Batman Returns poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough ... see more see more... , Cristi Conaway , Michael Murphy , Pat Hingle , Andrew Bryniarski , Jan Hooks , Paul Reubens , Vincent Schiavelli , Steve Witting , Steven Brill , Debbie Lee Carrington , Lisa Coles , Joey de Pinto , Frank di Elsi , Joan Giammarco , Robert Gossett , Doug Jones , Anna Katarina , Henry Kingi , Stuart Lancaster , Neal Lerner , Travis McKenna , Erik Onate , Branscombe Richmond , Diane Salinger , Felix Silla , Ashley Tillman , Marlon Wayans , Sean Whalen , Biff Yeager , Rick Zumwalt , Margarita Fernandez , Elizabeth Sanders , John Strong , Gregory Scott Cummins , Steve Whitting

In this first sequel to 1989's Batman, the Caped Crusader (Michael Keaton) is up against the Penguin (Danny DeVito), the hideously deformed scion of a wealthy Gotham City family. The Penguin plots wit... read more read more...h evil businessman Max Schreck (Christopher Walken) to become mayor and then turn Gotham into a cathedral of crime. Upon overhearing these plans, Schreck's mousy secretary Selena Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer) is tossed from a high-rise window by her boss. Rescued by a covey of kittens, Selena transforms into the leather-clad Catwoman. In this guise, she teams with the Penguin and Schreck to divvy up their ill-gotten gains and help discredit Batman-but she also has her own scores to settle. Paul "Pee-Wee Herman" Reubens, Vincent Schiavelli and Jan Hooks play significant bits, while Pat Hingle and Michael Gough make returns as, respectively, Commissioner Gordon and Alfred the Butler. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

68% liked it

559,754 ratings

Critics

79% liked it

47 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 6 min.

Directed by: Tim Burton

Release Date: June 19, 1992

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: April 29, 1997

Stats: 24,313 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Batman Returns Batman Returns Batman Returns Batman Returns Batman Returns Batman Returns Batman Returns Cristi Conaway Bruce Wayne Gotta go...girl talk! The Penguin Batman Returns Batman Returns poster Pose from an Ice Princess. Catwoman Deadly kiss Batman Returns Batman Returns
Upload a Photo | View All Batman Returns Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (24,313)

  • garyX
    February 13, 2012
    garyX
    A corporate shark teams up with a mutant sewer dweller to try and take over Gotham City not counting on interference from both Batman and a vengeful employee reborn as the patent leather clad Catwoman. Tim Burton's sequel to his "nice try but no cigar" re-invention of Batman is a... read more big improvement in every department. The production design is fantastic, it has some spectacular, slam bang set-pieces (particularly the explosive finale) and is tinged throughout with his macabre sense of humour. It does have its faults; the dialogue is a little forced, its pitch is a little inconsistent and I never thought that Keaton was the right man for the job. Inevitably the film is stolen out from under him by the trio of villains; Walken has a lot of fun as the malevolent Nosferatu-monickered tycoon, DeVito has most of the best lines and best of all is Michelle Pfeiffer as the down trodden secretary who takes her power back as the sexiest screen Catwoman. Those used to Nolan's dourly realistic interpretations may find this all a little camp, but it's a lot of fun and is the best of the original Batman films by quite a long way.
  • scottgreen96
    October 27, 2011
    scottgreen96
    Perfect casting choice and a worth sequel, it's always films like this that keep you truly entertained until the credits.
  • phubbs1
    October 21, 2011
    phubbs1
    Another classic comic book adaptation and more Burton darkness, I just can't get enough lol! plus Michelle as 'Catwoman' was SOOOOO good hehe

    The design with costumes, sets, weapons and vehicles are all stunning and show some absolutely fantastic work from many skilled people, a... read morell of this I might add is across the range of effects including models, animation, live action, full size and a touch of computer work.

    Yes it may have been a slight touch over the top with the gothic notion and possibly danced to close to pantomime with the through the roof characters but there is no doubt you can smell the comicbook origins mixed with a real sense of grit, not adult but just enough to keep you watching.

