He's the best ever. I always say there's a reason this and edward scissorhands were my two obsessions as a kid. Elfman and burton make my kind of look, feel and sound. I remember watching this in the theater as a kid in disbelief. Didn't want to leave the theater, I wanted to watch it again.
Fun fact: Paul Reubens aka Pee Wee Herman who played Penguin's dad also played him in the Gotham TV series, and did a magnificent job in both roles might I add.
@andrion waser Agreed about the army thing, and I'll add that the circus thing is stepping onto Joker's territory. But Penguin in this movie also resents the rich b/c he was denied by his own parents. The mutant half-bird design was pulled off well by the 90s animated series, and fans were actually disappointed when he was later redesigned to look like a fat Paul Reubens.
Yes it almost looks victorian at the start, gothic mansion, fur coats, 🧐monocles, servants, old fashioned prams, fireplaces. You'd assume it was set in the 19th century.
That’s the beauty of this movie? Man. To this day my favorite superhero movie. Maybe my favorite movie ever. The music, the atmosphere... it wasn’t afraid to push it.
John Doe too bad Warner Bros. and close minded parents didn’t see it that way as they didn’t want Burton back for Batman Forever😞 All because, as Tim Burton put it “because my film didn’t sell happy-meal toys” whatever that means.
yeah alot ppl don't get it. burton is going to make his own version. that's the penguin and catwoman at the start, then it cuts to a burton movie - a land of fantasy and imagination. it was never going to be a straightforwards batman film. burton always makes weird movies. penguins down a sewer = fantasy.
Why DID the people of Gotham City opt to make so many of their buildings gothic looking anyway? I wouldn't want to live in a city that had a dark and depressing feel to it.
This film's opening is so unsettling. We never actually see what the baby looks like so we're thinking about the scariest a baby could look but at the same time we feel sorry for the baby as it's just thrown away to float down a freezing river. All on Christmas of all days
I remember watching this as a kid and being impacted by the scene. The music, the dark atmosphere, and the story it tells. A very effective opening. I just had to come back to relive the experience
Me too. I was all of 5 seeing this in the theater. Came out of it wanting to be Cobblepot's buddy (even though I am a first-born son LOL). Also it was awesome to see my other childhood pal, Pee Wee Herman as Penguin's dad!
Know what? Screw it. This is best batman movie. It's the only one that gets the tone of what I feel batman should be perfectly right. It's dark and gothic but still fantastical and kinda campy. This is what I feel batman movies should be. It's about a guy that dresses up a bat. It doesn't need to be super serious or edgy. It's just needs to be gothy and fun, which is what this film is.
Kayleigh Brown I'd say Burton did a better job with the first Batman movie. This feels more like a standard Tim Burton movie that just happens to have Batman in it. While I don't think that this is a bad movie, it's obvious that Burton had too much creative freedom and had he been more restricted in what he could do like he was in the first film, this movie might have been better.
@@mrblobby7864 I see this film as Burton's VERTIGO: a mainstream studio film on the surface that is, in outcome, a deeply personal film. It may be the best film Burton's made. Or in this opening's case, a twisted horror variation of CITIZEN KANE (and maybe a bit of THE THIRD MAN in those sewer shots). In many ways, I take it more as an expressionist horror film, right down to its constant allusions to things like CALIGARI.
Absolutely right. If I want to to watch Heat reimagined as a Comic book film, I will watch the Dark knight. I really liked Heath Ledger, but he only got the acclaim because he died.
That whole Birth Of A Penguin prologue is a gem of exposition. Just narrated by the power of pure visuals and masterful orchestration telling the whole story.
I saw you saying that same thing of Citizen Kane, Godfather part 1 & 2, Dirty Harry, allmost all of Leone's and Kubricks films, Raging Bull, Taxi driver, Goodfellas, Deer hunter, Searchers, Vertigo, Rear Window, Shadow of doubt, Psyko, North by northwest, Star wars and Indiana Jones trilogy, Die Hard, Conan the Barbarian, Terminator 1 & 2, Alien & Aliens, Rocky, Rambo and Disney's Fantasia.
One of the greatest opening's and Villan Introduction's of all time Thank you Tim Burton rise and shine Thank you Danny Elfman rise and shine Thank you Danny DeVito rise and shine
I too always felt bad for him as well. Sad life, great villain. But in the end you kinda just see it as a person who had a very hard life. Feel bad for him when he dies at the end. Amazing movie.
That is sooo heartbreaking knowing your own parents had bandoned you. I like this penguin very much. I even saved this clip Lol. And really like the idea of animals raising human child just like Mowgli.
@Jeff Isaacson In some ways, this scene came before the events of the first film so this scene is probably taking place before Jack Napier came to Gotham City which means before he became the Joker.
I would still defend the 1989 original as the better film. This one is too stuffed full of villains and batman is hardly in it. In the original its was personal too for Bruce in this his motivation is just that he doesn't like criminals. It did like the chemistry between Batman and Catwoman but it just gets overwhelmed by all the goofy Tim Burton circus show nonsense like the penguin having an umbrella that flies, or coming up from the ground in whats meant to be a threatening scene in a giant yellow duck. Then you've got the miniature train kidnapping all the children and the secret underground army of penguins. Its just absurd and it came across to me as laughable. Also how can the penguin speak perfect English if he was raised by penguins
@@MiddleWarrior3539 Actually, this scene here of the Penguin's parents dumping him in the sewer is considered the first film which was a flashback on when the Penguin was born and after the opening credits, it jumped to the present year saying "Gotham City 33 Years Later."
@@MiddleWarrior3539 I understand that. Also yes, "Batman" and "Batman Returns" are sequels to each other where the film could at least take place one month after the Joker died which means "Batman" and "Batman Returns" are the 33rd year.
@@lw3646 I think that while the penguin was indeed raised by penguins as an infant as a young man he joined a freak show circus where presumably he adopted his linguistic abilities.
Since the day he was born, Penguin never had a chance in life. His own parents neglected him and literally treated him like an animal. It’s their fault that Penguin became a monster on the inside
That's the intention of the movie this film goes by the idea Batman Catwoman and Penguin are outcasts because society has made them that way and the real evil is normal people.
So what if he killed a cat? They locked him in a cage and for all intents and purposes were starving him since there's no way to put food in that cage. Anyone who is locked up for no good reason grows contemptuous of the person that did it, and would have an extreme response like that - BECAUSE THEY'RE LOCKED IN A FUCKING CAGE 🙄
The Nolan movies can't even compare, they are just crime dramas. This movie is genuinely twisted and insane. A deformed child is thrown into the sewers, a crazed deformed man wants to drown all of the newborns of Gotham in the sewers, Catwoman's many sexual innuendos and weird behavior as if she's a cat in heat, the pretty hardcore violence.
2:23 I like that the mother has a sort of- for lack of a better word- horrified expression on her face after they drop the baby into the water. It’s like she has a ‘what have I done?’ moment for her, like, even on a subtle level her mother instincts tells her to protect her baby. It’s subtle, but still a nice detail.
Vasilios Grammatidis Hate being a geek, but Burton was still author of the Movie. But yeah, more cred to Selick. It takes a cool man to take the time to make someones elses vision reality.
