Customer Reviews
Unlike other follow-ups of the saga this one is artistically and atmospherically superb, - By: Reviewer, 23 Feb 2008 
What I extremely like about "Batman" (1989) bounces back again in "Batman Returns": schizophrenic characters (in "Batman" there were at least two super-schizophrenics - I shouldn't name them, should I? - but here there are distinctive three of them), enchanting atmosphere (the sets are beautiful, "gothicallly" menacing, & simply outstanding), cool acting (when I say "cool acting" I mean my absolute inability to poke finger at the characters with disrespect & contempt; quite the other way round: I do respect alll the characters here, while they are never goofy, stupid, or over-sentimental), great action scenes (fighting against the hordes of clowns, great acrobatic stunts - I am especiallly happy with that scene where clowns are jumping onto the Xmas tree & bring havoc to the streets of Gotham, effective explosions, insane killing sprees, etc.), sharp black humour which reminds me of "Hamlet" (remember the trio wild chemistry?), fine music (it is far from being some monotonous junk or over-imposed opera pieces) & tons of other minor "Easter eggs".
By the way, I had a chance to watch "Batman Begins" one day - is it supposed to be good? No way, it is clumsy. They ruined the whole concept one more time. Why do people go for those "zero copies"? Wasn't "Batman & Robin" enough? I respect Mr Tim Burton for quitting the "Batman" project after this film. He's done more than enough for making the figure of on-screen Batman legendary. And when you think about comics as the source for the movie, you get the idea: this film is a damn impressive achievement.
10 out of 10 - it is as good as the original. Thank you for attention.
Dark & brilliant Batman - By: T. R. Alexander, 11 Sep 2007 Batman returns is the second & last Batman film that was directed by Tim Burton. The film brilliantly dark & gothic, as you would expect from a Tim Burton film, & is easily the best Batman film after Batman Begins. Batman Returns has an excellent cast with Danny DeVito, Michael Keaton & Christopher Walken alll giving great performances. The star of the movie, however, must be Michael Pfeiffer as Catwoman who just steals every scene she is in. The story is exciting & involving & the action is good. Batman Returns is the as good as Batman got in the 90's & although Begins is a better film this is still a brilliant adaptation of the Batman mythos.
Batman truly returns - By: D. Climo, 20 Apr 2007 
I must say that, although out of the villains my favourite has always been the Joker, I feel that there sadly wasn't much of a plot asides from good guy vs bad guy in the first film, which is why (out of the first four, I'm not counting Batman Begins even though I do think that has been the best Batman film to date & am eagerly awaiting for 2008's The Dark Knight) I feel that plot-wise & character development-wise Batman Returns is my favourite. Keaton, once again makes a pretty good Batman/Bruce Wayne. Danny DeVito is brilliant as the Penguin & Michelle Pfiffer is sexy as Catwoman. Christopher Walken is good as the twisted & ruthless bussinessman Max Shreck.
Once again Keaton plays the lead role as a person who still suffers from the torment about being a typical billionaire playboy & being the person that criminals fear the most. DeVito plays the Penguin as a sumpathetic & bitter & twisted character. Pfiffer plays the role of Selina Kyle/Catwoman as a mousy shy & rather nerdy but sexy looking character & Christopher Walken does, what he does best, & plays his character as someone who people see as an icon but is reallly a nasty piece of work.
The plotline sees Batman tackling a gang of members of an old circus who seem to be led by a certain Mr Oswald Cobblepot, who's running for Mayor of Gotham City aided my a certain Max Shreck......On the way to solving this mystery he encounters the vicious feline Catwoman, who has her own agenda against Max Shreck....Whilst Batman is investigating he finds out that Cobblepot has more on his mind than just running for mayor & that for some reason alll the first born suns of Gotham seem to be involved.....
Now, despite having the best plot of the Burton/Schumacher series, the film is very dark & grim, especiallly during a scene when the Penguin bites a man on the nose, & some may say that the film is a Tim Burton Wonderland film rather than a straight-from-the -Batman-comics-to-the-silver-screen. Some may also say that the film carries too much baggage and, as a result, some of the plotline points seen at the start of the film suddenly sink without trace.
