Director Tim Burton refused to lighten up for the second of the Batman movies (we would have to wait for the Joel Schumacher-directed Batman Forever for that) and the result is another moody, gloomy and occasionally perverse portrait of the Dark Knight. As with the first in the series, the sets are suitably stunning, and, while action may not be Burton's strongest suit, there are still some dazzling set pieces and a whole range of new gadgets. The only real problem here is that, as in Batman, the villains bag all the best lines - Danny DeVito's tragic Penguin, Michelle Pfeiffer in that suit as Catwoman - with poor old Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne left to look vaguely troubled while his alter ego Batman bashes the baddies. Even though fans of the 1960s TV show may reject its brooding atmosphere, this is still impressive stuff.

The monstrous Penguin, who dwells in the sewers beneath Gotham, joins up with corrupt mayoral candidate Max Shreck to topple the Batman once and for all. But when Shreck's timid assistant Selina Kyle finds out, and Shreck tries to kill her, she's transformed into the sexy Catwoman. She teams up with the Penguin and Shreck to destroy Batman, but sparks fly unexpectedly when she confronts the caped crusader.