Batman Returns is one of those sequels that doesn’t simply try to repeat what made the first movie successful. Released in 1992 and once again directed by Tim Burton, the movie takes the world created in 1989’s Batman and makes it darkeR.
Batman Returns is one of those sequels that doesn’t simply try to repeat what made the first movie successful. Released in 1992 and once again directed by Tim Burton, the movie takes the world created in 1989’s Batman and makes it darker, stranger and much more personal.
Michael Keaton returns as Bruce Wayne and Batman, and I still think his version of the character is one of the best ever put on screen. Keaton doesn’t play Batman as some unstoppable superhero. There is a loneliness and sadness to Bruce Wayne, and you can tell that being Batman has become both his purpose and his prison.
This time Batman has two major villains to deal with. The first is Oswald Cobblepot, better known as The Penguin, played brilliantly by Danny DeVito. Abandoned by his wealthy parents as a baby because of his deformities, Oswald grows up living beneath Gotham City and eventually returns looking for revenge and acceptance.
DeVito completely commits to the role, and The Penguin is absolutely bizarre. He’s disgusting, creepy, funny and genuinely threatening all at the same time. It’s a very different interpretation of the character compared with the comic books, but that’s part of what makes Burton’s version so memorable.
Then there is Selina Kyle, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, who eventually becomes Catwoman. Pfeiffer is fantastic in the role, and honestly, she almost steals the entire movie. Selina starts out as a shy and overlooked secretary working for the corrupt businessman Max Shreck, played by Christopher Walken.
After being pushed out of a window by Shreck, Selina somehow survives and transforms into Catwoman. Her transformation is one of the most memorable parts of the movie because it isn’t simply about becoming a superhero. Catwoman is angry, damaged and confused, and she is trying to figure out who she is after being treated like she was completely insignificant.
Christopher Walken is also perfectly cast as Max Shreck. He’s basically the human version of corporate greed, and Walken has so much strange energy that you never quite know what he’s going to do next. Shreck wants to take control of Gotham’s power supply and is more than willing to manipulate The Penguin to get what he wants.
The plot revolves around Shreck using The Penguin to gain political power in Gotham. Oswald wants acceptance from the people who rejected him, while Shreck wants to use him as a tool. Meanwhile, Batman is trying to figure out what is really happening while also becoming increasingly involved with Catwoman.
What makes the relationship between Batman and Catwoman so good is that they are actually very similar. Both Bruce and Selina live double lives. Both are damaged people hiding behind costumes. Both are angry at the world in different ways, and both have trouble figuring out whether they are fighting for justice or simply acting out their own pain.
Michael Keaton and Michelle Pfeiffer have incredible chemistry together. Their scenes are some of the best parts of the movie because Bruce and Selina can see something in each other that most people can’t. There is attraction between them, but there is also a tragic understanding that neither of them can really escape who they have become.
Tim Burton’s direction is a huge part of why Batman Returns works. Gotham City looks like a nightmare, with enormous gothic buildings, snow covered streets and bizarre decorations everywhere. The movie has a dark Christmas atmosphere that makes it feel completely different from almost every other superhero movie.
The production design is incredible as well. Everything looks exaggerated and theatrical, almost like a twisted version of a comic book brought to life. Burton wasn’t interested in making Gotham look like a normal city, and that decision gives Batman Returns an identity that still stands out more than 30 years later.
I also love how strange the movie is willing to be. This isn’t a clean, family friendly superhero adventure. There are penguins carrying missiles, a deformed crime boss living underground, a woman being transformed into Catwoman and a billionaire secretly trying to control Gotham’s energy supply. Somehow all of it fits together.
The movie is also surprisingly emotional. Underneath all the costumes and weirdness, Batman Returns is really about lonely people looking for somewhere to belong. Bruce, Selina and Oswald are all outsiders in their own way, and each of them handles that loneliness very differently.
Batman Returns was a massive success when it was released, although its darker tone and more mature material also caused controversy. Looking back now, that darker tone is one of the biggest reasons the movie has aged so well. Burton wasn’t trying to make another generic superhero movie. He was making a Tim Burton movie that happened to have Batman in it.
That’s ultimately why I think Batman Returns is such a good film. The cast is excellent, the characters are memorable, the visuals are incredible and the story has much more going on than simply Batman fighting villains. It’s weird, dark, funny, romantic and occasionally disturbing, and it never feels like it was made by committee.
Batman Returns may not be the most traditional Batman movie, but that’s exactly why I love it. Michael Keaton’s Batman, Michelle Pfeiffer’s unforgettable Catwoman, Danny DeVito’s bizarre Penguin and Christopher Walken’s wonderfully strange Max Shreck all exist inside one of the most distinctive versions of Gotham City ever created. It’s a strange movie, but it’s supposed to be strange, and that’s what makes Batman Returns a classic.