Yeah i didn't want to descredit anyone but i imagine it "hurts" for Henry Selick because everyone mentions the movie as Tim Burton's creation and they never mention him. If we placed ourself in Selick's shoes and saw everyone praising only Tim Burton for it.. y'know that would suck, that's why i said it haha :D
This scene is one reason this sequel is a better film than the original. The 89 movie is just a typical Hollywood opening. This scene actually tells a backstory while at the same time setting up the entire premise of the movie. In this one scene, the audience understands why the Penguin is the way that he is.
This isn’t a sequel, this is a stand alone film that takes place in a completely different universe compared to the 89 batman. More like fantasy film than a superhero film
@@jackandrews7878 this movie does stand on its own, but it is a sequel. The only difference is...... Burton had complete control over it. They even demoted the producers from the first one to executive producers. They wanted Burton to comeback so badly they told him he could make a Burton movie, with batman. That's why the visuals on this one is alot darker and weirder, even the penguin took on a completely dark tone, and came out so much different than anything from the comics. I like it, I think it's cool as hell.
@@RahulPatel-og2ke Tim Burton gave Joker more backstory than Penguin. We actually got to see the former before he got established as a supervillain. Plus, the OP never said that the Joker should've gotten the intro. Bruce Wayne's past could've been shown at the beginning of the '89 film.
You can tell Tim burton had more control over this film. The first one had dark and Tim burton moments but felt like there was something holding it back for its full potential. In this movie, Tim burton definitely has more control. It's darker, creepier, etc. love this movie.
The only way he'd comeback is if they let him make a full on Burton film. With Elfman composing stuff in the same key as usual. Don't get me wrong I love Tim Burton movies most of the time and I think Elfman is talented, it's just you can always tell it's him composing movie themes.
@@maxfrankow1238 That’s what makes this movie better than the first in my opinion, you can feel more of Burton’s style in this film. Plus it has aged better
If you are here because you searched for this epic masterpiece, it means that you are a person of a high quality. Not a fanboy, who eats everything they throw at him. But a true man of culture. Congratulations. And my deepest hatts off to tim burton, danny elfman, and this weird, and obscure dream, which is my all time favourite movie. Although, i always loved this movie, there was a time, when i was thinking that peak of a batman movie would be, if the dark knight was made with tim burton's visuals, and danny elfman's music. But now i realised, that burton needs to be a byt campy. Bcz burton is not for everyone. That bein said, not for people, who need to have everything explained. That's why the amount of campiness is literally needed. Because, this story is visually told. It wants you to stop thinking, and enjoy the mood. If it would be superrealistic and serious like nolan, it would destroy the mood. And bcz of that mood, i enjoy this masterpiece every christmas. And while a beutiful, white, snowy, moody christmas is more of a fairytale thing in the real life, to dive into burton's christmas gotham, is like a true blessing. These two men and their work combined, are one of the things, that made me realise how i love snow, winter, and christmas. And also, to enjoy everything beutiful in life.
What always amazes me is before Tim Burton asked Danny Elfman if he wanted to score Pee Wees Big Adventure he had never done scoring or film composition. He was in bands yes but he quite literally had never written a soundtrack before, he felt way out of his depth but the guy turned out to just be naturally incredible at it. Thank christ Tim Burton decided to put faith in him otherwise we would have probably been deprived of one of the most talented composers in cinema.
His Dudeness My theory: He spent only small amount of his childhood with the penguins. He spent the rest with the circus,maybe when around 7-teenage. There he was exposed with stimuli,maybe gaining fondness of Victorian fashion and umbrellas,and eventually ran back to the sewer, silently educating himself even further.
They weren't in the sewers. They were in the Arctic World penguin enclosure at the Gotham Zoo, which (or so the movie seems to imply) is connected somehow to the sewers or the storm drain system. Doesn't make much sense from a real-world perspective, I admit, but hey, it's Tim Burton; a lot of his stuff is like that.
Not a lot of people gets the "Who raised Penguin?" point. He wasn't raised with the Penguins, he spent his whole life with the circus. The penguins animals we're part of the Red Circus Triangle Gang at that time, probably. When they go to feed the animals, they found Penguin, and educated him across the years (Also, used him as a Circus Show). Across the years, Penguin make himself "The Boss" of the Gang, and used them to execute his plans across his life (Killing Children across USA, not Only Gotham, and disappearing always). This is explained when Batman finds the Red Circus Triangle Gang Files on the BatComputer. It's not implied directly that Penguin Kidnapped and Killed those children himself...But yeah, his "Kill the first born sons of Gotham" confirms that his favorite victims are Childens. The movie pretty much confirms all of this across the film, but nobody paid atention to this, somehow. The 90% of people ACTUALLY believes that Penguin was raised by Penguins his whole life LMAO.
Fun fact: Burgess Meredith (the actor who played penguin in the 1966 batman show) was offered to played penguin’s father (Tucker Cobblepot) before Paul Reubens was offered which would have been a tribute to the show. But illness prevented Burgess from appearing so Paul took over the role.
Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't Adam West and Newmar going to play Bruce Waynes Parents and get shot in the beginning of the movie as a symbolic way of killing the past?
Without a doubt this penguin (and perhaps the comic books as well its been a while since I read any) has easily one of the most tragic back stories ever put to media
Not so, actually - his official origin involves him being bullied a lot as a child; he became the Penguin because that's what his childhood tormentors used to call him.
@@Psycopathicus I feel like being abandoned by your own parents and then trying to kill you by plunging you in a freezing river and then as a teenager having to join a freak show is more tragic than some childhood bullying…just my opinion though.
@@henrylivingstone2971 Well, they're both pretty tragic in their own way, really - one is more 'real world' tragic, and one is more, um... Burton-y tragic. No point in playing 'which is worse' - tragic is tragic, either way.
@@Psycopathicus Well it might not be as usual in our times but people trying to murder their disabled children was pretty common all the way into the early twentieth century. So I feel like while they are both tragic, the fact that your parents tried to kill you after just a few days of your birth is more tragic than being teased by school mates.
The couple at @1:55 could possibly be Bruce Wayne's parents Thomas and Martha Wayne walking Bruce past Oswalds parents in the snow! Does anyone else have that same assumption?
I totally agree with you, we can tell a dark and serious story by implementing magical and architectural elements (gothic art deco for example) coming out of the real world while remaining credible thanks to the staging and the rhythm :) after the realistic delirium à la Nolan doesn't bother me but we had that for a while (2005-2012 but these dates have passed) so instead of doing Nolan again, it's better to move on to something else, for example the artistic direction burlesque by Tim Burton or that of Rocksteady with the Arkham games which plunges into the surreal real and the pure fantastic fairy tale by adding poetry in the staging rendering the iconography of the sets, characters and history stronger more by taking liberties with them. Where was it a shame on Warner's part not to have given Tim Burton the opportunity to make a third film where, in my opinion, we would have been entitled to a Batman 3 which could have been a surreal madness, a huge cartoon barbaric and psychoanalytical with the main villain, I don't know, the Scarecrow, Poison Ivy or Mr. Freeze. Batman 3, with a free and motivated Burton in command, could have been even more monstrous, even more awesome than Batman Returns. At the time, when Warner Bros was looking for another director for The Batman before Matt Reeves, I was so hoping that it would be Guillermo Del Toro who would take over because the latter would have been the worthy successor to Tim Burton as far as burlesque is concerned and also he knows how to do dark and serious noir stories and fairy tales for adults and it would have been moving and spectacular to see a Batman movie directed by Del Toro ^^
Great film. We don’t need stupid origin films. Just shoot an excellent 10 min story and we’re good. Burton does a great job. You already feel for the penguin as you hear his horrific cry falling into the sewer. Such a strong scene.
