Batman Continues

Batman Continues is a 1994 American superhero film, directed by Tim Burton, based on the DC Comics character Batman. It is the third installment of Warner Bros Batman film series, with Michael Keaton reprising the title role of Bruce Wayne/ Batman. The film, produced by Denise Di Novi and Burton, introduces the characters of Johnathan Crane, the villainous Scarecrow, along with the introduction of Dick Grayson.

Plot
On a dark Halloween night, Lisa and Douglas Crane have a fight in front of their young son Johnathan Crane. Terrified, Crane lunges at his father but he is beaten down. He watches as his father kill Lisa in a fit of rage. After the police came and arrested Douglas, a scared shaken kid becomes scarred for life. As he is comforted by a police officer, he looks toward a scarecrow and sees a bat with glowing orange eyes staring at him. This spark something within him.

33 years later, Halloween is almost here. When everyone in Gotham is out shopping for treats and costumes, several civilians began to disappear. This gets the attention of the Batman who investigates the matter. Harvey Dent returns to Gotham after a long absents. In hopes of restoring faith to Gotham, he plans to run for Mayor. However, corrupt politician Jack Albit is planning to run against him. As the disappearances begin to increase, Albit blames Batman for these disappearances and urges Commissioner Gordon to reissue the manhunt.

Later, Albit is captured by homeless people dressed as Scarecrows and dragged into the sewers. Albit is brought to the underground lair of the Scarecrow. Scarecrow explains his desire to exploit people’s fear so they would know how he felt. Albit is given an option to help him with a very simple task, kill the Batman. Albit refuses to help a lunatic because he is just as bad as Batman. Scarecrow injects Albit with a heavy dose of fear toxin, a highly dangerous drug which causes hysteria, making the user insane.

Meanwhile, street orphan Dick Grayson and his gang are attacked by Scarecrow’s men whom attempts to abduct them. Batman intervenes and saves them. Batman interrogates one of the Scarecrows and finds out he is craze lunatic who follows the orders of the “Omen of Fear”. Bruce has the man sent to Arkham Asylum for recovery. Here Bruce meets Dr. Chase Meridian and an older Dr. Jonathan Crane. Bruce explains to them that the man he brought in is a friend who needs urgent psychiatric help. Crane takes him in. Meridian and Bruce however start have a romantic relationship even going so far as Bruce asking her out for dinner. While Bruce and Meridian start their date, Crane speaks with his patient (Bruce’s friend). The man reveals too much as he speaks about the Scarecrow and Crane slices his throat with a large knife. Crane begins to experiment on the patients with the fear gas. He’s been doing this for years to these poor people. Every night they relieve their greatest fear and Crane just watches and take notes.

At a press conference, Harvey Dent and several city officials mourns the death of Jack Albit who was found hanging in his bedroom. While at the same time, a pre-Halloween party is being held at Wayne Manor. Harvey Dent, Commissioner Gordon, and his daughter Barbra Gordon are attending the event. Bruce Wayne is forced to leave Meridian after Alfred informs him of a break in at the Water Plant.

At the Gotham Life Water Plant Facility, the Scarecrow and his henchmen ransack the area. Scarecrow, in hopes of spreading his fear toxin, spreads it in the water, contaminating it. Several responding GCP arrives and a fire fight ensues. In the ensuing shootout, Scarecrow is confronted by the Batman. After a brief fight, Scarecrow sprays his fear toxin at Batman, infecting him with the virus. Batman escapes from Scarecrow’s hallucination and drives erratically through the streets in the Batmobile. He crashes the Batmobile into a gas station, causing a huge explosion. Dick Grayson, who was nearby, rescues Batman out of the wreckage and takes him to his home, a run downed apartment. Grayson helps nurse Batman back to health when he is still under the influence of the fear toxin.

