Batman Forever

Quite a change wasn’t it?  It hadn’t been a long while like it was between Batman & Robin and Batman Begins.  Only three years separate Returns from Forever.  I remember when I saw this in the theater I was surprised at first but was almost immediately drawn in and forgot about the previous two films.  My brain allowed me to hit the reset button on the franchise.  I guess after the cold Returns it was nice to be presented with a much warmer adaptation.  And it seemed a lot of people were cool with this as well because Forever was a huge fucking hit.  As I get older, and now that more Batman movies have been made, this one only seems to get better. 

It’s such an entertaining experience.  The design of Gotham is exaggerated enormously and also beautifully.  I dig those gigantic statues of Greek gods or whatever the hell those are supposed to be.  It’s a unique and striking look for a city.  A lot of you might think it looks too cartoony and you may be right but you sure as shit remember it.  It’s remarkable when an impression is left, good or bad.

They managed to have the lighting feel bright and dark at the same time somehow.  For instance Two-Face’s hideout has so many shadows but it’s also flooded in this neon pink light.  I saw a making-of not long ago and someone commented that the camera was constantly showing their own lighting rigs but the audience never noticed.  That was a forehead smacking moment.  The sonuvabitch was right.  If you look at the circus scene or the Riddler’s lair you can see the lights that would normally be off screen setting the mood.  And holy shit are those lights putting out a collage of colors. 

The camera work is really well done.  The first fight scene Batman has with henchmen off the elevator was shot particularly great.  You can understand what’s happening during the action sequences too.

And because this was done before CGI had a stranglehold, most things, except mainly some shots of the city, had to be done for real.  That’s a big plus. 

All of this stuff is a feast for the eyes.  Visually this film is gorgeous.

As far as the acting goes I only have a couple of qualms.  I wish Jim Carrey wasn’t cast as the Riddler because he made the character too jokey.  Essentially we get a shitty Joker here.  The way they did the Riddler in the animated series from the early 90’s was the direction they should’ve gone.  The outfit in Forever isn’t even right.  Was it because Two-Face was wearing a suit that they had to put the Riddler in tights?  But I have to admit that this portrayal bothers me less as time goes on.

The only other real problem with acting I have is Chris O’Donnell.  First of all Robin is fucking lame.  I don’t think I ever want to see him in a Batman picture.  Secondly Chris is not the best actor.  All of his emotions are too forced and I don’t buy the bad boy attitude.  You seem like a nice guy ‘n all but sorry man, you’re not good in this. 

Everyone else does fine.  Val Kilmer slips into his role well.  He looks the part and is pretty stoic both in and out of the Bat suit.  His performance may be lighter and cheesier than Keaton’s but it’s way better than Clooney’s. 

Nicole Kidman isn’t very good but it feels like she’s barely in this so she doesn’t bother me.

Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face is definitely the best person in this though.  Jones looks like he’s having a helluva lot of fun and Two-Face enjoys being evil so much that it rubs off.  From what I gather this is not what this character is supposed to be like at all but this works for me.  Sure they turned him into another Joker clone but oddly enough the change is more successful on Two-Face who’s supposed to be darker and more serious than the Riddler.  I can’t get enough of his brute force tactics either.  Two-Face’s destroy-everything policy doesn’t really ever work out but he’s tenacious and that’s great to see.  I couldn’t ask for much more out of a villain in a comic book movie.  Everything from the crazy split personality suit to him having to drink two different cocktails and smoke two different cigarettes at once to the purple shit on half of his face made out of fruit roll-ups, I fuckin’ love this guy.

The plot is actually really cool if you think about it.  The Riddler wants to take over the city by selling its citizens a device that secretly reads minds.  Two-Face is completely unnecessary in this scenario actually.  The only reason he’s there is because the studio said so (that goes for Robin too).  Two-Face is relegated to being just a thug, a very charismatic and amusing thug.  I mean his operation wasn’t going anywhere until the Riddler showed up.  But even though this scheme is all about the Riddler it feels like Two-Face gets more screen time than him.

My favorite scene is probably the opening robbery (which I always assumed was a bank but why would the vault be located on the top floor of a skyscraper?) and the ensuing helicopter sequence.  The reveal of Two-Face is excellent by, of course, only showing his regular non-mutilated side at first.  And then when we get a gander at that makeup job the light turns pink, Jones puts on that gravely voice and goddamn is he a sight.  The henchmen look brilliant too with the bi-color face masks, leather jackets, dog collars, piercings and neon on their guns (genius idea).  One aspect of an action movie I adore is when a villain reprimands or kills one of his own guys (possibly the best one ever is in Road House) and we get one here.  In the helicopter Two-Face shoots at Batman but his pilot gets in the way.  It’s always funny when a villain knows his own guys are expendable and is willing to eliminate them himself so he can get at his real target.  If the film were only the opening thirteen minutes I would be satisfied.  It’s constructed wonderfully.    

The new soundtrack is exciting and almost just as big as the Elfman ones.  It’s memorable too which is not the case with most pictures.  Also the U2 and Seal songs are both very 90’s sounding dating the movie nicely.   

It’s pretty interesting that Joel Schumacher was picked for this gig.  The two immediate films he did before this were Falling Down and The Client.  In all fairness comic book movies hadn’t exploded yet so it was a little unclear who was the right choice to make one.  Schumacher turned out to be, and I know you’ll hate me for this, the perfect pick.  The man’s a chameleon who will change his style depending on what he’s working on.  Almost none of his pictures look or feel the same.  I don’t know if there’s anyone else out there like him in that regard.  He brought so much style and a fresh perspective to Batman.  Whether you like that style and perspective is another thing entirely.

Forever truly is forever in my book.  It’s that Alien vs. Aliens thing where I say I like Batman and Returns better but most of the time I’d rather watch Forever.  It’s such an easy film to get engaged in and it’s not ashamed about the direction it chose.  One of the most important qualities this piece possesses is that it’s unpretentious (which comes from Schumacher’s personality).  It fully embraces the wacky ass shit that it puts in front of your eyes.  I don’t even know if it belongs in the so-bad-it’s-good category.  I honestly can’t tell.  It’s a well crafted piece of art that has its fair share of good, bad and ugly shit.

This is pretty fucking great film guys.  It’s an anytime anywhere movie for me.  It feels refreshing with every watch somehow.  If you haven’t seen it in a long time do yourself a favor and check it out again.

Fun fact: Tim Burton produced this.

                                         

Batman (1989)
Batman Returns
Batman Forever Laundry Scene
Batman & Robin