Is Batman Returns Better or Worse Than The First? - Talking About Tapes

After looking back and Batman 89 we decided to revisit Batman Returns. A very divisive film and an even stranger sequel. Crystal Frank, and Tony return to talk about The Bat, The Cat, and The Penguin in this review.
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Check out Frank as Bruce Wayne in this fan film
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Download our Batman Returns Commentary Track now: www.patreon.com/posts/batman-returns-94735601 Thanks to TV Show Cars for letting us shoot with his Keaton Batmobile! Follow him here: instagram.com/tvshowcars/ Check out Frank as Bruce Wayne in this fan film kzbin.info/www/bejne/gofZqpahhrN7hcU

[@ecutfilms]

🖤🖤🖤📽

[@AloisWeimar]

I appreciate Crystal’s commitment

[@wstine79]

I thought that's how she normally dressed?

[@michaelp2952]

The catmitment

[@pietrengifo7108]

Me to 😍

[@michaeldesanjorge7227]

I would like to see more of Crystal's commitment... 😏

[@stranglez]

I appreciate her hot butt

[@dustywaynemusic6297]

This is hands down my favorite Batman film. Maybe it's not the best or the most comic-accurate but it's so weird and insane. Just Burton going nuts. I absolutely love it.

[@kdusel1991]

It's my favorite of the duology! I do think it still has flaws like how little it focuses on batman but it's still great!

[@A_Scanner_Lightly]

First 2 Tim Burton's films are phenomenal

[@kdusel1991]

They're both great! They're some of my favorite batman movies ever made! I hope Keaton isn't wasted in the flash movie.

[@Extra_Goodness]

Crystal in that cat suit is 🤤

[@patrickcharles6983]

Batman Returns is my favorite movie to watch around Christmas time(along with "the Long Kiss Goodnight","Gremlins"&"Scrooged"). I always love the beginning when the Red Triangle Gang makes their entrance.

[@thatguybehindtheglass]

Scrooged is one of my personal favorites. Underrated as hell.

[@patrickcharles6983]

@@thatguybehindtheglass Scrooged is awesome!

[@rodonis88]

Reindeer Games is the most underrated Xmas film

[@patrickcharles6983]

@@rodonis88 "Cobra"&"Lethal Weapon" make a good "X-mas in LA" Double Feature.

[@kdusel1991]

Gremlins is awesome!

[@tthomaselli2]

I first saw 'Batman Returns' in mid-1995. I saw the mid-1989 'Batman', shortly afterwards. I was 6½ when I first watched those movies & I was psyched out of my mind. As a Batman fan when I was a kid, I loved both movies & still feel that they're enjoyable in their own respective ways...

[@jimbowlan5804]

Returns is my favorite one it came out on my 5 th birthday which I went too see but I love both

[@CBright7831]

Major props to all of you for being able to wear those costumes for an hour and thirty-one minutes. The commitment is alive and it is real. 👏

[@alexedwards7958]

crystal in that catwoman costume absolutely drives me wild 🖤🔥🔥🔥

[@loganxdanstoys5487]

All we need is Crystal in the cat suit for this review guys😍 you all can leave.❤️‍🔥🥵❤️‍🔥👋😉

[@Zacman1123]

Man Crystal looking good as always.

[@Jordan-tu4ki]

Ive never been a fan of the first batman but i love batman returns. Oh, and holy crow, look at that Catwoman costume.

[@tj112286]

We need more of Krystal's legs on this show! 😍😍😍😍😍💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

[@wstine79]

Hot damn! I thought Crystal dressed as Batgirl was on fire. Her Catwoman cosplay is purrrr-fectly lovely.

[@misham2563]

Meow I was thinking the same.

[@kdusel1991]

This is one of my favorite batman movies! At my Nana's old house in the basement there was a batman returns board game. I remember playing with the pieces.

[@timvasser9]

I had the Gamegear video game.

[@kdusel1991]

​@@timvasser9 nice! I also grew up with Batman Forever as my intro to Batman so I didn't see the burton ones until much later. I'll say now that they're way better than the Schumacher films, especially batman and robin.

[@chyannaturner9110]

This is my favorite Batman movie and in my top 5 all time favorite movies!! When I was an awkward geeky teen Catwoman changed my way of thinking!! Tony I saw the Joan Rivers Show with Sean Young and Mt amazing friend Seth got me 2 years ago the penguin McDonald's toy still in the wrapper at a flea market!! Btw he has met you several times and has nothing but good things to say about you!!

[@erikbrock5444]

It's all about the Cat&Bat love story for me. This is more Selena's movie than anyone's really, and actually a very Feminist movie because of that(take a shot every time Tony says or references "Woke" during this episode). Getting pushed out of window was kind of the best thing that ever happened to her. Until she had a near-death experience and snapped, she was wasting her life trying to be someone she fundamentally wasn't. Then, instead of finding fulfillment through a relationship, she finds a relationship through self-fulfillment.

