1. Choice of Villains
A good superhero story needs a few exceptional villains to be a true success. The Joker is of course a classic and a fan-favourite in terms of Batman villains. There's a brilliant balance between creepy and funny with a character like this. Completely psychotic and full of puns and sick schemes. The perfect villain! Jack Nicholson found this balance and acted it out beautifully. The best part about Catwoman is that she and Batman are working against each other even though they have an incredible amount of chemistry and a love affair in their regular lives. This is the sort of baddie that we can sympathize with more-so than many others. She's only bad because she was thrown out of a window, after all. Perfectly sound reason for revenge. No need to babble on about her though since she's so great that she has her own section (see #9)! Danny DeVito certainly made one disgusting and disturbing Penguin. A sob story about being left in the sewers due to a deformity and then growing up with penguins - this is one very messed up man! The Penguin is a truly terrifying villain that children may find in their nightmares. He also adds an incredible amount of comedy and certainly an element of the ridiculous with his appearance and completely inappropriate behaviour. Such fun! Any film that contains even one brief moment with Christopher Walken is bound to be a success. Luckily, Batman Returns has plenty of him as the sociopathic Max Shrek. He's
that kind of baddie who is already wealthy but is finding ways to become even more so and will do absolutely anything to get there, including making a deal with The Penguin and throwing Selina Kyle out of a window (accidentally creating Catwoman). Having a character whose only villainous quality is his own personality, standing alongside a man who has the appearance of a Penguin and a woman who behaves like a cat adds a fascinating dynamic to the entire story. A brilliant addition to the over-the-top villains in either film.
There you have it! 10 reasons why Tim Burton's Batman films really make an impression. I know some will disagree, as the Christopher Nolan films have an incredible fan-base but please remember even when critiquing to keep the conversation respectful in the comments.I appreciate everyone's feedback and can't wait to hear your thoughts!