History YMMV / BatmanReturns

* {{Anvilicious}}: "It is human nature to fear the unusual. Perhaps, when I held my Tiffany baby rattle with a shiny flipper instead of five chubby digits, they freaked." (Subverted as Oswald is just milking the citizens for sympathy.)

* HarsherInHindsight: In china, there have been [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_attacks_in_China school stabbings]] committed by adults on children as "revenge on society" that's been happening every year since the beginning of the 2010s. What makes it more disturbing is that these attacks bear an eerie resemblance to Penguin's disturbing plan to murder Gotham's newborns as revenge on society.

** The above would only sound hilarious if you can prove that Tim Burton didn't mean this as an intentional reference to ''Batman Returns''.

* HoYay
** You have to admit that, as far as the unsuspecting citizens of Gotham are concerned, there's something strange about the mysterious closeness between the Penguin and Max Shreck - and not just because the Penguin calls Shreck "Maxie", which is a ''very'' affectionate name for a man he's known only a few days. Consider: From the very beginning, and even before he sponsors the Penguin's mayoral campaign, Max is always beside Oswald, always shielding him from the press and standing up for his rights, when there doesn't seem to be any reason why Max should care. (''We'' know, of course, what's going on between the two of them, but the characters in the movie itself can only speculate.) Of course, given what a ManipulativeBastard he is, it wouldn't be out of character for Max Shreck to subtly lead the media to believe this.

** Catwoman herself, considering her arc is interesting enough to warrant its own movie, and Michelle Pfeiffer is very much ToughActToFollow for all cinematic representations of the character. There were even plans for a spin-off movie that sadly resulted in the [[{{Film/Catwoman2004 infamous 2004 film]].

** {{Inverted}}. Creator/DannyDeVito's performance earned him a Razzie nomination. As evidenced by his mentions in SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct and JustHereForGodzilla, most viewers disagree with this nod.

* ContestedSequel: Fans of the first film and of the Batman films in general to quote the Dark Knight are “split right down the center” on this one. Some see it as the best of the pre-Nolan films, some see it as somewhat inferior to the first but better than the Schumacher films, some feel its darkness is too overwhelming even compared to the first film, a few-but-increasing-number today feel the darkness and the ''camp'' end up clashing far too heavily and very badly muddle the film's identity (whereas ''Forever'' at least has a very good idea of what it wants to be as a film, as did ''Batman 1'') and some just think it's the best Batman film, period.
* CreepyAwesome: Danny [=DeVito=]'s Penguin, full stop. He's a disturbing, hideous, and deranged maniac, but that's exactly what makes him an effective villain, and it's also why he has his fans.

* EvilIsSexy: Catwoman. Just look at that outfit. If you look at her behaviour though, you may argue that antiheroic is sexy.

* JerkassWoobie: Catwoman and the Penguin.

* LesYay: Catwoman and the Ice Princess. It's not enough to tie the girl to a chair; Selina has to physically humiliate her further by tightening her whip around the Princess's throat so that she almost chokes and then literally dragging her up to the roof.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: For some, it's hard to sympathize with The Penguin, even though the movie clearly wants you to. While his disfigurement and nearly getting killed by his own parents are obviously very sympathetic, the man in the present day is such a repulsive and irredeemable monster that many viewers likely won't CryForTheDevil. Even near the very end, [[spoiler: when his death is presented as an AlasPoorVillain moment, this is undercut by him still remaining evil to his last dying breath, which is spent talking about how he plans to kill Batman]].

* TheWoobie: The Ice Princess counted as an AssholeVictim in the original screenplay, even if by a slim margin, but the ditzy and SpoiledSweet version of her we see in the actual film really ''doesn't'' deserve what happens to her.

* AwardSnub: {{Inverted}}. Creator/DannyDeVito's performance earned him a Razzie nomination. As evidenced by his mentions in SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct and JustHereForGodzilla, most viewers disagree with this nod.

* MemeticMutation: "Bruce Wayne... why are you dressed up like Batman?" Naturally, this requires a Creator/ChristopherWalken impression for the full effect.

** Creator/MichellePfeiffer's Catwoman became a popular feminist icon - which is somewhat understandable, since such characters were relatively few and far between in 1980s and early '90s mainstream films. But Selina herself realizes that she is not an empowering figure at all, but [[HeWhoFightsMonsters just as much a thug as the men who have persecuted her]]. This should be clear from the guilt-ridden scolding she gives herself while looking in a shop window, as well as the fact that she ''cries'' when Bruce challenges her to explain what she's really feeling.

** The Ice Princess is so ignorant, she doesn't know who The Penguin is, even though his name has been all over the news for the last few days, and she chooses to remain on a high ledge (waiting for a man to rescue her), instead of doing the logical and easy thing, by hopping off, so it's arguable whether she's a 'victim' of anything but her own stupidity.

** Also the same for Creator/MichellePfeiffer whom many critics and fans agreed that her performance was THE best performance by an actress in 1992 and she didn’t even receive a nomination from the Academy, which left many people appalled. Granted she got nominated for ''Film/LoveField'', which came out later in the year (and has largely been forgotten) but many people felt that was a make-up for her not being nominated for Catwoman.

