Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-24 23:03:06

Lighter Than Burton's Projects, And That Is A Good Thing.

In a franchise, when there is a change of director or lead actor, there usually is a division of opinion. I've noticed some think the Batman movies were better with Tim Burton directing and Michael Keaton playing Bruce Wayne/Batman. While I preferred Keaton to Val Kilmer, this movie was 1) close enough to the original to fit in the series, and 2) was more likeable to me with Schumacher's approach.One thing that interested me in this movie were the villains. Two Face never made it to the TV series I grew up with, but he was my favorite comic book villain. The Riddler did not have much time in the comics that I saw, but I loved Frank Gorshin's Riddler from the TV series.Tommy Lee Jones' Two Face took me by surprise. My impression of the comic character was more of a somber, sinister, intellectual man who was disfigured (and the animated Batman of the early '90's fit that image). Jones portrayal was as over the top as Jack Nicholson's Joker. I wasn't expecting it, but I liked it.As far as the Riddler: my first impressions of Jim Carrey were negative (not based on seeing "In Living Color" or any of his previous movies, which I never watched), and thus I was disappointed to see he got the role. Watching the movie, though, made me a fan of Carrey's. Yes, I still like Gorshin's better, but this is close.There was only one thing I did not like about Kilmer's performance as Bruce Wayne, and that was his hair color (it did not matter after he put Batman's cowl on). Kidman was great as the love interest. Chris O'Donnell did an excellent job as Robin. Drew Barrymore did okay in her small role. Hinkle and Gough returned for round three, and fared as well as they did previously.As far as comparing the story with the comic book/TV series: The series did not deal with the origins of Batman and Robin. In the movie, Dick Grayson's family died as heroes, trying to save the lives of the circus audience from Two Face's bomb. In the comics, I don't recall the same heroism in the deaths of the Graysons. The first two movies clearly avoided any allusion to the TV series. Not so with this one . . . there is a hilarious scene that makes fun of the TV Robin.This was my favorite of the three, and I would recommend it. It has the action of the second movie, but it does not have the same gloominess of Burton's two movies.

2012-05-24 07:15:09

The second best batman movie

This is a fun film that was made by its cast rather than its stroy and cinematography. Val Kilmer is the best Batman to date becuase he pulled off and extremely convinveable Bruce Wayne. Two-Face wasnt as serious as he should have been and the Riddler made jokes not riddles (Carey would be perfect to play The Joker). The city is extremely fake and what was with the green glow everywhere? Overall this is an extremely entertaining movie but still doesnt come close to being the great batman movie.

Old Joe 2012-05-16 13:10:25

Batman Forever is one giant riddle!

