Batman Returns (1992) has emerged as a film that frequently fades into the shadow of its blockbuster predecessor, Batman (1989). The former, written by the gifted Daniel Waters, did not receive the praise and recognition it genuinely deserved. Michael Keaton portrayed the Caped Crusader in the second installment of the Warner Bros. original Batman film series, standing up against Danny DeVito’s Penguin to protect the citizens of Gotham.
Waters, the screenwriter for Tim Burton’s gothic superhero follow-up, explained how the initial reaction to the 1992 film didn’t turn out well. Despite being criticized for being excessively violent and dark for a Batman movie, Batman Returns set records at the box office during its opening weekend. Although it garnered favorable reviews and was nominated for two Oscars, it was unable to match Batman‘s ($411.6 million) longevity or level of success.
Michael Keaton’s Batman Returns Wasn’t Given Its Due Respect?
Michael Keaton‘s Batman Returns was unquestionably a masterpiece of the gothic genre. This was the ideal holiday movie for people whose lives are a little bit darker than usual. But this thriller film’s writer claimed that not everyone first regarded it with the same respect, and that was a disappointing reception.
Screenwriter Daniel Waters, who spoke with Vulture about Tim Burton‘s 1992 follow-up to Batman, said that the film was not as well received:
“I think now – especially since the 2022 Batman came out, which I quite enjoyed – people are coming around to Batman Returns. Not that it wasn’t respected when it came out, but it’s never been popular with true Batman fans.”
According to Waters, this could be the movie for those who are not the biggest fans of The Dark Knight.
“A friend, fellow screenwriter Josh Olson, who wrote A History of Violence, has a line: ‘Batman Returns is a movie for people who hate Batman’. I accept that criticism’.”
Batman Returns was slightly surprising, of course, considering it is a Batman film. It lacked action, featured little of Bruce Wayne or the Big Bad Bat, and had a dark, whimsical tone that stood in stark contrast to the serious drama found in the comic books.
Michael Keaton Admitted That Filming Batman Returns Was Strange
Many people consider Christian Bale or Ben Affleck to be the original Batman. However, Tim Burton and Michael Keaton initially introduced a fresh perspective on the character. Both Batman and Batman Returns were huge hits. But the later movie was not as well-liked as the first one was at the time. That being said, Keaton did not find the film odd in this regard.
He once acknowledged in the Shadows of the Bat featurette that the reason behind his struggle to play Bruce Wayne and Batman again was because
“The only challenge I thought of before I started it was the mere fact that I had never done a character twice. So I was interested in doing it. What I hadn’t anticipated was, in my second or third day, I realized something seemed a little off. And what I think I was doing was imitating myself.”
The actor admitted that he made a mistake by not looking at and researching the character from various angles. He had the impression that he understood everything at once. Keaton further elaborated:
“You’re playing the same character. So I had to keep thinking, ‘I’ve played this character. So what does he do here?’ And I excluded any other possibilities… So I found myself doing an impersonation of myself, which was first of all impossible. And second of all, really strange.”
Anyway, Keaton returned to the role of Batman in the DC Extended Universe movie The Flash (2023), which went on to be the biggest box-office flop of all time.
Both Batman and Batman Returns are streaming on Max, while you can watch The Flash on Amazon Prime Video.