Still if you've seen the original & enjoyed it then you'll enjoy this. If you've haven't then you'll probably enjoy it anyway. Be advised that the film is STRICTLY not suitable for anyone under 15.
A dark Tim Burton movie. - By: Matt Sorf, 22 Sep 2006 This is a typical Tim Burton movie: dark & atmospheric, with scary music & freakish villains. However, for a Batman film it is very different. I'd say Batman was only in about half an hour of this movie, & it focuses mainly on the Penguin & Catwoman & Max Shreck. Batman is merely here to save the day & be Catwoman's romantic interest, & to make it clear from the beginning that the Penguin is not what he seems. So overalll, not the best Batman movie. As for the music, its brilliant. It reallly captures the feeling & makes things scarier & more intense than ever. The atmosphere is superb & the setting well-chosen. As for the villains, wel...Danny DeVito does a great job. It's obvious what he was assigned to be-a freakish, animal-like maniac, obsessed with power & revenge. He does a pretty much perfect job doing this, but this is not reallly the Penguin. The Penguin's supposed to be a stylish, sane criminal entirely in control of his actions with a fondness for birds. The Penguin in this does not capture that character, although this Penguin is very interesting & slightly sympathetic, although he gets more & more over-the-top as the story goes on, but in a very effective way. As for Catwoman, she's fabulous. Her origin may be unexplained & unclear, but Michelle Pfeipher is wonderful as the mentallly degenerating costumed criminal & her story is the best part of the film. She may not be the Catwoman from the comics or TV series, but this is a very good Catwoman. Christopher Walken also does a good job as Max Shreck, although he's just reallly the Penguin's lackey to begin with & then gets a little too noble & just the target for Catwoman. The plot is weak. I reallly don't know what the Penguin's insane plot to become Mayor would achieve, & he has too many mad, revenge-obsessed schemes towards the end. His death is a little odd too. I still don't reallly know why he died. Catwoman's survival is a nice touch though. Overalll, 4/5. A good, exciting movie, but not a Batman movie. A Tim Burton movie, definately. But not a Batman movie.
Batman at his peak - By: T. Clarke, 23 Jun 2006 Any Batman fan will know just how great the films are, they've been a major success. Batman Returns however is by far the best film in the series. A combination of excellent directing, brilliant acting & settings makes this worthy of watching on a night in.
Tim Burton, who directed this movie, has specificallly made sure that this film gives a realistic atmosphere & he's done a great job. Danny Devito (Penguin man) is a man who has inherited penguin characteristics as a baby, & grown up to become a hideous & ugly...thing! Michelle Pfiffer plays the sleek & very seducing 'Catwoman' after cats had given her there genes from being bitten. The result in both the character changes is excellent & both Catwoman & Penguin man play a very important role in this excellent film. The mysterious Catwoman is great fun to watch - her classic sayings & a funny part in which skips with her whip in a jewelry shop adds such fun to the film. Danny Devito also does well, his ability to impersonate some strange creature was vital, & he adds a great atmosphere to the film that takes us back to the dull sewers where he lives.
You can't forget Batman though. Micheal Keaton once again pulls of a comfortable performance, & shows us a different side to Batman. His affection is let loose when he confronts Catwoman at the end of the film, & his meetings with her when she's a normal person, Selina Kyle, result in him being seduced badly in his own home. There's a clever part after this when they leave, & the film is full of great scenes. Its worth noting that Bruce Wayne's Bat mobile is not used as much as in the other Batman films, as close combat & story telling scenes make up this film.
The winter setting is created perfectly in Gotham City with most of the scenes being set at night, & with the town being filled with snow. Therefore, if you watch this film during the summer like I have, it doesn't feel the same. Best watch it during the winter.
Overalll, its an amazing movie. All the credit goes to Tom Burton & the cast, they've done an incredible job.