The most famous line from this Batman movie in my opinion would have to bewhen the Riddler says `Riddle me this, riddle me that, who is afraid ofthebig black bat?' In fact, this movie is full of one liners such as this andcan be bagged for doing so. But why dwell on the bad things in a moviefullof fun and mischief.In Batman Forever, the Caped Crusader battles a devious duo in Two-FaceandThe Riddler, while attempting to resist the advances of sexy psychologist,Chase Meridian. Former circus acrobat Dick Grayson, his family killed byTwo-Face, becomes Wayne's ward and Batman's new partner, Robin the BoyWonder.Again the baddies in this film make a huge impact on the audience. Theydidon me. Jim Carrey was brilliant as the crazy prankster, The Riddler. Hiswitand true genius came through in this role. This role was not unlike therolehe portrayed in the 1994 smash, The Mask. I loved that film. Consideringthis film was made one year after the Mask, Carrey steps out of one movieand into another no trouble at all. The films that Carrey has done lateronin his career have made more people in the movie industry stand up andtakenotice. Man On The Moon and The Truman Show showed us the true talent ofCarrey. But other people might have the opinion that Carrey was over thetopin his role of the Riddler in Batman 3. Like Jack Nicholson as the JokerinBatman, Carrey steals the show. So who is the main character in the Batmanfilms? Batman? I don't believe so!The other baddie in Batman Forever is Tommy Lee Jones. Jones took on therole of the scarred and evil Two-Face, aka Harvey Dent. Jones portrayedthischaracter very well. The start of the film was pretty good, with Two-Facecausing havoc in Gotham. I say this role could have been better if theaudience could have seen more into what happened to Dent as the GothamDistrict Attorney and how he turned into the evil man he was. Jones hasdonesome impressive films in his time. Films like Men In Black, Us MarshalsandVolcano were all favourites of mine, thanks mainly to Tommy Lee Jones. Oneof his latest films which I did enjoy was Rules Of Engagement, a terrificcourtroom drama movie co-starring Samuel L. Jackson.Taking on the role of Batman in third film was Val Kilmer. I have nothingagainst Kilmer as I feel he is a good actor, but he is not as good asMichael Keaton. Then again it would be a hard role to find the correctactorfor. Every time I watch this film, I hope to find Keaton jump onto thescreen as the Dark Knight. But Batman's partner Robin, played by ChrisO'Donnell, was casted perfectly in this role. After watching the firstBatman movie, I heard that the role of Robin could be going to Michael J.Fox. As good as Fox would have been, I'm glad O'Donnell was given thechanceto do this role. The Aussie taste in this film was good to see. Of courseIam talking about Australian actress, Nicole Kidman, who was Dr ChaseMeridian. I loved the relationship that the beautiful doctor first haswithBruce Wayne, then with Batman. I want to say that I feel sorry for Kidmanand former Husband Tom Cruise. The pressure that must be placed on arelationship in this kind of industry must be harsh. I hope thateverythingworks out in the end for both parties.This film was directed not by Tim Burton, but Joel Schumacher this timearound. As spectacular as this film looks, I believe Burton gave us abetterfeel to what Batman should be. Dark and Gothic. Yet, Schumacher made thisfilm too light and colourful. Gotham City was nowhere near what it wasmeantto look like in my view. Schumacher turned the Dark Knight into what Iwouldsay is the 'Bright Knight!'. Schumacher overall did a good job, but hedidn't capture what Batman is all about.One part of this film which I did enjoy was the soundtrack. Withperformerssuch as Seal, U2 and The Offspring making quite a CD. My favourite song onit would have to be Seal's 'Kiss from a rose'. The vehicles in this filmwere very impressive. The new Batmobile (which I have seen up close) wasmagnificent. Also the Batwing, Batboat and Batsub all look good in thisfilm. The Batcave was ok, but has nothing on the caves in the first twofilms. I must say that the storyline with the Riddler blowing up theBatcavewas alright.I was on holidays in 1995 when I got to see Batman Forever in the Cinema.Myfirst impressions of this film were that it was well done. One day on thisholiday, I happened to be on a bus and the driver said he had watched thisfilm and pointed out a fact which I never considered, that Batman neverkills any of his enemies. This film is a prime example of that. I don'tknowwhich way to go on Batman Three. The storyline is at times very corny, yetit also has some excellent fighting and robbery scenes, with the brilliantCarrey stealing the limelight. But the Batman franchise was starting togetthin by 1995. These movie reviewers don't agree though:`A Stunning Extravaganza' - Dave Kehr, New York Daily News`The Best 'Batman' yet.' - Pat Collins, WWOR-TVRating: 4 Stars or 8/10.

2012-05-16 03:39:00

Val Kilmer = A good Batman!

I have been a fan of the whole Batman franchise as long as I can remember, I got the original 1966 version of Batman & Robin for Christmas when I was 5, and it all pretty much took off from there. Although I enjoy Tim Burton's dark interpretation of Batman in the first two flicks more, I find Batman Forever to be sort of a breath of fresh air. It is also one of my many guilty pleasures. Joel Schumacher's direction in this installment is pretty good. The sets are lavish and brilliant, and not as violently colorful and comic-bookish as the sequel that follows this. Nicole Kidman is nothing short of gorgeous in this movie. She definetly is the best female Batman has chased in all of his movies. Val Kilmer takes over after Michael Keaton left the series and does a surprisingly great job of being Batman. He is actually (Dare I say this?) a BETTER Batman. He adds so much more to the character that wasn't there before. And Jim Carrey, I swear, the role of the Riddler was made for him. He really carries a lot of this movie through parts that would be otherwise boring. Tommy Lee Jones and Chris O Donell aren't really worth much of a mention however, both overdo their parts and come across as phony. The story has a few plotholes: How could Two-Face be the killer of Bruce's parents? We already saw in the first one that it was the Joker, he admitted it, we saw footage of him actually killing them, he said the exact same quote to Batman as he did to Bruce's parents, etc. I don't quite understand how Two-Face fits into that. But otherwise, Batman Forever is a fairly excessive, but enjoyable flick. Trust me, you have seen worse.

