Batman Returns (2022)

If Batman Returns was made 30 years later.

Directed By: Guillermo Del Toro

Plot
On Christmas Day, Gotham City socialites Tucker and Esther Cobblepot become the parents of a deformed baby boy, Oswald. Believing that Gotham's high society would not welcome their baby due to his appearance and wild demeanor, the Cobblepots confine Oswald to a cage and ultimately throw him into the sewer, where he is discovered by a family of penguins underneath the Gotham Zoo.

Thirty-three years later, millionaire and philanthropist Max Shreck proposes to build a power plant to supply Gotham with energy, though he is opposed by the mayor. During Shreck's speech, Gotham comes under attack by a disgraced former circus troupe, the Red Triangle Gang. Though Gotham's vigilante protector Batman intervenes and manages to fight the criminals off, Shreck is abducted and taken to the sewer, where he meets the gang's secret leader, Oswald himself, now going by the name "Penguin". Oswald blackmails Shreck with evidence of his corporate crimes (which he had disposed of in the sewer) into helping him return to the surface to a high social standing, and he accepts. Meanwhile, Shreck's secretary, Selina Kyle, discovers that the power plant is actually meant to drain Gotham of its energy, which will bring the city under Shreck's control, after which Shreck will essentially be untouchable by the authorities. Shreck pushes her out of a window attempting to kill her, but she survives the fall when a group of cats unintentionally revive her and vows revenge, taking up the mantle of Catwoman.

Oswald makes his presence known by rescuing the mayor's baby from a staged kidnapping attempt, and requests to be allowed into the Hall of Records to find his parents. Batman's alter-ego, Bruce Wayne, voices his suspicions about Oswald's true motives, and investigates his background and connection to the Red Triangle Gang, discovering that the troupe had been shut down years ago due to children going missing during their performances and the disappearance of one specific member before interrogation, whom Bruce suspects to be Oswald. During a meeting with Shreck to voice his own opposition to the power plant, Bruce meets Selina and the two become attracted to one another. In order to remove his enemies, Shreck pushes for Oswald to run for mayor and discredit the current mayor by having the Red Triangle Gang wreak havoc on the city. Batman intervenes and meets Catwoman as she attempts to sabotage one of Shreck's businesses; the two fight and injure each other before Catwoman escapes. She swears revenge on Batman by allying with Oswald, who also plans to kill Batman as part of his own schemes.

As Bruce and Selina begin a romantic relationship, Oswald abducts Gotham's Ice Princess and kills her, framing Batman for the act, as well as causing the Batmobile to rampage throughout Gotham before Batman narrowly manages to regain control and escape the authorities. When Catwoman rejects his advances, Oswald breaks off their partnership and attempts to kill her, but she survives after falling into a greenhouse. During the chase, Batman records Oswald's disparaging remarks about the people of Gotham and later plays them during his next speech, destroying his image and forcing him to return to the sewer, where he renounces his humanity and reveals his plan to abduct and kill all of Gotham's firstborn sons as revenge for what his parents did to him. At a charity ball hosted by Shreck, Bruce and Selina meet and discover each other's secret identities. The Penguin appears and reveals his plan, intending to take Shreck's son Chip with him, but Shreck gives himself up in his son's stead.

Batman foils the kidnappings and heads for the Penguin's lair. The Penguin attempts to have his army of penguins bomb the city and kill everyone in Gotham, though Batman and his butler, Alfred, jam the signal and order the penguins to return to the sewer. Batman arrives and confronts the Penguin. In the ensuing fight, the Penguin falls through a window into the sewer's toxic water after accidentally launching the bombs on the zoo. Shreck escapes but is confronted by Catwoman, who intends to kill him. Batman pleads for Selina to stop, unmasking himself in the process. Shreck draws a gun and shoots them both, but Selina survives several gunshot wounds (citing nine lives) and electrocutes herself and Shreck with a stun gun, causing a massive explosion. Bruce, who was wearing body armor, finds Shreck's remains, but Selina is nowhere to be found. The Penguin emerges from the water and tries to shoot Bruce from behind, but dies from his injuries and from the toxic sewage before his penguin family lays his body to rest in the water. In the aftermath, as Alfred drives him home, Bruce sees Selina's silhouette in an alley but only finds her cat as a farewell gift, who he decides to take home with him. The Bat-Signal appears in the sky as Catwoman, who survived, watches.

