One of the biggest complaints about Batman Returns is that its a Batman movie with very little Batman in it. He has one line of dialogue in the first half hour and is pushed to the side in favor of Penguin, Catwoman and Shreck. So people who showed up expecting to see Batman were disappointed.But Batman isn't the main character.Catwoman is the main character.Batman is just the love interest.None of the other characters really have arcs. Batman has a small one (more on that later), but both Penguin and Shreck start the movie as evil villains, and end the movie as evil villains. Meanwhile, Catwoman has a massive arc. She goes from a meek loner who even describes herself as "meaningless", to a confident and empowered character. Her transformation is one of the greatest scenes in any Batman movie and exemplifies the entire "expressionist tragedy" vibe of the movie. Not only does she become more powerful, but that leads her to grapple with her own duality, her quest for vengeance and her love of Bruce throughout the film. Shreck is just a catalyst for her becoming Catwoman. Penguin is just a catalyst for Catwoman really becoming a supervillain. Even Bruce, who's ostensibly the main character, is a catalyst for her struggle over whether she wants that.But even though Catwoman fits the role of "main character" better than anyone else, it's still a Batman movie. Even though he's not on the screen as much, very few movies have devoted as much time to exploring Batman. It just doesn't explore him through Bruce. It explores him through Penguin, Shreck and Catwoman.Every character acts are a dark mirror that reflects a facet of Batman. They're all people Batman could've become, and could still err towards.Shreck is a mirror of Bruce Wayne, the person that Bruce might've become if he hadn't lost his parents. Without that experience, he might not have become empathetic towards those who could be victimized. He might not have become driven to do good. He might've just become a greedy rich douchebag.Penguin lost his two wealthy parents. So he became bitter, angry, hateful. He even says at one point "I am not a human being!" He represents the alienation of Bruce's loss. Without Alfred, without the purpose and righteousness of his crusade, Bruce could've become just as separated from the rest of the world. In many ways, he still is.Finally, Catwoman becomes a vigilante in order to empower herself and get revenge. Bruce did the same thing. There's a quote, not from the movie but from a comic, "My parents taught me a different lesson... lying on this street... shaking in deep shock... dying for no reason at all. They showed me that the world only makes sense when you force it to." By putting on masks, by fighting, by being something greater than themselves, they make sure that no one will ever hurt them again.But in addition to that, there's vengeance. Catwoman wants to kill Shreck. She's so lost in who she's become, that she's scared of herself. Batman traditionally forgoes vengeance, but not Keaton's. He wanted revenge of the Joker for killing his parents. Yet he tries to stop her. He tries to save her. He knows that she's what he becomes if he goes too far, if he slips too far into Batman.People don't like that Batman is so violent and lethal in this movie but I think it's important to show how caught up he's getting in his crusade. He waits alone in his mansion, just waiting for the Bat Signal to come and give him purpose. His arc is realizing he can't just be happy, untraumatized Bruce Wayne. That would just make him like Shreck. He can't be bitter, traumatized Bruce Wayne, with no outlet. That would make him Penguin. And he can't just completely hide in Batman, because he'd lose himself like Catwoman.Through all four main characters, the movie explores Batman, all while tragically exploring the duality of both him and Catwoman. In the end, they can't be together. That's what it means to be Batman, to be constantly beset by lines you can't cross, people you can't become, lives you can't lead. And this movie understands it better than any other. via /r/movies https://ift.tt/3gjg669
No comments:
Post a Comment