DAVID SIM 2012-05-05 13:38:45

What a Bat-astrophe!

Tim Burton's Batman sagas were quite wonderful for the way theycaptured the Dark Knight on film. They felt like fully realised comicbooks for the big screen. A difficult thing to achieve that Burtonpulled off masterfully. Sadly, after Batman Returns, Burton was notasked to fill the directors chair for the third instalment. Warner Broswere allegedly unhappy with the very dark directions Burton had tookthe series (idiots!). So in an effort to lighten the load, they turnedover the reins to...wait for it...Joel Schumacher!!!In reviewing Joel Schumacher's work, I've been quite vocal over howawful he is as a director. He seems incapable of investing his filmswith anything remotely in the way of substance. His films are oftenloud, splashy spectacles dripping in atmosphere but hollow as ajack-o-lantern. Batman Forever was the film that made me a hater ofJoel Schumacher. After all, the very idea that he could fill TimBurton's shoes was ludicrous. But its what he does to the world ofBatman that is so unforgivable.From the first five minutes I was cringing. The film opens with Batmansuiting up. Close-ups of gloves. Belt buckles. Capes. But the sight ofnipples on the Bat-Suit threw me for six. As did the new Batmobile.With two ludicrous fins sticking in the air, its something nobody wouldbe caught dead driving in. But the cap on the scene is Batman tellsfaithful Alfred (Michael Gough) he'll get Drive-Thru on the way home.Its a statement that in one fell swoop completely obliterates themystery and dark intrigue we always admired about Batman. And it justgets worse from there. The next shock the film has in store for us isthe new Gotham City. Gone are Tim Burton's dark, Gothic imaginings.Instead, the city is awash in flashy lights, blazing neon andpsychedelics. Tim Burton may be credited as producer, but BatmanForever is not one of his films...period!Just about everything in Batman Forever is a shambles. Val Kilmer,picking up where Michael Keaton left off, is all wrong for the part.Keaton really did a superb job of encapsulating the feelings of barelydisguised psychosis, balanced on a knife-edge between moral indecisionand tightly wound urgency. But Kilmer is bland by comparison. He neverpossesses anything in the way of charisma, nor carries himself with thelarger than life stature you'd expect of Batman.And then there's the villains. This is what really sinks Batman Forever(as well as having Schumacher in the director's chair). Afterexhausting most of the well known villains in the Batman universe, thisfilm has one famous one, and one not so famous. The Riddler (JimCarrey), and Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones).One of the joys of the previous films was the way Tim Burton made thevillains so fascinating to regard on a psychological level. The Jokerwas a manic psychopath on the one hand, but a surprisingly vulnerablecreature on the other. And the same could be said of Catwoman and thePenguin.But Two-Face and the Riddler have none of the fascinating psychologicalcomplexities that made Tim Burton's Batman films so rich andaccessible. The mistake of Schumacher is to let Jim Carrey and TommyLee Jones run riot through the film with zero restraint. I supposethat's to be expected of Jim Carrey, but not of Tommy Lee Jones.I think Tommy Lee Jones is a superb actor. He can command a scenewithout having to do much of anything. But he's quite awful asTwo-Face. In fact this must rank as the worst thing he's ever done. Hisperformance is shrill, grating and utterly vacuous. I didn't think itwas possible for Jones to give a bad performance until I saw BatmanForever.But as bad as Jones is, Jim Carrey is even worse. I know the Riddler issupposed to be zany, but Carrey boosts it to such an absurd degree thecharacter loses all sense of credibility and menace. I mean how exactlydo you take a villain seriously who dresses in a leotard covered inquestion marks, and wears a mask that looks like it was lifted fromDame Edna's wardrobe?This film sees the introduction of Robin too. Chris O'Donnell is OK,but as the orphaned acrobat turned crimefighter, he never quiteconvinces of his struggle between darkness and light. Nicole Kidman,although glamorous hardly convinces as criminal psychologist Dr ChaseMeridian. She's only there because Batman needs a love interest. And tolook good in sexy outfits. Even if she's not very important to the plot(assuming the film even has one!).The film attempts to delve into Batman's origins, which holdsoccasional moments of interest, but Batman Begins did it much better.The film is crammed with so many new characters, each subplot isshortchanged in some way or another. The film is an underdevelopedmess.Everyone seems out to get revenge on somebody. Two-Face blames Batmanfor his disfigurement. The Riddler hates Bruce Wayne for shunning oneof his inventions. Two-Face killed Robin's family, so naturally theBoy-Wonder wants vengeance. Schumacher may have been striving formultilayered, but honestly the narrative is so crowded the film hardlyachieves anything it sets out to do.Being a Joel Schumacher film, the sets are expectedly lavish. Butthey're only designed to dazzle. Schumacher never makes them literalrepresentations of the psychology of the characters the way Tim Burtondid. Aside from an excellent film score by Elliot Goldenthal, BatmanForever is a failure on every level. Joel Schumacher took Tim Burton'sbreathtaking, darkly beautiful vision and turned it into a campextravaganza. And the same goes for Schumacher's equally dreadfulBatman & Robin.Avoid at all costs!