During his hallucination, he is confronted by the Joker and watches in horror as he kills his parents again. Bruce eventually overcomes his fear and takes the form of a giant bat and takes out Joker. Back to his sanity for an unknown period, he thanks Grayson for his help. He reveals himself to be Bruce Wayne to Grayson. The two connect over their life. Grayson was once a part of a circus act with his family “The Flying Grayson’s”. His family was murdered by a mobster during their stunt. Grayson ran away after that and spent his time on the harsh streets of Gotham. Moved by his story, Bruce allows Grayson to move in with him and be a part of his household.

As Halloween is fast approaching, Bruce Wayne investigates further into Crane and realizes he’s the Scarecrow. He then discovers Crane’s true intentions which are to poison Gotham with the fear toxin on Halloween Night, the same night his life changed forever. With no time to waste, Bruce works on an antidote to counter act the toxin. While that is going on, Meridian finds out what Crane is doing to his patients and confronts him on his madness. With his secret known, Crane injects a small dose of fear toxin into Meridian, subduing her. Not wanting to kill her due to his love for her, he haves her imprisoned deep within Arkham. Meanwhile, Bruce has finally created a vaccine to fight off the drug.

Halloween has finally come. Gotham’s wealthiest and political figures attend a ball at the heart of Gotham. As Harvey Dent is about to give his speech, the Scarecrow and his gang appears. Crane felt that they should be honored to be the first to experience true fear. Dent, being heroic, confronts Crane but has his face slashed with his scythe. Crane unleashes the fear toxin onto the crowd and everyone begins to go mad and tear each other apart. Suddenly, Batman arrives and distributes the vaccine by harmless smoke grenades. Scarecrow retreats to Arkham so he could start on his next move, however, Batman has already spread the vaccine into the water with the help of Grayson. Batman arrives at Arkham to finally end Crane’s reign of terror. Fighting through a wave of insane inmates, Batman makes it to the sub level of Arkham. Scarecrow and Batman have their big fight. Scarecrows starts to have the edge over Batman until he is injected by his own fear toxin by Grayson, now Robin. Crane hallucinates Batman as the same bat he saw the night his parents died. With Scarecrow subdued, Batman and Robin rescues Meridian. Just when they leave, Crane sets off rigged explosions across the Asylum. Batman, Meridian, and Grayson are able to escape through hidden passage. Crane and all his work go up in flames as the building explodes.

Days later, Commissioner Gordon gives a press conference regarding Scarecrow. All Crane’s patients are safe and are being place in a different Asylum. Crane himself has died in the explosion and his research with him. Thanks to Batman’s vaccine, many people are cured. Meridian meets Bruce at Wayne Manor and decided it’s best to return to her hometown. The two share a kiss as they both part ways.

In the final scene, Batman and Robin looks at the Bat Signal’s projection, standing watch over the city.

Cast
Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/ Batman

Rene Russo as Chase Meridian

Jeff Goldblum as Johnathan Crane/ Scarecrow

Marlon Wayans as Dick Grayson/ Robin

Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent

Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth

Pat Hingle as Commissioner James Gordon

Jeff Daniels as Jack Albit

With Jennifer Connelly as Barbara Gordon, Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer reprising their role as the Joker and Catwoman respectively.

Development
The story I envision would have to be the darkest Batman film. I tried to stay true to what Burton originally envision for the third movie. Supposedly he had the Riddler and Two Face as villains but it turns out that is not really the case. This took forever to wrote and I might add a few more scenes in the future.

Deleted Scenes
Unexpected Guest

In this scene, Selina Kyle sneaks into the Wayne Manor party and talks with Bruce. She dislikes the idea of him choosing Meridian over her. Bruce notices that Selina keeps covering her face. She reveals that she has a partially burned face.

Box Office
Batman Continues was released in America on May 20, 1994, earning $43.78 million on its opening weekend. The film went on to gross $182.54 million in North America, and $118 million in foreign countries, coming to a world wide total of $300.54 million.