hell killer croc would have fit in perfectly in this story, make him an obscure mob boss who hides out in the old zoo because of his appearance, he manipulates max and garners sympathy from the people via manipulation while robbing them blind and plotting to destroy the city that rejected him when he was born, ignoring his origin slightly for movie purposes but still

The part where he glides on his bat shaped glider over the people being terrorized by bats is kind of funny. I mean, watching this happen would be hysterical. Lady falls onto the switch, unleashing a shitload of bats, and as everyone freaks out and panics, batman flies above them, like he's their king or something. Imagine switching him out with someone completely insane, shouting obscenities and telling his children, the bats, to feed

Long time fan from the big site days, love and miss the crossovers, going to watch FB and Linkara next Thanks for the smiles, you bring joy to so many people !

In Tim Burton’s defence you only showed his modern films, the first ones he made were dark and light, scary but also charming, and show how death is ok and the afterlife can be quirky and kind of fun. That’s a message families need more these days, it’s another way of thinking that I love.

I love how Matt Reeves took that part with the eyeshadow and just went with it when Batman takes off his mask in The Batman.

6:31 Maybe the penguins escape the zoo, and decided to live in the sewers as they had no where to go back home.

Batman Returns was my favorite movie.I had it on vhs and was always having it play while I was doing random staff

I know it's an old review, but it felt so good to hear Sage express exactly the same opinion I have of Tim Burton at the beggining, right down to every con I think when I think of Burton.

Points taken, yet i still like this movie, simply because i found it entertaining. Penguin might have been off from the original comics but Danny DeVito was so entertaining in this role that i don't care. What bad can you say about Christopher Walken as an evil business man. Batman using stupid gadgets to thwart the villains' plans? Yes, because we have NEVER seen that before. Does Batman always has to have something deep to contemplate over? Can't he just be Batman sometimes without some deeper thoughts? The way i understood it, the zoo was closed and abandoned, leaving the penguins to roam free, also in the sewers. You actually CAN have your villain be sinister and tragic at the same time. Loki (MCU), Lord Shen (Kung Fu Panda 2), Clyde Shelton (Law Abiding Citizen), Twoface (The Dark Knight),.... I don't mind Burton's dark tone. However if you don't like it, there is not much to persuade you. I always thought Batman's "kills" to be cartoonish. Like the guy with the bomb or the burning flame-blower were not actually dead but really messed up. Wasn't it always some mystery, if Catwoman actually WAS revived through supernatural powers or just survived? I like how the movie never makes that clear and always keeps you guessing if it was supernatural or not. Half of what makes Batman interesting are his villains. Therefore i don't mind if he has less screentime when three villains are doing interesting stuff. Granted, the story was a bit of a mess. Again, three villains and a hero with a romance to one of them to juggle. The movie was so entertaining overall that i didn't mind.

I love this movie. I do understand why some people hate it but that so MANY people hate it is a bit of a shock. Granded, Batman Returns was the first Batman film I've ever seen so that might affect to my judgement but still, even how critically I try to watch it these days I still like the hell out of it. :)

I feel Batman Returns is underrated. Yeah it's dark and messed up but I actually DO think that's the best part about it, plus I kind of like the Penguin's origin story, oh and Christopher Walken is terrific as usual.

The Gotham tv show has the Best Penguin don't @ me

Batman is not just two but THREE roles. The bat itself, Bruce Wayne's idiot playboy millionaire public persona and the REAL Bruce, the tortured soul trying to keep himself from falling apart at the seams.

you think they know the movie was SUPPOSED to show that a lot of batman victories are more "bitter sweet" than "Happily ever after"?