2012-05-05 04:52:31

the worst batman film

i actually hate this even more then batman & robin to be totally honest. Atleast from beginning to end we all saw a camp train wreck with no plot; so it can be laughed at the for the camp classic that it is. Batman Forever masqurades as a good film but falls so far short that it earns much more of my hatred. there's just so much too hate about this film. first off lets get one thing straight...Jim Carrey is just awful as the riddler shouting and mugging through the movie. TLJ is just as bad as TwoFace laughing and screaming. Nicole Kidman is horribly miscast as bruce waynes love interest. Joel Schumacher seems to be obssesed with beauiful women then actually above average ones that are better suited for the part. the music was also horrible loud and annoying. funny enough Kilmer and O'donnel are the only actors who adds a sense of seriousness too the movie. in the end you will see a movie that had poteintial but in the end comes crashing to a big terd.

Shawn Watson 2012-04-29 16:36:52

Mince

This has got to be one of the most superficial films ever made. All ofthe 'irony' and 'intelligence' is second-hand and does NOT work. Plainand simple. I've never known a film to be filled with so muchself-important crap such as this.Danny Elfman's score is gone, replaced by some irritating and inferiortheme. Burton's style is gone, replaced by nothing. Keaton is alsomissing. Val Kilmer is competent but nothing can save this film. Noteven the director of Lost Boys, Falling Down and 8mm. Jim Carrey isgood as the Riddler but isn't given enough to do. Tommy Lee Jones doesabsolutely nothing apart from stand around. And the appearance of Robinis like rubbing lemon-juice into a thousand paper cuts. Robin was theabsolute worst thing about the original series (something this filmfeels a lot like) so why on Earth they decided to have him in this isbeyond me.A lot of footage was cut from this film. I don't think it was haveimproved it much though. They could have lined this film in gold andit's still wouldn't be worth it's weight. The footage lost was abizarre confrontation between young Bruce and a huge bat and footage ofTwo-Face escaping from Arkham asylum. The original cut of the film ranat 150 minutes but there is no reason to watch this shameful mess ever.Ever!

2012-04-28 20:36:34

Sucks.

