Top Christmas Movies: BATMAN RETURNS

Tim Burton’s 1992 caped crusader sequel is probably the best Batman flick ever made.  A German expressionist film with an $80 million budget, this dark tale of the Dark Knight is helped by its gloriously grim festive setting. Brilliant. 

Burton ditched the outdoor sets at Pinewood Studios, setting up camp on soundstages in Burbank, a move which helps to give Batman Returns a claustrophobic quality, a sense of oppression. The steely palette and angular sets along with the wintery setting give the film a unique look and style. Sure, Burton’s ’89 film may be set in a netherworld between the ‘30s and ‘80s, but the Gotham City of Batman Returns appears to be set in a parallel universe.