I dunno if it’s ever been confirmed but I like to think the other couple with the stroller that the cobblepots pass by are the Wayne’s. Look at the symbolism. Bruce in the angelic stroller, and Oswald in the dark, severe one. It works!!!
Just watched Cruella and rewatching this- this is still the best opening to an origin story of a villain such as the 🐧 Penguin. No narration required, haunting score and masterful direction. More memorable! ❄️
I find Tim Burton’s version to be more interesting than the Comic Book. Normally I’d be upset as a fan that a filmmaker does such a thing, but being such a stylish film it passes.
Yes, still one of my Top 10 Movies ever, after all these years. If one gets past the campiness, the psychological study of the three main characters is a masterpiece.
As someone who abhors the more recent Batman movies and feels they’ve sucked the life out of the Joker in these latest films, I look at this Tim Burton film and feel that he truly understood what Batman is all about and knew how to portray him and his dark world extremely effectively.
Batman Returns is definitely my favorite film of the old Burton/Schumacher series. There are amazing performances and some good writing to be seen in this movie. Even though the Penguin and Catwoman in this are nothing like the characters in the actual comics, the villainous performances of Danny DeVito and Michelle Pfeiffer are amazing and, IMO, don't get the praise they deserve as they both did just as good of a job as the widely-beloved Nicholson version of the Joker. The haunting music, and the dark visuals... man, this is how you do a kickass opening sequence.
This is a great film, but it scared me alot when I saw this as a kid. When I was around 11 my brother was really getting into Batman and finally we decided to watch the movie and to me it was like something out of a nightmare and another reason to be afraid of the circus.
I concur. You know what always got me when I was a kid? The way he fell when he died. And then that shot of his face in the water afterwards. I couldn't watch that for years.
@@marsha-madness-super-badness exactly I never felt so bad for the bad guys and that’s what I love about Batman, those villains arent just maniacs for no reason. This man was abandoned by his parents and thrown into the sewers where he was raised by birds.
@@pepijn23 Right... But I never actually felt bad for him, those shots just scared me. That dude was stealing kids. Even if it were a real person I'd sympathize with what happened to him but still want him dead if he went on to ruin someone else's childhood. Now that you mention it Batman did have interesting villains. The one that stuck with me was Tim Drake in "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker" 😔.
Elfman's Batman theme is the definitive one. Zimmer had a good crack at replacing it, but to me every time I think of Batman it's the Elfman theme that pops up in my head.
1:56 I like to imagine that those other two people they pass by are Thomas and Martha... It kinda works as a call forward to a comment someone made to Bruce about how "If things were different You and Cobblepot would have been buddies at boarding school" (which is funny because that is actually true in some continuities)
It would've been neat if Tim Burton stayed on to direct Batman Forever (a title I'd prefer over proposed Batman Continues title) and 2 more Batman movies after 3rd instead of Joel Schumacher. Part of me wonders if WB is still kicking themselves over the boneheaded decision to dump Burton. Schumacher kind of steered the Batman movie franchise in a direction that didn't really resemble what Burton had in mind. Had Tim Burton stayed on for Batman Forever and additional Batman movies... My dream cast for that... Michael Keaton would've certainly reprised his role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Pat Hingle would've returned as Commissioner Gordon. Michael Gouch as Alfred. I'd have taken Robin Williams as Edward Nygma/Riddler instead of Jim Carrey. I'd have anticipated Billy Dee Williams reprising the role of Harvey Dent/Two-Face instead of it being recasted to Tommy Lee Jones. I'd presume Michelle Pfeiffer possibly returning as Selina Kyle/Catwoman in this and another Batman movie. The role of Dick Grayson/Robin would've been interesting. My top 3 picks would've been either Michael Vitar (from The Sandlot and The Mighty Ducks movies), or Henry Thomas (from E.T.), or maybe a young Joaquin Phoenix. I don't really feel it for Marlon Wayans. Chris O'Donnell is an okay actor. River Phoenix would've been an interesting pick had he lived. I could've pictured Robert Wuhl returning as Alex Knox. Burton still casting another background character Gossip Gerty to Elizabeth Sanders. Not sure about Kim Basinger reprising her role of Vicki Vale. Also not sure whether Drew Barrymore and Debi Mazar would've appeared in Batman Forever either. I'd imagine Dr. Chase Meridian character coming in later Batman movie. My dream cast for additional Batman movies after Batman Forever... Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze... Patrick Stewart (from Star Trek: The Next Generation), hands down, for that role instead of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Barbara/Batgirl... I believe Christina Ricci, hands down, would be a great pick. Pamela Eisley/Poison Ivy... I could picture either Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix from Harry Potter) or Jenna Elfman (from Dharma & Greg sitcom) in that role instead of Uma Thurman. Bane... I could see a young Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson being an interesting pick. Scarecrow... I could picture either Brad Dourif or Gary Oldman in that role. Harley Quinn... I could picture Jennifer Tilly in that role, despite that character not appearing in 1989 film, unless that character is written in to avenge Joker's death and/or as scorned other woman in Joker's life.
Notice how the children's choir erupts into a playful "la-la-la" style while the parents push Penguin in the baby stroller, almost symbolizing what a day out with the "family" would be for young Penguin as an infant, had he been born normal, on a sunny day but because he isn't normal and it's in the middle of the night the themes are dark and melancholy and ultimately sinister in their intent. Also notice the motif when the parents reach the top of the bridge over the bubbling brook and the children's choir reaches an almost sudden response of "OH! OH!" which could be translated as "NO! NO!" - much like in opera - with the children's choir pleading with the parents to not do what they've ultimately set out to do, which is murder their child. Danny Elfman is a master composer and it's a shame that he hasn't won an Academy Award yet. His day is coming.
chad stephens and did you here penguin screaming in that part,like "Eck,ECK!!" in his inhuman voice. And notice that he didnt cry as he flow through the sewer system. Maybe in that time, penguin has prematurely grew into a man to cope with his dark and hard life ahead....
It is weird watching something as a kid and then as an adult. I loved it then, and am a bit torn by it now. Guess I'll have to watch the whole thing again.
There’s something about the look on the parents faces when they toss him into the water that always stuck with me. They’re not so much relieved but more uncertainty or I dare say regretful.
my favourite Batman film. Just had everything going for it. Great soundtrack, dark Tim Burton theme, great cast, forget the foam snow, it was a blast and still is.... "It could be worse, your nose could be gushing blood"!! Keaton made it a classic. Got to love Walken's perfomance in it. Catwoman...... "give is a break lady Our take home is only 90.dollars...haha :)
Even though this movie has more of a Tim Burton twist, it actually works very well with the Batman mythology. The gothic and twisted atmosphere compliments the movie.