Where to start? The villian Two Face is wasted in a characterization that has virtually NOTHING to do with the comic equivalent (he's not supposed to be colorful and over the top, cracking stupid one-liners--never has, never will be). Jim Carrey is irritatingly manic as the Riddler, almost as if he was trying to out-Joker Nicholson. But Carrey's role is one of the high points of the film!! (if they hadn't made him a stupid mad scientist and Carrey had taken it down just ONE notch, it could've been great). Kilmer is neither good nor bad as Batman/Bruce Wayne, he's just there (incidentally I remember reading somewhere that Kilmer's turn was called the best casting of Bruce Wayne ever seen on screen by Batman creator Bob Kane). Can I say anything good about this film? The redesigned batmobile looks kinda "kewl"---until it drives up the side of a building. The franchise probably needed a change following Tim Burton's overly dark and uncharacteristic films; this is a berserk 180 degree turn from the world of Burton into the world of Schumacher: into neon, sillyness, camp, crotch-shots, 60's TV-styled Batman, and leads the way to "Batman And Robin", the most maligned and probably the most abysmal comic-book film of all time. Until the mighty and much-welcomed "Batman Begins" restart years later, it's all downhill from here for movie Bats.

Quinn-5 2012-04-28 05:08:07

Oye...

We need Keaton/Burton, stat!!I don't think Gotham City was ever meant to be the Las Vegas/Vaudevillecelebration of color and production design creativity as it is in thismovie. Though Schumacker should get a nod for trying to take a new directionin the Batman franchise, it just doesn't work. And to do this loud,over-budget and campy mess again in "Batman And Robin", someone should reallysend Schumacker to the showers!! Enough is enough, man! Burton's vision wasthe best, and even HIS sequel didn't match up to the brooding, sometimestongue-in-cheek thrills and chills of the original.Val Kilmer is simply accumulating wealth in this one, and I can't tellwhich is more flat: his Batman or his Bruce Wayne. (I believe Kilmer got awhopping 7 million for this waste of time and energy! How much money can oneperson possibly have??)Skip this one and do your part to discourage future Schumaker Batman's.If Tim Burton won't come back, let's try out someone new to helm the nextinstallment! (And c'mon...Danny Elfman's scoring to "Batman" is likedecorations on a Christmas tree...his theme should likewise be broughtback)

Mika Pykäläaho 2012-04-27 14:11:34

Excellent movie and just as good as the first two

In my opinion, Val Kilmer is even better choice to play the tragiccharacterof Batman than Michael Keaton was. Keaton is more like a comedian but justone look at Kilmer's face tells the story of Batman's past. Even when hesmiles you can see the hidden misery and pain beneath his eyes. I don'tknowif Kilmer's acting talents have anything to do with it, I'm guessing hehassome personal issues of his own but nevertheless he's the right man forthejob. Like always, villains are once again excellent too. It's really hardtothink of someone else for the part of the riddler than Jim Carrey and whatIremember about the comics I used to read when I was a kid, Tommy Lee Jonesis like born to play two-face.I can't understand people who hate "Batman forever" or say it's so muchworse than the first two classics Tim Burton directed. What's so utterlycampy about this, I just can't see it. "Batman & Robin" was definitelycampy. It was also definitely crap. "Batman forever" is still just asdark,gothic and gloomy as "Batman" and "Batman returns" and where I'm standingit's also just as good. Schumacher was the right man to step into theshoesof Burton, there's no doubt about that. What a shame he overstayed hiswelcome and put a bullet to the whole franchise by directing the awfulmessthat followed this. But "Batman forever" is a remarkable movie and I canhonestly say that I love it.

thedjinn 2012-04-26 16:11:52

Joel Schumacher should drop to his knees and thank Jim Carrey

I wonder what it's like to sit at home and realize you had justdestroyed a multi million franchise.Well, Schumacher should know.And when I say destroy, I mean BUTCHER. If George Clooney was thedelivery boy, Schumacher was the conductor of this orchestra ofdisaster.But if "Batman & Robin" completely destroyed the series, this one wasthe setup before finally transforming Tim Burton's Gothic vision backinto the campiness of the old insane TV series (but, unlike the series,it wasn't so bad it was good).Jim Carrey was the only thing that made it worthwhile and watchable.The guy simply carries the entire movie on his shoulders. He is truly agifted actor.Unfortunately, Jim Carrey wasn't around for the aforementionedsequel...

