"I believe the word you're looking for is 'Aaahh'!"

Rating: 8/10 (31 December 2008)

Before "The Dark Knight" changed everyone's perception of what a Batman movie (or sequel, for that matter) should be, there was Tim Burton's "Batman Returns," reaching sixteen years back to 1992. With perhaps the best cast of any of the original four Batman films (we're talking the Burton/Schumacher fare) and improved confidence by it's director, "Returns" is a rare occasion of a sequel one-upping it's predecessor. Sure, audiences failed to embrace it at the time in the way that they ate up 1989's "Batman," but time has revealed this one to be the better film.
As Burton states in the commentary track for the film, "Batman Returns" is less a sequel than it is another chapter in the Batman saga. And visually, the film reflects that. To match it's decidedly darker tone, Burton gives a much grimmer, much more realistic look for Gotham City than the comic-book look he gave the first. He immerses his characters in gritty darkness, whether it's The Penguin lurking in the murky sewers, or Bruce Wayne sitting alone in a darkened Wayne Manor waiting for the Bat-signal. Everything about the movie is much more adult, more mature and meaner than before, which played a big part of it's initial backlash. Afterall, it's hard to sell Happy Meals and action figures when a certain character in the film bites noses, feasts on raw fish and barfs black sludge. Therefore, it must be said that it takes a more adult audience to appreciate this film, and it's not something for children to be watching -- although I surely got my fill of this movie at the tender age of eight years old.
The story, about about a deformed baby outcast from society by his own parents, who takes refuge in the sewers only to re-emerge as iconic villain/urban-legend, The Penguin is almost as depressing as the story of the meek bachelorette Selina Kyle who, after being pushed over-the-edge by her boss, is re-incarnated as the sexed-up, merciless Catwoman. Truth be told, "Batman Returns" feels more like a movie about the two villains than it does it's title character, as Batman (with Michael Keaton reprising his role) takes a back-seat role. Danny DeVito is natural as The Penguin, and not just in body-shape. This is a rare case of an actor disappearing into his role, and DeVito has hardly had a more interesting part since. Michelle Pfeiffer, on the other side of the coin, seems to be having fun with her character, and watching her in Catwoman makes one think that maybe she was more deserving of her own spin-off film, instead of the 2004 abomination that is "Catwoman." Christopher Walken has a role as b-villain Max Shreck, and really, what can be said about the guy? He's great in everything he does, and his portrayal of the heartless megalomaniac that drives the motivation of each respective villain is spot on.
Overall, "Batman Returns" is a much more complicated film than the first. Those looking for a typical comic-book or superhero movie may find themselves disappointed in what they find here. However, like another, more popular Batman sequel in recent memory, it's a film that proves that Batman can be taken to extreme lengths and out of the context of his original format. It may feel more like a Tim Burton film than your average Batman flick, but it's also one of the best pieces of celluloid to feature the character. It's a movie that has gradually found it's audience over time, and surely, it's better than the two films that follow. This is, in my opinion, the only film prior to 2005 that gets the spirit of The Caped Crusader right.