For many, Danny DeVito’s take on Batman villain the Penguin still stands as the definitive version of the manipulative, power-hungry bird-man, and the actor himself is pretty much one of those people. However, DeVito isn’t simply being egotistical about this. He just likes the theatrics of Tim Burton over the gritty real world created in The Batman, which features Colin Farrell in the role DeVito first brought to the big screen in 1992’s Batman Returns. Furthermore, DeVito has plenty of good to say about Farrell’s portrayal of Oswald Cobblepot from someone who knows what it is like to undergo many hours in the makeup chair.

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Danny DeVito is soon to appear in HBO movie The Survivor, and the iconic actor was asked whether he has seen the latest Batman movie, which he said he had. Of course, that could only lead to a question of what he thought of the movie, and more importantly, the performance of Colin Farrell as Penguin. DeVito said:

Despite that, DeVito did admit that when it comes to the two versions of the Penguin and the Batman franchises, he will always go for something a bit more fantastical and gothic.

“Yes, I did. I thought Colin did a great job. Certainly a different milieu. I think it was a more edgy, serious, gangster-y Batman. Of course there’s three Italians who are bad guys in it, the Falcones (laughs). But I feel like in terms of the performances, I thought Colin – who is a good buddy of mine – I think he did a great job in that. You take your hat off to anybody who sits in the makeup chair that long. I did it with The Penguin and loved it.”

“My feeling of comparing the two movies, I’m like a Tim Burton fan. I like the whimsical, the operatic, the disaffected Pee-wee Herman throws me off a bridge (laughs). That makes me smile. So it’s a different situation, but I did watch the movie.”

The Batman Was Not a Movie For Everyone, But Has Proved There is Appetite for a Non-Fantasy Batman

     Warner Bros.

After the initial drama of Robert Pattinson being announced as Batman’s new face and voice died down, the first footage from The Batman gave people an idea that this version of the Dark Knight was going to be darker than most. When the film arrived, it turned out to be one of the least fantastical versions of the character ever put on screen.

Matt Reeves took Batman back to his early days, a masked crime fighter who uses his brains, logic and fists in equal measure and doesn’t rely on a wave of flashy and gimmicky gadgets to go his work. He even has a stripped-back Batmobile that looks like the runner-up in a destruction derby but certainly makes an impression.

For this reason, The Batman wasn’t for everyone. Some walked out halfway through the movie, unable to handle what is essentially a gritty crime drama that happens to be set in Gotham City and features Batman as one of the detectives on the case. Those expecting to see Batman swooping over the city, taking on enigmatic and zany comic book villains were left disappointed, but to everyone else, it was close to the best Batman put on screen to date and almost could make everyone forgive Warner Bros for ever putting out Batman & Robin … almost. With much more planned for this version of Batman, and for Colin Farrell’s Penguin, it is just as well that the majority were on board with the performances.