Batman Returns (1992)

Batman is basically a guest star in Batman Returns, popping in between the villains’ scenes to brood and check on the Batmobile. Tim Burton clearly likes the freaks better, and so will you. Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman is why this movie lives forever: a mousy secretary who stitches herself a new life out of a shiny black raincoat and a lot of rage. Every line she purrs lands. Danny DeVito plays the Penguin as a sad, snarling sewer creature who wants a family and the mayor’s office, and he’s gross in a way that’s half tragic. Christopher Walken’s Max Shreck is the scariest one because he’s just a businessman. The plot is a tangle of schemes that never quite connects, and the Penguin’s master plan gets weirdly dark for a big summer movie that sold toys. It’s still the only superhero movie with an army of penguins wearing rockets. A 7.8 because the villains are unforgettable and the hero is mostly furniture. $116.21 says you see a penguin at the zoo this year and check its back for a rocket.

What works: Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman, Danny DeVito’s tragic, grimy Penguin, and Tim Burton’s snowy, gothic Gotham.

What doesn’t: Batman barely matters in his own movie, and the tangle of villain schemes never fully connects.

Who it’s for: Anyone who prefers their superheroes weird, wintry and outshined by the bad guys.