MovieChat Forums > Edward Scissorhands (1990) Discussion > Batman Returns

Batman Returns

posted 12 years ago by christian102890
9 replies | jump to latest

Tim Burton chose to make Edward Scissorhands first, instead of going right in and doing a Batman sequel. You can totally tell lol. If anything, I would say that Batman Returns is more of a companion piece to Scissorhands than it is Burton's first Batman movie. I'm not complaining by any means. I love all 3 of these movies, and Batman Returns is my favorite Tim Burton movie. Anyways, here are some similarities I noticed.

The loner in a mansion:
Edward lives in a giant gothic mansion. The first shot we see of Bruce in Batman Returns, is him alone in his mansion sitting in the dark lol. Yeah, he's got Alfred. But he's essentially alone.

New to society:
The Penguins story is almost a mirror image of Edwards, the difference being that Penguin is a truly evil person. Both characters are newly introduced to society. And at first everybody loves them. But then society quickly turns on the characters, forcing both Penguin and Edward to flee, and give up trying to be normal. They both even have a similar scene where they tear off their "normal" cloths in anger.

Clothes falling apart:
Throught Scissorhands, his shirt gets more and more shreds in it, and begins to fall apart. The same thing happens to Catwoman and her suit. Its not very subtle lol, but the cloths falling apart symnolizes their sanity breaking down.

Snow:
This ones pretty obvious. Batman Returns takes place in winter, and Edward Scissorhands ends up making snow during the winter at the end of the movie.

Are there any others I forgot? Does anyone not agree? Idk, I'd like to hear your thoughts.

[–] Potzdorf 12 years ago

The music in Edward Scissorhands and Batman Returns is identical, down to not just the children's choir but the screeching violin strings and some of the wood instruments too.

[–] MCAN87 12 years ago

Isn't it amazing that Burton managed to make two of the best Christmas movies ever consecutively?

[–] wilsonandrewc 11 years ago

In Edward Scissorhands and Batman Returns, people are cut with sharp objects and we see bloody results. And where you said Batman Returns is more of a companion piece to Edward Scissorhands than it is to the first Batman movie, that means the first Batman movie would be a companion piece to the Beetlejuice film.

[–] Mississippi20 11 years ago

According to wikipedia, Burton's story for 'Edwards Scissorhands' was developed into a screenplay during pre-production on 'Beetlejuice'. Warner Brothers had passed - nice decision. Anyways, I don't know if Burton deliberately chose to do 'Edwards Scissorhands' before 'Batman Returns' - the wheels for 'Edward Scissorhands' were already in motion before 'Batman' so it kind of just worked out that way. It probably would've been difficult to release 'Batman Returns' in 1990 - it would've only been one year after the first 'Batman' film.

I think 'Batman Returns' is better than the first 'Batman' film and it's because Burton was even more confident in what he was doing - not only in himself but he had the confidence and backing of the major studios now. He had established himself. The artwork and quirky stuff (bombs strapped to penguins anyone?) in 'Batman Returns' is more interesting and more reflective of Burton as an artist/filmmaker.

'Edward Scissorhands' probably helped contribute to Burton's said skill and confidence which in turn helped make 'Batman Returns' what it is. Any similarities in the plot may just be popular themes that run throughout Burton's career.

[–] Gbolling1984 11 years ago

He had the idea already but i think the success of Batman allowed him to pick and choose his next project so I'm sure he WANTED to do this film first and not jump into the next Batman but it is interesting they almost have the same look and feel and the scores are pretty much identical. I have learned to love batman returns over time. it's not really a "Batman" movie but it's visually appealing and different. it's like if Tim burton had written the comic this is what it would be like haha

[–] Vince_D 11 years ago

I have always considered The Penquin to be the "Tim Burton" character of Batman Returns.

He is essentially "Edward Flipperhands"

[–] HarveyManfredSinJohn 10 years ago

Great comparisons. I think 'Batman Returns' might have been a stronger film if the Penguin started off seemingly innocent like Edward and only turned to hating the world and punishing them after he'd been unfairly rejected. It's almost as if 'Batman Returns' is undoing the positive message of 'Edward Scissorhands' which is to treat apparent outcasts with acceptance and respect, and to not judge a person by their physical appearance and deformities.

[–] HellboundHero 10 years ago

It might have helped if there were implications that the inhumane treatment at the hands of his parents turned him into a hateful creature. Did he become a monster because he was kept in a cage and treated like a monster, or was he a monster from birth? Maybe Burton was purposely ambiguous, leaving the viewer to ponder whether nature or nurture created the Penguin.

[–] Broncho_Knight 10 years ago

I always thought Beetlejuice and Batman (1989) were similar to each other as well.