[@torquetheprisoner]

shhhhh femanist movies and female heroes did not exist till 2016 don't you know lolz 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

[@Doddzer74]

@@torquetheprisoner It comes down to execution more than anything, see Pfeiffer Catwoman versus Halle Berry Catwoman and the dumb empowering moments in that dumpster fire. There's dialogue and then there's copy pasting twitter arguments onto a script.

[@torquetheprisoner]

@@Doddzer74 it was like with the full female ghost busters movie i was looking forward to that until the script was aload of crap

[@dereksmith6033]

Wow CRYSTAL'S "CATWOMAN" Outfit is definitely on point & it is EPIC 😃🤘💕

[@DissectThatFilm]

Burton's Batman films have that special charm that for me will never go away. I enjoyed '89 more because of Nicholson's Joker, but I thought that darkness of this one hit me a little more. Michelle Pfeiffer is purrrfect as Catwoman and DeVito kills it as a weird ass Penguin. I love this movie! Also, I love the commitment from all of you in this episode.

[@CaptainAmercia]

I personally love this film, has aged so much better than Batman 1989 which suffers alot from it's matt paintings and set design which looks great visually but you can start to tell that they're clearly on sets. But Returns still looks amazing and they've just approve on everything when it comes to how Gotham looks not to mention the unique Soviet inspired architecture they added to Gotham in this film and the whole winter setting adds so much to the tone.

[@user-zj1eo4oy6v]

Every episode from hAck the moviE's is flawless 📼

[@Dartanyoogles]

Fun fact: The clown who steals the Mayor's baby is Mac's Dad in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia!

[@antisora13]

The guy who gets his nose bitten is the guy that says “boy it sure is a hot one”

[@Dartanyoogles]

@@antisora13 Oh shit, you're right! Oh that Wally loves to tell me it's a hot one when I already know it's a hot one because I'm standing in the hot one!!

[@wstine79]

Tony: "Thanks for dressing up for the Batman Returns review." Crystal: "We are? I just came here in my normal clothes."

[@SonicJaneStooge]

Crystal in leather always makes the dark knight rise 😍

[@Deadmarsh19]

I did enjoy how Tiny Toons made fun of the Sean Young thing when she pops out of a litter box and yells and Tim Burton how she needs to be in his movie

[@davidjames579]

Crystal makes an amazing Catwoman, she has the exact look and voice.

[@SeasideDetective2]

The Red Triangle Gang were some of the most unforgettable characters in the movie. I had a nightmare of being in the Plaza when they attacked, and finding myself unable to escape because a vast trapeze net had burst out of the giant box with them, and I kept tripping over the net's lattice. I thought they were going to capture me for sure before I woke up.

[@StevenSeril]

Crystal is awesome! More Crystal!

[@dariendarkhouse8538]

Holy s#/t!! Sorry, got Catwoman all up in my face. Settlin' down. Y'all are always delightful.

[@davealaya]

As a person from Chicago I am obsessed with Hack The Movies regional accent/way of speaking.

[@jkephart4624]

Crystal is now officially the best catwoman EVER! Crystal > Pfeiffer, berry, and Hathaway

[@Harri927]

Batman Returns is my favorite Batman movie of all time. After 30 years, it still holds up as the best live action Batman movies of the 90s in my opinion.

[@Scotsmanthebedbug]

I've always heard the phrase that "'89" was a Batman film while "Batman Returns" was a Tim Burton film

[@danmann861]

I remember seeing it in a cinema at 6 years old. I’ve always loved this film. It’s my personal favourite Batman movie. Sure, it’s not comic accurate but I love it for that reason. It’s Burton’s own unique take on Batman and that’s why I love it ☺️ He didn’t give a fuck what the fanboys wanted and just made his own vision and I appreciate it more and more as I get older.

[@jacobwilson7030]

It is both the best Batman and Christmas movie at the same time.

[@timvasser9]

Can't wait for this one! Batman Returns is one of my faves!! Danny Devito made an awesome Penguin

[@bluetarantulaproductions6179]

What I think they should have done with Catwoman in Batman Returns is have Selina Kyle still be Max Shreck's assistant who has financial problems and get fired for seeing something she wasn't supposed to see. So now being unemployed she decides to become a thief (also have it that she grew up and around Haley's Circus, her dad was a lion tamer and her mother was an escape artist). So Selina decides to take up a life of crime and to expose Shreck's illegal scheme...then Batman catches her stealing stuff, etc.)

[@NightmareNemo]

I apprecitate the "Talk too much" Botchamania reference in this. Nicely done.

