The first Batman Movie was so great (a Masterpiece!), and this second was a bad Movie! Sad, the Joker is not in this Movie again and that was a mistake from Tim Burton. The Pinguin was boring and disgusting! But Michael Keaton is the best Batman Actor of all Time!
698 Reviews
Solid enough movie, even if the pacing is really off
sanfernesto28 January 2021
This movie is tecnically amazing, with great visuals, mostly sharp dialogue, incredible acting and breathtaking music. However, the development of the characters is really uneven and the pacing isnt great. However the characters and atmostphere still make it the third best Batman movie by far for me only behind Begins and The Dark Knight
Entertaining
baileycrawly20 September 2020
Batman Returns is much more in line with Burton's trademark style than the original Batman was, and perhaps that's because the studio may have lightened up a bit on him after the massive success of the first one. I may never know the reason, but this one is different than the predecessor.
Of course, the work the cast puts in determines the overall tone of the film, and this one has a few new characters - most notably Christopher Walken and Danny DeVito - who added something a little different that wasn't there before. DeVito plays The Penguin/creepy sexual predator, and Christoper Walken plays the holier-than-thou philanthropist who convinces an entire town of his kind actions while blinding them to the nasty realities. Those two characters bring about a much darker film, but it also gives characters that have even more depth than Nicholson's Joker.
The big question that is relevant to the film, however is: Is it good? The answer is yes, but it's not as good as the original Batman. DeVito really does a terrific job as The Penguin, and he sells his character pretty well. Of course, even under all the makeup, it's impossible to see him as anyone but Danny DeVito, but you would be hard-pressed to find anyone else as devoted to that role as he was. And he clearly enjoyed doing it a lot. The Penguin character, according to Burton, was the major issue the studio had with the film. The darkness, coupled with the effects of the character toward the end of the film, made it difficult to market him in a McDonalds Happy Meal, so Tim had to deal with a lot of back and forth to get this movie made.
Once again, we have the brilliant Danny Elfman doing the score, taking the work he did on the original and expanding upon it, doing a fantastic job as always. The film benefitted greatly from his work.
Batman Returns doesn't equal the quality and entertainment value of the original, but it does offer a fun and entertaining experience that's well worth watching.
Of course, the work the cast puts in determines the overall tone of the film, and this one has a few new characters - most notably Christopher Walken and Danny DeVito - who added something a little different that wasn't there before. DeVito plays The Penguin/creepy sexual predator, and Christoper Walken plays the holier-than-thou philanthropist who convinces an entire town of his kind actions while blinding them to the nasty realities. Those two characters bring about a much darker film, but it also gives characters that have even more depth than Nicholson's Joker.
The big question that is relevant to the film, however is: Is it good? The answer is yes, but it's not as good as the original Batman. DeVito really does a terrific job as The Penguin, and he sells his character pretty well. Of course, even under all the makeup, it's impossible to see him as anyone but Danny DeVito, but you would be hard-pressed to find anyone else as devoted to that role as he was. And he clearly enjoyed doing it a lot. The Penguin character, according to Burton, was the major issue the studio had with the film. The darkness, coupled with the effects of the character toward the end of the film, made it difficult to market him in a McDonalds Happy Meal, so Tim had to deal with a lot of back and forth to get this movie made.
Once again, we have the brilliant Danny Elfman doing the score, taking the work he did on the original and expanding upon it, doing a fantastic job as always. The film benefitted greatly from his work.
Batman Returns doesn't equal the quality and entertainment value of the original, but it does offer a fun and entertaining experience that's well worth watching.
This movie sucks! I mean really sucks!!
baumer22 June 1999
I have really never seen a film that is worse than this. There is one improbable situation after another and nothing is thought out to make any sense. It looked to me like the makers of this film figured that they had a gold mine on their hands and because the first made a ton of money, they could make a quickie film that has no concern for detail, plot, characterization, direction, script, stunts or anything that makes a film entertaining.
The film looks like it was filmed on a sound stage and you can tell because when it is supposed to be below zero outside, there is no mist coming from the breath of the people in the scene. And that is only one small complaint. The biggest one is that this film suffers from what I like to call the respected man is suddenly a bad guy syndrome.
Batman is a respected, hard working, guardian angel in Gotham City. He has been like that for a while now. Suddenly a shady figure that is grotesque looking and walks like a Penguin enters the picture. Within days of his arrival on the scene, not only has the penguin miraculously discredited Batman but he has managed to get the entire city against him. He has been ostracized from public safety and this leaves the Penguin alone to do his diabolical plans.
Is this the best they can come up with? I mean, aren't writers smarter than that? Can't they write a better way for the Penguin to do what he does? I really hate this movie. With all that I am, I hate it. But it made a ton of money because kids love this crap and for the rest of us that want to see a good film and hope to God that this film will be a welcome distraction for two hours of our summer, are not only disappointed, we are disgusted. Avoid this movie at all costs.
The film looks like it was filmed on a sound stage and you can tell because when it is supposed to be below zero outside, there is no mist coming from the breath of the people in the scene. And that is only one small complaint. The biggest one is that this film suffers from what I like to call the respected man is suddenly a bad guy syndrome.
Batman is a respected, hard working, guardian angel in Gotham City. He has been like that for a while now. Suddenly a shady figure that is grotesque looking and walks like a Penguin enters the picture. Within days of his arrival on the scene, not only has the penguin miraculously discredited Batman but he has managed to get the entire city against him. He has been ostracized from public safety and this leaves the Penguin alone to do his diabolical plans.