Tucker Cobblepot = Paul "Pee-wee Herman" Reubens (RIP, you brilliant weirdo) Esther Cobblepot = Diane Salinger = Simone the Waitress in Pee-wee's Big Adventure Tim Burton = Directed this and PWBA Danny Elfman = Scored this and PWBA
For these past 30 years this remains the darkest almost most emotional Batman movie I’ve ever seen in my entire life the ending is just the same as Edward Scissorhands enough for anyone to feel too empty inside
Diane Salinger who played Esther Cobblepot and Paul Reubens who played Tucker Cobblepot also played Simone the Waitress and Pee Wee Herman respectively in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. Both films were directed by Tim Burton.
The baby cart floating down the dark spooky river is I think emblematic of Charon's boat, upon which all must eventually ride. It also reminds me of the scenes that take place at the river sanzu in the movie 'Jigoku'. This one's one of the best batman movies.
Rest In Peace Paul Reubens. August 27, 1952-July 30, 2023 he was great in Batman Returns as The Penguin’s father.
Did he even speak? I guess he did great standing around and walking to the sewer?
As a kid, I never noticed that was Pee Wee Herman lol
I believe he also played in Gotham as that Penguin's long lost biological father. I think.
I didn't knowed that Diane Salinger play in two movies of Tim Burton before She play Queen Bansheera in Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue
I could have played that role. Walk with my wife, toss a stroller in the water and look down.
God, what a score. The choir is haunting and deepening. It truly is an incredible choir. Bless Danny Elfman.
CoolNerd lll one of my all time favorite scores
I couldn´t agree more...
Such an iconic theme song now.
It truly conveys the feeling of being forced to do something terrible for a probable greater good.
He's the best ever. I always say there's a reason this and edward scissorhands were my two obsessions as a kid. Elfman and burton make my kind of look, feel and sound. I remember watching this in the theater as a kid in disbelief. Didn't want to leave the theater, I wanted to watch it again.
Fun fact: Paul Reubens aka Pee Wee Herman who played Penguin's dad also played him in the Gotham TV series, and did a magnificent job in both roles might I add.
Thats paul rubens aka pee wee herman
i thought they looked similar
Paul Ruebens. The guy on Gotham was probably a kid when this was released almost 30 years ago
@@KevinMuller5 he meant penguin's dad in gotham not penguin
Not to give you a hard time , you gonna do a fun fact, be sure to know the actor’s name who is already well known.
This is imo the best Batman movie. It's dark, gritty and haunting just like the comics were meant to be.
YEAH. They again didnt hit the success with the new movie... Long time ago producents were A LOT smarter.
I agree! This is my favorite Batman movie as well 🦋😊🖤🎥
@@iioo187 Not when it came to comic book movies. As Superman 3-4 and the Schumacher Batman proved.
@andrion waser Agreed about the army thing, and I'll add that the circus thing is stepping onto Joker's territory. But Penguin in this movie also resents the rich b/c he was denied by his own parents. The mutant half-bird design was pulled off well by the 90s animated series, and fans were actually disappointed when he was later redesigned to look like a fat Paul Reubens.
Depends on the comics you read.. there was a lot of spanking in the 50’s and 60’s
Tim Burton puts "goth" into Gotham City
It’s my favourite interpretation of Gotham City, Batman Arkham City also did a great job
kek
No shit
[drum roll]
Yes it almost looks victorian at the start, gothic mansion, fur coats, 🧐monocles, servants, old fashioned prams, fireplaces. You'd assume it was set in the 19th century.
1:40 that shot ALONE is pure Tim Burton. Dark, gothic, snowing and Danny Elfman opera score.
That’s the beauty of this movie? Man. To this day my favorite superhero movie. Maybe my favorite movie ever. The music, the atmosphere... it wasn’t afraid to push it.
John Doe too bad Warner Bros. and close minded parents didn’t see it that way as they didn’t want Burton back for Batman Forever😞 All because, as Tim Burton put it “because my film didn’t sell happy-meal toys” whatever that means.
yeah alot ppl don't get it. burton is going to make his own version.
that's the penguin and catwoman at the start, then it cuts to a burton movie - a land of fantasy and imagination. it was never going to be a straightforwards batman film. burton always makes weird movies.
penguins down a sewer = fantasy.
Why DID the people of Gotham City opt to make so many of their buildings gothic looking anyway? I wouldn't want to live in a city that had a dark and depressing feel to it.
This film's opening is so unsettling. We never actually see what the baby looks like so we're thinking about the scariest a baby could look but at the same time we feel sorry for the baby as it's just thrown away to float down a freezing river. All on Christmas of all days
Thanks for your cut and paste Rosemary's baby insight/comment that everyone else online already said.
Who's RosemarY?
Penguin dad was an huge "jerkoff " for doing that
@@usualblokeluke Rosemary's Baby is the name of an old film.
@@dookcook3327 wrong movie dumbass...
I remember watching this as a kid and being impacted by the scene. The music, the dark atmosphere, and the story it tells. A very effective opening. I just had to come back to relive the experience
Me too. I was all of 5 seeing this in the theater. Came out of it wanting to be Cobblepot's buddy (even though I am a first-born son LOL). Also it was awesome to see my other childhood pal, Pee Wee Herman as Penguin's dad!
Know what? Screw it. This is best batman movie.
It's the only one that gets the tone of what I feel batman should be perfectly right. It's dark and gothic but still fantastical and kinda campy. This is what I feel batman movies should be. It's about a guy that dresses up a bat. It doesn't need to be super serious or edgy. It's just needs to be gothy and fun, which is what this film is.
I seriously couldn’t agree more. I LOVE this interpretation of the Batman universe, brings out the inner nostalgia.
Kayleigh Brown I'd say Burton did a better job with the first Batman movie. This feels more like a standard Tim Burton movie that just happens to have Batman in it. While I don't think that this is a bad movie, it's obvious that Burton had too much creative freedom and had he been more restricted in what he could do like he was in the first film, this movie might have been better.
@@mrblobby7864 I see this film as Burton's VERTIGO: a mainstream studio film on the surface that is, in outcome, a deeply personal film. It may be the best film Burton's made. Or in this opening's case, a twisted horror variation of CITIZEN KANE (and maybe a bit of THE THIRD MAN in those sewer shots).
In many ways, I take it more as an expressionist horror film, right down to its constant allusions to things like CALIGARI.
Absolutely right. If I want to to watch Heat reimagined as a Comic book film, I will watch the Dark knight. I really liked Heath Ledger, but he only got the acclaim because he died.
Same
That whole Birth Of A Penguin prologue is a gem of exposition. Just narrated by the power of pure visuals and masterful orchestration telling the whole story.
Huh?
Truly a masterpiece. This opening is one of the best of any film, ever.
I completely agree. Off the scale x
I saw you saying that same thing of Citizen Kane, Godfather part 1 & 2, Dirty Harry, allmost all of Leone's and Kubricks films, Raging Bull, Taxi driver, Goodfellas, Deer hunter, Searchers, Vertigo, Rear Window, Shadow of doubt, Psyko, North by northwest, Star wars and Indiana Jones trilogy, Die Hard, Conan the Barbarian, Terminator 1 & 2, Alien & Aliens, Rocky, Rambo and Disney's Fantasia.
