People love to watch holiday-themed movies during the month of December, and luckily, there are a bunch of superhero movies, like Iron Man 3 and Spider-Man: No Way Home, that count as perfect choices for the Yuletide season.
Indeed, fans would find certain elements of Christmas in these Marvel movies, but did you know that there is one DC movie that has stood the test of time and is considered the original and classic Christmas film? Yes, Michael Keaton’s Batman Returns!
Move Over Iron Man 3 And No Way Home, Batman Returns Is The Best Holiday Movie Ever
Nothing beats a good old ‘90s Christmas film to put on play during the festive month of December, and Tim Burton’s 1992 sequel Batman Returns just perfectly fit the aesthetic. Set during Christmas time, the film saw Michael Keaton’s Batman facing two villains: Max Shreck and Oswald Cobblepot, aka Penguin.
With its dark theme and action-heavy performance, Batman Returns makes a surprisingly great holiday movie to watch when the whole family craves a non-conventional Christmas film. Besides, the spirit of the season is strongly felt in the story.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man 3 was also set around Christmas week, and fans saw the titular hero blow up his own suits across the sky to create a makeshift fireworks display. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: No Way Home is also considered a great holiday film, especially with its worldwide release last December 2021. Many viewers surely spent their vacation watching Peter Parker save the world again from his enemies.
Still, fans feel that Keaton’s grim portrayal of Batman with the backdrop of the colorful festivity made a stunning contrast. Not only the visuals exhibited in the film but the themes tackled in the movie are also reminiscent of the true essence of Christmas. The classic story of good versus evil was also prevalent. Think of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and its focus on greed and corruption.
Of course, Christmas is not always happy for everyone. People do experience the blues despite the jolly season, which was surprisingly addressed in Batman Returns. As a loner with only his butler as his companion inside the house, Bruce Wayne spends another lonely Christmas without a partner.
Batman Can Also Be A Christmas Icon
The idea of Batman Returns’ qualification as a Christmas movie remains debatable and is highly subjective to the viewers. While the whole plot of the Michael Keaton-starrer film is not entirely about the topic of Christmas, the visuals and aesthetics are evidently screaming holiday spirit.
The Yuletide season is also a great time to revisit one’s favorite comic book movies without any pressure or competition. After watching Batman Returns, feel free to re-watch Iron Man 3 and No Way Home. The point is to get into the holiday mood!
Batman may be a really dark and brooding character, but he has had a number of iterations across different media, such as video games and animated films, where he celebrated Christmas along with the gloomy backdrop of the City of Gotham.
