5 Comic Book Movies That Get Unnecessary Hate

1. Batman Returns

The original 1989 Batman film pretty much created the modern comic book movie blockbuster. To this day the 1989 Batman film is praised and to be honest with you I still can't buy in to the hype. I've tried many times but I can't get in to the movie because Michael Keaton is not a convincing Batman, the movie is slightly boring, Jack Nicholson's Joker just didn't work for me, and well...Prince. I commend the film for breaking new ground and bringing comic book films to the mainstream but in my humble opinion it pales in comparison to Batman Returns. Batman Returns is one of those films people either lover or hated. The first film in this franchise was dark but Batman Returns was just straight up weird. Tim Burton got a little self indulgent here by using Gothic set pieces to portray Gotham city and overall just making the film bleak. Yes this film is dark and yes this film is strange but if you can get past the awkwardness left by Tim Burton's fingerprints a pretty damn good movie lies underneath. I said earlier that Michael Keaton was not convincing as The Dark Knight in Batman but he makes up for it in Batman returns. It's tough to say that he's the guy you want to wear the cape and cowl but for this film it works. Keaton plays the Bruce Wayne billionaire well, he plays Batman well and in this movie he even manages to convince you that he does have somewhat of a tortured psyche. The fact is when it comes to Batman Returns Keaton looked good in the suit and the suit itself that was used in this movie is one of the best to be presented on film so far. Enough about Michael Keaton because this movie had awesome performances all across the board. Christopher Walken as Max Shrek is perhaps the best performance of his to watch if you want to see all of his signature mannerisms on display. Michael Gough nails his performance as Alfred. Danny DeVito manages to play a sympathetic villain who makes you feel bad for him but still manages to make you hate him. With that being said it's Michelle Pfeifer that steals the show here as Catwoman. Without a doubt Michelle Pfeifer's Catwoman is the definitive version of the character on film and even though she did a great job in her own right Anne Hathaway's Catwoman can't hold a candle to the performance Michelle gives us in Batman Returns. Pfeifer manages to be crazy, weird, normal, sane, ruthless, and extremely sexy without ever overwhelming the audience. Managing multiple characters without ever losing anyone in the shuffle is perhaps what this film does best. The relationship between Bruce and Selina is a highlight in this film as they make very convincing enemies and lovers. By the time you get to the end of the movie you truly want them to be together. The relationship between The Penguin and Catwoman is also handled very well. Multiple villains seem to be the kiss of death to most modern comic book movies but this film pretty much writes the book on how to do it right. This movie is dark, macabre, bizarre and tragic. Depending on how you look at it that's either a good thing or a bad thing but for the most part I would say it works for this film. Though this film seemed to do well at the box office it also turned people off from the idea of a Batman film. Due to the darkness of this movie and backlash from the public Joel Schumacher was brought in to "lighten up" the franchise and we all know how that turned out. As far as dark and gritty comic book movies go this film pretty much invented them. Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy is the definitive version of Batman on screen and it is highly doubtful that anyone will ever surpass his vision for the character but as far as Batman films that came before his trilogy, this one without a doubt has the most, style, substance and heart. I am absolutely certain that many people will disagree with me so feel free to send hate my way. If anyone else has a film in mind that may have been overlooked here feel free to mention it in the comments. Thanks for reading!