Batman (1989)

This is far from a perfect movie; there's a lack of focus, the pacing is awful, Basinger screams too much, and - beyond the "You wanna get nuts!" part - I'm not fond of Keaton's quirky Bruce Wayne. That aside, though, Nicholson's Joker is wonderful - every scene of his is gold - I love the Gothic atmosphere, and Keaton's performance as Batman is very good. Overall, despite it's flaws, its still the best live-action Batman film I've seen thus far.

6/10

Batman Returns (1992)

I am not a fan of Tim Burton, not in the least. I think he has a good eye for visuals, but his direction is unpalatable; almost all of his films are oppressive with - for lack of a better term - "dark camp", and there's an ugliness underlaying his style which, while I can't define what it is, is always present. The only reason I like the original Batman film as much as I do is because it isn't a true Burton film - he wasn't allowed full creative control - so it isn't brought down by his overbearing style.

Anyway, to get on with my point, I hate everything pertaining to the Penguin in this film; his entire storyline is an ill-conceived, miscarried abomination that single-handedly brings the whole film down. Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against DeVito's performance itself; he did a decent job with the material he had to work with, but the material was used toilet paper from Burton's bathroom, plain and simple. The film isn't all bad, though; the Gothic atmosphere is still nice, Walken is appropriately sleazy as Max Shreck, Keaton's Bruce isn't as annoyingly quirky this time around, and the Batman/Catwoman subplot is - for another lack of a better term - right.

5/10