Is this the best they can come up with? I mean, aren't writers smarter than that? Can't they write a better way for the Penguin to do what he does? I really hate this movie. With all that I am, I hate it. But it made a ton of money because kids love this crap and for the rest of us that want to see a good film and hope to God that this film will be a welcome distraction for two hours of our summer, are not only disappointed, we are disgusted. Avoid this movie at all costs.
What Happened?
Eightiesjunkie23 March 2014
That's the question I kept asking myself after I finished watching this film. I know I'll be stepping on many peoples' toes by writing this review. I know a lot of people loved this film when it was released in '92, and I know a lot of people still love the film to this day. However, I'd like to ask all those people to keep an open mind, and to try to see this from my perspective. I never liked this movie! Not even after I first saw it. I wanna put all of you in my shoes: Your eight years old, Batman comes out, you go see it, and afterwords, you're blown away by its sheer greatness. Shortly after, a sequel is announced, and you're ecstatic! You can't wait for it, you expect it to be all that the previous film was and more, then, a few years pass, the film comes out, you see it, and its a complete dud! That's exactly how I felt when I saw Batman Returns. Batman Returns didn't even feel like it was in the same series as Batman! Where as Batman was exciting and fun, Batman Returns was dreary and depressing. None of the villains were charismatic, or fun to watch like Nicholson's Joker, they were all one dimensional and had no motivations! Keaton still plays Batman fairly well, but nothing at all is done with his Bruce Wayne persona. Which in and of itself, presents a huge problem when a semi love interest is interjected into the film. As with Kim Basinger's Vicki Vale, Michelle Pfeiffer does a decent job with what she's given, but that's the problem with her character. You don't know what kind of person Selina Kyle really is, and we have no idea what her agenda is as Catwoman. Why does she want Penguin to frame Batman? We don't know and we never find out. The Biggest problem of the film however, is Danny Devito as The Penguin. Aside from the fact that he rides around in a motorized rubber duck, and that the image of his army of rocket pack penguins is the most unintentionally hilarious thing I've ever seen, The Penguin has to be one of the most poorly done comic book villains ever! The problem is, that The Penguin is done in such an inconsistent way. One minute Tim Burton wants us all to feel sorry for him, and then the next, he wants us all to detest him as the evil villain. As for my experience with the film: It didn't leave me in a good mood or hungry for more, as the first film did. It left me feeling dreary, sick, and empty. For me, going from Batman to Batman Returns felt like chasing Champagne with sewer water. The first drink was great, but the second just left a bad taste in my mouth.
Icky DeVito's performance.
MAJORIC5 December 2005
As a writer, I'm more sensitive than the Regular Joe to plot devices and character motivations. While Nicholson offered us a top notch performance as the Joker in Batman, neither DeVito nor Pfeiffer provide enough strength or motivation to become the so called villains of this motion picture. I went to the theater with high expectations (I even rented Batman to get back high on the subject) and came out utterly disappointed. Even a Luke warm homage to Burguess Meredith would have been a better sequel to the first Batman.
Imagine this: DeVito could have played a millionaire eccentric bird lover whose fortune had been taken away, (obviously a rip off plot from Trading Places) but it would lend the character some more power. Then he attacks the city with his army of penguins. Lovable!
Imagine this: DeVito could have played a millionaire eccentric bird lover whose fortune had been taken away, (obviously a rip off plot from Trading Places) but it would lend the character some more power. Then he attacks the city with his army of penguins. Lovable!
What a waste of a perfectly good joint...
PhilthySkankPhilanthropist21 July 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I enjoy watching movies when I'm high. As 'The Dark Knight' came close to theaters I decided to watch Tim Burton's 'Batman Returns' to hype my anticipation. What a waste of a Joint that was. This movie made me almost fall asleep. It was just too boring. As a loyal fan to the comics I absolutely refuse to believe that was the Penguin on screen. Killer Croc is more like it. Burton's version of the Penguin consist of a sewer mutant deformed freak who was raised and yes - educated by NAZI penguins with Rocket Launchers on his back. After the Penguins changing his diapers, feeding him and teaching him how to talk proper English grammar he rises from the Sewer to try and become Mayor of Gotham City. Sounds like a comedy? it's not. it's a movie that tries too hard to be serious. Things only get worst when Selina Kyle falls to her death out of a window and becomes the menacing 'Catwoman' after being half aten by Cats. It takes at least 20 minutes in between takes to see the hero of the story (Batman - In case you were wondering). This movie doesn't really have much of a plot. If you want to see it I'm not going to stop you. But don't say I didn't warn you.
A Tim Burton ego trip more than a Batman movie
videogamenews22 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I don't know exactly what went on behind the scenes, but it's clear that Tim Burton (he never did another one) wanted to give Hollywood a big "F-U" with this film.
While the first one had still some ties with the comics, the sequel is almost a parody. No character has any similarity with the original series, starting with an almost mutant Penguin who's just a mob boss in the comics. Even Batman acts strange (killing people, cracking jokes etc) and is on screen for a very little time.
Also, Michael Keaton looks bored in almost all his scenes, and the "now grey" costume looks a lot faker than the original. Danny de Vito did well but the character was just badly written. Same with Catwoman: the whole "cat resurrection" thing was laughable even back in the days.
The only good points are the first scenes with the circus battle (still very good today) and the overall dark/decaying atmosphere that's typical Burton.
Too bad nobody was there telling the director that enough is enough sometimes.
