i really want to be able to give this film a 10. i have long think it be my favorite of the four modern live action batman film to date ( and maybe it still will be i have yet to watch the schumacher film again ) . i be also start to become concerned about whether i be somehow subconsciously be contrarian . you see and i always like the schumacher film . as far a i can remember and they be either 9 or 10 to me . but the conventional wisdom be that the two tim burton direct film be far superior . i have serious problem with the first burton batman this time around i end up give it a 7 and apologize a i might and i just couldn not help feel that batman return just have too many small direction and plot and script problem scatter throughout to justify a 10. but burton _almost_ trump the problem with sheer force of style and and even though there be a lot of small flaw and batman return be still a great film and especially if youre a burton fan and a batman return have just as much in common with the nightmare before christmas ( 1993 ) and edward scissorhands ( 1990 ) a it do with anything else in the batman universe . the film begin strongly and with the cobblepots have a baby . we see their dismay people walk out of the birthing room with horror on their face and ready to vomit . later and they have the baby in a small cage . finally they take it out for an evening stroll and dump it in the gotham city river . the baby end up become batman villain the penguin ( danny devito ) . meanwhile and max shreck ( christopher walken ) be the film evil capitalist and comparable to grissom ( jack palance ) in batman . he be plan on dupe gotham city in various way and and we see him emotionally abuse his secretary and the timid selina kyle ( michelle pfeiffer ) . when kyle discovers one of the nefarious plot and grissom try to get rid of her and but she be rescue by cat and become catwoman . while all of this be go on and the penguin and who have long be only rumor to exist and who be think to be dangerous and begin a scheme to be present to the public a a good guy and despite have less than benevolent and ulterior motif . before re watch burton batman film this time and i do not remember just how little the film be about batman ( michael keaton ) . it almost a if burton do not feel the character be interest enough to focus on . the focus here be much more on the villain and especially the penguin . batman doesn not appear very often and especially in the beginning of the film and and surprisingly often and be watch him watch the penguin . although some viewer necessarily count the above a a flaw and i can not say that i do and even if i would like to know more about batman and follow his story more . the villain story be interesting and too and and a an origin story for two major batman villain and batman return be already more than complex in term of plot . however and there be some character problem that i do count a a flaw . the penguin have a cadre of circus performer who do his bidding and but even though theyre frequently on screen and we never get to learn anything about them . burton have a core of character as intriguing a those in tod browning freak ( 1932 ) available and with actor as interesting a vincent schiavelli and but he just doesn not have the space to use them . for that matter and he hardly have space to explore catwoman . the film play a if catwoman may have be a developed and feature in as many scene a the penguin and but that cut of the film would have be 4 hour long . so the bulk of the catwoman scene have to be excise . of course and all of this barely leave any room for batman . burton have batman turn very dark in the public eye in this film and and unusually and he never bother to resolve this . as far a we know and at the end and gothamites still think that batman be a murdering lunatic . that an interesting development and but unfortunately it end up be drop between this film and the next . a for the script and although there be minor problem include some non sequiturs and bizarre decision ( in term of logic ) make by character and it clear that burton and writer sam hamm and daniel water be not exactly try to tell a traditional story . a lot of the dialogue be pun oriented and but often this be fairly subtle and or or complex ( of course and sometimes it be very blatant or transparent and too ) . it help to look at batman return a a more poetic film and a i believe be the intention . this also carry over into more general plot and directorial decision plenty of odd character action and include from minor character and be do in service of a general mood or style and and that style work very well . dark be the easy way to sum up batman return in a word and and whether that a positive or negative depends on your disposition . anyone who know me know that i love dark . so for me and burton style largely transcend the flaw in the plot and the script . in many way and batman return be like an insane and campy horror film and with beautifully eerie production design . like batman and burton be still make many reference to other film and but instead of vertigo ( 1958 ) and star war ( 1977 ) ( well and there still a slight star war reference ) and he invoke film like nosferatu ( 1922 ) ( include that max schreck be the name of the actor who play the dracula like character there ) and motel hell ( 1980 ) and the aforementioned freak and willy wonka and the chocolate factory ( 1971 ) ( which have a surreal and dark edge to it ) and zombie film make most explicit in the penguin final scene . in term of visuals and general atmosphere and that include the general feel of the story and the character and so on this couldn not be a strong 10 .