It's better than the first in many ways. A visual masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (29 September 2007)

My Take: Definitely the best of the original BATMAN movies.
The first BATMAN, although not entirely a perfect film, manages to capture the real atmosphere and dark-comic tradition, much missed in the campy 1960's TV series with Adam West. BATMAN RETURNS continues that tradition, being even more darker than the first. The film was heavily criticized for this, but I hardly see the reason why. It comes to show how creative this film is. It's better than the first film in many ways. A visual masterpiece, no doubt about it, and one of the better comic-book adaptations out there, perhaps since SUPERMAN in 1978.
Director Tim Burton, who also directed the first film, gives twice as much creativity to this sequel. Coping, as well, to a more bizarre and oftentimes deeper plot. The film opens with a mean-spirited one, showing a wealthy couple throwing their deformed child to the sewer on a Christmas night, while we follow the cradle floating down the deep sewer and found by a group of penguins who take refuge there. This scene will definitely scare the kids a bit. More will they get scared when they actually meet The Penguin (Danny DeVito). The terrific (or is that terrifying) make-up by Stan Winston is sure to give nightmares.
Besides The Penguin, we also have Catwoman (played voluptuously by Michelle Pfieffer), whose origin is yet another scene I wouldn't recommend you let the kids too see. Pfieffer, indeed, is a terrific femme fatale. Christopher Walken provides a convincing, yet not much used, villain as Max Schrek, Gotham's biggest tycoon who plans to create a power plant, which has a drawback that would drain the city's power.
The film, while the first had writers Sam Hamm and Warren Skaaren, has a new writer, Daniel Waters. Waters gives the film a more deeper story, which highlights, this time, more on the villains. Whereas the first film focused on Bruce Wayne's reflection on the death of his parents, this time, it focused on The Penguin, yearning to find his parents, and find out why they hated him badly. Rarely has there been a film that, as well, focuses on the back story of the bad guys. Even more less on superhero movies, but BATMAN RETURNS gives us that unique quality.
But the great story isn't the only great thing about the film, we also get Burton's great direction. He gives the film both it's deep, dark tradition, as well as his dose of the bizarre and the weird. Danny Elfman's music is terrific, a cross between a superhero film and a dark gloomy film. Stefan Szapsky's photography works as well. It gives the film the film noir-ish atmosphere.
At the ending of the first BATMAN, I had a good time, but got the feeling that I could have gotten more. But as the credits rolled in BATMAN RETURNS, it had me gutless and panting, because I got more than I expected, for a sequel.
In the end, BATMAN RETURNS does its job, and does it well. It's not a film that I would recommend young kids too see, even if it's a film that usually appeals to them. But anyone above the age of any kid will enjoy this dark and impressive comic book movie.
Rating: ***** out of 5.