TIM BURTON

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBBB.5

USA/United Kingdom, 1992.  Warner Bros., Polygram Filmed Entertainment.  Story by Daniel Waters, Sam Hamm, Screenplay by Daniel Waters.  Cinematography by Stefan Czapsky.  Produced by Tim Burton, Denise Di Novi.  Music by Danny Elfman.  Production Design by Bo Welch.  Costume Design by Bob Ringwood, Mary E. Vogt.  Film Editing by Bob Badami, Chris Lebenzon.  

The best of the first four Batman films is this excellent adventure by Tim Burton, which offers more background to the villains’ stories than we got the last time around, allowing the hero to have more fun with his toys and using a more vibrant, stunning array of beautiful colours with which to paint the scene of Gotham City.   Michael Keaton returns as millionaire Bruce Wayne, whose alter ego Batman must now save the city from the evil of a deformed, underworld menace known as the Penguin (Danny DeVito).

That’s not the only trouble our winged friend gets, however, because there’s also a maltreated secretary named Selena Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer) who emerges from a freak accident (?) as the sexy and alluring Catwoman. Pfeiffer gives a fantastic, silver-bullet performance that steals every scene of the show, probably the best reason why this film is so memorable.

Academy Award Nominations:  Best Makeup; Best Visual Effects