Blyss's Movie Review for:

Main Cast of Characters:

Michael Keaton.........Bruce Wayne/Batman

Danny Devito..........Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot

Michelle Pfeiffer.........Selena Kyle/Catwoman

Christopher Walken..........Max Shreck

Michael Gough...........Alfred Pennyworth

Pat Hingle..........Commissioner Gordon

Paul Reubens...........Mr. Cobblepot

Diane Salinger...........Mrs. Cobblepot

Sean Whalen...........Paperboy

1992. Rated: PG-13; Genre: Action/Adventure; 126 minutes

The legacy continues!

The movie opens with the birth of the Penguin and how his parents could not accept what he was. The Cobblepots dumped their baby son into the river and penguins found him and raised him. Fast forward 33 years later...Max Shreck, a powerfully wealthy man in Gotham, is trying to win the citizens' hearts by pretending that he is really into gift-giving and charity. However, as they get started, Penguin's gang attacks and destroys the scene. The gang tries to take Max but Max's son buys him some time and he is able to run. Max goes into the sewer to escape from the bad guys and he meets Penguin. Penguin wants Max to help him resurface into the public eye. Max is reluctant but after Penguin blackmails him, he agrees.

After the rucus of the evening, Max's secretary, Selena Kyle goes home. Once she is home she remembers that she forgot something at the office and has to go back. She is preparing Max's folders for his meeting with Bruce Wayne on Wednesday. In the process she opens some files she should not have and finds out all of Max's dirty little secrets. He pushes her out of a window to get her out of the way. She should have died but she did not. She was reborn as Catwoman.

As Penguin moves into the public eye, he begins to make people feel sorry for him and pity him. He makes big scenes so that all of the press will be there. Then after Schreck's meeting falls through, Max asks him to run for Mayor so that he can get the things he wants in the city with Penguin at the helm. Penguin agrees. But will Batman stand for such crime going on right under his nose? Will he allow Penguin to become Mayor? And how does Catwoman fit into Penguin's picture?

Once again, the special effects in this movie were quite good. I had a problem with the Penguin character. I remember Burgess Merideth portraying Penguin in the series and he did not look that scary or grotesque as they had Devito looking. His acting was great but I did not like the way the character appeared on screen. However, Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman was excellent! She looked the part and you could really feel a sense that she had in the character what made the other Catwomans great. I was very pleased with that. I also enjoyed Christopher Walken as Max Schreck. He was an evil businessman but most of the people of Gotham saw him as quite liberal and charitable when it came to Penguin or to use his 'christian name' Oswald Cobblepot.

Another thing that really bothered me is that Bruce Wayne did not seem to have that much action going on in this film. I felt like the movie shoudl have been named "The Uprising of Catwoman and Penguin" because it seemed like Batman and Bruce Wayne were just secondary characters compared to the villians. Also that Alfred, the butler, also seemed to be fooled by Penguin also bothered me. He was one of the characters that should have been able to see through what Penguin was doing. Instead Alfred seemed to feel sorry for the character at first.

Overall, the actions sequences were done well. The characterization needed some definite work. This movie left much to be desired. I can quite honestly say that this Batman installment was probably the weakest of all that has been released.

I rate this movie: 6

Blyss