Stop talking shit!
pdw tAaOS i agree ! 😀
yep loved the intro, I can watch the bats come flying through the sewers for ever, fantastic musical composition.
One of the greatest opening's and Villan Introduction's of all time
Thank you Tim Burton rise and shine
Thank you Danny Elfman rise and shine
Thank you Danny DeVito rise and shine
@@wiltandblush Yeah
Am I the only one who truly felt bad for Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot?
No, you aren't. I also pity him because he grew up in a zoo and was never touched by a woman.
I too always felt bad for him as well. Sad life, great villain. But in the end you kinda just see it as a person who had a very hard life. Feel bad for him when he dies at the end. Amazing movie.
They threw him in the river because he killed their cat in the cage.
That was just the final straw. They were just looking for a reason.
That is sooo heartbreaking knowing your own parents had bandoned you. I like this penguin very much. I even saved this clip Lol. And really like the idea of animals raising human child just like Mowgli.
I prefer this than the first Batman. The is one of the best sequels ever filmed.
@Jeff Isaacson In some ways, this scene came before the events of the first film so this scene is probably taking place before Jack Napier came to Gotham City which means before he became the Joker.
I would still defend the 1989 original as the better film. This one is too stuffed full of villains and batman is hardly in it. In the original its was personal too for Bruce in this his motivation is just that he doesn't like criminals. It did like the chemistry between Batman and Catwoman but it just gets overwhelmed by all the goofy Tim Burton circus show nonsense like the penguin having an umbrella that flies, or coming up from the ground in whats meant to be a threatening scene in a giant yellow duck. Then you've got the miniature train kidnapping all the children and the secret underground army of penguins. Its just absurd and it came across to me as laughable. Also how can the penguin speak perfect English if he was raised by penguins
@@MiddleWarrior3539 Actually, this scene here of the Penguin's parents dumping him in the sewer is considered the first film which was a flashback on when the Penguin was born and after the opening credits, it jumped to the present year saying "Gotham City 33 Years Later."
@@MiddleWarrior3539 I understand that. Also yes, "Batman" and "Batman Returns" are sequels to each other where the film could at least take place one month after the Joker died which means "Batman" and "Batman Returns" are the 33rd year.
@@lw3646
I think that while the penguin was indeed raised by penguins as an infant as a young man he joined a freak show circus where presumably he adopted his linguistic abilities.
Since the day he was born, Penguin never had a chance in life. His own parents neglected him and literally treated him like an animal. It’s their fault that Penguin became a monster on the inside
That's the intention of the movie this film goes by the idea Batman Catwoman and Penguin are outcasts because society has made them that way and the real evil is normal people.
@@boomstickcritique902 so true
I mean he killed a cat 🐈
So what if he killed a cat? They locked him in a cage and for all intents and purposes were starving him since there's no way to put food in that cage. Anyone who is locked up for no good reason grows contemptuous of the person that did it, and would have an extreme response like that - BECAUSE THEY'RE LOCKED IN A FUCKING CAGE 🙄
@@jakeperkins8473 are you defending the penguin?
The most twisted and creepyest Batman movie ever made.
I love this movie and everything, but every film in the Nolan saga (except for Dark Knight Raises) is darker and more messed up than this one.
The Nolan movies can't even compare, they are just crime dramas. This movie is genuinely twisted and insane. A deformed child is thrown into the sewers, a crazed deformed man wants to drown all of the newborns of Gotham in the sewers, Catwoman's many sexual innuendos and weird behavior as if she's a cat in heat, the pretty hardcore violence.
@@UA-camCX9 yeah, batman's one rule is do not kill
@@hckingking this batman movie gave me night mares as a child it was very disturbing
That's Tim Burton for ya
2:23 I like that the mother has a sort of- for lack of a better word- horrified expression on her face after they drop the baby into the water. It’s like she has a ‘what have I done?’ moment for her, like, even on a subtle level her mother instincts tells her to protect her baby. It’s subtle, but still a nice detail.
The father has a similar expression, though.
@@istinkofpoobut5602 yeah the dad definitely had a kind of expression that seemed to give off a how could we do this to our own son? kind of vibe
@@alexconn7473 except his monocle didn't fall off in shock
Penguins theme is so haunting and tragic. Danny Elfmen is a genius of music scoring.
The ‘Merry Christmas’ before throwing a child into a river- I love this movie.
Some people think the couple that they said marry Christmas too was Thomas and Martha Wayne with baby Bruce
@@alexmason2659 that I would accept as a theory
@@alexmason2659 Doesn't seem too far fetched.
@@ambush_akula5261 I mean I never fully believed it just thought it was an awesome theory
@@minihalkoja590 yeah I just thought it was an awesome theory
This Movie, Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands. Is it me, or does Tim Burton have a thing for ruined christmas-times?
+mrbrockpeters or maybe he just likes showing the twisted side of the holidays
Nightmare before Christmas isn't from Tim Burton though, it's from Henry Selick.. we should start giving that guy some credit xD
Vasilios Grammatidis Hate being a geek, but Burton was still author of the Movie. But yeah, more cred to Selick. It takes a cool man to take the time to make someones elses vision reality.
Yeah i didn't want to descredit anyone but i imagine it "hurts" for Henry Selick because everyone mentions the movie as Tim Burton's creation and they never mention him. If we placed ourself in Selick's shoes and saw everyone praising only Tim Burton for it.. y'know that would suck, that's why i said it haha :D
mrbrockpeters Well, I don’t find that funny at all.
This scene is one reason this sequel is a better film than the original. The 89 movie is just a typical Hollywood opening. This scene actually tells a backstory while at the same time setting up the entire premise of the movie. In this one scene, the audience understands why the Penguin is the way that he is.
The villain of the first movie is the Joker. Telling a backstory is slander to the character. What little origin they did give him was generous.
Prefer the original to this one.
This isn’t a sequel, this is a stand alone film that takes place in a completely different universe compared to the 89 batman. More like fantasy film than a superhero film
@@jackandrews7878 this movie does stand on its own, but it is a sequel. The only difference is...... Burton had complete control over it. They even demoted the producers from the first one to executive producers. They wanted Burton to comeback so badly they told him he could make a Burton movie, with batman. That's why the visuals on this one is alot darker and weirder, even the penguin took on a completely dark tone, and came out so much different than anything from the comics. I like it, I think it's cool as hell.
@@RahulPatel-og2ke Tim Burton gave Joker more backstory than Penguin. We actually got to see the former before he got established as a supervillain. Plus, the OP never said that the Joker should've gotten the intro. Bruce Wayne's past could've been shown at the beginning of the '89 film.
You can tell Tim burton had more control over this film. The first one had dark and Tim burton moments but felt like there was something holding it back for its full potential. In this movie, Tim burton definitely has more control. It's darker, creepier, etc. love this movie.
