Customer Reviews

Batman Returns

However, I am sincerely disappointed with the adaptation of Batman Returns by Gardner. He is an excellent writer. I haven't read a single 'licensed property' book he's written without finding it to be excellent. Until now. I suppose it's because it was based on a somewhat mediocre screenplay. He must have been under contract to write another book, and pumped out a crappy book because he didn't want to write it. The book is terrible. It's a bare bones adaption of the screenplay, the bad screenplay, with crappy things and lines that were cut from the film, making the film better then the book! For example, the Organ Grinder has the gatling gun hidden in his organ, and he fires it, at the giant Christmas tree in Gotham Square. In the film, that's all he does. But in the book, he yells the absolutely REDICULOUS line: "Take that, Tannembaum!" I cringed, and tried to continue.

Gone is the great writing of the first book. Gone is the moving, tortured Batman. He gets less 'screen-time' in the book then in the film! Absolutely NO DEPTH is added to the film. No deleted scenes, the best part of the book was the last paragraph, which came incredibly close to replicating the amazing writing of the first film's adatation. Perhaps if the script hadn't been so bad in the first place, the book might have been decent. Not that I'm bashing Batman Returns, because I hold Returns in higher regard then the last two films.

Rather disappointing to fans of Gardner's 1989 film adaptation, and his amazing Comic-Book based book; 'The Batman Murders'. Buy it for collection only.