[@CBright7831]

1:24:10 - Because he thought he saw Catwoman in the alleyway, so he got Alfred to stop the car so he could go investigate and he found Selina's cat there instead. She placed it there so he would find it.

[@Anubis.6256]

I still think Danny Elfman's Batman theme is the coolest one.

[@AndrewJWildey]

How did Batman and Alfred know about the penguins? They’re not there when that plan is unveiled. They just inexplicably know about a rocket launching penguin army

[@HackTheMovies]

That's a good question

[@joshkennedy2868]

Crystal as Catwoman. Damn.

[@ryandireda9455]

This is my favorite Christmas movie!! I watch it every Christmas Eve 🌲❄️🌲❄️

[@JD-jt7vg]

The Batmobile without the sides is called “The Bat Missile ” that’s how the toy was named on the box.

[@zacharythompson7911]

This was the one I watched the most growing up. I think I may have worn out the VHS copy we had. I haven't watched it in years but listening to you guys talk about it, I might go buy a dvd or bluray of it soon.

[@zekegembala6119]

Crystal looks gorgeous as Catwoman. She's my hero.

[@talariswatts-el9196]

Great conversation about Batman Returns. Very funny. The red head looks hot.

[@zbh9268]

I love Batman storylines set during winter so this one ranks pretty high for me. I doesn't have to be set during Christmas, but I just admire how Gotham looks in the frigid cold of winter. I think it's the time of year that fits Gotham the most because of its unforgiving nature. Halloween is a close second favorite though.

[@robk.6591]

Loved the movie and the video game. I prefer the SNES version to the Sega Genesis one. Edit: There was supposed to be an extended action sequence where Batman and Catwoman save Gotham's kidnapped children from the train. But the idea was scrapped due to budget. You can play a version of that scene in the game, tho.

[@CPBuff22]

Off screen Alfred and Bruce have a conversation, “Sorry Sir, but after I let Ms. Vale into the Batcave I accidentally flushed the Batmobile schematic down the toilet”.

[@davidjames579]

Alfred, you're fired!

[@JD-jt7vg]

The Monkey Guy Goon, Danny Devito and Jack Nicholson were all in “One Flew Over the Cookoos Nest”

[@danielcontreras561]

28:42 I disagree with Frank because I believe this film misuses Chekhov's gun since the taser only appears in the opening and end of the film. I would've agreed with Frank if Catwoman pulled out the taser during her first meeting with Penguin. For example, when Penguin closes in on Catwoman while she is lying seductively in his bed. She could've used her taser there to defend herself from Oswald. In my opinion, a better film that used Chekhov's gun is "Monsters, Inc." with Boo's laughter as the film utilized it 3 times (first in Mike and Sulley's apartment, then in the hallway when Boo and Sulley are reunited in the factory, and third during the door chase with Randall). It also helped in the Pixar film, Boo's laughter was not a forgotten detail as the filmmakers used it every once in a while.

[@StevenSeril]

Hack the Movies is stepping up with the production values!

[@fitnessabcvideo]

What batman returns has is a delicious tango of villains, alot of moving pieces, a very heavy narrative about duality and you get a very adult themed storyline, something that the first batman lacked, over theatrics aside batman returns is a wonderful story, and as an adult you really do get to appreciate it more and realise less batman in this film works better.

[@TandLtoys]

I remember coming home from school and my friends pulling me off to school bus to go see this first day

[@Jokerrules666]

Loved this one seen in theaters opening weekend with my dad so good.

[@bensneb360]

Batman Returns is the most underrated Batman movie

[@michaeladonis9189]

Tony’s cowl is adorable lol 😂

[@luvaboy772]

1:51 First time I saw this, was when my mama bought it for me on VHS when it came on home video. I watched this religiously and a the first one a few years later when my mama bought that one used for our local supermarket.

[@colemandaniel8801]

My favorite superhero Bat-Tony and the real life femme fatale Crystal!

[@Emanuelochoa22]

Batman returns was the first movie I watched as a kid

[@MultiFalconetti]

Clown who steals baby is Macs dad from sunny. Plus the guy who gets his nose bitten by penguin is Macs annoying neighbor in one episode of sunny. Plus Danny devito, that's three people from Sunny in Batman Returns.

[@somebodysthrowaway]

I wish crystal was in that outfit all the time😅

[@gordgar0943]

I know Tony hates them, but I'd love The Goonies to be talked about!

[@paraspooky983]

🎃🎃great show ! I love that you brought up roadhouse again 😅

[@headshot217]

I prefer 89 overall but love this for what is is

[@yakuza01]

I was a teen when this movie came out so Michelle Pfieffer in that latex outfit........... my god! Yes, once I grew older I am glad to inform I was able to see the film with more mature eyes 😆

[@bigwrymm]

This has always been up there with Christmas story as my midst watch Christmas movies

[@scar3crow_art]

Michael Keaton will always be my Batman, and the Burtonverse will always be favorite interpretation. I wished the Batman 89 comic had strived more for that Burton aesthetic.

