Batman Forever
1995
D: Joel Schumacher
**********
Pros: Visual Style, Some Good Arcs, Music
Cons: Bad Villains, Mismatch in Style/Tone, Some Bad CGI
It’s an interesting time for movies. People are so tired of competent banality of Disney blockbusters that they’re starting to stand up for disreputable movies from the past. We all have our favorites, but does Joel Schumacher’s interpretation of the Caped Crusader warrant this newfound charity? After all, if people can praise the kid-friendly version of Robot Chicken that is The Lego Batman Movie, surely these movies deserve a second chance. After all, I enjoy and respect earnest camp over lazy parody.
While Tim Burton was involved as a producer, Schumacher interpreted the franchise in a more colorful, light-hearted way, making a modernized version of the 60’s series. I personally think this is a valid approach, but the tone is inconsistent, and the noncommittal pretense of continuity with the previous movies don’t quite work. Batman’s (Val Kilmer) fling with Catwoman is briefly mentioned, but he later says, “I’ve never been in love before” in defiance of both her and Vicki Vale. More effective are the vague references to his avenging his parents killer as he invokes the subsequent emptiness to discourage Dick Grayson (Chris O’Donnell) from pursuing his own revenge.
One of the primary conflicts is Bruce Wayne’s coming to terms with his dual identity as he falls for the sexy psychologist Dr. Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman). It’s a compelling arc in which he struggles with his past memories after the death of his parents and his accidental fall into the Batcave. As a child (Ramsey Ellis) he encounters a bat, which he then uses as his identity. Eventually he makes peace with his duality. Thanks to his relationship with Chase and Dick, he accepts that Batman no longer has to be a manifestation of revenge but a hero who protects his loved ones.
Robin is well-handled in this movie. After his family is murdered by Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones), he is obsessed with vengeance and attempts to get Bruce to accept him as a sidekick after finding out the latter’s secret. He has a warm relationship with Alfred (Michael Gough), who guides him throughout. There’s a nice origin story in which he reveals how he got the name Robin: a past incident in which he rescued his brother that is commemorated on a custom motorcycle helmet (although a robin seems a rather random simile in this scenario) Between this and Regular Show I’m pretty sure people in Hollywood don’t actually know what Robins look like. While the character is clearly meant to look “cool,” he has a good arc, and O’Donnell is decent in the role. Some might say that there's a "grooming" element here considering the sexuality of the director, but it doesn't really play into it much at all.
Less substantial is Chase Meridian. She’s a flat “capable” woman who lacks much development outside being an object of Bruce’s affection. This stands in stark contrast to Catwoman and Vicki Vale, who were practically deuteragonists. Kidman is okay despite some wooden acting in her first scene (to be fair it was one of those in which Schumacher decided to point spinning spiral lights in people’s faces).
Val Kilmer partially bases his performance on Adam West’s memorable camp performance, though it’s more toned down and normal. He even has some great adorkable moments with Chase. The movie explains his psychology well, but this was already implied effectively and subtly in the first movie in which Keaton's Wayne, when confronted over his life as Batman, says, "It's just something I have to do." He’s good for this interpretation, whereas George Clooney as simply George Clooney.
Unfortunately, the villains are not nearly as earnest as the heroes. This may not be such a serious issue if they weren’t so over-the-top and significant in the movie. Apparently disappointed that he didn’t have the Joker to work with, Schumacher simply reinterpreted Two-Face as a zany mustache-twirler while directing Tommy Lee Jones to channel Cesar Romero. The movie doesn’t fully ignore that Two-Face is supposed to be a tragic villain split between two personalities. It rationalizes that he blames Batman for his partially getting scarred by Boss Moroni (Dennis Paladino) and monomaniacally obsesses over killing him. So you see, he’s still technically Two-Face if not in practice. Not quite as bad a have-it-both-ways cop-out as the Prophets in DS9, but still. He does, however, display bias toward his evil side when flipping his coin on random dog-kicking acts. This faux duality is also reflected in his two female sidekicks Sugar (Drew Barrymore) and Spice (Debi Mazar). They’re both evil, except Sugar upholds a bright aesthetic by wearing white and watching children’s cartoons, and Spice upholds a dark aesthetic by wearing black leather and…watching children’s cartoons. Hell, Sugar’s the only one of the two who actually does something villainous at one point! Tommy Lee Jones is a waste of good casting, albeit rather tasteless good casting, as they screwed Billy Dee Williams out of the role for some reason. I used to snark that his “evil” side looks like the cook from Star Trek: Voyager in a glam rocker’s Sunday best, but his design fits the movie’s style, and I like how the veins glow pink in the backlight.
