mccready-906-458193
Batman Forever was just terrible. The first two films by Tim Burton were great. I think it was a real mistake to start going so cartoonish. The series got even worse after this film (Batman and Robin was atrocious) but this film was really bad itself. A stupid story, dumb characters doing dumb things, hammy over acting, stupid direction, awful writing. This movie stinks.
adamjackson-91071
When it seemed everyone and their mother complained of the adult material in Batman Returns, it's dark tone, the sexual references, the grossness, (both box office and nature), Warners were quick to change direction of the Batman franchise. When Burton dropped out into a producer role, (how much impact he had on the final film I do not know), Joel Schumacher was brought in as replacement, with the task to make it more easily accessible to kids, and more light hearted. Upon hearing this Michael Keaton also dropped out, meaning the new director needed to sought out a new Batman.
In steps Val Kilmer into the cape and cowl. A decent actor, and more in line with the physicality of Bruce Wayne, would seem on paper to be a deft replacement. But it's what was actually on paper, that let his performance down.
Everything about this film is a direct contrast to the earlier entries. No longer adopting a broody dark atmosphere, it instead adopts a lighter, more "heroic" approach. Gothic architecture also scrapped, in its place a neon drenched super city, utilising far more special and visual effects than maybe the first two films combined. It suffers from this however, the city never feels lived in anymore, just vast and bright, empty. It also looks computer-y in some scenes, namely the exterior of the circus shot, which doesn't help in drawing people into that world.
Everything about this film is weaker than the earlier entries, which is mainly down to the script. It's widely known there is a darker cut of the film with 40 minutes extra, and it is known to have a darker first draft script, probably when Burton and Keaton were both still attached. I NEED to see this directors cut. I feel it would completely change the film's legacy and reputation.
But the shooting script is somewhat disappointing. Making a great actor in Tommy Lee Jones, (replacing Billy Dee Williams), perform as a mixture of the Joker and channeling his co-star Jim Carrey. (There is a well known serious conflict of personalities between the two during filming.) I feel if the character were more true to its comic origins, Jones would have been an excellent Two-Face. Clearly Carrey has been cast to just be Jim Carrey with his Riddler, I feel he is one of the highlights of the film however, although he quite have easily, and more effectively, been a good choice for a darker take on the character also.
Nicole Kidman is the sexed up love interest, Chase Meridian. She spends much of the film in a permanent state of lust, and doesn't actually bring anything to the film other than her insane attractiveness, and that's it.
Chris O'Donnell is brought in as Dick Grayson/Robin, but his age does suspend belief in the majority of his scenes where he's clearly supposed to be someone of college age. Again it's mainly the writing and the crafting of the character, as opposed to his performance, that drags it down. Interesting to think how Burton would have tackled the character.
Danny Elfman is also absent, in his place is Elliot Goldenthal, whose score doesn't compare with Elfman's even remotely. But it's solid enough for the film, and does feel more light and heroic. More kid friendly.
Which is what the film succeeds in. It's far more kid friendly, in every aspect, but it pays a terrible price for it which drags the film down. There are elements of a good Batman film in there, but it's not enough to even be compared to its two brilliant predecessors. It doesn't even feel like it belongs in the same universe as them, could easily be seen as a reboot.
It's an entertaining film, definitely. The plot, as daft as it gets sometimes, moves quickly, and the whole film works, as a film. As a Batman film, it doesn't even hold a candle to the first two. What this film led to two years later is catastrophically worse, and although the cracks started showing in this entry, at least it never got to to the levels of Batman & Robin...
justin-fencsak
When I first saw Batman Forever during its opening weekend at the Sony (now AMC Loews) Wayne 8 plex in NJ, I had a great time enjoying it with my dad and stepmom. I even bought the terrible video game and thought how hard it was to beat it despite having mortal kombat moves and graphics from the same developer and publisher. This movie was a big hit during the summer, only to be surpassed by Toy Story at the end of the year. The casting is perfect, with Val Kilmer in his only role as the Dark Knight, with Chris O'Donnell as Robin, who would go on to become Robin again in Batman and Robin, along with Nicole Kidman as Chase Merdian, as well as the guy who played the butler Alfred from the previous two batman movies. As for the bad guys, Jim Carrey is the Riddler and delivers an amazing performance, along with Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face, the character of which makes a grand intro in The Dark Knight. Drew Barrymore also plays a role as one of the femme fatales. As for the pacing, it's pretty quick and easy yet a bit campy compared to the darkness of the 1989 batman and its sequel, Batman returns. The soundtrack is pretty good, with u2 and seal providing great songs at the end of the movie. The movie also was one of the first to have a website.