While the first one had still some ties with the comics, the sequel is almost a parody. No character has any similarity with the original series, starting with an almost mutant Penguin who's just a mob boss in the comics. Even Batman acts strange (killing people, cracking jokes etc) and is on screen for a very little time.
Also, Michael Keaton looks bored in almost all his scenes, and the "now grey" costume looks a lot faker than the original. Danny de Vito did well but the character was just badly written. Same with Catwoman: the whole "cat resurrection" thing was laughable even back in the days.
The only good points are the first scenes with the circus battle (still very good today) and the overall dark/decaying atmosphere that's typical Burton.
Too bad nobody was there telling the director that enough is enough sometimes.
The most horrible and violent movie I have ever seen.
dwd95104 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This comment does have spoilers
Batman Returns has got to be the most overrated movie I have ever seen. One of the main reasons why I hate it is because of the animal cruelty. In the beginning, the Penguin is born and his parents lock him in a cage, 2 seconds later, you see a cute cat going past the cage and you see the Penguin grabbing it and killing it, you hear the cats screams and crying out. It was just horrible.
Then halfway through the film, Catwoman is working for the Penguin and she eats his canary. What was the point in that?
Don't see this film if you love animals, in fact don't see it anyway because of the bad acting, bad story and bad special effects.
Batman Returns has got to be the most overrated movie I have ever seen. One of the main reasons why I hate it is because of the animal cruelty. In the beginning, the Penguin is born and his parents lock him in a cage, 2 seconds later, you see a cute cat going past the cage and you see the Penguin grabbing it and killing it, you hear the cats screams and crying out. It was just horrible.
Then halfway through the film, Catwoman is working for the Penguin and she eats his canary. What was the point in that?
Don't see this film if you love animals, in fact don't see it anyway because of the bad acting, bad story and bad special effects.
Holy Crap, Batman!!!
Golfshirts_And_BowlingSh25 February 2007
Other then the disastrous Batman And Robin, this movie takes the cake. Batman is yet again just a secondary character to the villains, getting as much time as The Scarecrow did in Batman Begins. In this movie, dumb-witted Tim Burton re-designed the Penguin. He portrayed him very simular to the villain Killer Croc. The Penguin, instead of being a Rich, snobby Nightclub and casino owner, who often supplies Batman with information was turned into a sewer mutant freak puking black and white mucus from his mouth, with feces on his pajamas. Raised and learned English grammar by a bunch of NAZI marching penguins with rocket launchers on their backs who tries running for mayor. While Selina Kyle is pushed out of a window, killed brought back to life by a bunch of cats trying to eat her and becomes Catwoman. But in the comics Catwoman is an ally. Just a sneeky thief. Burton portrayed her as a terrorist. Blowing up buildings and killing everyone in her path. There was no use for even Batman being in this film, he was portrayed as a psycho murderer, Killing petty thugs in his twenty minute cameo scenes. It had no plot at all and was just overly dumb.
One my "Top Ten Worst Movies I've Ever Paid to Watch".
flicker-1618 September 1999
Top of the list for worst movies. I don't know why these early Batman movies had our hero fighting two villains at once (actually three if you want to count Max Schreck). In my humble opinion, just fighting either the Catwoman alone or the Penguin alone would have had a tighter dramatic structure. However, watching a flock of penguins waddling around with missiles strapped to their backs, supposedly a threat to the citizens Gotham City, was unintentionally one of the funniest scenes I've ever seen.
A Whining Crybaby Rather Than a Sexy Lioness
richardchatten5 August 2020
Posterity has been bequeathed several classic movies - including 'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp' and 'Vertigo' - that were transformed because the intended female lead became pregnant.
You have only to see what Catwoman in 'Batman Returns' could have been had Warren Beaty not got Annette Bening pregnant from Bening's wicked little minx Myra in 'The Grifters'; far from the whining crybaby she became as played by Michelle Pfeiffer. (An interview with Bening at the time revealed that she had been about to dye her hair jet black for the part, which indicated an entirely different look had been on the cards at that point.)
Pfeiffer brings startling blue eyes to the Felonious Feline; but although delightfully ditzy and vulnerable in her early scenes as Selina Kyle (like frazzled waitress Frankie from her previous film) she seems more like a little girl raiding her mother's makeup box when she actually becomes The Catwoman. And who on a zillion dollar super-production thought it a bright idea to give a supervillain an amateurish looking costume that looked as if it was covered in lobotomy scars? (Was she out of black thread?) She could have begun her criminal career by breaking into a sex shop and nicking a professionally-made catsuit in which she would have straight away looked the part...
You have only to see what Catwoman in 'Batman Returns' could have been had Warren Beaty not got Annette Bening pregnant from Bening's wicked little minx Myra in 'The Grifters'; far from the whining crybaby she became as played by Michelle Pfeiffer. (An interview with Bening at the time revealed that she had been about to dye her hair jet black for the part, which indicated an entirely different look had been on the cards at that point.)
Pfeiffer brings startling blue eyes to the Felonious Feline; but although delightfully ditzy and vulnerable in her early scenes as Selina Kyle (like frazzled waitress Frankie from her previous film) she seems more like a little girl raiding her mother's makeup box when she actually becomes The Catwoman. And who on a zillion dollar super-production thought it a bright idea to give a supervillain an amateurish looking costume that looked as if it was covered in lobotomy scars? (Was she out of black thread?) She could have begun her criminal career by breaking into a sex shop and nicking a professionally-made catsuit in which she would have straight away looked the part...
