Batman Returns, Tim Burton's second, more personal stab at the franchise, is probably my favourite Christmas film. It is one of the best of those Christmas-set, Christmas-themed flicks which transcend the month of December and, as such, does not have the baggage of the Holidays schmaltzing it up. Burton is a genius in this regard, and Batman Returns comes right in between similarly almost-festive flicks Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Christmas saturates the film. However, Batman Returns manages to provide surprisingly critical commentary of not only the commercial, mass-produced consumerist aspects of the holiday, but also its representation in the media. At the opening, we are introduced to Max Shreck, 'Gotham's own Santa Claus', a wealthy industrialist played with a callous, yet charismatic slimyness by Christopher Walken. As he throws out presents and 'brings joy to the masses', it becomes clear that this is a wonderfully satirical exaggeration of America's own idolisation of 20th century industrialists. It's a cynical outlook, but Shreck's roots in real-world institutions are undeniable, as his empire includes a department store (channelling Macy's, Marshall Field's), and he addresses the crowds in Gotham Plaza, a monstrosity that recalls the Rockefeller Centre with a healthy dose of cocaine.

Furthermore, once Shreck teams up with The Penguin, and they begin to orchestrate the latter's mayoral election campaign, the focus shifts towards the media and the manipulation of the public's collective emotions during the run up to Christmas. The Penguin's appeals to discover his parents, and his return into Gotham society, is presented as a quirky, tear-jerking story. And the populace fall for it (hell, even Bruce Wayne does initially), as Shreck and The Penguin carry out their plans. I may be pushing the boat out here, but this manipulative approach (plus the focus on family) is strangely reminiscent of films that take place at a similarly Yuletide-ish time of year.

And that is just the directly-festive parts of Batman Returns. Once again, Burton and his creative team make a Batman film that is a visual treat, with clear inspiration taken from the German Expressionism of early silent horror movies. The chilly winter is a great, unique setting, and chimes well with the sometimes grotesque, sometimes twisted darkness on offer. It doesn't have the gritty realism or pseudophilosophy of the Nolan films. Instead, it offers a character-driven piece that focuses on The Penguin and Catwoman. The portrayal of Selina Kyle as emotionally-repressed working girl, turned to pure id via mental breakdown, is one of the best in the history of the Batman universe. Equally, the tentative and ultimately doomed relationship between Batman/Bruce and Catwoman/Selina one-ups the often one-dimensional approach in the comics by being tragic and touching. The emotional depth and complexity is tied together by Selina's weary "Does this mean we have to start fighting?" at the masked ball. It is more than enough to make up for the rubbery suits, uninspiring action scenes, and mismanaged Bat-kills. I have no trouble in saying that it is my favourite Batman film. And what's more, it is the perfect comment on, inversion of, and antidote to the schmaltzy guff usually peddled in Christmas movies. It's time for a reappraisal.

Check back next week for our Den Of Geek writers' choices of their favourite Yuletide flick...

19 December 2008