Spoonful for You I agree ..my fav of this series
The only way he'd comeback is if they let him make a full on Burton film. With Elfman composing stuff in the same key as usual. Don't get me wrong I love Tim Burton movies most of the time and I think Elfman is talented, it's just you can always tell it's him composing movie themes.
It worked as a Burton film. For Batman? Not really to me.
@@maxfrankow1238 That’s what makes this movie better than the first in my opinion, you can feel more of Burton’s style in this film. Plus it has aged better
It's NOT creepy or dark. It's Fvcking AWESOME! Stop being a P😾SSY! 🙄
If you are here because you searched for this epic masterpiece, it means that you are a person of a high quality. Not a fanboy, who eats everything they throw at him. But a true man of culture. Congratulations. And my deepest hatts off to tim burton, danny elfman, and this weird, and obscure dream, which is my all time favourite movie. Although, i always loved this movie, there was a time, when i was thinking that peak of a batman movie would be, if the dark knight was made with tim burton's visuals, and danny elfman's music. But now i realised, that burton needs to be a byt campy. Bcz burton is not for everyone. That bein said, not for people, who need to have everything explained. That's why the amount of campiness is literally needed. Because, this story is visually told. It wants you to stop thinking, and enjoy the mood. If it would be superrealistic and serious like nolan, it would destroy the mood. And bcz of that mood, i enjoy this masterpiece every christmas. And while a beutiful, white, snowy, moody christmas is more of a fairytale thing in the real life, to dive into burton's christmas gotham, is like a true blessing. These two men and their work combined, are one of the things, that made me realise how i love snow, winter, and christmas. And also, to enjoy everything beutiful in life.
Yes Sir!
Thank you❤
Danny Elfman is a musical genius with his scores. Very haunting yet immersive
You know who the real hero of this movie is?
Danny Elfman. Am I right?
Astonishing score.
Indeed, especially the xylophone, brass and bells and the tuba and the oboe, It really is a signature mark of Tim Burton films.
What always amazes me is before Tim Burton asked Danny Elfman if he wanted to score Pee Wees Big Adventure he had never done scoring or film composition. He was in bands yes but he quite literally had never written a soundtrack before, he felt way out of his depth but the guy turned out to just be naturally incredible at it. Thank christ Tim Burton decided to put faith in him otherwise we would have probably been deprived of one of the most talented composers in cinema.
Oingo Bongo
Well said Tim.
@@AbrahamLincoln4 especially from the opera at 1:40! Man Danny Elfman is the best ever Music composer
This movie made me love Batman. Still the best Batman movie in my opinion.
Two things have bothered me since seeing this movie as child, 1) what the fuck were penguins doing in gotham sewers and 2) penguin was only 33 wtf.
His Dudeness My theory: He spent only small amount of his childhood with the penguins. He spent the rest with the circus,maybe when around 7-teenage. There he was exposed with stimuli,maybe gaining fondness of Victorian fashion and umbrellas,and eventually ran back to the sewer, silently educating himself even further.
They weren't in the sewers. They were in the Arctic World penguin enclosure at the Gotham Zoo, which (or so the movie seems to imply) is connected somehow to the sewers or the storm drain system. Doesn't make much sense from a real-world perspective, I admit, but hey, it's Tim Burton; a lot of his stuff is like that.
Max told Bruce Wayne they could have been bunk buddies at school........making him only supposed to be 33 as well?!
Not a lot of people gets the "Who raised Penguin?" point.
He wasn't raised with the Penguins, he spent his whole life with the circus. The penguins animals we're part of the Red Circus Triangle Gang at that time, probably. When they go to feed the animals, they found Penguin, and educated him across the years (Also, used him as a Circus Show). Across the years, Penguin make himself "The Boss" of the Gang, and used them to execute his plans across his life (Killing Children across USA, not Only Gotham, and disappearing always). This is explained when Batman finds the Red Circus Triangle Gang Files on the BatComputer. It's not implied directly that Penguin Kidnapped and Killed those children himself...But yeah, his "Kill the first born sons of Gotham" confirms that his favorite victims are Childens.
The movie pretty much confirms all of this across the film, but nobody paid atention to this, somehow. The 90% of people ACTUALLY believes that Penguin was raised by Penguins his whole life LMAO.
@@JhonJanorNapier The novelization of the movie also implies that Penguin killed his parents before events in Batman Returns
Fun fact: Burgess Meredith (the actor who played penguin in the 1966 batman show) was offered to played penguin’s father (Tucker Cobblepot) before Paul Reubens was offered which would have been a tribute to the show. But illness prevented Burgess from appearing so Paul took over the role.
Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't Adam West and Newmar going to play Bruce Waynes Parents and get shot in the beginning of the movie as a symbolic way of killing the past?
Without a doubt this penguin (and perhaps the comic books as well its been a while since I read any) has easily one of the most tragic back stories ever put to media
Not so, actually - his official origin involves him being bullied a lot as a child; he became the Penguin because that's what his childhood tormentors used to call him.
@@Psycopathicus true.this is there own version
@@Psycopathicus
I feel like being abandoned by your own parents and then trying to kill you by plunging you in a freezing river and then as a teenager having to join a freak show is more tragic than some childhood bullying…just my opinion though.
@@henrylivingstone2971 Well, they're both pretty tragic in their own way, really - one is more 'real world' tragic, and one is more, um... Burton-y tragic. No point in playing 'which is worse' - tragic is tragic, either way.
@@Psycopathicus
Well it might not be as usual in our times but people trying to murder their disabled children was pretty common all the way into the early twentieth century. So I feel like while they are both tragic, the fact that your parents tried to kill you after just a few days of your birth is more tragic than being teased by school mates.
That poor baby...and that poor cat!!!
C. Evans180 So he always had a love/hate thing with cats!
@@itiswhatitaintanditaintwha1427 I think you're right: looking back, that may have been deliberate foreshadowing.
God I miss the 90’s
Me too the best time
Rideshare Talkshow me too.
When real art was still produced.
The couple at @1:55 could possibly be Bruce Wayne's parents Thomas and Martha Wayne walking Bruce past Oswalds parents in the snow! Does anyone else have that same assumption?
No.
I never thought of that but I can see that being a possibility.
I thought the same thing when I saw the scene again !
Particularly the music gives me goosebumps
1:39. that skyline and song sends chills up my spine
It definitely gives off a gothic feel to Gotham City, doesn't it?
My all time favourite movie. Tim Burton's Batman Returns is truly the most darkest and deepest superhero movie ever made :D
The Tim Burton Batman films helped define the modern superhero movies, not to mention they inspired the DCAU. I love that guy, dark themes and all
Jungoguy Me too
BUT THEY ARE NOT SYMMETRICAL
@ProMonarchyGenius watchmen
How can the penguin speak English perfectly when he's raised as a baby by penguins?
