As everyone and their mother heads into their family Batmobile to see Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” Tim Burton’s sequel, the first time we saw “The Bat, The Cat and The Penguin” together, has a 30th anniversary and is always worth a revisit, even for non-Batfans.

Burton’s “Batman Returns” (1992) was one of those movie phenomena where, despite being the top grossing summer movie and one of the biggest hits of its year, it didn’t have a lot of fans.

Upon release, it became an infamous case of backlash and post-screening distress, with audience reaction muted (it received a B grade from Cinemascore, whereas the 1989 original received an A) and outcry over the intensity of the violence.

Undoubtedly, while Burton’s trademark of a whimsical yet macabre tone could be expected,...