2012-04-25 22:23:43

The Beginning of the Death of Batman

I've always loved Batman, ever since i was a kid. The first two were great, but this one really just started the cancer that almost destroyed the franchise. Subbing in for Micheal Keaton, who was great, is Val Kilmer. Kilmer is OK as Batman, but as Bruce Wayne, he's got the personality of a fence post. A lot of times it looked like he was being forced into this role. This was the beginning of Batman losing his fear striking image. With Keaton, he had a presence as Batman that would understandibly make criminals affraid. Kilmer pretty much makes Batman seem like a wrench in the gear. Chris O'Donnell was iffy as Robin, he didn't make Robin seem queer, but also didn't act too well. The villians make up for some of the only quality in this movie. Tommy Lee Jones really brought edge to Two-Face that i didn't think would happen. Jim Carrey was pretty much made for this role as the Riddler. Sadly, thats all that was good with this movie. There are too many obvious plot mistakes. One being that Schumacher claims that Harvey Dent (Two-Face) killed Wayne's parents, while in the first movie, Joker does the killing. For some reason Schumacher turns Dent from a cold-blooded killer to a well-respected lawyer. Another hole is that, in the first movie, Dent was black, yet years later he's white? I thought only Micheal Jackson could do that. Batman Forever relies too much on sound and special effects than actual quality. I wouldn't really reccommend this, just see the first two and then the new one.

Adam Morrison 2012-04-24 01:23:48

Not all that bad

Watchable Second sequel is somewhat good to watch.The new bat is o.k..Rating:***1/2 (out of five)

2012-04-23 01:37:07

Forever Nicole

This Batman movie intrigues me at times. You have Val Kilmer as Batman which to me would not have been my first choice, but he tends to bring out the dark side of the character better than Michael Keaton. Jim Carey as the Riddler was dead on. Jim showcased all his talents playing that character. Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face did not impress me much. Then there is Nicole Kidman as the psychiatrist with a fascination for the Batman. To be honest, I would have left her character out and see how the movie would have played out.

kola_dom 2012-04-23 11:28:51

One of the Best Movies I've Seen!

Some people tend to 'grow out' of these sorts of movies, but Idefinitely don't belong in that category. I think Batman Forever is thebest movie out of the Batman Series, and I think it could havedefinitely competed for the Best Picture of 1995. The movie is filledwith delightful and witty screen writing, tremendous acting talent,superb direction, and great make-up/character appearance artists. Ifound the movie writing to be so impressive because the way they linkedstory lines from the character's previous life style to the one as wesee it now was so creatively done. The dialogue between Batman and Dr.Chase Meridian was funny and terrific. Additional dramatic scenes tookplace in the movie to make it very well balanced. As for the talent, Idon't think they could have had better actors to portray thesecharacters. It was top-notch! Batman/Bruce Wayne was played trulywonderful by Val Kilmer, Jim Carrey as the Riddler gave one of hisfinest performances, and Tommy Lee Jones brings some very surprisingcomic flair to his role, which I've never seen him do before. As wellas this, Nicole Kidman had a shockingly beautful appearance in herpsychiatrist role, with perfect comic timing and a delightful screenaddition. Chris O'Donnell gives an in-depth performance as Robin, whoalso definitely has an attractive appearance in this picture. Thedirecting was great. The fight scenes were well choreographed, and theimpressive 'movements', or acting gestures in which the characters gavehad to be thanked by the creatively done directing. A must-see! Four1/2 out of Five Stars

BJ 2012-04-23 05:40:56

Please bring Val Kilmer back as Batman!

Loved Batman Forever. Wasn't impressed with Batman and Robin. I think ValKilmer was a much better Batman. I have heard rumors that he might bereturning. Is this true? Wouldn't it be terrific to bring him back withCatWoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) and the Joker (Jack Nicholson)? I know theJoker "supposedly" died..but this is Hollywood. Nothing is ever really theway it seems. Maybe try another director too. Say, Michael Mann, Gus VanSant or even Stephen Spielberg. I think there are better directors outthere and it's time to give Joel Schumacher a rest. Thanks for yourconsideration!

dunmore_ego 2012-04-20 22:00:45

From Dark Knight to Boogie Knight.