I think Linkara’s assessment of the film’s villains is my favorite take that elevates Bruce as a character in this film: The villains are a piece of him personified. Penguin is the tragedy. Shreck is the man. Selina is the mask. All three make up parts of Bruce, the Penguin being the consuming anguish of one’s past, Shreck being a person of wealth that abuses his power for his own gain (something arguable seeing as he uses his family’s wealth to fund his crusade as Batman), and Selina the struggle between one life and the other. It’s almost as if the movie is Bruce being stuck alone with himself, which is fitting considering how the film starts. It’s not a perfect film by any means and I do prefer Batman 89’ overall, but I can’t deny that there are some fascinating ideas at play with some good performances and memorable moments to back up what I think to be a pretty good CBM.

I always thought Batman Forever was underrated, thanks to B&R's awfulness overshadowing it. Also, much of the flaws of the Schumacher movies can be blamed on witless studio executives

Everyone's reaction to this movie: What the hell was that?

Tim Burton is kinda like Scott Cawthon. Each have a unique style and can be very creative. but their styles and creativeness loses its taste after an over exposure of it

The original 1989 Batman is one of my personal favorite movies of all time. Batman Returns, while not one of my favorites, I personally really enjoy as a film. I like how gritty the film is. I like the depressing atmosphere and the bitter sweet ending. Is it perfect. Not in the slightest but I enjoy it nonetheless. Kind of a guilty pleasure.

If this is bad, then I consider this a guilty pleasure

Hold on a minute, Bennett came to England, yet he wasn't nice enough to visit me.

I live in Swindon, I'm already fucked. That's the town's motto isn't it?

In defense of the Catwoman origin, people who develop multiple personality disorder like Selina Kyle have been known to spontaneously learn things with new personas they couldn't do before, like speak a different language, so I guess learning kung fu out of nowhere isn't THAT unrealistic...not defending surviving the 100 story free fall though!

Did Bennett just say that Batman Forever is better than Batman Returns? Was he high?

A businessman running for mayor? Next you'll be telling me a businessman will be running for presid--duh, oh right... We already made that mistake, and are regretting it.

Sitting in a dark room, he's trying to reenact Fant4stic. Anyway, he was already killing the original.

I think FB really nailed why the movie doesn't work at it's core - as much as I love Danny DeVito as Penguin, something about his character just always felt wrong and I couldn't quite place why exactly. On repeat viewings, I do keep wanting to sympathize with him (like most of Burton's outcasts) even as the movie insists he is irredeemably bad. The more I think about it, the more I conclude that he would've been much better as an original character in a wholly different film - one where he doesn't *have* to be a villain with zany megalomaniacal murder schemes who fights a masked hero. (I did want to smack Sage throughout the whole video, though.)

"Why would the Zoo connect to the sewer?" ...because Gotham :|

13:25 The reason that Batman is not in much is because this movie is more about the villains then the hero

This movie is still better Batman movie than Batman and Robin

I honestly don't understand the hate Hudson Hawk gets. Maybe I'm alone in this but it hits my sense of humor spot on. Friends and I still quote it to each other to this day

I think the 1989 Batman movie is much better than its sequels.

While this isn't anything near the level of batman(1989) I wouldn't consider it a bad movie, in fact I don't consider batman forever a bad movie either(it's decent) but don't worry I still hate batman and Robin.

This movie's biggest problem is a lack of focus on why there's a giant pole in the Batmobile.

Who else would love if sewer penguins were real?

Does Tim Burton have a screaming woman fetish? He did it with both his Batman love interests!

This review taught me that even though Sage is the Devil, Film Brain trumps Satan and made old Mephiles his bitch.

I don't like this movie. It's filled with so many subplots that it's hard to tell who the villain really is, the tone is all over the place, and Batman is barely in it.

33:09 lol...that was the best reaction XD

The funniest thing about this film is that Christopher Walken's character (whose name is similar to Shrek, which is hilarious) is an OC, as in, not on the comics at all, he's a fabrication for this movie.

the look on film Brain and Bennett the sage faces at 18:13 is priceless.

WE ALL MISS BAD MOVIE BEATDOWN!!!!!!!