Utter crap
donstamegna30 March 2010
This movie is by far one of the worst super hero films ever, it's on par with Superman 4. Bruce Wayne just sits in his study waiting for the Bat Signal to call him (and what the heck is up with all those reflectors mounted on Wayne Manor? I guess the next time the house needs a roof repair the secrets out). Tim Burton has a way of making humanity look disgusting and he want way over the top in this stink fest. Here are some of the major issues. Batman punches through the floorboards of the almost indestructible Batmobile. He easily rips through his bullet proof outfit to, yet again, reveal his secret identity (and notice the lack of black eye makeup). I don't know what to say about the penguins other than WTF?!?! And a secretary who gets thrown out of a window, gets bitten by cats, and suddenly has the ability to perform acrobatics, is a great fighter, and is a master with a bull whip. This movie was supposed to come out at Christmas time, but in need of serious reediting in order to make it look like something beyond the level of a 3rd grader with a camcorder it was pushed to the following summer. They should have worked a little harder.
This movie was not a Batman movie. It was Tim Burton fixing something that was never broken. Thank God Batman Begins came out to show the world how Batman should be done. Realistically and serious.
This movie was not a Batman movie. It was Tim Burton fixing something that was never broken. Thank God Batman Begins came out to show the world how Batman should be done. Realistically and serious.
Will, can't blame Burton for trying...I think.
Jughead_Pwns9 December 2006
I do not like this movie at all, actually hated it, and this is coming from a loyal Batman fan. Every time Tim Burton makes a movie he constantly tries to remind you that you're watching a "burton film" rather then just a movie, and for Batman Returns, it's just that. I stopped watching this after my love for "Mask Of The Phantasm" came to DVD. Batman is still a homicidal maniac who hasn't been locked up in Arkham yet, speaking of Arkham Aslyum, where is it? Burton just rathered to kill off the criminals rather then adding the influential mad house from the comics. Batman is yet again playing second fiddle to the villains, having the Dark Knight in only about 25 minutes of the movie. Anyways, I'll get to the point. There is a new nutjob running around Gotham...wait? in the sewers? Finally, Killer Croc is introduced to the movies. No, wait....that's not Croc...that's...the Penguin? Burton portrayed Oswald Cobblepot as a sewer mutant freak, with feces on his pajama bottoms, puking black and green mucus from his mouth with an army of penguins with rocket launchers on their backs, marching around the town like nazi soilders from the '40s. The Penguin has always been a sophisticated gentlemen, a rich greedy crimeboss and owns a local dance club. Oswald always only carried an umbrella with him because his father died of pneumonia when he was a kid, and his loving mother didn't want him to catch it. In Batman Returns, his parents hated him, disown him and threw him into a river. Catwoman was shown as a psychopathic terrorist, killing random strangers and blowing up everything in her path when she was thrown out of a window and revived when cats tried to eat her. This movie is poorly plotted. Burton disregards anything he sees in the comic book and makes it his version and to me; that is not the Batman I grew up to love.
None of it makes any sense, and Burton doesn't really mind
andrewroy-0431622 November 2019
As a big Batman fan who liked 1989 Batman and was fresh off watching the wonderful campy show Gotham, Batman Returns seemed like a great watch, with a famous take on Penguin and a dark villain-oriented story. The parts fit together on paper, but on the screen it was nonsensical, with no coherent or interesting characters, a nonexistent plot, and one of the most laughable scripts I've ever seen - for all the wrong reasons.
This movie starts and ends with the characters, so let's dig into them. Penguin is the biggest character in this movie I'd say, and early on I thought he had legitimate potential. While it doesn't make any sense, his backstory is interesting - he was abandoned by his parents, and drifted to the (abandoned?) zoo and grew up in the sewers with penguins. How he got food to survive for 33 years, why he looks 70 years old as a 33 year old, how he acquired things like the rubber ducky or his many umbrellas, why he never went aboveground, or how he survived and learned about the world if he never went aboveground: none of that matters. What matters is that he wanted to learn who his parents were and make Gotham stop taking everything for granted. He makes a decent play in blackmailing Shreck to gain power, and then Shreck gives him the platform to become mayor. This is where it becomes clear that Burton is not interested in logic. Penguin, the grotesque and uncharismatic sewer creature, is somehow beloved by everyone, even after biting a dude's nose off and making two gross sexual comments to women. There's no reason for him to be mayor - he's never really given the chance to be a creative, manipulative planner and is just thrust into the role through citywide pity. Even though he has no coherent plan throughout the movie, I perked up when I heard his scheme at the end to kidnap kids to show Gotham all they took for granted. The plan was literally stealing them and putting them in jail cells on a train riding around town, which was quickly and anticlimactically thwarted by Batman. To his credit, he seems unsurprised his half-baked idea didn't work and says it's time for plan B: blow up the city by attaching rocket launchers to hundreds of penguins and mind-controlling them. Of course! Batman sees this on his special penguin radar and, in one of countless instances of boringly lazy writing, Alfred jams the signal so the penguins return to the zoo. That's the climax? Then Penguin has to come out to the streets in his rubber ducky to really show Gotham who's boss (don't worry about what he was gonna do in the rubber ducky), and Batman drives right into him thanks to the handy penguin radar that also tracks big rubber duckies, sending Penguin into the water below. Aside from being half the age he looked, I liked the way Penguin's look was designed, but his dialogue is poor, he has no real ambition throughout the movie, and his one plan that could've been coherent was comically stupid.