* TastesLikeDiabetes: Selina's apartment before her EvilMakeover. Seriously, what grown woman has that many stuffed animals, dollhouses, and pink stuff everywhere? This is pretty much a sign of an already present mental imbalance (i.e., she is the type to cover everything with optimism). It gets surely worsened by the mistreatment suffered at Shreck's hands, which is highlighted by Shreck's throwaway line to a man at his speech:

** Chip Shreck's DullSurprise combined with a very comical impression of Creator/ChristopherWalken to form some very hilarious deliveries, especially the very under-emoted "Dad, go, save yourself."

The above would only sound hilarious if you can prove that Tim Burton didn't mean this as an intentional reference to ''Batman Returns''.

** Also the same for Creator/MichellePfeiffer whom many critics and fans agreed that her performance was THE best performance by an actress in 1992 and she didn’t even receive a nomination from the Academy, which left many people appalled. Granted she got nominated for ''Film/LoveField'', which came out later in the year but many people felt that was a make-up for her not being nominated for Catwoman.

%%** This wouldn't be the last time Michael Keaton and Danny [=DeVito=] would co-star in [[Film/Dumbo2019 a Tim Burton movie dealing with a circus]].
%%The above would only sound hilarious if you can prove that Tim Burton didn't mean this as an intentional reference to ''Batman Returns''.

** While the penguins themselves are an example of SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome (even the live penguins used for filming were convinced the animatronic ones were real), they're clearly not touching [[spoiler:the Penguin's body as they cast him off during his funeral]].

** Also the same for Creator/MichellePfeiffer whom many critics and fans agreed that her performance was THE best performance by an actress in 1992 and she didn’t even receive a nomination from the Academy, which left many people appalled. Granted she got nominated for Love Field, which came out later in the year but many people felt that was a make-up for her not being nominated for Catwoman.

** The conclusion of the Batman, Catwoman, and Schreck drama due to Bruce's unmasking and heartfelt plea, Max's saying [[MemeticMutation "Bruce Wayne?]] [[WhatAnIdiot Why are you dressed up like Batman"]], and Selina giving the Schreck [[spoiler: a taser charged KissOfDeath]], three of the film's most famous moments one after another.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: While Max Schreck ended up being a strong villain in his own right, the original plan was for Creator/BillyDeeWilliams to reprise his all too short role as Harvey Dent from the previous role, occupying the role that Max took in the actual movie, which would've set him up to take on the identity of Two Face in the sequel after being disfigured in climax. Sadly, Dent is nowhere to be found here, and Williams would go on to be replaced for the next film when the character finally took center stage.

** A woman gets treated horribly by her male boss, who presumes he can get away with it because he's rich and powerful. Substitute attempted murder for sexual harassment, and Selina Kyle's situation with Schreck doesn't sound too dissimilar from many real cases of work-related harassment and abuse towards women. Selina being dismissed as just a secretary whose only value is making coffee is also reminiscent of the struggles of some women trying to get ahead in male-dominated careers, or having their profession and skills dismissed as unimportant. Selina's complaint that people like Schreck tend to get away with their abusive behavior due to their wealth and influence also sounds very familiar (though her plan to ''murder'' Schreck isn't an ideal solution).

** Batman fighting against Penguin's circus freak army is also pretty silly, mainly because of how silly they behave while fighting batman.

** The striking visual of Bruce Wayne standing up with the bat signal behind him.

** You have to admit that, as far as the unsuspecting citizens of Gotham are concerned, there's something strange about the mysterious closeness between the Penguin and Max Shreck - and not just because the Penguin calls Shreck "Maxie", which is a ''very'' affectionate name for a man he's known only a few days. Consider: From the very beginning, and even before he sponsors the Penguin's mayoral campaign, Max is always beside Oswald, always shielding him from the press and standing up for his rights, when there doesn't seem to be any reason why Max should care. (''We'' know, of course, what's going on between the two of them, but the characters in the movie itself can only speculate.) Of course, given what a ManipulativeBastard he is, it wouldn't be out of character for Max Shreck to subtly lead the media to believe this, in order to divert attention from his well-publicized power plant.

*** Shreck's plot isn't diverting attention ''away'' from the power plant, it's getting someone who will approve of it.

** Max Shreck, despite being a CanonForeigner who never appeared since this film, nevertheless won over audiences as a GreaterScopeVillain and a stylish ManOfWealthAndTaste portrayed with Creator/ChristopherWalken's signature eccentric charisma.

** Was Catwoman [[spoiler: truly revived in a supernatural manner, or is it just her being delusional?]]
* {{Anvilicious}}: "It is human nature to fear the unusual. Perhaps, when I held my Tiffany baby rattle with a shiny flipper instead of five chubby digits, they freaked." (Oswald is just milking the citizens for sympathy.)

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Music/DannyElfman is on point, arguably even moreso than the previous film.

*** Schwarzenegger not just only would play the aforementioned Mr. Freeze ([[CelebrityParadox without any characters remarking on his resemblance]]) but also would run for public office in real-life (as Governor of California in the 2003 recall election) and, unlike his ''Film/Twins'' costar Devito's character Penguin in this film, succeed in being elected.
%%** This wouldn't be the last time Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito would co-star in [[Film/Dumbo2019 a Tim Burton movie dealing with a circus]].

* {{Narm}}: Chip Shreck's DullSurprise combined with a very comical impression of Creator/ChristopherWalken to form some very hilarious deliveries, especially the very under-emoted "Dad, go, save yourself."