10 Movie Sequels WAY Crazier Than The Original
6. Batman Returns
Say what you will about Warner Bros., but they've produced some truly nutty sequels in their time, and few can match the mesmerising gothic zaniness of Tim Burton's Batman Returns.
Now, Burton's original 1989 Batman was already relatively out-there, with its German Expressionist-inspired art direction, rather unhinged depiction of the Bruce Wayne/Batman dichotomy, and inclusion of music by Prince.
But it feels like a dead-ordinary superhero movie compared to Batman Returns, which centers itself so boldly around The Penguin (Danny DeVito) - a shamelessly ridiculous villain and yet one who is both tragic and terrifying courtesy of Danny DeVito's superb performance and Burton's expert handle on tone.
That's without getting into the kinkiness of Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) and her sizzling sexual tension with Batman - remember, in a film marketed towards children.
It's perhaps the horniest "family-friendly" superhero film ever made, and certainly the weirdest.
Much like Gremlins 2, Burton only agreed to return if he had major creative control, in turn allowing him to throw all of this into the mix along with mind-controlled rocket-totting penguin minions, because why the hell not?
Its considerably darker, edgier tone put a major dent in its box office - netting almost $150 million less than the original - yet today many believe it to be the superior of Burton's two Batman movies.