2. Batman Returns
After the success of Batman in 1989, Tim Burton had much more creative control over the 1992 sequel, and that made Batman Returns a very different movie. Much less of a superhero flick than it is a Gothic tale from Burton’s creative mind, it prioritizes the birth of its villains over its primary hero and, interestingly, that works like a dream.
Batman may never fully have his demons figured out, but he certainly has them in check in Returns, operating like a fully-functioning agent of the law in an almost dystopic Gotham City that houses the most unearthly of villains. And that’s where Burton’s outlandish tale thrives, as the darker origins for Catwoman and The Penguin (complete with resurrecting cats and apocalyptic zoos) never feel out of place. They are simply a mystery for Batman to solve; an evil for him to defeat, and it works like a dream.
Keaton is much more stoic in Batman Returns, portraying the Caped Crusader as the only calm in an eerie storm; the only sane option in an insane world. That leaves plenty of room for Michelle Pfeiffer, Danny DeVito, and Christopher Walken to shine in their respective roles as Catwoman, the Penguin, and Max Shreck.
Batman Returns is an experience, and an unforgettable one at that.