[@RaDicAL808]

I love the “you talk too much” lol just like in Botchamania

[@HackTheMovies]

I love that channel

[@shainewhite2781]

This movie is darker and more violent and controversial than the first film, and it drew so much controversy, McDonald's refused to sell any of their toys that involved a PG-13 movie, though some McDonald's restaurants sold their toys.

[@thatguybehindtheglass]

Definitely better than the first while also being further from the source.

[@D.B..]

To myself, I always think of "The Bat, The Cat, and The Fat."

[@wstine79]

I remember watching this with my mom. It never phased me except the nose bite scene. Danny DeVito and Michelle Pfeiffer awesome as Penguin and Catwoman. I still have the McDonald's cups.

[@misham2563]

I hated the black crap coming out of Penguins mouth in that one scene as a boy. I didn’t get what it was and assumed it was his blood

[@mtd1089]

@@misham2563 I thought it was blood too, but it was actually black mass from all the fish he ate.

[@TV-Tony]

Holy crap, I actually remember seeing that Joan Rivers daytime talk show appearance with Shawn Young when it originally aired. I was in high school back then.

[@theflail]

Yowzers Crystal

[@wasteville_productions3451]

This is something I found online The Batman Returns novelization reveals the canonical explanation, however, in which Penguin gets the plans from Max Shreck, who in turn used his money and influence to acquire them from an engineer of the vehicle.

[@buddymckane1179]

In the Mad Magazine satire Buttman Returns, I love it Alfred, I mean Newman walks by Bruce and Salina in a panel and says, If they don't stop sharing dialog balloons soon, this movie gets an R rating!

[@anthonychobotdoespopcultur7762]

I respect crystal Quinn shes my favorite

[@patrickcharles6983]

Mcdonald's was angry about the tone of this film because of happy meal sales. Did Mcdonald's reps even see Batman 89? what about that film says "we can make a Happy-Meal out of this!"??? They had a hand in "Mac&Me", they're not exactly the kinda folks that should have a hand in any movie!

[@imanassole9421]

1:12:02 when I seen that as a kid, it made me think.. .. .. so half of that car is just useless panels that blow off?.. and the Batmobile is just the bullet car with a wide wheel base??! My Dad was a mechanic, so I had more knowledge about cars than I should have.

[@themadpancaker]

It would have been perfect to use a clip from the animated series "The Critic" where a crazy cat lady says "You talk too much, talking cat," and then throws one of her cats out the window.

[@codyburnett3978]

The first one was always too slow for me growing up but boy did I have this VHS on rewind as a 8-9 year old.

[@reinforcedpenisstem]

Batman is orphaned but might have been normal. Penguin is orphaned but can never be normal. Catwoman wishes to be normal but can't overcome her doubt. Max appears as normal but is deeply psychotic. No is as they should be or can be.

[@bunnygrill]

BATMAN RETURNS FOR LIFE!!!

[@20david06]

Love the Botchamania Ref

[@20david06]

make that plural

[@73atman86]

Love both films

[@colt5189]

I really remember Batman 89 and Returns. As before those movies, I'd watch the 60's Batman show and the Batman cartoons. And then Batman 89 changed everything and helped usher in a more darker type of comic book movie compared to camp.

[@rxtsec1]

Actually catwoman used the line on Bruce and he repeated what she said to him

[@Ironcabbit]

Catwoman had Poison Ivy’s backstory and The Penguin had Killer Croc’s backstory in Batman Returns.

[@oldschoolmetal9905]

Can't concentrate on the talking.....Latex, a whip.......LOVE

[@jonathandavis-po6js]

I can't believe I missed this

[@josephchaparro1037]

That Batman Mask and cap is so Tony I could see him wearing it on non Batman episodes 🤣😂🤣

[@eddiebrooks2510]

Omg i love Crystal ❤

[@user-rk3sz1hr6w]

I loved both of Tim Burton's Batmans, before I saw Batman Returns as a kid I saved up to get the official comic adaptation. I loved it. I wish I knew where it was 😢 ...good memories tho

[@OfficialJoeyC]

YESSSS

[@nathanwoodcockn7184]

It by far, is my favourite Batman movie. I think the biggest thing is, don't forget it's a silly superhero movie. And if you love Tim Burton, you should love this. I've always thought it was great

[@jonathandavis-po6js]

Penguins with rockets, can't get any better

[@themydnighthour]

Chad's on Hack the Movies.

[@rxtsec1]

I also heard the max schreck character replaced Billy Dee William's or 2 face. Apparently the scene where catwoman killed shrek was supposed to be how dent became two face