Cast

 * Jake Gyllenhaal as Bruce Wayne/Batman: A wealthy industrialist who duly works as Gotham City's premier masked vigilante. Bruce struggles with his dual identity as he becomes romantically involved with Selina Kyle, alias Catwoman.
 * Nick Frost as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin: A psychopathic, deformed man abandoned by his parents when he was a baby. Raised by penguins of an abandoned zoo, he returns for revenge thirty-three years later as leader of the Red Triangle Circus Gang after being cheated by businessman Max Shreck.
 * Margot Robbie as Selina Kyle/Catwoman: A secretary who becomes a criminal after her boss Max Shreck nearly kills her. She is held as a femme fatale in most of the film.
 * Paul Bettany as Max Shreck: A wealthy businessman and industrialist known as "The Santa Claus of Gotham". He is obsessed with building a power chemical plant in Gotham City, but when both Bruce Wayne and the Mayor of Gotham City deny his idea, he decides to help Oswald Cobblepot to become the new mayor of Gotham City for his plans. Apart from being the father of Chip Shreck and presumably killing his wife to gain her money, Shreck is also the former employer of Selina Kyle, who wants to kill him following his attempt to kill her.
 * Timothy Dalton as Alfred Pennyworth: The Wayne family's butler and Batman's accomplice, who has helped and raised him since his parents' death.
 * Brendan Gleeson as Commissioner James Gordon: Commissioner of the Police Department of Gotham City.
 * Alex Jennings as The Mayor: The unnamed mayor of Gotham City, though the novelization gives him the name Roscoe Jenkins. He does not like Max Shreck's idea to build a nuclear power plant in Gotham City. His son is later kidnapped by the Red Triangle Circus Gang, only to be "saved" by the Penguin.
 * Giovanni Ribisi as The Organ Grinder: A member of the Red Triangle Circus Gang and the Penguin's right-hand man. He carries an organ grinder as his main weapon. He survives all three attacks on Gotham City, but is captured and presumably interrogated by Batman during the Penguin's final attempt to take over Gotham City.
 * Luke Benward as Charles "Chip" Shreck: Son of Max Shreck and his late wife. Apart from being the heir of Max's business, he is brave enough to do everything he can to defend his father, such as ordering him to flee as he helps other Gotham City residents to restrain members of the Red Triangle Circus Gang.
 * Suki Waterhouse as The Ice Princess: A Christmas-themed beauty queen and model of Gotham City.
 * Hawk Walts as The Tattooed Strongman: A member of the Red Triangle Circus Gang. He survives the first attack on Gotham City, but is killed during the second attack by one of his bombs when Batman throws him into a hole before the explosion.
 * Claire Holt as The Poodle Lady: A member of the Red Triangle Circus Gang. She survives all three attacks on Gotham City, but she runs away along with her poodle, and the rest of her teammates to escape from Batman during the third attack, abandoning The Penguin.
 * Bill Hader as Tucker Cobblepot: The father of Oswald Cobblepot and husband of Esther Cobblepot. He and his wife abandoned their son by throwing him into Gotham City's park river after realizing that he could be a danger to society after he killed their cat.
 * Kaitlin Olson as Esther Cobblepot: The mother of Oswald Cobblepot and wife of Tucker Cobblepot. She and her husband abandoned their son by throwing him into Gotham City's park river after realizing that he could be a danger to society after he killed their cat.
 * Thomas Brodie-Sangster as the Thin Clown: A member of The Penguin's gang.

Rating
Rated PG-13.

Trivia

 * Peter Dinklage, Brendan Fraser and Toby Jones were considered for the role of Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin.
 * Ana De Armas, Amanda Seyfried and Emma Stone were considered for the role of Selina Kyle/Catwoman.
 * Edward Norton, Guy Pearce and Michael Shannon were considered for the role of Max Shreck.