Batman Forever (1997, VHS)

The era of the Tim Burton Batman ended after the first two movies. Burton s outlook on Batman brought a renewed interest in the character especially when he brought him back to his dark roots. But along the way Burton s world also included the twisted and the macabre, something that seemed out of place for the Dark Knight at times. Parents responded negatively to the films because it was too dark. I think Warner Bros. thought along the same lines after Batman Returns and, with Burton s departure, decided to approach the franchise differently. What they planned was to make the next film more light-hearted in nature, one that would please parents so they would bring their children to see their next installment to the Batman franchise. All they needed now was a new director at the helm, and they got one in Joel Schumacher.


Bat Controversy

Warner Bros. had no intention of letting Burton direct the third Batman film. The fact that he also wanted more money was enough of an excuse to let him go. Michael Keaton soon followed suit after he read the script and noticed that it was becoming lighter in tone. This wasn t the Batman he wanted to do.

So Warner Bros. had two roles to fill the director and the main lead. Joel Schumacher took over Tim Burton s position as director and decided to give a Batman movie that the studios wanted him to do. Already his approach to the film was to make it brighter using more colours in the palette. While it may have attracted the kids back to the movie, it was going to alienate some other hard core fans. And this is where the controversy occurs: do you cater to a select few by sticking to a grim-and-gritty approach or do you open up the audience base and go the more campy approach? Well, Warner Bros. did the latter instead so they would be able to tie the property to much more merchandising than the last movie. It was never about the movie. It was about the different types of products that could be sold aimed directly at kids by using the name Batman .

The person behind the bat-suit was up for grabs now and Vil Kilmer was asked to fill the role. Personally, I always envisioned Kilmer to be Batman, especially after his brilliant performance as Doc Holliday in Tombstone. Moreso than Keaton, Kilmer looked more like Bruce Wayne. However, there was no distinction between Bruce and Batman; they felt the same. Add to the fact that Kilmer s performance was a bit stiff didn t convince me that he did a good job in the role. At least with Keaton, there was a human element that was thrown into the fray. Still, Kilmer did his best with the material he had.

That s not to say everything else was peachy.


Riddle Me This

Batman s villains are usually the drawing point to the films and again the formula proved to be successful. In fact I believe it was the star power of Jim Carrey as the Riddler that made people do a double take.

Carrey s performance was typical Carrey, though he, believe it or not, toned down his wild antics for this role. Still, even a toned down Jim Carrey is still somewhat annoying especially in a movie like this. It was evident that he was trying to channel Frank Gorshin s Riddler from the 1960s television show, unsuccessfully I might add. He was over-the-top as usual, more in line of acting like the Joker.

Edward Nygma is a disgruntled employee of Wayne Enterprises who seeks fame and spotlight over his inventions. More importantly, he is jealous of Bruce Wayne s success and wishes to be better than him. After an accident that increases his brain power he adopts the identity of the Riddler. His gimmick of using riddles came out of nowhere; there wasn t an indication of any kind that his character was heading towards that direction. It almost seemed forced. Not once did I ever take Carrey seriously in the role as he became such a caricature.

But as bad as Carrey was, Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face was equally so. Two-Face is former District Attorney Harvey Dent who was tragically scarred both physically and mentally. His decisions are based on flipping his double-headed coin, one side scarred like he is. Plus, everything that he does has the number two involved in the equation. In the comics, Two-Face is shrewd, cunning, and very dangerous almost gangster-like in nature. This cartoonish performance portrayed by Jones was a far cry from that. One thing I liked about Two-Face s appearance in the film is how he was already established as a thorn in Batman s side. There was no need for an origin tale of how he became Two-Face, though it was explained later in the movie.

There was no need to have two villains in this movie. Either one would have sufficed and would have probably made for a more interesting tale. The Riddler and Two-Face seem like an odd choice to pair together in the first place, and Carrey and Jones played their roles exactly the same way. It was frustrating to watch at times.

It was also a shame that Drew Barrymore was cast as one of Two-Face s girls (Sugar) and barely had anything to do but act like a bimbo. I don t care if it was a chance just to be in a Batman film. I would have taken more of an advantage to an opportunity like that.


Batman Needs a Shrink Finally

Dr. Chase Meridian, a sexy psychologist who studies criminal behaviour, breezes into Gotham City. Her objective: to meet the Batman. Apparently she has a huge infatuated crush with the Dark Knight and can t get her mind off him. At the same time, she is being pursued by billionaire Bruce Wayne whom she also starts falling in love. A big dilemma for Chase does she chase after the fantasy or goes after the sure thing? Nicole Kidman s stunning beauty caught the attention of everyone. This was most likely her breakout role that led to more prominent parts later in her career.

Batman: Commissioner Gordon?
Dr. Chase Meridian: He's at home. I sent the signal.
Batman: What's wrong?
Dr. Chase Meridian: Last night, at the bank, I noticed something about Two-Face. His coin. It's his Achilles' heel. It can be exploited.
Batman: I know. You called me here for this? The Batsignal is not a beeper.
Dr. Chase Meridian: Well I wish I could say that my interest in you was... purely professional.
Batman: You trying to get under my cape, doctor?
Dr. Chase Meridian: A girl can't live by psychoses alone.
Batman: It's the car, right? Chicks love the car.

A more important figure added into the mix is the story of Dick Grayson. As part of the famous Flying Graysons , his family wows audiences with their high-flying trapeze act for the circus. To make things for streamlined, it is Two-Face who causes the death of Dick s family and the source of his vengeance towards Harvey Dent. Chris O Donnell had the dubious distinction of portraying Robin, the Teen Wonder.

Yes, I said teen, not boy.

I think this was a huge mistake on Warner Bros. part. They were adamant on making this film more kid friendly and what better way to do that than to inject Robin into the world of Batman. However, they should have cast someone who was younger. Robin should have been around 10-12 years old in my mind, not in his late teens. I understand the whole teen angst angle, but this wasn t the time and place to display it. Kids would have related to a younger Robin , someone they could see themselves as being a partner to Batman. No offense to Chris O Donnell but I didn t like his inclusion to the movie at all.

The two actors carried over from the first two movies are Michael Gough (Alfred) and Pat Hingle (Commissioner Gordon). It seems Gordon s part keeps getting reduced with each movie which is a shame. Gordon should be treated as an equal to Batman, but this is never the case. Alfred is ever the stalwart manservant and father figure, the conscience of Bruce Wayne.


The Bane of Batman

I don t know who to blame entirely on the 180-degree turn of the Batman franchise. Is it Schumacher, Warner Bros., or both? Watching this film makes me cringe on so many different levels that I needed an airsick bag beside me at all times.

Plus, I won't even get into how many people discovered Batman's secret identity this time. (hint: the answer is 4)

Batman Forever is a watered down version of the previous two films masked by bright lights and fancy effects. I know I complained about Burton s twisted vision for both Batman and Batman Returns but at least he understood the character and the direction he should be moving towards. This film decided to chuck all of that out the window and say Hey, the 1966 Batman show was a hit. Let s recreate that. And that s exactly what happened. The stain that was almost removed returned once again, and not in a good way. In fact, that stain manifested itself into nipples on the bat-costumes. Now that s a sight I can never erase from my mind.

Thanks a lot, Joel Schumacher.


Other Comic Book Movies
Batman
Batman Returns
Batman Begins
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
The Batman Superman Movie
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
Spider-Man
Superman: The Movie
Superman II
X-Men