Review of Batman Forever (1995) by Josh M — 08 Dec 2013

Such a cheesy, campy film, especially looking back after Nolan's trilogy. But, there's something fun and different that I like about Batman Forever. It feels like a saturday morning batman cartoon brought to life. All the characters are over the top and colorful. I especially loved the hapless police guard in the beginning and the masked grunts/goons throughout.

Personally, I think Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones knocked it out of the park in their roles as the Riddler and Two-Face. They are charismatic and magnetic.

The films music score and bright colors feels reminiscent of the old Batman series from the 60's twisted for the 90's. It's really unique. Joel Schumacher also used interesting camera angles throughout the film that stood out, sometimes taking the camera and panning in/and out dramatically, diagonally.

Negatives include: terrible dialogue outside of the purposely cheesy Riddler and Two-Face, Kilmer is wooden and pretty awful, O'Donnell (Robin) is equally as bad and very unnecessary, and there are some very awkward sexual innuendos throughout (like the closeup of Batman's butt).

A very large part of me wished they chose not to go mainstream with the franchise and kept Burton as director. Batman (1989) and Batman Returns are cinematic masterpieces. I absolutely love their dark brooding tone. I would have also loved to see Keaton back in the batsuit. My imagination can only think of how amazing he movie would have been.

Another part of me is very glad this version of Batman came to be. I do not think Carrey's portrayal of the Riddler would have fit in Burton's world. Schumacher created a live-action cartoon superhero film that hasn't and probably won't ever be seen again because, today, grounded, realistic superhero stories are stressed.