10 Reasons Tim Burton's Batman Movies Are Still The Best
5. The Dark Tone
Dark, dark and then some more dark seemed to be Tim Burtons approach. Its his approach to everything really. Inspired by Frank Millers seminal The Dark Knight Returns, Burtons vision of the series is like a gothic fairytale. The city is a dark, towering metropolis filled with thieves and killers, and the sun never seems to shine. Most of the characters are psychologically tortured in some way, and even when its Christmas nobody seems to be having any fun. The Joker and The Penguin enjoy killing and causing mayhem, and the stakes feel real. This darkness also went some way towards proving a film based on a comic could be mature, which was a breakthrough at the time. This did lend to controversy in one element though. Burtons version of Batman has no problem killing, and over the two films he shoots, explodes and sets on fire well over a dozen people. This is a big no-no for the character usually, and while its a little disturbing watching the hero casually murder a bunch of bad guys, it fits with the depressed world he exists in.
