Review of Batman Forever (1995) by Stefan N — 29 Mar 2014

Batman Forever is your classic tale of two cities: the director vs. the producers. For all the artistry and profoundness director Joel Schumacher brings to the franchise, Batman Forever suffers commercialization which impedes on its ability to become a classic.

Nevertheless, Schumacher is a true visionary combining neon light with columns and statues inspired by Ancient Greece. The superhero suits imitating the Greek gods highlighted by awesome editing when Batman 'suits up.

' Val Kilmer play Bruce Wayne aka Batman without the originality of Michael Keaton, but there's something interesting here. As Bruce Wayne, he is completely lost, out of touch with himself, and pitiful.

Yet when he dons the cowl, he is majestic, fearless, and above all, heroic. The villain duo is composed of Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones), and the Riddler (Jim Carey). Tommy Lee Jones is one of the finest actors yet he is never subtle and always trying to supersede Carrey's performance.

The only effective part of his portrayal is out of his control, and it's his disfigured face which is a nice contrast to his comedic routine. Carrey, on the other hand, was born for this role and is unleashed.

He may not be faithful to the comics; his performance not only suits the film, it is enjoyable. Chris O'Donnell plays the naive Robin and he is the audience' confidant. We don't understand Batman's grouchiness at first and neither does he.

Nicole Kidman plays the romantic interest inspired by 50's Hollywood and platonic love. The entire film is a superb character-analysis of Batman. Shumacher brings duplicity to the franchise: Two-Face' bipolarity, the Riddler's love hate relationship with the title character, Dr.

Chase Meridian's infatuation with the Batman figure but disinterest towards Wayne, and of course, Batman's dual role as protector and builder of Gotham. Oh, but Shumacher creates a twisted Greek Romance with the romantic leads succeeding and the antagonists being lead to a tragic fate.

This all contributes to Bruce Wayne's fantasy: a desire to stop all evil since the death of his parents. The absurd tone of Batman Forever fits it perfectly! The erotic undercurrent of punishement is also notable from the henchman's costumes to the rear-end shots of the Batsuit.

Batman feels terrible when he could not prevent the evil surrounding the deaths of his parents and his heroic role is punishment. To understand Batman, I needed to look a the scene most likely removed by the producers.

Where Wayne confronts his inner demons and admits full responsibility for the death of his parents: "I killed them." Then, and only then, can he defeat the antagonists and rise from the darkness running towards the audience with a nice spotlight background.

Elliot Goldenthal's vibrant score only second to Elfman's announces victory rolling into the credits.