The true villain of the movie, both in-universe and in-meta, is The Riddler, played by the Court Jester of the 90’s himself, Jim Carrey. I can’t say I’m a big fan of him as a person, and Mike Nelson had the final word when he said:
I personally believe that humanity is divided into two distinct, diametrically-opposed groups: People who think that Jim Carrey is a horrible blight, a demonic harlequin cast down from heaven to torment a weary world, and people who think he’s “kinda funny.”*
This does indeed describe Carrey in Batman Forever. In his more “restrained” moments, he’s amusing, but he spends at least half his screentime making Jar Jar look like Ryan Gosling. His primary goal is to consume everyone’s thoughts through a commercial device, and his riddling is an afterthought that he uses to torment Bruce Wayne. In a movie which revolves around fixation, he obsesses over Wayne’s rejection of his project despite previous idolization. He murders his manager (Ed Begley, Jr.), and begins his life of crime. Even when I was a kid, I thought the answer to his composite riddle was a cheat by randomly combining two separate numbers without a clue.
Pat Hingle returns as the most awkwardly inconsequential interpretation of Commissioner Gordon, and Rene Auberjonois has a cameo as Dr. Burton.
Stylistically, the movie is insane. The set design is quirky and creative, with liberal use of lighting effects, shading and bright colors. I love the creativity that went into it, but it’s partially spoiled by poor shot framing and some incoherent action editing. The unjustified overuse of Dutch angles is always a telltale sign of clueless stylization. I would have also appreciated more stylistic integration. While the practical effects are good, there is some decidedly dated CGI. The fun style is a good update of the 60’s camp, but it’s limited to the villain/action scenes. The movie lacks the confidence to integrate it into the more serious heroic arcs. The narrative also doesn’t seem consistent as there’s no real connection between serious and goofy parts. Another questionable style choice is the annoying overuse of cartoon sound effects, which is most apparent in the scene in which The Riddler bombs the Batcave.
One rather hot take about this movie's design I have is that this movie features my favorite Batmobile. I love the sinister, gothic design, and it has a good face. The horror element is enhanced by Gigeresque ribbed surfaces. There’s also a nice 30’s touch with the fenders and headlights. The only things marring it are the blue glow and the odd wheels, but those perfectly fit the movie’s aesthetic. And it also climbs up walls.
Elliot Goldenthal contributes a memorable score with a touch of camp and retro. I also love the villains’ leitmotif. Unfortunately, there are some tacky rock interludes when Dick is “cool.”
Batman Forever features an unapologetic love for camp style while still having a sold plot. I may prove myself wrong when I end up watching Batman & Robin for its 25th anniversary, but in retrospect it seems weird that people were so shocked by it. It’s like how people were offended by Revenge of the Fallen despite having somehow been okay with “Transformers.” I know the follow-up upped the annoyances while toning down the narrative strengths (and that’s playing big-time Devil’s Advocate with the Michael Bay movie), but I can’t imagine how anything Arnold does as Mr. Freeze could possibly be more annoying than a spandexed Jim Carrey’s thrusting his crotch out while doing his best elk impression.
*I could not find this quote from Movie Megacheese on Google, so it’s very inaccurate.
ALFRED: Can I persuade you to take a sandwich with you, sir?
BATMAN: I’ll get drive-thru.
TWO-FACE: One man is born a hero, his brother a coward. Babies starve, politicians grow fat. Holy men are martyred, and junkies grow legion. Why? Why, why, why, why, why? Luck! Blind, stupid, simple, doo-dah, clueless luck!
DICK: My brother's line broke once. I swung out and grabbed him. My father said I was his hero. I flew in like a robin. Some hero I turned out to be.
ALFRED: Ah, but you're father was right. You are a hero. I can tell.
ALFRED: May I help you, Master Grayson?
DICK: How come this is the only locked door in this museum? What’ve you got back there?
ALFRED: Master Wayne’s dead wives.
EDWARD: Your entrance was good, his was better. The difference: showmanship.
ALFRED: [helping Dick get his costume to help Batman] I could be fired for this, sir. Perhaps they'll have me back at Buckingham Palace.
BRUCE: Just what the hell do you think you were doing?
DICK: You got a real gratitude problem, you know that, Bruce? I need a name. Batboy? Nightwing? I don’t know, help me out. What’s a good sidekick name?
BRUCE: How about Dick Grayson: College Student?
DICK: All I can think about every second of the day is getting Two-Face He took my whole life. And when I was out there tonight, I imagined it was him that I was fighting, evine when I was fighting you. And all the pain went away. Do you understand?
BRUCE: Yes, I do.
DICK: Good, cause you’re gonna help me find him. And when we do, I’m the one who kills him.
BRUCE: So you’re willing to take a life.
DICK: Long as it’s Two-Face.
BRUCE: Thein it will happen this way: You make the kill but your pain doesn’t die with Harvey, it grows. So you run out into the night to find another face, and another, another, until one terrible morning you wake up and realize that revenge has become you whole lie. And you won’t know why.
DICK: You can’t understand. Your family wasn’t killed by a maniac.
BRUCE: Yes they were. We’re the same.
TWO-FACE: You have broken into our hideout. You have violated the sanctity of our lair. For that, she should crush your bones into POWDER. However, you do pose a very interesting proposition: therefore heads, we accept, tails, we blow your damn head off.
