THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
In the 1990s, we just couldn’t get enough of Batman with an animated film and an animated series. After Tim Burton’s second adaptation of the iconic superhero, we still wanted more, but we didn’t expect it to be as entertaining as this.
PLOT
Batman Forever follows Bruce Wayne continue defending Gotham City as the dark knight detective. His current foe is former district attorney turned deranged criminal Harvey Dent aka Two Face, who turned to the life of crime after being disfigured with acid by a mobster. In their ongoing feud, the Batman is able to defuse a hostage situation, but is unable to arrest Dent. The following day, his Wayne Enterprises researcher Edward Nigma approaches him with an invention to beam television signals directly into people’s brains. Wayne turns him down because he sees how dangerous it could be. Disappointed, Nigma plots vengeance against him after killing his superior and resigning from Wayne Enterprises. After the death of his supervisor, he begins tormenting Wayne by leaving riddles behind. On the other hand, the protagonist pursues a relationship with psychologist Chase Meridian, who is extremely infatuated with his masked persona. He takes her on a date to Haley’s Circus, but Two Face hijacks the shows and threatens to detonate a bomb unless Batman surrenders. 17 year old acrobat Richard ‘Dick’ Grayson of the Flying Graysons is able to take the bomb and throw it into the river, but Two Face kills his family. Bruce then decides to adopt him after the tragedy, but the teenager has a hard time appreciating his kindness. When he goes out going after Two Face, Dick discovers Bruce’s secret and uses the Batmobile without permission. When the Batman saves him from a gang, he begs to be trained to fight crime so he could avenge his family, but the caped crusader refuses. Nigma creates his persona, ‘The Riddler’, and aligns with Two Face. Together, they commit robberies to finance his brainwave device, the Box, for mass production. With the Box, he can steal information from users’ minds and transfer it to his, which’ll make him the smartest in the city. When he hosts a party, Two Faces crashes it to get Batman’s attention. It does work because Bruce tries to pursue him in costume, but almost gets himself killed in the process. Luckily, Dick is able to save him before that could happen, which proves his worth as a crime fighter. When Batman visits Chase again, she admits that she has fallen for Bruce. When she visits him at his home, he reveals his identity. But just when he does, Riddler & Two Face break into his home, concusses him and kidnap his new love interest. They figured out who he was due to using his device to read his mind. When Bruce recovers, he and his butler Alfred (Michael Gough) figure out the riddle which helps them deduce that Nigma is the Riddler. Batman takes with him as new partner, Robin, to rescue Chase. When they find villains’ lair, Robin fights Two Face but chooses to spare him as Batman suggested. This moment of holding back gives the villain the advantage to hold him at gunpoint. With he and Chase now held captive, Batman is forced by Riddler to decide who to save. Instead, he is able to use the Batarang to destroy his brainwave receiver, which drains the villain’s mind, but gives him the chance to save both people he cares about. Two Face tends to decide their fate from the flip of a coin, but Batman throws a handful of coins in the air to confuse him. Just when he stumbles, he falls to his death. Some time later, Nigma is imprisoned in Arkham Asylum, deemed insane when he claims to be Batman. The film ends with Bruce resuming his relationship with Chase, while also beginning a new reign of crime fighting with Robin.
THOUGHTS
The best way to discuss this film is through Pros and Cons.
