Batman Returns

"The Bat. The Cat. The Penguin."

1992 2h 6m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 7,333

ActionFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The monstrous Penguin, who dwells in the sewers beneath Gotham, joins up with corrupt mayoral candidate Max Shreck to topple the Batman once and for all. But when Shreck's timid assistant Selina Kyle finds out, and Shreck tries to kill her, she's transformed into the sexy Catwoman. She teams up with the Penguin and Shreck to destroy Batman, but sparks fly unexpectedly when she confronts the caped crusader.

“The Bat. The Cat. The Penguin.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Michael Keaton
Batman / Bruce Wayne
Danny DeVito
Penguin
Michelle Pfeiffer
Catwoman / Selina
Christopher Walken
Max Shreck
Michael Gough
Alfred
Pat Hingle
Commissioner Gordon
Michael Murphy
Mayor
Cristi Conaway
Ice Princess

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tim Burton
Writers: Daniel Waters, Daniel Waters, Sam Hamm
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $80M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.5× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

34 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Batman Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tim Burton, shot by Stefan Czapsky. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Danny Elfman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Bob Badami shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito and Michelle Pfeiffer carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tim Burton directs. Stefan Czapsky behind the camera. Danny Elfman scores. Bob Badami cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $80M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Made its money back 3.5× over at the box office.
334 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Part of the "Batman Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Tim Burton, shot by Stefan Czapsky. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Danny Elfman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Bob Badami shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito and Michelle Pfeiffer carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The Bat. The Cat. The Penguin.".
10IMDB entry: tt0103776 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 19 themes, including "double life", "corruption", "darkness", "crime fighter".

The technical file

Cinematography: Stefan Czapsky
Original score: Danny Elfman
Editing: Bob Badami
Production design: Bo Welch
Costume design: Bob Ringwood
Makeup / hair: Ve Neill
VFX supervisor: John Bruno
Stunt coordinator: Charles Croughwell
Runtime: 126 min · 2h 6m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $80,000,000
Box office: $280,000,000
Return: 350% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Batman Returns (1992)

Part of

Batman Collection

The Batman Collection directed by Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher follows Bruce Wayne’s crusade against crime in Gotham. With iconic villains and stylized visuals, the series blends action, fantasy, and psychological depth to explore the duality of the masked vigilante.

Also by

Tim Burton

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Community reviews

What people are saying

The Movie Mob2022-10-01
★ 5/10
Batman Returns overplays the comic book campiness of the decade and Burton's strange style but is balanced by astonishing performances and a more contained superhero story. Warner Bros was quick to begin production on a sequel to Batman (1989) after its colossal success literally saved the studio from bankruptcy. This time Tim Burton was given complete creative control over the entire film, and it shows. Batman Returns cranked up the campy weirdness that the studio had restrained in the first Batman. This film focuses on Danny DeVito's Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman over Batman, making Michael Keaton feel like the supporting cast to Pfeiffer and DeVito. As disappointing as that may sound, Pfeiffer took this over-the-top campy Catwoman and delivered a truly iconic performance, and DeVito performed much the same in his role. I appreciated Batman Returns avoiding the comic book movie trope of putting the entire world or whole sitting at stake. Instead, the story concentrates on corrupt businessmen and politicians avoiding giant sky beams. The climax risks a more significant part of the city, but it's still more localized than most comic book films. Batman Returns has its flaws, but the Christmas setting, the return of Michael Keaton to his career-defining role, and Pfeiffer and DeVito's incredible acting overcome the severe campiness and lack of Batman, resulting in a decent entry in the Dark Knight's 90s franchise.
Andre Gonzales2023-04-25
★ 8/10
The only other great batman movie. Not as much action but still was a really good movie.
Rob2023-05-28
★ 6/10
Tim Burton's original Batman definitely deserved a worthy sequel. Unfortunately, this just doesn't cut it. Keaton's Batman deserved more grit and drama, not corny comical antics. It's worth a look, but keep your expectations low.