Batman’s versatility is one of the reasons he has lasted so long on screen. From the campy ’60s TV series to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, the World’s Greatest Detective has been adapted to the screen in many iterations, each rendition showing distinct indications of the filmmakers and eras from which they emerged while being undeniably the Batman.
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Perhaps no Batman film has demonstrated this as well as Tim Burton’s go-for-broke sequel, Batman Returns, which followed up his 1989 hit with lashings of latex, exploding penguins, and an offbeat viewpoint. After thirty years, a different Batman picture, Matt Reeves’ The Batman, receives the same praise, with fans and critics alike praising the noir-style film’s dark, gritty tone. While the discussion about The Batman conjures up recollections of Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, it turns out that Burton has yet to watch The Batman.
Tim Burton hasn’t watched The Batman yet
Burton admitted to Empire magazine that the debate about how dark and brutal Reeves’ The Batman is, “is funny” because of the same criticism that accompanied Batman Returns. “It is funny to see this now because all these memories come back of, ‘It’s too dark,’” he says. “So, it makes me laugh a little bit.” He also mentioned that he is yet to watch Matt Reeves’ noir-thriller, however, he wishes to give it a watch, “I’d like to see it,” he said.
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In the end, Batman Returns was Burton’s final Batman feature. Following the criticism that Batman Returns was too dark, Warner Bros. decided to take a different approach with Batman Forever, opting for a “lighter” tone and a different director in Joel Schumacher. However, when it comes to Batman Returns, Burton says he doesn’t see the film solely for its darkness and gothic elements. He claims it’s more of a mash-up of stuff and that he likes it. “I’m not just overly dark. That represents me in the sense that… that’s how I see things. It’s not meant as pure darkness. There’s a mixture. I feel really fondly about it because of the weird experiment that it felt like.”
Source – Empire Magazine