After Tim Burton gave us the brooding BATMAN (1989) and thedark-yet-kinda-silly BATMAN RETURNS, he relinquished the director'schair to Joel Schumacher, who promptly made Batman fruitier than AdamWest.In BATMAN FOREVER, the third installment in the Modern Batman Legacy,Val Kilmer is the fruit bat whom we cannot be sure is hero - or victim(of Schumacher).Strangely, Kilmer seems to be the only person taking it all seriously,doing a magnificent brooding Batman and tormented Bruce Wayne. Yeteverything and everyone around him is out to make this the stupidestBatman experience yet: sets dressed to fry our eyeballs with theircolors, most of them looking like plastic leftovers from LOST IN SPACE,overacting on stir fry (Tommy Lee Jones and Nicole Kidman) and some guywho somehow passed the audition without any acting ability at all(Chris O'Donnell as Robin).Tommy Lee Jones is Two Face, a villain with half his face fried off,and Kidman is a psychologist who could use a good psychologist for theway she openly pussy-drips after Batman for a taste of his rubberyleathür.Besides Kilmer, one other beacon shines in this smarmy comicbookdiscotheque: Jim Carrey as The Riddler. Amidst the screaming colors andrainbow stupidity, Carrey's überacting almost steals the show as thegreatest Batman Villain ever captured on screen, at one point askingNicole Kidman, "Was that over the top? I can never tell?" You and usboth, Ace! Two Face and The Riddler team up to kill Batman. After lots of colorsand explosions and batarangs and epic music and Nicole Kidman flouncingaround with her red lips on panty pout, the villains fail, due toBatman being so damn cool as Val Kilmer.

2012-04-20 17:13:52

Half right half Crap

Burton did not direct this film instead the flash and dash camera work of Schumacher was used.... Schumacher wanted to shake up Burton's vision and in doing so he overdosed on cod pieces and colors and kilmer is actually good but Kidman is more cold and wooden than an icy. Carrey is the saving grace of the film until his over the top performance gets old and its revealed he has absolutely no material to work with! A really bad film.

MovieAlien 2012-04-19 16:45:40

When Tim Burton left the franchise, it all went downhill...

I wouldn't be surprised if Joel Schumacher never saw the first two Batmans.There's a chance he did, but he was probably so absorbed into his own egoand visions that the crucial atmospheres and styles containing the previousfilms were ignored. Instead of the bleak gothic imagry,it was schizo-circusimagry. Instead of a dark and creepy supporting cast, it was cardboardcaricatures/mannequins. I could go on continuously to describe the problemsin the movie, but I won't. I'm sure most people have seen it.The standout was Jim Carrey, who probably did the best job in his carrerplaying the Riddler. Tommy Lee Jones fell flat as Two Face, Debi Mazar andDrew Barrymore struggled as the thrown in "Sugar and Spice". And as for theheroes, Um, well, I guess Chris O' Donnell as Robin wasn't bad.But ValKilmer playing Batman was about the biggest mistake yet. (Michael Keaton isa trademark for that role.)Not as bad as "Batman & Robin," but if they ever make a fifth, they need tobring back Burton.>

