#7 - Batman Forever (1995)
So we already discussed the dumber of Schumacher's two movies in Batman & Robin, but what about Batman Forever? Batman Forever quite frankly, is the biggest mixed-bag you've got when you think of the Batman movies, and anybody you talk to will either decide one way or the other. Some people file it under "Schumacher shit" and just pass on it due to Batman & Robin's reputation, but others hold it to a high standard, some even higher than other Batman movies, which shocks most people.
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| Batman (Val Kilmer) and Robin (Chris O'Donnell) |
Batman Forever was the first to really go mainstream with Batman. Tim Burton's prior two entries were very cult noire and weren't really made for mainstream moviegoers. They were made for comic book fans and fans of dark, gritty superhero movies. Think back to the 80's guys; there weren't that many superhero movies. However, by the time Joel Schumacher took over the director's chair, the darkness, the grittiness, the grim scenery and sinister undertones were all done away with. Batman Forever came out in 1995 and totally switched gears. Everything was bright and colorful and treated like a neon fireworks display. Everything was either neon, brightly lit, both, and many colors were incorporated.
Many fans wonder why there was such a radical creative direction change between Batman Returns and Batman Forever. The most glaring clue is Batman Returns' lackluster box office returns, which many attribute to Tim Burton having too much freedom behind-the-scenes, but we'll cross the bridge soon enough. Others feel that Warner Bros. Studios were pressured by DC Comics to appeal to a wider audience than that of what Tim Burton's films were appealing to. DC was seeing slumping comic book sales and wanted to attract more people to them by giving the film more of a comic book feeling. I agree, but they certainly got carried away a few places.
So the characters are about as over-the-top as in Batman & Robin, but luckily there wasn't a Schumacher film before this to make us despise them. Top Gun's "Iceman" Val Kilmer is our caped crusader for this film, and he actually does really well. Most people don't really care for him, but I do. I really liked what he brought to the cape and cowl. I only have two gripes: His Bat-voice didn't differentiate from his Wayne-voice at all, and the Bat-nipples on the suit. For those who don't know, the Batsuit in the movie caused a bit of an uproar when it was revealed to display men's nipples on it. Schumacher's reasoning was that he wanted the Batsuit to be less technological and represent more elements you'd see on that of a Greek God statue. Suiting up with him is NCIS: Los Angeles's Chris O'Donnell, who plays Robin in Robin's first big-screen appearance since Batman: The Movie in 1966. He's definitely given a lot of backstory and buildup to the big reveal in the Batcave when you find out he's Robin and he's ready to help Batman in his final battle. Robin's one of the best characters in the movie, and Chris O'Donnell flat-out nailed the role. He is Robin. He may have gotten carried away and stupid with it in Batman & Robin, but here he's phenomenal. The story of a tragic soul who just wants revenge for his family's murder and O'Donnell played the part beautifully.
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| The Riddler (Jim Carrey) and Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) |
Now you wanna talk about the villains? Sigh. Well, to put it plainly, they're very "Schumacher-y". Over-the-top, cheesy, and in some cases, annoying to watch and listen to. Tommy Lee Jones plays Two-Face, which is weird since you swore he was black in Batman (1989), but I digress. He's so overacted and loud that he's almost robbing from the movie. You think a performance this important would warrant absolutely no leeway on his range, but I guess Joel just let him run wild. What's terrible is that he's playing more the Joker than he is Two-Face. Two-Face laughs maniacally more in this movie than the Joker does in The Dark Knight. Now, you take that and couple him with Jim Carrey, Jim fucking Carrey from the mid-90's, coming off successes like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask slapped into the role of the Riddler? Dear God, is the villain range in this movie way off the charts. They both overact so badly and then when they're on screen together, they try to "out-overact" each other. It's ridiculous and to this day, I still can't decide if I think it's funny or if I think it's plain stupid. One of the most ironically funny parts to me is that Jim Carrey isn't even playing the Riddler, he's just playing himself. It's just Jim Carrey being Jim Carrey.
Really, there are good aspects of the movie and there are bad ones. Some good aspects is the acting that doesn't come from Tommy Lee Jones or Jim Carrey, the set design is really awe-inspiring and the Elliot Goldenthal score is a great piece of orchestral fortitude. However, the movie gets dragged down by being really campy, filled with dumb one-liners (though still not as bad as Batman & Robin), overacted like crazy, having costume design that looks utterly laughable in retrospect, but overall just being made really marketable. This was the safe, marketable Batman movie Warner Bros. finally wanted and got. Toys, t-shirts, and other sorts of Batman Forever memorabilia were everywhere when this movie came out, and those character posters are a hot commodity in today's swap-meet market.
Overall, I'd say give it a go, but don't expect your serious, dark-toned Batman flick. Expect a lighthearted two-hour popcorn fart that satisfies in some areas, disappoints in others. It's decent movie-going entertainment, I'm not going to say it won't entertain you, but it really is a 50/50 shot on whether or not you'll like it. It depends on if you accidentally watch Batman & Robin first, in which case you'll hate Forever with a burning, fiery Bat-passion.
There are two things to take away from Batman Forever: The color green, and Seal's "Kiss From a Rose"...catch you next time for number six of the countdown!
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