    For me these the two Burton Batman films are the best made as they keep it real with that graphic novel/comicbook edge, its not too serious like the new Nolan versions, its just right, but you gotta like goth and strong vibes of German expressionist art forms in your architecture and colour schemes ;)
  • fb100002535597619
    September 24, 2011
    fb100002535597619
    This, in my opinion, is the perfect Batman movie. It's everything Batman should be, it has a dark, gothic environment, realistic situations mixed with fantasy elements, great, three-dimensional characters, and an emotionally and physically scarred villain. Danny DeVito steals t... read morehe movie as the grotesque and insane Penguin. Michael Keaton, Christopher Walken, and Michelle Pfeiffer also offer vivid performances.
  • TheGame90
    September 18, 2011
    TheGame90
    Tim Burton has done it this time. It's great
  • theunknownhobo
    September 18, 2011
    theunknownhobo
    Before Batman got serious, kids like me fell in love with the Batman who didn't take himself too seriously. One of the most underated performances from Keaton, this movie has all the comic genius of the comic books and none of that harsh frog-in-the-throat Bale-esque drama. One o... read moref the better Batman movies.
  • spielberg00
    September 3, 2011
    spielberg00
    Michael Keaton reprises his titular role in this dark, mysterious sequel to Tim Burton's 1989 hit BATMAN. That's right--in BATMAN RETURNS, it's double trouble. Danny DeVito portrays the Penguin--or Oswald Cobblepot?--a grittier, creepier villain than Jack Nicholson's Joker in t... read morehe previous film. And then there's the Catwoman--not just any Catwoman, but Michelle Pfeiffer's sadistic, disturbing take on the classic Bat-nemesis. If there's one huge surprise about this one, it's that it's more likable, more intriguing, and even more intense than, say, Christopher Nolan's BATMAN BEGINS. Still, no Batman movie has been able to catch up to 2008's THE DARK KNIGHT...
  • fb729949618
    July 31, 2011
    fb729949618
    Good, but not as good as the first. This movie has a lot to offer though and does a good job as a sequel.
  • mumby1988
    July 23, 2011
    mumby1988
    The huge box office success of Batman allowed Tim Burton to pursue a more personal project in the shape of Edward Scissorhands. Mixing gothic fairy tale with social satire and nods to classic horror movies, it was Burton's first truly great work and began his artistic relationshi... read morep with Johnny Depp. With both critical and commercial success behind him, Burton was free to make Batman Returns much more of the film he wanted. As before, not everything works, but in certain key areas it is a marked improvement on the original.

    Whereas Batman felt like a film where Burton was one of many influences fighting for control, Batman Returns is a Tim Burton film first and a comic book adaptation second. Some of the overtly expressionist touches from the first film remain: apart from the continuity of Gotham's architecture, there is the contrast of black and white prams in the credits and the long pan up to the skyline in the final shot. But this film is much more of a gothic fairy tale, as though Scissorhands' close relatives had broken into the Bat-cave.

    This shift is most clearly present in the pre-title sequence. Burton's title sequences have always been elaborate, using evocative imagery to pull an audience into the world he is creating so that any initial preamble can be minimised. But the influence of Edward Scissorhands is clear from the outset, with falling snow and the child that nobody wanted - the only difference being that the Penguin is banished from the castle rather than being kept in it. This sequence has a poetic, bittersweet quality which slowly mutates into something creepier; the longer the camera follows the floating pram, the more we start thinking about Rosemary's Baby.

    Batman Returns sees Burton putting his stamp on Gotham and the characters in a far more distinctive way. He reworks the theme of outsiders from the first film and plays it out in the visuals to a far greater extent, rather than relying on the characters simply talking about it. The costumes emphasise the fractured nature of the characters, from the stitching on Catwoman's hand-made suit to the Penguin's rubber gloves which stand at odds to his waistcoat and walking stick.

