20 Things You Somehow Missed In Batman Returns

2. It’s Set At Christmas

Batman Returns
DC

We all know a Christmas movie that isn't quite a fun family film for the Yuletide Season.

There’s Gremlins; Die Hard; Lethal Weapon; Silent Night, Deadly Night; It’s a Wonderful Life, and even Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas. Against such titles as this, Batman Returns doesn’t always automatically spring to mind as a Christmas film. After all, The Penguin bites people’s noses almost clean off and makes all kinds of filthy remarks, Catwoman is an almost pure sadomasochistic fantasy who would not be out of place in any of the films of Paul W.S. Anderson, and even Batman himself does his own fair share of killing.

But the backdrop to all of that is decidedly more pleasant. The film virtually opens with the Ice Princess lighting up the Christmas tree in the Rockefeller Center-inspired Gotham Plaza (she later has a much less pleasant experience in lighting up the tree), Alfred is seen dressing the towering Christmas tree at Wayne Manor, the city is filled with snow, and there are always the creepily romantic encounters between Bruce Wayne/Batman and Selina Kyle/Catwoman under the mistletoe.

Certainly not the most child-friendly of Christmas films but, in a market filled with Christmas-set action films, this surely must be one of the best.

Contributor

I started writing for WhatCulture in July 2020. I have always enjoyed reading and writing. I have contributed to several short story competitions and I have occasionally been fortunate enough to have my work published. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I also started reviewing films on my Facebook page. Numerous friends and contacts suggested that I should start my own website for reviewing films, but I wanted something a bit more diverse - and so here I am! My interests focus on film and television mainly, but I also occasionally produce articles that venture into other areas as well. In particular, I am a fan of the under appreciated sequel (of which there are many), but I also like the classics and the mainstream too.