I really want more of these vibes for batman movies. these days, it's too much focus on action and being serious and making batman look cool
I totally agree with you, we can tell a dark and serious story by implementing magical and architectural elements (gothic art deco for example) coming out of the real world while remaining credible thanks to the staging and the rhythm :) after the realistic delirium à la Nolan doesn't bother me but we had that for a while (2005-2012 but these dates have passed) so instead of doing Nolan again, it's better to move on to something else, for example the artistic direction burlesque by Tim Burton or that of Rocksteady with the Arkham games which plunges into the surreal real and the pure fantastic fairy tale by adding poetry in the staging rendering the iconography of the sets, characters and history stronger more by taking liberties with them. Where was it a shame on Warner's part not to have given Tim Burton the opportunity to make a third film where, in my opinion, we would have been entitled to a Batman 3 which could have been a surreal madness, a huge cartoon barbaric and psychoanalytical with the main villain, I don't know, the Scarecrow, Poison Ivy or Mr. Freeze. Batman 3, with a free and motivated Burton in command, could have been even more monstrous, even more awesome than Batman Returns.
At the time, when Warner Bros was looking for another director for The Batman before Matt Reeves, I was so hoping that it would be Guillermo Del Toro who would take over because the latter would have been the worthy successor to Tim Burton as far as burlesque is concerned and also he knows how to do dark and serious noir stories and fairy tales for adults and it would have been moving and spectacular to see a Batman movie directed by Del Toro ^^
I wish they would make a new Spawn film, but done right
If you want a darker themed batman. Then just go find Tim Burton
Well if you haven't played the first Lego Batman, then you could get those vibes from it.
Probably won’t ever happen again. Burton is one of a kind. I doubt there will ever be another Tim Burton in our lifetime
Extremely well done, the music, the timing, everything.
No cats were harmed in the making of this video.
Or penguins
Hahaha
Or bats 😉
And only 3 human babies were drowned.
1:40 that city scape+ soundtrack= GOOSEBUMPS 😍😍😍😍😍
Great film. We don’t need stupid origin films. Just shoot an excellent 10 min story and we’re good. Burton does a great job. You already feel for the penguin as you hear his horrific cry falling into the sewer. Such a strong scene.
That dark, low, droning organ bass note at the very start still chills me.
RIP Paul Pee Wee Herman Reubens Thank you for the Years Of TV And Movies 😢
R.I.P. Paul Reubens
Even though this came out in the middle of June, I can gladly say that this is a Christmas movie.
I absolutely LOVE this intro. One of my favourites!
I dunno if it’s ever been confirmed but I like to think the other couple with the stroller that the cobblepots pass by are the Wayne’s. Look at the symbolism. Bruce in the angelic stroller, and Oswald in the dark, severe one. It works!!!
That is my same headcanon.
@@sandradermark8463 I thought I was the only one...
Nothing like taking your baby on a walk in the middle of a cold snow packed night lol
Ironically it could also have been a baby Harvey Dent. Gotham's future white knight before he turned.
Just watched Cruella and rewatching this- this is still the best opening to an origin story of a villain such as the 🐧 Penguin. No narration required, haunting score and masterful direction. More memorable! ❄️
I find Tim Burton’s version to be more interesting than the Comic Book. Normally I’d be upset as a fan that a filmmaker does such a thing, but being such a stylish film it passes.
Thomas and Martha Wayne 1:55 lol jk it would've been cool tho
i'll consider it canon
NightIMarEx1 It's kinda strange I always thought that the Penguin was at least 10 or 15 years older than Batman.
Κωνσταντίνος Ρόδης Bruce Wayne looks in his 30s in Burton movie
Κωνσταντίνος Ρόδης in this movie it is said by Max that they are about the same age
RIP Paul Reubens
2:39 sends chills down my spine every single time
Even as a kid, when the Batman theme kicks in and the characters from DC Comics scene title comes on screen, it brings tears to my eyes.
Rest in Peace Paul Reubens 🕊️
Yes, still one of my Top 10 Movies ever, after all these years. If one gets past the campiness, the psychological study of the three main characters is a masterpiece.
MarciCow
This movie isn't campy at all
As someone who abhors the more recent Batman movies and feels they’ve sucked the life out of the Joker in these latest films, I look at this Tim Burton film and feel that he truly understood what Batman is all about and knew how to portray him and his dark world extremely effectively.
Yeah but you're wrong.
"You didn't invite me, so I CRASHED!!"
While in a giant yellow duck wielding an umbrella that also flies....
Best score ever
leather face the music is awesome
Batman Returns is definitely my favorite film of the old Burton/Schumacher series. There are amazing performances and some good writing to be seen in this movie. Even though the Penguin and Catwoman in this are nothing like the characters in the actual comics, the villainous performances of Danny DeVito and Michelle Pfeiffer are amazing and, IMO, don't get the praise they deserve as they both did just as good of a job as the widely-beloved Nicholson version of the Joker. The haunting music, and the dark visuals... man, this is how you do a kickass opening sequence.
I would have preferred Morgan Edge/Solomon Grundy here.Burtons penguin is closer to that character should have just used him
Clever how they let Paul Rubens play the Penguins father also in the Gotham series. R.I.P Paul Ruebens.
This is a great film, but it scared me alot when I saw this as a kid.
When I was around 11 my brother was really getting into Batman and finally we decided to watch the movie and to me it was like something out of a nightmare and another reason to be afraid of the circus.
I concur. You know what always got me when I was a kid? The way he fell when he died. And then that shot of his face in the water afterwards. I couldn't watch that for years.
@@marsha-madness-super-badness exactly I never felt so bad for the bad guys and that’s what I love about Batman, those villains arent just maniacs for no reason.
This man was abandoned by his parents and thrown into the sewers where he was raised by birds.
@@pepijn23 Right... But I never actually felt bad for him, those shots just scared me. That dude was stealing kids. Even if it were a real person I'd sympathize with what happened to him but still want him dead if he went on to ruin someone else's childhood.
Now that you mention it Batman did have interesting villains. The one that stuck with me was Tim Drake in "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker" 😔.
I really like that they put in what sounds like a cry from Penguin at 3:21
If only Tim Burton & Michael Keaton returned for Batman Forever, would have been fantastic trilogy!
RIP Paul reubens penguin father
As someone who been treated differently, like Penguin for his deformity and me for my autism, I feel bad for Tim Burton's Penguin
1:55 Baby Wayne meets baby Cobblepot
Elfman's Batman theme is the definitive one. Zimmer had a good crack at replacing it, but to me every time I think of Batman it's the Elfman theme that pops up in my head.
Me too. Elfman is a terrific composer.
One of the greatest openings to a film! The music, the gothic atmosphere, Gotham in the snow. Love it!
The first batman film I saw. Truly amazing
The first one for me too
1:56 I like to imagine that those other two people they pass by are Thomas and Martha...
It kinda works as a call forward to a comment someone made to Bruce about how "If things were different You and Cobblepot would have been buddies at boarding school" (which is funny because that is actually true in some continuities)
I love how Burton is telling Penguin's origin story without dialogue, unlike Nolan who loves to explain everything.
Art Trivia This shit was So Classic & Great..my fav Batman movie of this series..I didn't like Cheesy Light hearted Batman Forever too much
Visual storytelling is and has always been superior.
I love how the Cobblepot's inexplicably live like late Victorian's despite being in what was roughly 1950's America.
Rest in peace, Paul Reubens.
I wish I could go back in time, and somehow convince WB execs to give Burton his third film.
It would've been neat if Tim Burton stayed on to direct Batman Forever (a title I'd prefer over proposed Batman Continues title) and 2 more Batman movies after 3rd instead of Joel Schumacher.
