Batman Returns

Gotham City is plunged into a darker chapter as a grotesque figure from the sewers, the Penguin, conspires with corrupt powerbroker Max Shreck to destroy Batman and seize control of the city. Meanwhile Selina Kyle, a meek secretary, is left for dead after discovering Shreck's crimes and comes back transformed into the lethal, seductive Catwoman. Alliances shift and betrayals multiply as Catwoman, the Penguin, and Shreck each push their own agendas, forcing Bruce Wayne to balance his public persona with the masked vigilantism that stands between Gotham and chaos. The film keeps its central mysteries intact and avoids revealing final outcomes.

Directed by Tim Burton and released in 1992, the screenplay credits include Daniel Waters, with characters originating from Bob Kane and Sam Hamm. The movie reunites Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman with Danny DeVito as Oswald Cobblepot, Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle, Christopher Walken as Max Shreck, and Michael Gough as Alfred.

It performed strongly at the box office on release, reinforcing Batman as a major franchise property and proving that darker, stylized superhero films could be commercially viable in the early 1990s.

The film left a lasting visual imprint on pop culture, especially through Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman and Danny DeVito's grotesque Penguin, whose looks and mannerisms have been widely referenced and parodied. Burton's festive but gothic Gotham, lit by holiday decorations and shadow, created a distinctive holiday-blockbuster mood that filmmakers and artists continue to revisit.

Critical reaction balanced admiration and reservation, the movie holding a vote average around 6.94 out of 10 from thousands of votes. Reviewers tended to praise Burton's atmospheric production design and the actors' committed performances, while others criticized the film's bleak tone and its mix of family-oriented marketing with more adult themes. Overall it remains one of the more memorable and divisive entries in the Batman canon.