    Whereas the first film saw Batman as the hero and ended on a triumphant note, Batman Returns is more nuanced and shows the characters at a more mature and established point in their history. The film expands on the "duel of the freaks" and taps into a central thread of the comics, namely that Batman is no better than the villains he is fighting. Batman, the Penguin and Catwoman are all vigilantes who do what they do because the law has in some way failed them; whatever individual acts of good they may perform, they are all potential enemies of the law, whose level of allegiance to the authorities changes several times over the course of the film.

    With this relativistic set-up, it becomes a question of whether the characters use their status, as outsiders and vigilantes, as a force for good or evil. Batman chooses the light, directing his moral compass on the people of Gotham, funded through his/ Bruce Wayne's immense wealth. The Penguin keeps changing his mind but eventually opts for darkness, choosing violence and revenge and over any possible form of redemption. Most interesting of all is Catwoman, who is trapped somewhere between the two extremes. At the end of the film she is still trying to pin down her raison d'etre, trying to reconcile both her personalities to Gotham, her past life and her costumed rivals.

    One of the complaints made about this film, and subsequently about The Dark Knight, is that Batman becomes marginalised in favour of the villains. While it is undoubtedly true that Burton finds the villains more intriguing, it makes sense both narratively and thematically for Batman to be on the back foot. Because he has no natural powers - he is not, as the Penguin puts it, "a genuine freak" - it takes time for him to respond to new threats and to defeat his enemies using wits rather than convenient gadgets. There's nothing more boring than seeing a hero brush villains aside with one punch, and the relationships which these three characters build during their various encounters give them a new depth.

    Like all the best comic book movies, Batman Returns is centrally focussed on the people trapped within the circumstances of their special powers. With Batman it is doubly interesting because there is no freak accident or supernatural force involved, so that it becomes a moral examination as much as a psychological one. But Catwoman and the Penguin also wrestle with their new identities, and the film is suitably ambiguous as to how far these people have come to terms with who they are.

    The best scenes in Batman Returns are those between Michael Keaton and Michelle Pfeiffer, in either of their incarnations, trying to decide how much of themselves they should reveal, second-guessing whether one knows who the other is, and weighing up whether to be lovers or enemies. In one scene they are kissing on the couch, trying to give in to their passions, but also trying to hide the injuries they sustained from fighting under their respective masks.

    In a later scene, Pfeiffer is dancing with Keaton at Shreck's ball, having come her to kill the latter at Catwoman. As Keaton puts two and two together, Pfeiffer remarks "does this mean we have to start fighting now?", a line which perfectly conveys the conflict their characters are facing. Pfeiffer's face shifts dramatically in this scene, taking in panic, fear, angst and sadness as she desperately runs through all those questions in her mind. Does she really want to kill Shreck? Can she live with Bruce Wayne knowing that he is Batman? Can she in any circumstance live with herself?

    For those of us who are less interested in the psychology of the characters, there is still plenty in Batman Returns by way of popcorn entertainment. Burton may not be the most adept action director, but the set-pieces in Batman Returns are packed full of pyrotechnics and impressive stunts to keep younger viewers entertained. Some of the individual movements feel contrived, such as a gadget which rotates the Batmobile through 180 degrees just so a clown can be set on fire. But in the sheer variety and frequency of the set-pieces, there is something for pretty much anyone.

    The flaws with Batman Returns comes less from Burton's vision than from the demands of a blockbuster sequel. The film is rather too long, and in complete contrast to its predecessor has too much plot rather than too little. Christopher Walken is underused for most of the running time, with his evil plots being quickly reduced to an expository sideshow. The film does fall into the Spiderman 3 trap of having too many villains, albeit not so catastrophically as Sam Raimi's effort.

    There are also elements of Batman Returns which seem out of a place for a 12 certificate films. Danny DeVito gets a number of unsavoury lines surrounding "filling the void" and "unlimited poon-tang", which come across as more disgusting than funny, even considering the grotesque nature of his character. And the Penguin's encounters with Catwoman tip over so often into sex talk that you begin to wonder whether this film was misjudged or simply given the wrong rating.

