Batman Returns is a curious movie for many reasons. The references to German Expressionism. The small amount of Batman (and Batman's apparent willingness to kill). The overt sexuality. It's slightly shocking that studios let Tim Burton make this picture for the kiddies. While I can't pretend that I love Batman Returns, I have to admit that it's much more interesting than most Batman films.
The main characters of the film are the grotesques of Gotham and Burton gives them each a chance to shine. Villain Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) is a key figure in the city's political and ball scene, taunting Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) as he poisons the city's water supply and creates his own monsters in the form of Selina "Catwoman" Kyle and Oswald "the Penguin" Cobblepot. Kyle is a mild-mannered secretary who appears to be fed up with her dull life until Shreck pushes her over the edge literally and figuratively. Undergoing a quirky punk transformation, her personality is split between good girl Selina and the super-sexual Catwoman. But Catwoman's tight leather suit isn't the only thing that defines her as a rebel. While the Catwoman of The Dark Knight Rises reveals herself to have a heart of gold and ends up falling for Batman, this Catwoman prioritizes her independence at any cost. She seduces Bruce/Batman when she wants him, but when he forces her to choose between a peaceful, nonviolent life with him and revenge by killing Shreck, she chooses the latter.