Batman Returns is a 1992 American superhero
film, directed and produced by Tim Burton, based on the DC Comics
character Batman. It is the second installment of Warner Bros.' initial
Batman film series, with Michael Keaton reprising the title role of
Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film introduces the characters of Max Shreck
(Christopher Walken), a corrupt business tycoon who teams up with the
Penguin (Danny DeVito) to take over Gotham City, as well as the
character of Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer).
Burton originally did not want to direct another Batman film because of
his mixed emotions toward the previous film in 1989. Warner Bros.
developed a script with writer Sam Hamm which had the Penguin and
Catwoman going after hidden treasure. Burton agreed to return after they
granted him more creative control and replaced Hamm with Daniel Waters.
Wesley Strick did an uncredited rewrite, removing the characters of
Harvey Dent and Robin and rewriting the climax. Annette Bening was
originally cast as Catwoman but became pregnant and was replaced with
Pfeiffer. Filming for Batman Returns started in June 1991 at Warner
Bros. Studios in Burbank, California.
Batman Returns was released on June 19, 1992. The film was nominated for
Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup, as well as two
BAFTA awards. Batman Returns's budget was $80 million and it grossed
$266.8 million worldwide, making the film a financial success. The film
received generally positive reviews from critics praising the action
sequences, the acting, effects and the film's villains, though the
overwhelmingly dark and depressing tone was less well received.
Plot
On a snowy Christmas night,
Tucker and Esther Cobblepot throw their deformed infant child Oswald
into Gotham River, fearing he would become a menace to society after
attacking their pet cat. His crib floats to an abandoned zoo and is
found by a flock of penguins who raise him as one of their own.
33 years later, during the lighting of Gotham City's Christmas tree, a
villainous gang of carnival performers stage a riot. While billionaire
Bruce Wayne, as Batman, subdues the criminals, corrupt businessman Max
Shreck falls through a trapdoor and is brought to the underground lair
of Cobblepot himself, who is now the nefarious kingpin known as The
Penguin. A former sideshow freak, Cobblepot explains his desire to
become a respected citizen of Gotham and blackmails Shreck into helping
him.
Meanwhile, Shreck's secretary, Selina Kyle, inadvertently discovers her
boss's plan to illegally monopolize Gotham's supply of electricity. To
protect his secrets, Shreck pushes her out of his office window. Falling
through several canopies, Kyle miraculously survives but lies
unconscious in an alley. A group of cats swarm around her and she
suddenly regains consciousness. Traumatized, Kyle develops dissociative
identity disorder and, after having a mental breakdown and trashing her
apartment, she fashions a black vinyl costume and whip, becoming the
formidable Catwoman.
Shreck arranges for one of Cobblepot's men to kidnap the Mayor's infant
son, allowing Cobblepot to "rescue" him. As a reward, Cobblepot is given
access to the Gotham City Archives, where he learns his real name, and
that he is the last surviving member of his family. Meanwhile, the
Mayor, persuaded by Wayne, refuses to give Shreck a construction permit
for his power plant. Cobblepot orders his gang to attack downtown
Gotham, ruining the Mayor's reputation and giving Shreck the opportunity
to propose Cobblepot as a replacement. Batman confronts Cobblepot, but
Catwoman appears while firebombing Shreck's department store, and
Cobblepot escapes. After a fight in which Batman knocks her off a
building, Catwoman survives by landing in a truck full of kitty litter.
While Kyle enters a romantic relationship with Wayne, as Catwoman, she
agrees to help Cobblepot with a plan to ruin Batman's reputation by
framing him for the abduction of Gotham's "Ice Princess" beauty queen.
While traversing the rooftops to find the Ice Princess, Penguin's goons
disassemble the Batmobile and plant a device into the car that will
allow Penguin to control it. Distracted by Catwoman, Batman is unable to
stop Cobblepot from murdering the Princess using a swarm of captive
bats who then falls to her death as Batman is about to save her, making
the townspeople believe that Batman pushed the Princess to her death.
When Catwoman rejects Cobblepot's amorous advances, he responds by
attacking her with his motorized helicopter umbrella. As the umbrella
takes her up into the sky, Catwoman narrowly cheats death again as she
falls into a rooftop greenhouse. Fleeing from the police, Batman
realizes that Cobblepot is remotely controlling the Batmobile, taking it
on a rampage through Gotham. Batman disables the control device, but
not before recording the Penguin's mocking insults about how gullible
the people of Gotham are.
At a press conference for Cobblepot organized by Shreck, Batman
broadcasts the recording, destroying Cobblepot's public image. Enraged,
Cobblepot flees to the sewers and orders his gang to kidnap all of the
first born sons of Gotham's citizens. At a masquerade ball hosted by
Shreck, Wayne and Kyle deduce each other's secret identities. Cobblepot
suddenly invades the party and reveals his intention to drown the
kidnapped children, including Shreck's son Chip, in sewage water,
prompting Shreck to offer himself instead. Batman defeats the
kidnappers, prompting Cobblepot to unleash an army of penguin soldiers
to destroy Gotham with missiles. Piloting the Batboat through the
sewers, Batman redirects the penguins to instead fire on Cobblepot's
hideout. Cobblepot attacks Batman in a rage, but ends up falling through
the ceiling of his lair and into the toxic water.
Catwoman ambushes Shreck in a vengeful attempt to kill him, but Batman
stops her and unmasks himself, as does Catwoman when she rejects Wayne's
attempts to reason with her. Shreck then shoots Wayne before shooting
Kyle multiple times until he runs out of bullets, leaving her severely
injured, but not mortally wounded. Putting a taser to his lips, Kyle
kisses Shreck while grabbing hold of an exposed power cable, causing a
fiery explosion that kills Shreck. Wayne, who survived, uncovers
Shreck's corpse while digging through the rubble in an attempt to find
Kyle. Cobblepot, appearing mortally wounded, then arises and tries one
last time to kill Wayne with his umbrella, but succumbs to his injuries
and dies after collapsing onto the floor. Subsequently, his penguin
family carry out out a makeshift funeral that culminates with them
pushing his corpse into the water.
Afterwards, as Alfred drives Wayne home, Wayne spots a shadow outside
resembling Catwoman. He follows it and instead finds a stray black cat
deciding to take it home. As he leaves, the Bat-Signal lights up in the
night sky as Catwoman watches from afar.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_Returns
