Review of Batman Forever (1995) by Peter N — 03 Aug 2012

There are people who actually think this film is a solid entry in the Batman franchise. My question is, why? This is the beginning of the end, as Joel Schumacher's take on the caped crusader is one big campy mess.

I'll admit that Batman Returns was a little too dark, but did they have to take it in this direction to make up for it? I will also argue that this one is just as bad as the horrendous Batman & Robin that came later.

Val Kilmer seems to have things backwards in his role. His Bruce Wayne is quiet, brooding, and borderline depressed, whereas his Batman is smug and cocky. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? Robin is a pointless addition to the series, but I still laugh at Chris O'Donnell's commentary on the DVD documentaries.

He holds nothing back. As brilliant an actor as Jim Carrey is, his type of comedic performance does not belong in this franchise. However, he's not nearly as bad as Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face, who in my opinion is the worst villain in the entire Batman film series.

Harvey Dent is supposed to be a haunted soul, driven insane by his own crusade against crime. Where was that in all of this? I may have liked the toys this film produced when I was a kid, but each time I catch parts of it on TV, I hate it even more.