I was never a fan of this movie, either. And I love dark movies. The problem is that this movie isn't consistent with its tone, it tries to overplay its villains in the most over-the-top way and at the same time tries to make The Penguin sympathetic, the results being more comical than anything else. There are worse Burton movies out there, but I think that he's done much better than this.

Years late, but since the zoo is clearly abandoned and in disrepair, the sewer penguins are logically former zoo penguins who migrated to the sewer as the building crumbled. Though that invites the question about what kind of monster abandons penguins (and likely other animals) as they close and abandon the zoo?! And why is Gotham's infrastructure so bad that the zoo wasn't reclaimed and the sewer system maintained?!

there is also a scrapped plot about Max and Penguin, basically it would be that they were long lost brothers

Say what you will about this movie: I use it when defending *Suicide Squad* by pointing out Max Shreck's actions in the climax. In NO way was he a good man; But him offering himself in the place of Chip earned him some respect from me. Bottom line: *Evil people can have loved ones, too. Doesn't change who they are or what they did.*

The Burton Batman films influenced the Batman Animated Series . And this movie still has the best Catwoman on film.

24:52 grandmaster batman in the house

I can't take any sentence that has the name "Shrek" seriously lol. I know it's not intentional, but damn it's funny to listen to.

6:11 and that was the first time Paul Reubens abandons Oswald...

If you took Pfeiffer out of the movie it would ONLY affect Shreck's death at the end!

I agree that it’s not a misunderstood masterpiece but I wouldn’t necessarily call it bad either.

Say whatever you want about this flick: Danny Devito as the Penguin is some of the best casting that has ever and will ever happen.

Bat movie beat down

Awesome that Pee Wee Herman came back in the television series Gotham as cobblepot's father once again! Creating although not a direct connect but definitely a base point for the DC Cinematic Universe just like Marvel having Agents of Shield wtf

As long as Doug Walker isn’t in the review as well as his shadows, I’m good with the review

And another thing Sage. I love Prince's songs on Batman and they're not stupid.

It should be mentioned that cats don't actually have 9 lives, that's just a myth.

you both deserve more subscribers.

2:20 have you ever seen Beatlejuice, Edward scissorhands, or sleepy hollow, big fish?

Also Their was a batman. The animated series episode called Birds of a Feather that did something with the penguin. Made him sympathetic, but later on, he goes back being a villian.

Billy Dee Williams asked for a higher salary for the sequel which they didn't want to do. Catwoman shocking Shreck in the face was how Dent would have turned into Two Face.

Still one of the most messed up Christmas movies ever.

Funny thing is I saw this in the theatre when I was 6.

Question: If Penguin's plan is to kidnap and kill all first borns, why does he try to take Chip, but doesn't bother with Bruce Wayne? He is technically a first born. I agree with Bennett. Crock would've been a much better fit for the movie.

thanks for the video

where does film Brain say they are? sounds like swimland or something.

God, the Seal outro music felt so warranted and refreshing to hear Batman Forever music after this shit

17:36 that’s really fucking stupid... a dog catching a batarang? C’mon!

Film Brain and Sage are like a modern-day Siskel and Ebert.

That opening narration by bennet the sage reminds me and sounds almost like the town that dreaded sundown.

The collective term for bats is not a flock, its a colony, or cloud of bats.

Because Batman Returns is my all time favorite Batman movie I disagree with both FilmBrain and Bennett. Then again it helps that I know about golden age Batman so I accept things like Batman killing. Besides Burton might not understand Batman but he sure as hell understands Batman more than Nolan does.

I don’t understand why people think this movie is really dark and bitter when parts of it are quite funny.

