Batman Returns

Batman Returns was the second Batman movie directed by Tim Burton. It was released on June 19, 1992 worldwide to audience and financial success.

Batman Returns
Directed by	Tim Burton
Produced by	Denise DeNovi
Starring	Michael Keaton Danny DeVito Michelle Pfeiffer
Cinematography	Stefan Czapsky
Music by	Danny Elfman
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	June 19 1992
Running time	126 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$282 822 354

Plot

A couple throws their deformed child into the sewers. 33 years later, the child becomes the criminalistic animal known as the Penguin. He kidnaps a businessman named Max, blackmailing him into helping him become an evil citizen of Gotham City using evidence of his corporate crimes. Meanwhile, Max finds out his secretary, Selina, has found out he is planning to build a power plant which will drain Gotham City of its electricity. Max pushes her out of a window, ensuring that she will not tell anyone present. However, a flock of alley cats lick her, reviving her. She returns home, suffering a mental breakdown, becoming a Catwoman.

The Penguin makes one of his clowns to kidnap the mayor's baby while he saves him, becoming a hero in the eyes of the people. However, Bruce is suspicious of this new hero, and finds out that he is the leader of evil clowns that are called as Red Triangles. As Batman, Bruce decides to protect Gotham. After the Penguin finds out that his real name is Oswald, Max decides to make the Penguin the mayor of Gotham City because the current mayor will not approve Max's power plant.

To do this, the Penguin controls the Red Triangles to create a riot, making the people lose all faith in the mayor, but Batman stops it. During the riot, Catwoman vandalizes Shreck's Department Store. When Batman and the Penguin confront each other, she intervenes, before the store blows up. The Penguin escapes, but Catwoman fights Batman. Batman pushes her off a rooftop but a sandbox on a truck saves her. The next day, the Penguin and Catwoman work together to destroy Batman. Bruce and Selina also have a romantic relationship. Penguin and Catwoman kidnap the Ice Princess, an actress chosen to turn on the Gotham City Christmas Tree Lights, framing Batman for it. Batman finds her but Catwoman takes her to a rooftop where Penguin releases a swarm of flying bats which make the Princess retreat backwards, falling off, making the people believe Batman killed her. Catwoman is shocked that the Penguin killed the Princess and rejects the Penguin's advances, prompting him to kill her, unsuccessfully though. Batman enters the Batmobile and finds out that the Penguin has control over her. The Penguin takes her on a devastating rampage, but Batman regains control over her, escaping death from the creature.

During the rampage, Batman recorded the Penguin's evil plans and plays it during the Penguin's election speech, turning the people against him. The Penguin goes mad with rage and kidnaps all the first-born sons of Gotham City and Max too. Batman saves all the babies and pushes the monster into toxic liquid. Catwoman tries to kill Max, but Batman stops her. Max shoots Batman, knocking him out and Catwoman claims that she has six of her nine lives left, but Max shoots her four times, leaving her with two lives. Catwoman kisses Max with an electrical taser between their lips and connects it to a broken wire, creating an explosion which kills Max but Batman cannot find Selina's corpse. The Penguin emerges from the water, but the heat kills him.

Afterwards, Alfred, Bruce's butler, drives Bruce home. Suddenly, Bruce spots Selina's shadow in an alley. He investigates the area, only finding her black cat, Miss Kitty, taking her with him. He and Alfred exchange Christmas wishes. Finally, the Batsignal lights up in the night sky and Catwoman rises up, staring at it, confirming that she is alive.

Production

Tim Burton was not willing to direct a second Batman. However, when the studio told him if it was a Burton movie, not a Batman movie, it got his attention and he agreed to direct it. They cast Michael Keaton as Batman, Danny DeVito as Penguin and Annette Bening as Catwoman. However, Bening dropped out due to pregnancy and every actress from 20 to 45 on the planet wanted to be Catwoman. When Michelle Pfeiffer expressed an interest, something clicked to the producers thinking "You know, she's perfect. She also could be both Selina Kyle and Catwoman." The final shot of Catwoman staring at the Batsignal was shot during post-production and cost US$250 000.

Release

The movie was released on June 19, 1992 worldwide. It received a score of 81% approval on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $282,822,354 worldwide, being the sixth highest-grossing film of 1992. It is then and now, the best reviewed Batman movie from the Burton/Schumacher movie series.

Related pages

• Batman
• Batman (1989 movie)
• Batman Forever

Other websites

Quotations related to Batman Returns at Wikiquote