won’t have to see Penguins of
Madagascar, so really, it’s a Christmas miracle.
Batman Returns is available for streaming through
Netflix Instant and for rent through Amazon Instant Video.
