There are a lot of Christmas films that are considered to be classics. This article is to look at my personal favorite. My favorite might seem like a bit of an odd choice, but odd opinions are ones of the things that I'm most used to having. My favorite Christmas film is the Batman Christmas film. You might be wondering what I'm talking about. I'm referring to 1992's Batman Returns.
Batman Returns might not seem like a film that would typically qualify as a Christmas film. After all, it's a gothic drama that's directed by Tim Burton. However, Batman Returns happens to take place during the holidays, so it counts. A lot of people consider Die Hard to be one of the best Christmas films, so why shouldn't Batman Returns be given the same treatment?
Batman Returns is the second Batman film to be directed by Tim Burton and star Michael Keaton as Batman, Michael Gough as Alfred and Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon. New cast members include Danny DeVito as the Penguin, Michelle Pfieffer as Catwoman and Christopher Walken as Max Shreck.
The theme of Batman Returns is outcasts. Primary examples include the Penguin being treated as an outcast by his own parents, Catwoman not being taken seriously by anyone around her, and Batman often being treated with skepticism from the citizens of Gotham.
Batman Returns has a lot of smart commentary about how people shouldn't be treated by outcasts. If Penguin hadn't been judged for his freakish appearance and if Catwoman hadn't been taken for granted, they could have ended up being decent people. In that regard, it could be argued that Penguin and Catwoman are tragic victims rather than monsters. That leaves Max Shreck as the real villain. He was given all the wealth and fans that anyone could dream with, but he was still willing to risk people's lives to give himself and his son more power.
Christmas elements that appear in Batman Returns include the following:
It snows in Gotham City throughout the film.
Penguins are used for Christmas imagery, so having the Penguin be one of the main characters fits the theme of Christmas. Also, Penguin has an army of penguins in the film.
Max Shreck being referred to as Gotham's Santa Claus. Max being compared to Santa symbolizes how he's a villain that is viewed as a hero by the people of the city.
At the end, Bruce adopts a cat and goes into his car. Alfred wishes Bruce a merry Christmas. Bruce wishes the same for Alfred. He also wishes a merry Christmas to all men and women.
Is Batman Returns a traditional film? Not really, but that's not a bad thing. A lot of Christmas films are sentimental and easygoing. Batman Returns is a lot darker than your average Christmas film. However, Batman isn't a traditional hero. He's mysterious, socially awkward and doesn't always play by the rules, but he remains one of the most heroic heroes in all of comics. Because of that, it seems fitting that Batman's Christmas film would be dark, gothic and eccentric. However, the film isn't just intenseness and darkness. Batman Returns serves as a meaningful reminder that we shouldn't take those who seem different for granted. The love of the holiday season should be shared with all kinds of people.
Batman Returns might not seem like a film that would typically qualify as a Christmas film. After all, it's a gothic drama that's directed by Tim Burton. However, Batman Returns happens to take place during the holidays, so it counts. A lot of people consider Die Hard to be one of the best Christmas films, so why shouldn't Batman Returns be given the same treatment?
Batman Returns is the second Batman film to be directed by Tim Burton and star Michael Keaton as Batman, Michael Gough as Alfred and Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon. New cast members include Danny DeVito as the Penguin, Michelle Pfieffer as Catwoman and Christopher Walken as Max Shreck.
The theme of Batman Returns is outcasts. Primary examples include the Penguin being treated as an outcast by his own parents, Catwoman not being taken seriously by anyone around her, and Batman often being treated with skepticism from the citizens of Gotham.
Batman Returns has a lot of smart commentary about how people shouldn't be treated by outcasts. If Penguin hadn't been judged for his freakish appearance and if Catwoman hadn't been taken for granted, they could have ended up being decent people. In that regard, it could be argued that Penguin and Catwoman are tragic victims rather than monsters. That leaves Max Shreck as the real villain. He was given all the wealth and fans that anyone could dream with, but he was still willing to risk people's lives to give himself and his son more power.
Christmas elements that appear in Batman Returns include the following:
It snows in Gotham City throughout the film.
Penguins are used for Christmas imagery, so having the Penguin be one of the main characters fits the theme of Christmas. Also, Penguin has an army of penguins in the film.
Max Shreck being referred to as Gotham's Santa Claus. Max being compared to Santa symbolizes how he's a villain that is viewed as a hero by the people of the city.
At the end, Bruce adopts a cat and goes into his car. Alfred wishes Bruce a merry Christmas. Bruce wishes the same for Alfred. He also wishes a merry Christmas to all men and women.
Is Batman Returns a traditional film? Not really, but that's not a bad thing. A lot of Christmas films are sentimental and easygoing. Batman Returns is a lot darker than your average Christmas film. However, Batman isn't a traditional hero. He's mysterious, socially awkward and doesn't always play by the rules, but he remains one of the most heroic heroes in all of comics. Because of that, it seems fitting that Batman's Christmas film would be dark, gothic and eccentric. However, the film isn't just intenseness and darkness. Batman Returns serves as a meaningful reminder that we shouldn't take those who seem different for granted. The love of the holiday season should be shared with all kinds of people.