    Despite its flaws, Batman Returns is an improvement on the original and the best of the Burton-Schumacher canon. Its exploration of the characters is more complex and consistent than before, and Burton's evocation of Gotham is darkly distinctive. In hindsight it was probably for the best that Burton moved on to other projects, since he had taken the characters as far as his talent and interest would allow. One only wishes that Joel Schumacher had taken more care once Burton had handed over the keys.
  • fb535316333
    July 19, 2011
    fb535316333
    I find returns a much more compelling, atmospheric experience than the original.

    It also feels like it fleshes out Batman's relationship with Bruce Wayne more to a sophistication that the original just didn't really approach. Anyway, this was TB's Batman at it's best; a politica... read morel story with love-interest Catwoman and that dark, stylistically propelled Gotham we love.

View All Batman Returns Reviews

Critic Reviews

David Ansen
July 7, 2010
David Ansen, Newsweek

Something about the filmmaker's eccentric, surreal, childlike images seems to strike a deep chord in the mass psyche: he makes nightmares that taste like candy. Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
July 6, 2010
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Exhaustingly inventive. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
April 16, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

More of the same, but nowhere near as good (funny, disturbing, obsessive) as the uneven original, revealing arrested development on every level. Full Review

Todd McCarthy
April 16, 2007
Todd McCarthy, Variety

Where Burton's ideas end and those of his collaborators begin is impossible to know, but result is a seamless, utterly consistent universe full of nasty notions about societal deterioration, greed and... Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Because the film's predominant motif is that of wounded individuals re-inventing themselves as wily villains, its most memorable episodes are early ones explaining each main character's transformation. Full Review

Peter Travers
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Burton uses the summer's most explosively entertaining movie to lead us back into the liberating darkness of dreams.

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

Like a hyperactive 11-year-old, the director seems both uncomfortable with adult emotions and unable to focus on the overall portrait. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Comes closer than ever to Bob Kane's dark, original strip, which began in 1939. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Odd and sad, but not exhilarating. Full Review

Ed Grant
January 1, 2011
Ed Grant, Common Sense Media

A darkly violent take on the comic-book hero. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • The Dark Knight
    The Dark Knight (82%)
  • Batman
    Batman (89%)
  • Batman Begins
    Batman Begins (79%)
  • Batman Beyond - Return of the Joker
    Batman Beyond - Return of the Joker (56%)

More Movies like Batman Returns

Facts

Submit a Fact | View All
    • The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot: Why is their always someone who brings eggs and tomatoes to a speech?
    • The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot: [while being bombarded by food] Why is their always someone who brings eggs and tomatoes to a speech?
    • Catwoman/Selina Kyle: You poor guys. Always confusing your pistols with your privates.
    • Max Shreck: Selina? Selina Kyle, you're fired! And Bruce Wayne, why are you dressed up like Batman?
    • Catwoman/Selina Kyle: Because he is Batman, you moron!
    • Max Shreck: Bottom line: if she tries to blackmail me, I'll drop her out a higher window. Mean time, I got better fish to fry.
    • Max Shreck: You're not only saving a life, you're--
    • Batman / Bruce Wayne: Shut up, you're going to jail.
Submit a Fact | View All

Batman Returns : Watch Free on TV

Batman Returns Trivia

  • Which actress do these films have in common? Frankie & Johnny Wolf I Am Sam Grease 2 Batman Returns  Answer »
  • In which Batman film does Christopher Walken appear?  Answer »
  • Name the Batman movie between Batman and Batman Forever  Answer »
  • Which Batman film did Tim Burton direct?  Answer »
More Batman Returns Trivia

Movie Quizzes

Create a Quiz |

All Quizzes

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All Batman Returns Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add Batman Returns to favorites

Recent News

Submit a Story |

View Batman Returns News

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

RainbowCatcher Skin by RainbowCatcher
570 Profiles
Add to Profile

More Skins