Batman Forever, 1995.

Undoubtedly, Batman is one of the most complex characters in fiction. One of the things that make The Dark Knight so fascinating is the number of angles one can study him from, Allan More’s The Killing Joke brought a unique interpretation of Batman’s psychology as well as his arch nemesis The Joker, while Frank Miller provided a detailed origin of his early years in Year One. The same can be said for his adaptations in film, as Tim Burton brought him to theaters in 1985, and Christopher Nolan created his own trilogy starting with Batman Begins in 2005. Each brought his own interpretation and vision that provided a look at The Caped Crusader and his rouges gallery. One of the films that does this but gets overlooked often is Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever. The film was released in theaters in 1995 and had an all-star cast starting Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman, and Chris O’Donnell.

The film follows Batman as he tries to protect Gotham City from former district attorney turned supervillain Two-Face, while trying to solve riddles left by an obsessed maniac that calls himself The Riddler. In this review, we will take a look at what Schumacher brings to the table with this film and what makes it different from other interpretations.

Themes and characters:

 

“I’m both Bruce Wayne and Batman, not because I have to be……because 

I choose to be”

The film has three themes, two are connected to one another. These two are dreams and identity. The film provides a unique look at Batman's struggle with his identity as Batman, protector of Gotham, and Bruce Wayne, millionaire and owner of Wayne Enterprise. This is done through a dream that he keeps seeing throughout the film. The dream provides several metaphors that show Bruce’s feeling of sorrow and loss from the death of his parents to him discovering his new purpose in life via the symbol of a bat, which solidifies his identity and destiny into becoming Batman. While the themes are handled nicely overall, the interpretation that the film provides is different from what the viewer can deduce, as Dr. Chase, the character played by Kidman, says that the dream is a form of suppressed memory, an interpretation that is not followed up on anywhere in the film, while we can come up with the interpretation that dreams can be a key to one’s identity and that they can help define who you can be. This however doesn’t mean that the film did a poor job, but rather providing an alternative interpretation. 

Val Kilmer's performance is very enjoyable, and he is often underappreciated in the topic of the best actors to play this role. He was able to provide a more detailed version of Bruce Wayne and differentiate himself from Keaton’s portrayal by showing the inner struggle of the character and managed to show all the appropriate emotions, from sadness to affirmation. 

“You make the kill, but your pain doesn’t die with Harvey…it grows. So you run into the night and find another face, and another, and another. Until one terrible 

morning you wake up and realize that revenge has become your whole life.”

The third theme that the film tackles is revenge. This theme is seen through Dick Grayson, played by Chris O’Donnell, who loses his family when they are murdered by Two-Face. The film tackles this theme by showing Grayson’s intent on avenging his family and coming into conflict with Batman. O’Donnell manages to show the rage and anger that comes from this desire, and his arguments with Bruce provide the necessary dynamic for the characters to work cohesively, as Bruce is aware that killing Two-Face will not bring him peace. Once again we see Kilmer’s manages to show multiple expressions related to the theme, the anger that comes with revenge, and the sadness of knowing it will accomplish nothing. The dialogue is very well written and shows an understanding of the theme and what it means to the main characters. The film successfully completes this arc in the last act. And while O’Donnell managed to do a good job, I wished we could have seen other emotions besides anger. We do see some sadness and some jokes here and there but they aren’t enough to show the many dimensions that the character has shown in the comics or in the animated series.

Batman Forever also tries to explore duality, but it fails miserably. One of the characters that the film tries to explore this theme with is Two-Face, played by Tommy Lee Jones. Instead of the complexity that was shown in the comics or in the animated series, Two-Face is portrayed as a lunatic with jokes that rarely can be seen as funny. And despite the film insisting that he is suffering from dual personalities, such as his introduction, and the use of “we” instead of “I”, we see the exact opposite. Two Face’s problem isn’t with Jones’ portrayal or with how he looks, but rather the way he was written. Instead of exploring his psyche and showing us an inner struggle between Harvey Dent and his other personality, something that was done excellently in the animated series, he was written as a villain who is nothing but an agent of chaos and a fragment of what he can be. This direction results in a character that while might be threatening, is entirely one-dimensional, and is a waste of Jones’ talent and what he can bring to the character and film. Another thing that the film fails to utilize is Harvey’s coin. While the film once again insists that it is vital to him, explaining that it’s his “Achilles heel” and that he can’t make any decision without it, we see it is, in fact, useless as it is shown several times that its’ results don’t matter and Two-Face eventually does whatever he wants regardless. 

The remaining characters are Dr. Chase Meridian and Edward Nygma. Dr. Maridian is the psychologist and the love interest in the film. While Kidman’s performance is decent, she doesn’t provide anything to the film. Her diagnosis doesn’t align with what the film shows, and for a majority of the film, she is over-sexualized. The romance between her and Bruce feels rushed as for the most part we see she is interested in Batman, and doesn't show any affection to Bruce until the end of the second act. I believe the romance needed more scenes between her and Bruce to feel authentic.

Then we have Edward Nygma, The Riddler, played by Jim Carrey. Carrey's performance is absolutely marvelous. He managed to bring his charm and comedy to a character that was also written wonderfully. He is smart, funny, obsessive, and sinister. And while Two Face’s character is heavily flawed, Carrey manages to carry him and make the film enjoyable.

About the film:

Despite its poor use of Two-Face and Dr. Meridian, Batman Forever’s dialogue and plot are solid. The dialogue is nicely written and is on par with the films that came before it. The riddles that are presented are nicely thought out and clever. The plot itself is also good, as all the character's motivations are clear and the villains’ plan is diabolical. 

Artistically, the film is very nice to look at. We can clearly see Schumacher’s touches on almost all aspects of the film, from the changes to the film's tone to the look of the buildings and the vehicles and the overall scenery and atmosphere. The film's aim was definitely changed to appeal to young and old audiences. There are some remains of Tim Burton’s touch, as he was also a producer in this film, such as Batman’s costume that is used for the majority of the film. The action is well done, with exciting martial arts and acrobatic moves being used regularly. However, the film borrowed some sequences from the 60’s Batman show, with awkwardly angled fighting scenes as well as some comical shouting and a few funny moments. The film is also colorful with its use of green and neon colors, and while it is pleasing to look at, it can be too bright at times, such as the climactic battle in the third act. The CG used is good for its time. I especially loved the CG that was used on Carrey at the end. There were times when it felt off, but if anything, it shows that it's a product of its time. Some of the shots that I loved were the zoom-in and zoom-out on Kilmer at the beginning of the third act, and the stand-off between Batman and The Riddler at its end. The music, while a departure from the previous films' dark and mysterious tone, is unique and heroic as well as catchy. The rest of the film's soundtrack provides some mystery and excitement and fits the film perfectly. The costumes also looked good. Overall, the atmosphere is generally enjoyable and creates a fun and enjoyable experience.

Final Verdict:

In many ways, Batman Forever is a passing of the torch from Burton to Schumacher. While it failed in exploring the theme of duality and has one of the worst portrayals of a complex character in Two-Face, it provided an enjoyable performance by Val Kilmer and Jim Carrey, a good view of Batman’s psyche, it tackled the theme of revenge, has colorful scenery, good action, good soundtrack, and a well-written plot and dialogue. This film is often shunned by many for being a departure from Burton’s gothic vision, but I truly believe that despite its flaws, Batman Forever is an enjoyable film that deserves to be watched at least once. I give this film a 3 out of 5.