On par with Batman '89.

Rating: 10/10 (23 March 2018)

Hot off the heels off his hugely successful predecessor, Tim Burton was quickly snapped up to harness the reigns to it's sequel. But only if he had total control. Which as this film shows, he most certainly got.
Visually different, (I miss Anton Furst's lavish sets, though the sets created here are still worthy of merit), the film doesn't really seem to be in the same universe as the first film, whereas the first one was a straight up good vs evil superhero crime flick, this one lingers more on fantasy and a freak show element that fully embodies Tim Burton's creative talent. I feel that if the viewer isn't a fan of Burton, or felt disappointed with Batman '89, probably won't appreciate 'Returns, although it's definitely worth a watch, the film seems to almost play out like an opera.
Keaton returns also as Batman, albeit I feel not quite giving such a strong performance as he did in the first one, despite getting more screen time. Although he doesn't give a bad performance by any means, he does seem to just simply breeze through the film.
Danny DeVito is the next star to portray one of Batman's rogues, The Penguin. He couldn't be any more different from every incarnation of the character before it, instead adopting shades of Killer Croc's origin. He is grotesque, tragic, a freak with the worst case of sexual frustration arguably in existence, he is a Tim Burton creation with the Penguin moniker pinned to him. I like this incarnation however, it fits in perfectly with the themes Burton is trying to convey. Whether he comes across as a strong villain though is up for debate. There's potential, but the plot involving him running for Mayor I feel instead could've taken a different route, focusing more on his bitterness and hatred more directly, allowing us to see just how twisted his mind has become because of his very unfortunate circumstances, clearly painting the picture of the old school horror villains that Burton clearly has been inspired by.
Which he references head on with the casting of Christopher Walken as Max Shreck, a corrupt businessman with plans to drain the city of power for his own benefit, using Penguin as means in the process. Although he is played well by the ever reliable Walken, he also doesn't really feel like a strong villain, although he is at least a "real" villain. You can see at certain points where this character was originally supposed to be a return for Harvey Dent, which had they kept could've been quite effective, showing how Dent is leaning towards villainy because of circumstance before he actually succumbs to his Two Face persona. Could've made the ending to the film pack more punch too, pernaps even bettering the third entry in this franchise...
Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman is also vastly different to the source material, no longer an agile jewel thief, she is a supernatural, tragic character who befriends Bruce Wayne, while their alter egos clash. I like how their romance plays out in the film, it never feels forced, and the contrasts between themselves and their other halves proves to be quite effective. Some still insist she IS Catwoman, and sometimes it's hard to argue against it.
The film is greatly boosted by the return of Danny Elfman, who brings back his bombastic Batman theme, as well as creating beautiful themes and riffs for Penguin and Catwoman. Elfman's contributions lift this film far higher than it ever would be without him, giving the film a grandiose feel, and further reinforcing the "opera" feel the film has throughout.
Despite having more flaws than its predecessor in my opinion, the good vastly outweighs the bad, making this film at least on par with Batman '89, but not better. Being a Tim Burton fan greatly helps the appreciation of this film, but I can see how even a fan could find difficultly enjoying this as a Batman film. I however find this incredibly easy. And will return to this film time and time again.