14:24 - 14:40 😭THANK YOU, BENNET THE SAGE!!! THANK YOOOOOU!!! 😭 Yeah, I love everything Batman, but Returns was never one of my favorites. Everything they said about it is true. What the movie should've been is this: Millionaire philanthropist and mogul, Max Shreck, is running for mayor of Gotham. One night one of his penthouses is robbed by the fearless new thief known as Catwoman. Meanwhile, Batman is still stopping crime every night on the streets of Gotham, but lately average thugs have been getting more brazen. It gets so bad that even children are being kidnapped and killed. Batman desperately tries to get to the bottom of this, but the mastermind behind the kidnappings is elusive. One day, disgraced ex-socialite, Oswald Cobblepott, throws his top hat in the ring against Shreck in the election. Batman knows Cobblepott as the vicious villain known as The Penguin, but he technically can't prove it to the public or the police. Eventually, Batman crosses paths with Catwoman and Bruce Wayne meets Selina Kyle. A rivalry/romance develops. The night after Shreck's baby is kidnapped, Catwoman hits another one of Shreck's penthouses only to be intercepted by Batman who accuses her of kidnapping Shreck's child, assuming Penguin hired her to do it to get him to drop out of the election. She denies it and they fight, swing, and jump from building to building until Batman has her cornered. She then attempts to flirt her way out of the situation and the way she does it makes Batman realize who she really is. Stunned by this revelation, he lets his guard down allowing for Selina to escape. Selina and Catwoman disappear from Gotham and Max Shreck is elected mayor. He accepts with a heavy heart and hopes that the police will find his baby. Batman intensifies his search for the missing child, and hunts down the Penguin. Not only does he rescue the baby from the Penguin, but he also thwarts an attempt on Shreck's life as well. However, in doing so he learns information that helps him piece everything together. When Batman returns Shreck's baby to him he confronts him about his part in orchestrating many of the child kidnappings. He accuses Shreck of hiring criminals to kidnap the children of the wealthy so he could fund his campaign since his businesses had begun to hemorrhage money. Shreck admits to all of it as he pulls out a gun and shoots at Batman. Batman dodges and disarms Shreck. Shreck is arrested after Batman delivers the recording of his confession to the police and his deputy mayor takes his place. The movie ends with Batman overlooking the city perched on a gargoyle and Catwoman perched on another building watching him.

I mean, at least in Batman: The Telltale Series, they got the character right, I know his appearance wasn't perfect but his origin was fine.

Batman Returns is 30 years old!!! Shame i didn't see it in theaters but it did make $162.83 million I did catch it later on vhs Tim Burton did his own thing creatively wanting nothing to do with the 1989 movie Love Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Danny Devito as Penguin, Pfeiffer still has that infamous whip to this day and she set the tone for future actresses to play the part going against injustice either men or women Many considered it too dark; a lot of people couldnt get on board with the overly depressing penguin and the cat woman Even the happy meal toy makers panicked by parents' reactions of the movie being demented and unpleasant for kids Since then, people haven't really known what to make of this film Naturally, it has its fans and its haters, but most people put it in the "I don't want to think about it because I don't know what to think about it" category It's a good movie and nostalgia critic says it is silly and all over the place, but it's also visually stunning, well-acted, and hilariously demented Lots of flaws are around the Penguin character it just needed to be less clumsy about it Burton focuses as much on what unites the trio as what divides them, specifically the power they find behind their assumed identities even if all they can't be saved A weird experiment he admits with it feeling overly dark but he embraces keeping Batman weird There are elements of German Expressionism that seep through the stylistic flourish Plus it's important to acknowledge that Reeves' "The Batman," and some aspects of Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" trilogy, has been greatly influenced by Burton's vision, which is undeniably important to understanding Batman as a character I'm glad the movie overcame reports of behind-the-scenes creative disputes and mixed critical and fan response It's really cool too that Michael Keaton is reprising his role for The Flash movie and Batgirl

Batman returns is really creepy

Big Fish is Burtons true masterpiece. What a great emotional film. It's perfect... almost

I think its funny that the people in charge of the Gotham show gave Ruebens another chance to be the father of the Penguin.

