Batman Returns (1992)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Tim Burton

Writers (WGA):

Bob Kane (Batman characters)
Daniel Waters (story) ...

Release Date:

19 June 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Fantasy | Thriller

Tagline:

The Bat, the Cat, the Penguin

Plot:

When a corrupt businessman and the grotesque Penguin plot to take control of Gotham City, only Batman can stop them, while the Catwoman has her own agenda.

Plot Keywords:

Penguin | Gotham | Villain | Sewer | Mistletoe

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Michael Keaton	...	Batman / Bruce Wayne
Danny DeVito	...	Penguin / Oswald Cobblepot
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Catwoman / Selina Kyle
Christopher Walken	...	Max Shreck
Michael Gough	...	Alfred Pennyworth
Michael Murphy	...	The Mayor
Cristi Conaway	...	Ice Princess
Andrew Bryniarski	...	Charles 'Chip' Shreck
Pat Hingle	...	Commissioner James Gordon
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Organ Grinder
Steve Witting	...	Josh
Jan Hooks	...	Jen
John Strong	...	Sword Swallower
Rick Zumwalt	...	Tattooed Strongman
Anna Katarina	...	Poodle Lady

Also Known As:

Batman 2 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brooding, dark violence.

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2005) (cut) | Italy:T | South Korea:15 | Brazil:12 | Sweden:11 (DVD rating) | Sweden:11 (1992 cut version) | Sweden:15 (Video rating) | Finland:S (Video rating) | Germany:12 (f) | UK:15 (re-rating) (2009) (uncut) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Ireland:15 (cut UK version) | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 (original rating) (cut) | UK:15 (video rating) (1992) (cut) | USA:PG-13 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

It was intended that the character of Robin be introduced in the sequel to Batman (1989). Reportedly, Tim Burton collaborated with DC Comics artist Norm Breyfogle to redesign the Robin costume so that it would coincide with the one planned for the film. Kenner Toys even went so far as to produce a corresponding action figure, but when Robin was eventually written out of the script, Kenner released the toy anyway, as the character newly rendered in the comic books.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the baby is stolen during the press conference and the thief jumps down the man hole into the sewer you see the fake stone just beneath the surface of the man hole shake. This would suggest that it is made of plastic or rubber.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Happy Woman: Merry Christmas!
Happy Man: Merry Christmas!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Supermarket (2009)

Soundtrack:

FACE TO FACE

The only good Batman sequel

And a perfect film to watch during the holiday season as the winter/Xmas atmosphere that Burton creates for Gotham City is way cool. It's weird that Warner decided to release this as a summer film. It doesn't fit.

But what's even weirder, when you consider the content of this film, is that it was aimed at families. An upper-class family throws their mutant baby down the sewer, a socio phobic billionaire dresses up in leather as a flying rodent, a lonely secretary dresses up in leather as a feline and a freak runs for political office. And S&M and bondage are presented in a very perverted way. But Burton got away with it. His visual style in this film is at it's best.

This and Batman: Dead End are the only true live-action incarnations of the comic-book character. True, the animated series was the closest to the source material, but compared with Batman Forever and the un-nameable one after that, Batman Returns is the best of the four.

Darker and more violent than the first movie, the sense of Gothic pathos reaches a new high. I was quite keen on Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne (don't even get me started on George Clooney!), he displayed the right balance of weirdo loner and cool crime fighter. Michelle Pfieffer is great as Catwoman (much sexier and more 'realisticly' cat-like), she wears that leather outfit better than Halle Berry. And Danny DeVito was so convincing as the Penguin that his scenes became disturbing to watch. And Christopher Walken is brilliant as the spooky Max Shreck (if you think you recognise Chip Shrek it's none other than a very young Leatherface/Butterfinger).

Danny Elfman's score is also even better than it was first time round. His powerful and engaging themes are way better than the dross that followed in the later 2 Schumacher movies. This movie is the Batman phenomenon at its Zenith. Forget the following sequels and stick to the animated series after this. Let's hope that Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale can bring some integrity back to the live action Batman with their movie next year.

This DVD was one of the first ever DVDs released by Warner (almost 7 years ago!!!) and as a result there are NO features and the case is a snapper. Pick it up cheap like I did and hope for an SE in the future.