Michael DeZubiria 2012-04-19 09:08:05

And we have a comedy…

At the time Batman Forever was released I think I was in the height ofmy Jim-Carry fanatic days, which explains why I was so fixated on hisperformance in the movie but begs the question of why I never botheredto see the film until yesterday, almost a decade after it wasoriginally released. At any rate, I continue to be impressed with thepowerful casts that these Batman films generate, even Batman Begins,set to release next year, has such heavyweights as Gary Oldman, MichaelCaine, Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson. Since Batman Returns was notexactly greeted with open arms by the Burton-loving public, I'm glad tosee that this franchise is still making some pretty big splashes.Oddly enough, since I am a huge fan of Tommy Lee Jones, I was notparticularly impressed with his performance. I guess his character inUnder Siege is about as over-the-top as I like to see him go as a badguy, and needless to say, Two-Face is WAY more over the top than thecuriously named William Stranix. Tommy Lee Jones generally playscharacters relentlessly after some truth, whether it be the massivecliché of world domination, as in the case here in Batman Forever(okay, GOTHAM domination, but keep in mind that in the Batman series,Gotham City is a planet in itself, like Detroit in the RoboCop movies)or, more commonly, justice, as in The Fugitive, The Client, Rules ofEngagement, even The Missing and The Hunted, to a certain extent. InBatman Forever, he's insane, and despite his energy and his speed as anactor, he doesn't do this kind of crazy very well.Jim Carrey, on the other hand, I can't say enough about. He playsexactly the same geek that Michelle Pfeiffer played in Batman Returnsand exactly the same geek that Uma Thurman will play in Batman & Robin,but his portrayal of The Riddler is one of those rare instances whereit seems that the character was originally invented for a movie to bemade just so that this one actor can play that role. He is providedlines that allow him to stretch his considerably stretchable face('What a RUSH!') as well as some that allow him to do some of hisslapstick stand-up comedy ('A flock of freakin' Freuds!'). Sure, he hasa long way to go before The Truman Show and the spectacular butmassively overlooked Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but I can'thelp thinking that it's a testament to his acting skills that he can beso funny in a movie and yet provide a better villain than Tommy LeeJones did, and Jones' character tried to burn Batman in a giant capsulefilled with acid.I like Val Kilmer as Batman, but he is too much of a subtle actor toplay an action hero. He's always got a lot going on beneath the surfacein his roles, but all too often those things tend to be not so positive(see Tombstone and The Saint). Nevertheless, he fills the Batsuit andthe role quite nicely, but it's still hard to follow two performancesby Michael Keaton, who is also simply too good as Batman to bereplaced. There were times when I thought it might have been better hadthe movie not even been made, but Jim Carrey's performance alone alwayschanges my mind about that. Kilmer is capable of pulling off the role,but it's unfortunate that he had the double-whammy of having such atough act to follow and, on top of that, being faced with themonumental task of getting people to look past the debut of theBat-nipples. It's pretty easy to see why the comedic content of the second Batmansequel was enhanced so much, since Batman Returns was so dark and sogloomy that it surely dimmed the interest in the series. Director JoelSchumacher smartly realizes that superheroes in movies as dark asBatman Returns are still superheroes, but they are superheroes in thedark. Even Batman's great heroics couldn't remove him from theatmosphere of the rest of the movie. Now we get Jim Carrey, thestaggeringly beautiful Nicole Kidman as the new Kim Basinger, andTwo-Face, a hardened villain but one who laughs almost as much as theJoker. And it's good that there are such powerful side-characters,because the villains and the love interest are more important to theBatman films than Batman himself, who tends to be moody andself-reserved no matter who plays him or who directs. It is significantthat with four Batman movies currently in release, we still don't knowmuch about him other than that his parents were murdered right in frontof him and he has lots and LOTS of money. Chris O'Donnell plays Robin, the largest character from the originalcomics to have been left out for this long. He fits the role well, butthere are some moments in which the writing of his character is notgiven a lot of thought. I can understand that he is emotionallyconflicted with not having been able to save the lives of his familymembers that died in the circus attack, but lamenting himself as atotal failure is still laughable, even in the situation, since at thetime he personally pushed a bomb that must have weighed hundreds ofpounds out the roof of the circus tent and into the river, literallysaving hundreds of lives. Then again, losing family is not an easything to get over, and it gives him a good reason to act like a jerkwhen Bruce Wayne is offering him free room and board in his cavernousmansion. Robin's character is really brought into play in this movie mostly tointroduce him to the franchise and briefly introduce the conflicts thatwill erupt between him and Batman in greater detail and scope in Batman& Robin, which focuses largely on their relationship and their troublesworking together, especially against a villain bent on turning themagainst each other. We learn enough about him in this movie to knowthat he comes from a life as an acrobat in the circus where heexperienced familial tragedies similar to Wayne's own and that he lovesmotorcycles, but Dick Grayson doesn't become Robin until just longenough for he and Batman to team up against Two Face and The Riddlerand then set the stage for Batman & Robin.Batman has now taken on a new actor, a new partner, a new director, anda new tone. The movie has lightened up more than a little bit, but theoutrageous comic book villains are back, the action is emphasized overthe noir atmosphere, and the movie has certainly taken some hints fromits predecessor. Note: I don't normally do this, but the soundtrack isalso excellent, especially for a soundtrack composed mainly of trendysongs, which I generally don't like. See, for example, the song 'FunFor Me,' by Moloko. Great stuff.