Batman Returns (1992)

Tim Burton’s second outing as director in the Dark Knight canon is his best, and probably one of the finest of the whole franchise. Burton was not keen on taking the role again after Batman (1989), a film that he’s still not keen on after being forced to give up creativity in favour of the studios wishes. After being given strict promises that he would have carte blanche with the follow up, Burton returned to the role and his hand prints are all over the final feature. Michael Keaton was also persuaded to return to the role of the Dark Knight, and he barely features in the opening forty five minutes as Burton introduces us to Danny DeVito’s Penguin and business tycoon Max Shreck (an excellent Christopher Walken), amongst a snow covered Gotham City. Burton’s vision of the city is arguably the best of the franchise, and he does a great job of combining genuine darkness that’s borrowed form the original comic books with elements of campness derived from the excellent sixties television show (penguins with explosives attached to them). One wonders how Batman Forever (1995) would have looked if Michelle Pfeiffer, superb as Catwoman here, had reappeared with Keaton and Burton (who was offered the directors reigns initially). As it was, Joel Schumacher took the franchise in a very different direction, one that nearly sunk the ship with Batman & Robin (1997), although it has to be said that Batman Forever is a lot better than it’s given credit for. As it was, this was Burton's last foray into Gotham, and he ended it on a high. 7.2/10