It always annoyed me that the Red Triangle Gang worked for the Penguin, instead of the Joker in the first movie. Why put so much emphasis on clown/circus goons when that has nothing to do with the Penguin? And it was weird that the movie kept referring to them as an "underground crime gang" like they were the mafia or something. It would have made more sense if Penguin's goons WERE akin to the mafia, rather than silly circus freaks.

Similar to Beverly Hills Cop 3, a bad mix of camp and edginess.

I used to like Batman Returns but I got sick of watching it but Batman 89 and The Dark Knight 2009 are great movies but Danny DeVito is excellent as penguin

Penguin's mom is Diane Salinger, not Sandra Bernhard.

I'm on the negative side here. While I enjoyed Burton's first Batman, it still had some cracks in it, and this really shows it. There's some interesting character potential and dynamics and once again perfect casting, but Burtons' tendency for the over the top outrageous, to be dark and goofy and silly and surreal , really undermined the narrative. Is this Bruce's story? Selina's? The Penguin's? Max Shreck? Not enough explanation, too much random gags. Even the production design was baffling- the Penguin as a groutesque half-human troll? Is he well mannered or feral? Does he have a sense of humor? Is he horny all the time? How did he get his gang? How much sympathy can we feel? Same with Catwoman- is she genuinely insane? Is this a dual identity? Dual personality? What's left of Selina Kyle? Why her rampage at the beginning? The patchwork costume spells out over the top edginess, not someone working from the bottom indulging in revenge. These characters had wit and class and genuine sympathy in other stories, but not here. Batman himself is too underused for any real thing to be said- it's not really his story. The big problem with the previous film was his lack of agency, lack of initiative (also his callous disregard for human life and reliance on violence but that's another discussion), and this is exasperated in this film. And sadly, the Schumacher films are even worse. WHY ARE THERE SEWER PENGUIINS?!

29:00 I don't usually look at actors' eyes when I'm watching a movie, so I had to rewind that bit to catch the discontinuity.

23:54 i honestly like that line, it shows that batman is human, and not the goddamn bat god you fans see him as

I enjoyed This Funny Review Gentlemen!😉

Glad there's a review on this movie that is made by someone who dislikes it as much as I do.

I must admit that this plot was a mess, but according to style, grotesqly mixing dark with camp, I love this movie so much. All that Sage finds wrong with this movie, thats advantage for me!

Now to be fair, Batman *is* the least interesting thing in almost anything he's in and giving his movies to the rogues' gallery is not a bad idea. Execution-wise this isn't well done in Returns, but Burton wasn't wrong to try it. Also, fuck it, Batman not killing people in most of the well-regarded runs of the comic was *always* an attempt to make the best of a bad situation with the Comics Code. Sure, it lead to one of the funniest scenes in Hitman, but eh. Again, who cares, cool villains is sorta the one strong point of anything Batman. Batman's sorta just the cipher. The viewpoint character, the guy who has to investigate and try to avenge the crimes so we can see the world his enemies inhabit. He's the Kenshiro. You can't make Fist of the North Star be *about* Kenshiro... And neither does it matter overly much if his particular brand of stoicism gets handled differently.

Personally, with a villain like Shriek, it would have been better to have the Riddler or Hugh Strange be the one blackmailing him. Or even put a twist on it and utilize Harvey Dent as the one being blackmailed as opposed to Shriek, as a way to setup Harvey's turn into Two-Face.

I've had several on the McDonald's Batman Returns toys when I was a kid.

Bad movie? Batman Returns is a master piece. Ahead of it's time.

bennet could have made a transformers energon joke with a clip of megatron instead of barrels.

My reaction to this film. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?

needs more frank reynolds quotes

Love Batman Returns

Returns is better than 89.

whats up with people from ThatGuywiththeglassess been incredibly good to be creepy when neeeded? Nostalgia Critic, Linkara, Bennet and now FIlm Brain? How you do it and where do i sign