Part of me wonders if WB is still kicking themselves over the boneheaded decision to dump Burton. Schumacher kind of steered the Batman movie franchise in a direction that didn't really resemble what Burton had in mind.
Had Tim Burton stayed on for Batman Forever and additional Batman movies... My dream cast for that...
Michael Keaton would've certainly reprised his role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Pat Hingle would've returned as Commissioner Gordon.
Michael Gouch as Alfred.
I'd have taken Robin Williams as Edward Nygma/Riddler instead of Jim Carrey.
I'd have anticipated Billy Dee Williams reprising the role of Harvey Dent/Two-Face instead of it being recasted to Tommy Lee Jones.
I'd presume Michelle Pfeiffer possibly returning as Selina Kyle/Catwoman in this and another Batman movie.
The role of Dick Grayson/Robin would've been interesting. My top 3 picks would've been either Michael Vitar (from The Sandlot and The Mighty Ducks movies), or Henry Thomas (from E.T.), or maybe a young Joaquin Phoenix. I don't really feel it for Marlon Wayans. Chris O'Donnell is an okay actor. River Phoenix would've been an interesting pick had he lived.
I could've pictured Robert Wuhl returning as Alex Knox. Burton still casting another background character Gossip Gerty to Elizabeth Sanders. Not sure about Kim Basinger reprising her role of Vicki Vale. Also not sure whether Drew Barrymore and Debi Mazar would've appeared in Batman Forever either. I'd imagine Dr. Chase Meridian character coming in later Batman movie.
My dream cast for additional Batman movies after Batman Forever...
Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze... Patrick Stewart (from Star Trek: The Next Generation), hands down, for that role instead of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Barbara/Batgirl... I believe Christina Ricci, hands down, would be a great pick.
Pamela Eisley/Poison Ivy... I could picture either Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix from Harry Potter) or Jenna Elfman (from Dharma & Greg sitcom) in that role instead of Uma Thurman.
Bane... I could see a young Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson being an interesting pick.
Scarecrow... I could picture either Brad Dourif or Gary Oldman in that role.
Harley Quinn... I could picture Jennifer Tilly in that role, despite that character not appearing in 1989 film, unless that character is written in to avenge Joker's death and/or as scorned other woman in Joker's life.
So do I buddy. I would've had Burton do six movies with the last one in 2002 just in time for Nolan's Trilogy to start production afterward.
Agree!
Notice how the children's choir erupts into a playful "la-la-la" style while the parents push Penguin in the baby stroller, almost symbolizing what a day out with the "family" would be for young Penguin as an infant, had he been born normal, on a sunny day but because he isn't normal and it's in the middle of the night the themes are dark and melancholy and ultimately sinister in their intent. Also notice the motif when the parents reach the top of the bridge over the bubbling brook and the children's choir reaches an almost sudden response of "OH! OH!" which could be translated as "NO! NO!" - much like in opera - with the children's choir pleading with the parents to not do what they've ultimately set out to do, which is murder their child. Danny Elfman is a master composer and it's a shame that he hasn't won an Academy Award yet. His day is coming.
chad stephens and did you here penguin screaming in that part,like "Eck,ECK!!" in his inhuman voice. And notice that he didnt cry as he flow through the sewer system. Maybe in that time, penguin has prematurely grew into a man to cope with his dark and hard life ahead....
He's an incredible composer. His Spiderman theme is legendary
chad stephens The notion that the choir was pleading with the parents scared the hell out of me. I'd never thought of that before.
That is one reason why this song haunts me... I can't describe why I love this song.... I'm subbing to you due to your review
To be fair, there’s a “la la” or an “oh oh” in, like, every other piece he’s done lol
It is weird watching something as a kid and then as an adult. I loved it then, and am a bit torn by it now. Guess I'll have to watch the whole thing again.
Why torn?
There’s something about the look on the parents faces when they toss him into the water that always stuck with me. They’re not so much relieved but more uncertainty or I dare say regretful.
my favourite Batman film. Just had everything going for it. Great soundtrack, dark Tim Burton theme, great cast, forget the foam snow, it was a blast and still is.... "It could be worse, your nose could be gushing blood"!! Keaton made it a classic. Got to love Walken's perfomance in it. Catwoman...... "give is a break lady Our take home is only 90.dollars...haha :)
Out of all the great movies we got in the 90's I think this was my favorite opening credits scene.
R.I.P. Paul Reubens (Tucker Cobblepot)
Even though this movie has more of a Tim Burton twist, it actually works very well with the Batman mythology. The gothic and twisted atmosphere compliments the movie.
Tucker Cobblepot = Paul "Pee-wee Herman" Reubens (RIP, you brilliant weirdo)
Esther Cobblepot = Diane Salinger = Simone the Waitress in Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Tim Burton = Directed this and PWBA
Danny Elfman = Scored this and PWBA
Does Burton always have a really dark/Gothic potentially Christmas set movie brewing up his sleeve???
Growing up that's what I'd always liked about his films because I was born that day. I remember when it used to snow during Christmas time...
Remember the Nightmare Before Christmas? Creepy and joyful Christmas mixed in together done by Tim Burton such a genius!!
Not to mention, Corpse Bride, which is a very underrated film
One of my favorite pieces of music.
Paul Reubens played Cobblepot's dad again in Gotham TV Show
LPguy26 And the Gotham version is crap, being more Joker than Penguin.
@@imaadshahrukh4829 you're entitled to your opinion even though I completely disagree.
@@shadowrev2914 Thanks for respecting my opinion.
@@imaadshahrukh4829 No prob, dude.
@Ruturaj Shiralkar Very funny
For these past 30 years this remains the darkest almost most emotional Batman movie I’ve ever seen in my entire life the ending is just the same as Edward Scissorhands enough for anyone to feel too empty inside
Danny Devito nailed it.
What I love about the Penguin in this movie is that he is both utterly tragic and utterly irredeemable.
I didn't realize the actress that played Oswald's mom is Simone from Pee Wee's Big Adventure. RIP Paul Reubens.
Diane Salinger who played Esther Cobblepot and Paul Reubens who played Tucker Cobblepot also played Simone the Waitress and Pee Wee Herman respectively in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. Both films were directed by Tim Burton.
My favorite Batman movie of all time and also my 3rd favorite Christmas movie of all time.
The Origin story of Frank Reynolds
And the Anti Lorax
Lol
I almost cried at watching Penguin's parents throwing him away at Christmas🥺🥺🥺
The baby cart floating down the dark spooky river is I think emblematic of Charon's boat, upon which all must eventually ride. It also reminds me of the scenes that take place at the river sanzu in the movie 'Jigoku'. This one's one of the best batman movies.
RIP Paul❤
When that Warner Bros logo pops up and that dark, sinister music comes on... I get chills, Everytime. This movie doesn't get enough credit.
I love Batman Returns.
Just as he hits the storm drain, you can tell he says "Ma ma" that alone gave me the chills.
And this Batman finally returned in the flash movie
Oswalds father reminds me of Gomez Addams. 😂 Fun fact: the actor who plays his father in this movie also played his father in the series of Gotham.
Best Batman movie ever....