I'll spend less time on Catwoman, since she doesn't even have the promising aspects that Penguin does. She is presented as a nervous and incompetent secretary, but after being shoved out a window goes insane and becomes the Catwoman. No, there's no reason why her near-death made her want to be whatever she became, but don't worry, she actually never has any plans or goals. She'd be happy to kill Shreck, but isn't focused on this during the movie, and gets mad at Batman and Penguin when they fight her, but there isn't a single time when she dresses as Catwoman with any goal or plan of what she wants to do. She simply goes and sees if anyone looks ripe to... intimidate, I guess? I'm really not sure. She also gets shot four times and tases a dude while grabbing an electrical wire until he's fried to a crisp, but of course she doesn't die because she has 9 lives. Her sudden transition from being extremely clumsy and awkward to super athletic and aggressive is not at all believable, and even aside from that is a boring character with literally no ambition or ideas.
Batman is given relatively little screen time, and Keaton is still fine as Batman, but completely lifeless. Gone are any moral dilemmas of taking the law into his own hands or even just creative ways to stop the villains. His penguin/rubber ducky radar, frequency jammer, and being a sick DJ on the Penguin tracks are all he needs.
The things wrong with these three characters embody the many problems the film faces as a whole. There's no thematic material or ideas, none of the characters have real ambition or plans, and the set pieces that are supposed to feel exciting are either rote or laughably unrealistic. For every uninspired Batman punching people scene, we have Penguin being lured into a bizarre underground office for his mayoral campaign by a raw fish, Catwoman eating one of Penguin's birds to show she means business (I guess???), and the hundreds of penguins tossing those goggles on to get ready for the rockets. I'll give the movie credit in the few places it's due: the score was quite good, and the visuals of Gotham were pretty solid, as long as you ignore that they walk on the same street literally the entire movie. People generally seem to regard Batman Returns with respect, and I can't see what element of the movie isn't abysmal - the characters, script, and plot are all bottom notch. That also makes me scared for Batman Forever and Batman and Robin - can they really be worse than this mess? None of the events in Batman Returns make any sense at all, and the only pleasant parts are when you realize how ridiculous the movie has gotten and laugh at the game of one-upsmanship Burton plays with himself in regard to nonsensical plot points. If you want a campy, fun villain-based vision of Gotham, watch the show Gotham. If you want a dark Batman, watch the Nolan trilogy. If you want a well-done Michael Keaton Batman, watch the 1989 Batman. Only turn to Batman Returns if you're truly hankering for a movie with ambitionless and uncreative characters and a plot that has no interest in making sense.
This movie starts and ends with the characters, so let's dig into them. Penguin is the biggest character in this movie I'd say, and early on I thought he had legitimate potential. While it doesn't make any sense, his backstory is interesting - he was abandoned by his parents, and drifted to the (abandoned?) zoo and grew up in the sewers with penguins. How he got food to survive for 33 years, why he looks 70 years old as a 33 year old, how he acquired things like the rubber ducky or his many umbrellas, why he never went aboveground, or how he survived and learned about the world if he never went aboveground: none of that matters. What matters is that he wanted to learn who his parents were and make Gotham stop taking everything for granted. He makes a decent play in blackmailing Shreck to gain power, and then Shreck gives him the platform to become mayor. This is where it becomes clear that Burton is not interested in logic. Penguin, the grotesque and uncharismatic sewer creature, is somehow beloved by everyone, even after biting a dude's nose off and making two gross sexual comments to women. There's no reason for him to be mayor - he's never really given the chance to be a creative, manipulative planner and is just thrust into the role through citywide pity. Even though he has no coherent plan throughout the movie, I perked up when I heard his scheme at the end to kidnap kids to show Gotham all they took for granted. The plan was literally stealing them and putting them in jail cells on a train riding around town, which was quickly and anticlimactically thwarted by Batman. To his credit, he seems unsurprised his half-baked idea didn't work and says it's time for plan B: blow up the city by attaching rocket launchers to hundreds of penguins and mind-controlling them. Of course! Batman sees this on his special penguin radar and, in one of countless instances of boringly lazy writing, Alfred jams the signal so the penguins return to the zoo. That's the climax? Then Penguin has to come out to the streets in his rubber ducky to really show Gotham who's boss (don't worry about what he was gonna do in the rubber ducky), and Batman drives right into him thanks to the handy penguin radar that also tracks big rubber duckies, sending Penguin into the water below. Aside from being half the age he looked, I liked the way Penguin's look was designed, but his dialogue is poor, he has no real ambition throughout the movie, and his one plan that could've been coherent was comically stupid.
I'll spend less time on Catwoman, since she doesn't even have the promising aspects that Penguin does. She is presented as a nervous and incompetent secretary, but after being shoved out a window goes insane and becomes the Catwoman. No, there's no reason why her near-death made her want to be whatever she became, but don't worry, she actually never has any plans or goals. She'd be happy to kill Shreck, but isn't focused on this during the movie, and gets mad at Batman and Penguin when they fight her, but there isn't a single time when she dresses as Catwoman with any goal or plan of what she wants to do. She simply goes and sees if anyone looks ripe to... intimidate, I guess? I'm really not sure. She also gets shot four times and tases a dude while grabbing an electrical wire until he's fried to a crisp, but of course she doesn't die because she has 9 lives. Her sudden transition from being extremely clumsy and awkward to super athletic and aggressive is not at all believable, and even aside from that is a boring character with literally no ambition or ideas.
