Batman Returns (1992)

A sequel to the 1989 installment, directed by Tim Burton, hit the screens in the year 1992. Michael Keaton reprises his role as Bruce Wayne and the Dark Knight, Batman. Along with him are two comic villains The Penguin and Catwoman, and an original villain Max Shreck.

 

So Gotham is plagued by the Red Triangle Gang, masterminded by the Penguin. (The members of the Gang are discovered by Bruce Wayne to be children who had been abducted from circuses in the past.) The Penguin is rumored to be the Penguin Man, who has hatched a plan to return to the surface and reclaim his birthright. He wants to rise and shine and rediscover his roots (learn his human name, Oswald Cobblepot), a noble cause for a man who spent his first Christmas in the sewer from infancy. But he intends to wreak his vengeance on Gothamites' children the same way he was robbed of his childhood, since he has seen the city decay under the decadence of the older generation.

 

But The Penguin enlists the help of Max Shreck (Christopher Walken), a business tycoon intent on building his giant capacitor instead of a power station to bring Gotham to its knees. Together, they conspire to discredit the mayor and take over Gotham so that The Penguin can become mayor and Shreck can materialize his plan.

And there is Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer): she is a lowly secretary who has met many men in her life and has been taken advantage of. The last straw is drawn when Shreck attempts to kill her after she discovers his fiendish plot. But apparently she is not dead and returns as Catwoman. She would ask herself why she is Catwoman. Well it transpires that she is "a woman, and can't be taken for granted." It seems she plays a feminist of Gotham and proves herself to fiendish, devious and seductive, and becomes Batman's love interest. (By the way, she dons the cat suit because she thinks her own cat has fun on its own escapade, and she was bitten by a hoard of cats while comatose.)

 

One of the most climatic moments is where Bruce and Selina reveal their identities to each other and evolve to the point where they were meant to be. Bruce would want Selina to put aside her vendetta, tie the knot and live their lives together.

 

This movie has been slated for being darker than its predecessor, not just for its scenery, but also for scenes of bloody injury, sexual content and the ghastly Penguin make-up. Plus, the Penguin's vendetta against Gotham's children, notably the firstborn, was said to be anti-Semetic. But nonetheless it has been praised for character development, plot, picture, production value, solid acting, costumes, quotes and the early computer work on the Batmobile. (Somehow I learned that the movie was wrongly certified in North America with a PG-13, targeting the wrong audience. However at the time, it was appropriately certified 15 in the United Kingdom since the 12 certificate was not introduced until 1994, thus not allowing the wrong audience to watch the movie.) As a result the movie underperformed at the box office even though it was better received by critics and fans alike than the first movie.

 

Either way this movie will always be remembered for Catwoman, a seductive villain and love interest to Batman. I'm sure Burton would have made significant improvements in his next films had he been given another chance. He may not be an action movie director, but he resurrected the Batman franchise to popularity.