Film Review: Batman Forever

As a kid, back in 1995 when it was released, I was all over Batman Forever. Of course, I had seen the first two, but this was the one I really latched onto. I loved it, not knowing much about anything film wise(I may not have realized it was a different guy playing Batman) and I ended up with the toys and all sorts, even a Batmobile!

But it's been a long old time since I last watched it. And having recently purchased the Blu Ray box set of the first four Batman movies, I finally revisited it, honestly expecting to not think much of it at all (after all, it was Joel Schumacer's first Bat-Movie, and we all know what happened with the second.)

To be honest, Batman Forever (at the time) was exactly what the franchise needed. The previous film, 'Batman Returns' was fantastic (and, in my opinion the best of the first four films), but it really let Tim Burton go off in his own direction and the result of that was dark. Very dark. So much so, in fact, that it probably warped a lot of the kiddies that went to see it (Me, being brought up on a steady diet of violent 80s Arnie classics, was made of harder stuff than that!), and the only possible way the studio could go with it was to just lighten things up a bit (of course they could have got darker, perhaps roping in Paul Verhoeven or David Lynch for another installment.)

Tim Burton stayed on in a producing role, with the aforementioned Joel Schumacer taking the directors chair, and Val Kilmer replacing Michael Keaton as Batman, and none of the blame for the films inadequacies lie at his feet, Kilmer is perfectly fine as The Dark Knight and his alter ego Bruce Wayne.

The movie kicks off with Two Face (Tommy Lee Jones, scenery chewing) already set up as the bad guy, in a set piece featuring some still impressive action (although the guy who has the small role as a security guard was pretty dreadful), and we don't get a whole lot of back story about him, other than he was former District Attorney Harvey Dent, and a mobster threw acid into his face during a trial, also affecting his brain, causing him to go off the deep end (look out for a small appearance from Drew Barrymore as one of Two Face's 'Molls'!)

And things are mostly fine with Tommy Lee Jones (although his character does deviate away from the comic books a bit), and the special effects and action sequences are great, but it's just not enough.

A big problem with the film is Jim Carrey. At the time, it all seemed great, Carrey was fresh in everyones minds from The Mask and Ace Ventura, but for the role of Edward Nygma/The Riddler he just recycles the exact same performance. Now, 16 years later (!), with hindsight, the whole performance really grated on my nerves.

Batman Forever also introduced the character of Robin (Chris O' Donnell), after attempts were made in Batman and Batman Returns to shoehorn him in, but the ideas were ultimately scrapped. And, to be fair, they should have stayed that way. While O' Donnell is watchable as Dick Grayson and Robin, and his story slots in with the main plot, it takes almost 40 minutes to introduce him and he does seem kind of superfluous throughout. The Tim Burton (and later the Christopher Nolan) films prove that the best Batman films are the ones sans the 'Boy Wonder'.

A 'kind of' famous Nicole Kidman shows up as the movies love interest, Dr. Chase Meridian (I know, right?) and half the performance is her just throwing herself at Batman (and I mean her character leaves her dignity at the door several times) before she realizes that she really loves the man behind the Bat. If you told me then (and as I was only a kid, I probably wouldn't have cared) that she was going to end up being on of the most famous actresses in the world, I wouldn't have believed you based on what I saw. But you can only work with what you are given I guess!

While the series certainly needed some light moments, the whole thing probably went too far. With Carrey's frankly ridiculous performance, a more jokey atmosphere (Faithful butler Alfred, played again by Michael Gough, gets many one liners this time round) and the horrific leather buttock shot (Yep, Batman Forever got one before Batman And Robin), it's all just a bit too much.

Of course, things were set to get a lot worse in 1997 with Batman And Robin, but it's interesting to see this bridge between the two films, you really get a sense now, in hindsight, of where things would end up. And if I find anything new to say about Batman And Robin, see you back here. Same Bat-Time. Same Bat-Place.

**1/2
After the dark, gothic tone of Batman Returns things did need to lighten up. Probably not this much though! Great action saves the film from OTT performances, and a campy, silly vibe that was soon to be turned up to 11...