Batman is given relatively little screen time, and Keaton is still fine as Batman, but completely lifeless. Gone are any moral dilemmas of taking the law into his own hands or even just creative ways to stop the villains. His penguin/rubber ducky radar, frequency jammer, and being a sick DJ on the Penguin tracks are all he needs.
The things wrong with these three characters embody the many problems the film faces as a whole. There's no thematic material or ideas, none of the characters have real ambition or plans, and the set pieces that are supposed to feel exciting are either rote or laughably unrealistic. For every uninspired Batman punching people scene, we have Penguin being lured into a bizarre underground office for his mayoral campaign by a raw fish, Catwoman eating one of Penguin's birds to show she means business (I guess???), and the hundreds of penguins tossing those goggles on to get ready for the rockets. I'll give the movie credit in the few places it's due: the score was quite good, and the visuals of Gotham were pretty solid, as long as you ignore that they walk on the same street literally the entire movie. People generally seem to regard Batman Returns with respect, and I can't see what element of the movie isn't abysmal - the characters, script, and plot are all bottom notch. That also makes me scared for Batman Forever and Batman and Robin - can they really be worse than this mess? None of the events in Batman Returns make any sense at all, and the only pleasant parts are when you realize how ridiculous the movie has gotten and laugh at the game of one-upsmanship Burton plays with himself in regard to nonsensical plot points. If you want a campy, fun villain-based vision of Gotham, watch the show Gotham. If you want a dark Batman, watch the Nolan trilogy. If you want a well-done Michael Keaton Batman, watch the 1989 Batman. Only turn to Batman Returns if you're truly hankering for a movie with ambitionless and uncreative characters and a plot that has no interest in making sense.
Parody?
Explosionman18723 February 2020
If this was titled as a comedy and parody, I would give a much higher score. Beacuse then it would be almost genius. But I think that Burton and all the actors actually were completely serious about this. But I don't know? Anyway, this movie has a lot going on but there is no real plot to follow, it's just stupid nonsense after stupid nonsense, to the point it's almost hilarious. But it's not followable, to easy to drift out of the film and start checking your phone, beacuse nothing makes any sense and just can't be taken serious. I think the problem was that Burton actually didn't want to make it in the first place, he was fine with only doing the first Batman, which is slightly better then this one also. But changed his mind when he was given full control of Returns, and just made his own thing from some wierd dream he had or something. I don't know. It's also weirdly perverted at times, like it's written by a teenager with sexuel frustration. It's one of those movies that probably is really fun to watch if you're really really really high, but I personally don't do that anymore. I will give this movie 3 points, beacuse it does have some nostslgia for me, which was at least giving me something.
A timeless Classic and Christmas movie
thompsontown20 September 2020
Just watched this movies again with a friends and our four 5-8 years olds. Loved and enjoyed unanimously. Great performances, if not the best From all involved. Was criticized at the the time for been too gothic, apparently, but I think it holds up better that the first, and I LOVE the first one. Underrated Super hero flick and a Tim burton master piece.
Batman, unfortunately, Returns.
McFrogg19 April 2017
Warning: Spoilers
It's a bright, sunny day when that terrible trio The Penguin (DeVito), Max Schreck (Walken) and Catwoman (Pfeiffer) show up and threaten the fair citizens of Gotham City. Luckily, the caped crusader (Keaton) appears in the nick of time and saves the day!
"You've done it again, Batman!" Says Gordon, played by Pat Hingle. The two friends shake hands, and Batman jumps into his batmobile and drives away into the sunset.
Just kidding, this is the one with the perverted mutant Penguin and zombie Catwoman. Michael Keaton does a good enough job as Batman, Christopher Walken is Christopher Walken, Pfeiffer's Catwoman is painful to watch with her forced sexiness, and the Penguin is a nightmare. Not because of the acting, but the character is unpleasant. I don't know what Tim Burton is trying to say, but it seems to me that he wants us to feel sorry for the Penguin.
While everyone should get a second, or third or even fourth chance, it's impossible to find anything good about the Penguin. Sure, I feel bad when his parents throw him off the bridge, but as an adult he's pure evil. People didn't hate him because of his appearance...they gave him a chance from the moment he came out of the sewers. He's not Edward Scissorhands or the Elephant Man. The worst part is his death scene, with the sad music and crying penguins. Save your tears, a mutated, (but prettier) Joseph Stalin is dead, and the world is a safer place.
Returns is in many ways a mean-spirited and ugly movie. The part where the Ice Princess is kidnapped and killed is a good example. As a kid, I really hated that scene...Batman just stood there and watched as the damsel in distress fell to her death. Another is when the fat clown is shot because he doesn't want to kill children. Maybe those scenes are supposed to be horrible and tragic? Probably not, it's a Burton movie.
But, there are some positive things here as well: wonderful designs, the batsuit looks fantastic, Michael Gough is perfect as Alfred. The best part about the movie is probably the music by Danny Elfman. It's sad that they wasted all that talent on this crap.
Tim Burton should have stayed away from the Batman sequel. If he wanted to make a movie inspired by German expressionist films, he could have made something original instead. Maybe a comedy sequel to Nosferatu...Nosfera2: Bite Harder?
"You've done it again, Batman!" Says Gordon, played by Pat Hingle. The two friends shake hands, and Batman jumps into his batmobile and drives away into the sunset.
Just kidding, this is the one with the perverted mutant Penguin and zombie Catwoman. Michael Keaton does a good enough job as Batman, Christopher Walken is Christopher Walken, Pfeiffer's Catwoman is painful to watch with her forced sexiness, and the Penguin is a nightmare. Not because of the acting, but the character is unpleasant. I don't know what Tim Burton is trying to say, but it seems to me that he wants us to feel sorry for the Penguin.
