Super hero films are ' ten a penny' (very common) these days. But for many years
In the 70s and early 80s, it was Christopher Reeve and Superman. And that was pretty much it. But it was Batman in 1989 that really changed the game. Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne and Jack Nicholson as the Joker brought the caped crusader to the screen like never seen before, a dark and brooding super hero movie that the public loved.
But the sequel.....
After Nicholson, Batman Returns needed a villain that could match the Joker. Being Impossible, director Tim Burton instead went with not one but two recognizable foes; Danny Devito as The Penguin and the incredible Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman.
But Burton wasn't finished there. In fact, the true villain of the film is Christopher Walken's Max Schreck, a ruthless billionaire with all of Bruce's drive but none of his scruples. Walken is fantastic in the role and with DeVito's Penguin pretty much relegated to comic relief, it is Walken and Pfeiffer that really shine here.
Add to this gorgeous sets and cinematography, a great Batman in Keaton, and a Christmas-set story, and you have a Batman film that, despite what the Nolan fans say, has yet to be beaten.
'Mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it.' 'But a kiss can be even deadlier if you mean it...'