PROS: Growing up, I was enjoying every bit of Batman content that came my way. While the Burton films were the most entertaining before Nolan’s trilogy, I gotta admit that I have a soft spot for this one. This one gets to me in a good way because Director Joel Schumacher was able to make this universe his own by distancing the grim perspective and bringing in the cartoon campiness. It may have backfired in Batman & Robin, but it fairly works here. Instead of feeling gothic, it is bright and decadent, which helped it feel fresh. The pacing works out because they're able to let things off the leash. The main thing that keeps this movie watchable is the cast that are able to make the bizarreness of this movie pay off. It is not easy filling in the boots Michael Keaton left behind, but Val Kilmer is able to make the role of Batman his own. Writer Bob Kane considered him as his favorite interpretation of the hero because he gives his own gravitas showing him as one who is torn between desires and still tortured by the past that made him who he is. Seeing his inner conflict helped give him an earning pathos. He adopts Dick because he relates to his situation of being an orphan and he doesn't immediately approve of him joining in on the action because he doesn't want to lose him either. He falls for Chase because she actually tries to like him for who he is, which is why I root for him to be happy. Transition to the underrated damsel, Nicole Kidman makes Chase a standout because she portrays her as someone who is not afraid of the world around her and desires helping whoever she can. She falls for both sides of the protagonist because admires the will of the Bat and Bruce's heart for the city. Every time I hear 'Kiss from a Rose' by Seal, it gives me chills because it reminds me of the intimacy both characters have for each other. The biggest challenge in this movie was introducing one of Batman's iconic allies that is his sidekick, Robin. Here, I actually think Chris O'Donnell gives a solid iteration of the Boy Wonder. He is going through Bruce's shoes as a teen and doesn't know how to cope with grief, resulting in making reckless decisions. Being adopted by Bruce was a blessing because he was the only one that would be able to keep him in check and control his anger, not wanting him to go down an unforgivable path. Every time Batman handles one threat, more come his way and this time, we get double trouble. Tommy Lee Jones was honestly mesmerizing as Two Face because he is someone who is unpredictable due to not being consistent with his acts of evil. Due to the incident that changed his life, he represented what it's like when pulled between two extremes. He is the sense that no one is purely good/evil. Seeing how he lets fate be decided through a coin toss ensures him to be a terrifying figure. Jim Carrey was the right person to play the Riddler at the time because after The Mask, he had the right amount of energy needed for such a character. Throughout, he is on point making him as one who is obsessively compulsive to get what he wants. When you bring in that kind of determination to your goals, that easily makes you intimidating. Seeing him fail spectacularly proves that you can't always get what you want and if you try too hard, you won't like the final result.
CONS: While there are things that work, there were way too many things that do not. Particularly, I refuse to believe this film and its followup are canon to what Burton had contributed. While Pat Hingle is still playing Alfred, Two Face is re casted and the design of Gotham CIty is much different in comparison. It looks bigger when originally depicted as smaller. I know we get a good use of the visual effects and production design to keep the immersive energy, but I still prefer consistency at least. On top of that, there were way too many things in the story that just don't make sense to me. Like why does Edward have a shrine of Bruce in Wayne Industries? I know no one bothers him at work, but the guy should've had a background check before even considering to hire him. That way, his chances of becoming the Riddler would've been slim. It is even intense when he pushes his boss out the window, but why would he do it when he had the helmet on? He is risking to start over with his work. I then get confused of how he already had his devices in Two Face's lair, considering that he walked in with just his cane. Someone please explain how and why did he sneak into the lair to place them there and then come back later to present them. It is supposed to be intense when he makes Batman choose between Chase and Robin, but why Robin exactly? He just met the guy for the first time. If he really wanted to raise the stakes, he should've abducted Alfred. I want to respect Chase being observant, but how does she know Two Face's achilles heel is his coin? If he left one behind, she should've addressed that while admitting Batman turns her on. Speaking of which, Two Face's backstory is interesting but it doesn't make any sense at all. You want to be confused of why didn't the mobster use a gun instead of acid, but it doesn't add up that Batman was there in the middle of the day. If it was addressed that Bruce had a hunch that Dent was in danger that day, that should've been implied. I know the villain doesn't think straight because he's psychotic, but why didn't he shove TNT in the vault instead of acid? That would've made Batman's chances much more slim. And why doesn't he kill at his home instead of sparing him? He doesn't need to listen to Riddler because he has not legit authority. That was more ridiculous than him going after Robin when he could've went straight to Batman. He hates Batman this whole movie, blames him for deformity, yet he makes the biggest mistake on taking the opportunities to finish him for good. I can believe that the crowd is too loud of a panic that they'll not hear Bruce reveal his identity, but why didn't Chase? She didn't look that frightened compared to the others and she was right next to him, so it's hard to believe she didn't. I then wonder where did Dick come from to save Batman? I know we need an excuse for Batman to trust him, but it's such a random way for them to be on the page. Also, where did the kids come from when they're trick or treating? Bruce's house looks so distant from a standard neighborhood that it's hard to believe that the kids would dare making such a trip for candy. That's more ridiculous than not seeing them get past the front gate.
To wrap up, Batman Forever is a solid adaptation of the iconic superhero for nailing the cartoon vibe that the 60s had at the time. If you like either version of Batman before this, I'm sure you'll get a good dip of both worlds when checking this out.
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