While everyone should get a second, or third or even fourth chance, it's impossible to find anything good about the Penguin. Sure, I feel bad when his parents throw him off the bridge, but as an adult he's pure evil. People didn't hate him because of his appearance...they gave him a chance from the moment he came out of the sewers. He's not Edward Scissorhands or the Elephant Man. The worst part is his death scene, with the sad music and crying penguins. Save your tears, a mutated, (but prettier) Joseph Stalin is dead, and the world is a safer place.
Returns is in many ways a mean-spirited and ugly movie. The part where the Ice Princess is kidnapped and killed is a good example. As a kid, I really hated that scene...Batman just stood there and watched as the damsel in distress fell to her death. Another is when the fat clown is shot because he doesn't want to kill children. Maybe those scenes are supposed to be horrible and tragic? Probably not, it's a Burton movie.
But, there are some positive things here as well: wonderful designs, the batsuit looks fantastic, Michael Gough is perfect as Alfred. The best part about the movie is probably the music by Danny Elfman. It's sad that they wasted all that talent on this crap.
Tim Burton should have stayed away from the Batman sequel. If he wanted to make a movie inspired by German expressionist films, he could have made something original instead. Maybe a comedy sequel to Nosferatu...Nosfera2: Bite Harder?
Worst Batman Movie ever conceivable
DDP-230 May 2006
Ever wonder why Burton was fired from the Batfilms? Watch this cinematic abortion. A penguin that drips chocolate syrup out his nose and eats raw fish. A "circus gang" that's campier than anything Adam West ever conceived of. A poodle lady and a batarang fetching poodle. Is Batman in this? Oh yeah, for like two seconds. Except this Batman is the worst hand to hand fighter in history...so he has to stick bombs down fat guys pants. An overly bizarre, pretentious script and storyline...that has no reason to be pretentious because it's about the most convoluted piece of hack-dom ever.
Michele Pfeiffer and the score were good...but not enough to save this movie. Keaton's sullen, middle-aged, nerdy Bruce Wayne is awful. At least Schumacher gives us a millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, and a Batman that can fight in the follow up to Burton/Keaton's garbage film. Well, at lease I think it's garbage. If you like ridiculous puppet-Penguin pallbearers...yes, puppet penguin pallbearers...you might think this the greatest thing ever made.
Michele Pfeiffer and the score were good...but not enough to save this movie. Keaton's sullen, middle-aged, nerdy Bruce Wayne is awful. At least Schumacher gives us a millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, and a Batman that can fight in the follow up to Burton/Keaton's garbage film. Well, at lease I think it's garbage. If you like ridiculous puppet-Penguin pallbearers...yes, puppet penguin pallbearers...you might think this the greatest thing ever made.
Burton Bores.
BA_Harrison24 June 2017
In the first Tim Burton Batman movie, Jack Nicholson stole almost every scene he was in as The Joker, but the film was still very much about Batman.
Three years later, and Batman returned, but on the strength of this sequel, perhaps it would have been better if he had remained hidden away in his bat cave.
Nowhere near as much fun as his original, Tim Burton's follow up focuses less on the bat and more on the villains: the Penguin (Danny De Vito), who emerges from the sewers, ostensibly to discover who is parents were, but in reality, to wreak terror on the people of Gotham City, with a little help from unscrupulous industrialist Max Schreck (Christopher Walken). And Catwoman, psycho secretary Selina Kyle, who loses her marbles and turns nasty after being pushed out of a window by Schreck.
Michael Keaton, as Batman, hardly gets a look in.
As well as featuring not nearly enough of its hero, the film also suffers from an air of unrelenting grotesqueness (Burton going overboard on the freaky stuff), a really drab aesthetic (the winter setting leading to lots of dreary grey and blue visuals), and a boring plot in which the Penguin runs for mayor. At over two hours long, I felt my eyelids drooping a lot.
4/10, minus one point for Walken's crazy hair and the unconvincing mechanical penguins/men in penguin costumes, some of the Stan Winston Studio's worst work.
Three years later, and Batman returned, but on the strength of this sequel, perhaps it would have been better if he had remained hidden away in his bat cave.
Nowhere near as much fun as his original, Tim Burton's follow up focuses less on the bat and more on the villains: the Penguin (Danny De Vito), who emerges from the sewers, ostensibly to discover who is parents were, but in reality, to wreak terror on the people of Gotham City, with a little help from unscrupulous industrialist Max Schreck (Christopher Walken). And Catwoman, psycho secretary Selina Kyle, who loses her marbles and turns nasty after being pushed out of a window by Schreck.
Michael Keaton, as Batman, hardly gets a look in.
As well as featuring not nearly enough of its hero, the film also suffers from an air of unrelenting grotesqueness (Burton going overboard on the freaky stuff), a really drab aesthetic (the winter setting leading to lots of dreary grey and blue visuals), and a boring plot in which the Penguin runs for mayor. At over two hours long, I felt my eyelids drooping a lot.
4/10, minus one point for Walken's crazy hair and the unconvincing mechanical penguins/men in penguin costumes, some of the Stan Winston Studio's worst work.
this movie went so wrong!
MartinHafer11 July 2006
Although Michael Keaton and Tim Burton return for this sequel to BATMAN (1989), this movie was a terrible followup to the blockbuster film. While the original film was dark and terribly entertaining, this film was far, far darker and offered little that could be seen as entertaining.
