Batman Forever

Starring: Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman, Chris O'Donnell, Drew Barrymore
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
1995

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Batman (Val Kilmer) faces greater challenges than ever before. The maniacal Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) is terrorizing Gotham, the Riddler (Jim Carrey) is pursuing his own dastardly scheme, and he has to deal with a orphan (Chris O'Donnell) who has discovered his true identity.

Review:

Tim: After Tim Burton's two good Batman movies, the franchise infused some new blood and a new direction, although it kept Burton on as a producer. Batman Returns was a large step down from the original, and this film is a smaller step even further away. This movie is decidedly different in tone. Unfortunately, it is much more kid-oriented, campy, and silly. Now, this can definitely work for superhero films, but not for Batman. He is the Dark Knight! I strongly disliked this change in the franchise. It greatly hurts this movie.

The cast is a complete overhaul as well. Michael Keaton was surprisingly excellent as Bruce Wayne/Batman. In this film, Val Kilmer steps into his shoes, but can't measure up. Kilmer isn't exactly bad- he plays it very safe and makes a fairly decent Batman. The problem is that he doesn't come across as dark at all. Keaton's greatest strength was being believable as an eccentric billionaire with true darkness lurking under the surface. None of that is present in Kilmer's presence. Still, he makes at least a serviceable Batman.

On paper, I love the casting of Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey "Two-Face" Dent. Jones is a great actor, and he brings the same level of class that Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, and Michelle Pfeiffer brought to previous villains. The problem is that his performance is way, way too over-the-top. Jones just looks silly and oftentimes stupid in the role. I didn't think he made a very compelling bad guy at all. I was very disappointed in Two-Face's portrayal on screen. The other villain, the Riddler, is played by Jim Carrey. The Riddler is such a fantastic Batman villain and I was really excited to see him on screen. Carrey was probably the perfect choice to play him- someone who seems intelligent, but absolutely out of his mind as well. Carrey far too often strays into over-the-top, annoying territory. However, he has some truly terrific lines and he delivers them absolutely perfectly. On the whole, I wish Carrey could have been less cartoonish, but he definitely works in this film.

The last two cast members actually both work. I really enjoyed Nicole Kidman in this film. She is charismatic, sensual, exciting, and brilliant. She comes across as an equal to Bruce Wayne. Kidman is usually hot or cold in her films, but she's definitely hot here- she gives a very good performance. Chris O'Donnell rounds out the cast as Robin. I know that Robin gets a lot of crap from Batman fans, particularly how he is portrayed on screen. I am not one of those critics. I believe that Robin opens up new doors for Batman, giving him a different feel. We get to see him as a protective, older brother figure, which is a nice change. I was glad that Robin appeared in this film, and even more excited that he was portrayed by O'Donnell. I thought he was perfect for the role. Now, O'Donnell gives a decidedly mixed performance. He definitely has some very good moments, but he has a number of weak moments as well. Still, despite an uneven performance, I thought he was a welcome addition to the cast.

As I mentioned, this film is just far too cartoonish and silly to be very good. I don't even want to mention the Riddler and Two-Face's ridiculous plot. I can't believe that those involved in this film couldn't come up with a more realistic and believable story. It is a real headscratcher, and doesn't help this film in any way. I also didn't like Schumacher's portrayal of Gotham City- it just felt odd, the gigantic strange statues littering the city. I think it just looks too much like a comic book and not enough like real life. This started with Burton, but this film continued that silly tradition.

Batman Forever is not a terrible movie. It has a few strong moments and is helped by several inspired performances. However, not enough went right to completely counteract all the problems this movie faced. This marks a new low for the Batman franchise, and is a far, far cry from the superb original. I am shocked that this franchise dropped in quality so quickly.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Batman, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, Superman, Catwoman, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight