Underwhelmed and unsatisfied

Rating: 4/10 (20 February 2012)

Overall I found this movie to be throughly disappointing. With Batman (1989) setting the groundwork for what could have been a tremendous series with almost limitless possibilities, I feel that Batman Returns was a step backwards.
Overall the visuals were pretty amazing, especially for the time. Tim Burton at his dark brooding finest. Unlike Superman and Spiderman, Batman is suppose to be a dark, tormented individual with many complexities with his life. Tim Burton really nailed the overall feeling of this and plays on it nicely. I also enjoy the fact that the death of Bruce Wayne's parents was not rehashed, as was relentlessly in the future installments, thus taking away from those movies. The visual effects of Batman Returns were effective and used in moderation and to an expert degree.
I feel that the majority of the issue with Batman Returns is the overall story. The background of the Penguin was nicely covered and added to the empathy felt for Oswald Cobblepot, however Catwomen, who had more a villainous role was cast by the waste-side. A lot of Selena Kyle's backstory was done with simple spoken word and felt crammed into the script and didn't fit the mood or purpose. Such as Selena telling us that she is single and that she lives alone, we could have gathered that visually. Very little was explained after her transformation as to where her martial arts training came from and what her overall agenda was, other than going after Max Schrek. I also couldn't help but notice the total uncomfortable and awkwardness between Catwomen and Batman. It felt like uncomfortableness between the actors as oppose to struggles between the characters, their feelings and their agendas.
There was no real climax to this movie as it kind of just dragged along. The Penguin's death was rather lame and uneventful, almost meaningless as Catwomen became the main focal point although Penguin was portrayed as the catalyst against Batman.
The directing, the musical score and the actors were all fairly good, the story just handicapped them from bringing any real power or life to their characters. At any rate this is still the second best Batman out of the first four (pre Chris Nolan) but it in no way lived up to, equaled, or came close to the 1989 blockbuster.