Instead of a funny and over-the-top villain like the Joker, this one features Danny DeVito as one of the ugliest and most repellent villains of all time. In addition, the back story just made no sense at all and was just 100% stupid. A horrid couple have a horribly deformed baby. So, they do what most folks would do--chuck the kid in the sewer! There, he is somehow transported to a land where he is raised by animals. Later, he creates an army of evil armed penguins.
Now, no matter how good the film is from this point on, the premise and characters are so stupid that it can't help but fail. It's visually impressive but also ugly and nihilistic. After starring in this mess, I can understand why Keaton bowed out of future Batman films.
Instead of a funny and over-the-top villain like the Joker, this one features Danny DeVito as one of the ugliest and most repellent villains of all time. In addition, the back story just made no sense at all and was just 100% stupid. A horrid couple have a horribly deformed baby. So, they do what most folks would do--chuck the kid in the sewer! There, he is somehow transported to a land where he is raised by animals. Later, he creates an army of evil armed penguins.
Now, no matter how good the film is from this point on, the premise and characters are so stupid that it can't help but fail. It's visually impressive but also ugly and nihilistic. After starring in this mess, I can understand why Keaton bowed out of future Batman films.
Tim Burton's disaster
filipemanuelneto26 March 2016
This film is a sequel to the movie "Batman" by Tim Burton. And as the first film, falls into the same sins: lack of realism (not even try it) and excessive attachment to the comic strip that gives rise to the central character. Blame it again Tim Burton, which shows little understanding of the comic-book universe and how capable he is of direct cinematic masterpieces or disasters. The film has the participation of Michael Keaton (as Batman), Danny DeVito (as Penguin) and Michelle Pfeiffer (as Catwoman), and only DeVito could shine, incorporating a spiteful and callous Penguin, still unrivaled in cinema.
Moreover, the notes I've made for the first film applies perfectly to this also: the cinematography is so black that looks like it's always night in Gotham City, a city that, thanks to the unrealistic scenario, seems a depressed and bloodthirsty version of Orwell's Metropolis. The costumes seem's Carnival masks: Batman exaggerate in plastic polymers and Catwoman would be absolutely perfect in a hardcore and decadent version of "Fifty Shades of Grey"... Again, Burton lost an opportunity to understand that the film audience expects more realism concerning comic-book adaptations.
Moreover, the notes I've made for the first film applies perfectly to this also: the cinematography is so black that looks like it's always night in Gotham City, a city that, thanks to the unrealistic scenario, seems a depressed and bloodthirsty version of Orwell's Metropolis. The costumes seem's Carnival masks: Batman exaggerate in plastic polymers and Catwoman would be absolutely perfect in a hardcore and decadent version of "Fifty Shades of Grey"... Again, Burton lost an opportunity to understand that the film audience expects more realism concerning comic-book adaptations.
There are many good IMDb reviews for this, but I just don't get it. Awful!
blackbrown29 August 2008
Well, Danny Devito and Chris Walken are fun to watch but I can't think of another thing to say remotely complementary about this movie. Just dreadful. First off, there's tons of reviews on here praising this movie for being so dark. I don't get this at all. This is an updated version of the TV show in my opinion, all that awful "camp" is back. I've also noticed that most of the good reviews are from admitted Tim Burton lovers, something I make no claim to be. "Batman & Robin" is constantly maligned for being the downfall of this franchise (before Chris Nolan got his hands on it, of course), but this movie is just as bad as that one. I don't know, Burton's first Batman along with the two Nolan episodes are wonderful, but the other three ("Returns," "Forever," and "Robin") are just a waste of time. Maybe a 13 year old boy will fall for this crap, but the only adult fans I can imagine enjoying this film are those who will buy anything Burton does simply because it's Burton.
What
zhyarTheChosen12 November 2019
A Bit Too Dark, Gloomy and Bizarre
Uriah434 February 2017
Born so deformed that even his parents don't want him, a young baby is hurled into the sewers of Gotham City in the hope that he will die. But, incredibly enough, he is taken in by some penguins who live right there in the sewers and grows up into a repulsive creature known as "the Penguin" (Danny DeVito). And his first action is to kidnap the wealthiest man in Gotham City by the name of "Max Shreck" (Christopher Walken) and blackmail him into helping him rediscover his roots--or at least that's what he wants people to believe. But Max isn't the type who is easily controlled and instead attempts to manipulate him for his own evil schemes instead. At the same time Max Shreck's secretary "Selena Kyle" (Michelle Pfeiffer) happens to stumble upon a secret file that Max has which details an illegal scheme he is planning and she ends up being thrown out of a skyscraper to her apparent death. But she is somehow revived by some stray cats and having now gone totally insane decides to take her revenge upon Max as a costumed villainess called "the Catwoman". Needless to say, Gotham City isn't big enough for 3 such villains and it's up to "Batman" (Michael Keaton) to somehow save Gotham City from all of them. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that a dark and gloomy atmosphere is almost a prerequisite for a "Batman movie". However, this film probably went a bit too far in that department-and it got even more dark and gloomy the further on it went. Additionally, I didn't especially care for the rather bizarre ending either. Those issues aside, I thought all of the actors just mentioned performed credibly enough with Danny DeVito probably standing out the most in my opinion. Likewise, although I still believe Julie Newmar was the best actress to ever be cast as "Catwoman", I must admit that Michelle Pfeiffer wasn't too bad. But that's just my opinion. In any case, given all of the previously mentioned good and bad points I have rated this movie accordingly. Slightly above average.
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