10 Worst Performances In Batman Movies

2. Danny DeVito €“ The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot (Batman Returns)

As said earlier, when Tommy Lee Jones ramped up the intensity of his performance in Batman Forever it was irritating. However, if Jones pushed his performance to the edge, DeVito actively went over the cliff, landed in a pit of broken glass, climbed back up the cliff, and dived off again. For some reason people think of Batman Returns as being a grounded film - but you only have to look at DeVito€™s turn as the penguin to get a sense of just how campy a film it is. DeVito is absolutely vile in the film. His voice is like gravel, his mannerisms are sickening, and in general he is absolutely nothing like the character he is supposed to be. Everything about this performance is pantomime and melodrama, and this makes it impossible to sympathise or empathise with Cobblepot because there is not a shred of humanity or subtlety in the character. It is obvious that like Jones, he was blinded by Nicholson€™s turn as the Joker, but even a fleeting few seconds of research or discussion would have made him realise that they are in fact different characters, and not all villains have to be this cartoonish. Burton is obviously to blame as well in this case, but as someone who should understand the nuances of characterisation, DeVito really dropped the ball on this one, and arguably tainted the character of the Penguin so badly that it has never been considered again €“ even though the Penguin would arguably be the easiest character to do.