Batman Forever

Note: This review contains spoilers for Batman Forever.

Following Tim Burton’s acclaimed Batman (1989) and Batman Returns, Joel Schumacher was given the directorial reins for two follow-up films, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, the latter of which is particularly infamous among Batman fans and general moviegoers alike. After having seen the other three films in the Burton/Schumacher tetralogy under different circumstances, I thought it only appropriate to complete the experience by watching Batman Forever, via HBO Max, starring Val Kilmer under the cowl and featuring Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones as the Riddler and Two-Face respectively. Considering the two Tim Burton films are highly regarded and the latter Schumacher film popular to pick apart, Batman Forever was surprisingly more lukewarm than I expected.

Following an encounter with Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) as Batman, Bruce Wayne (Wal Kilmer) makes a visit to the science division of Wayne Enterprises. There, a scientist named Edward Nygma (Jim Carrey) pitches a concept for a headset that can manipulate brainwaves in an individual to create 3D images. Bruce vetoes the project due to ethical concerns, leading Nygma to seek revenge.

Much like its successor Batman & Robin, Batman Forever’s story has a clear emotional core to it, in that Bruce Wayne’s story is mirrored with Dick Grayson’s, both having lost their parents due to the actions of an insane villain, in addition to a present theme of duality, for which Two-face fits right in. Unfortunately, however, several elements get in the way of this being properly explored to its fullest potential, least of which is the slow pacing. First and foremost are the villains of this feature, Two-Face and the Riddler. While Tommy Lee Jones is certainly an excellent actor, as seen in his role as Agent K in the Men in Black film series, his performance as Two-Face is a bit hammy, as though he’s trying too hard to emulate the villains of the 1966 Batman TV series, and ends up coming off as more of an exaggerated Joker rather than an actual take on Two-Face.

Not to be outdone, however, is Jim Carrey’s take on the Riddler, whose acting seems over-the-top even by Jim Carrey standards. The character of Edward Nygma has historically been motivated by proving he can outsmart Batman, however his plan to use a VR-like technology to increase his brain power feels similarly over-the-top, with his riddle shtick feeling tacked on; the idea of the Riddler stealing knowledge would later be revisited in The Batman (2004) episode "Riddled" (S2E2), and arguably executed better there. As for Batman himself, while I haven’t seen much of Val Kilmer’s other work and I’m sure he’s a fine actor, his performance is admittedly a bit of a step down from Michael Keaton’s, lacking the same presence that the preceding actor brought to the role.

Val Kilmer isn't one of the better actors to portray Batman, though he's
certainly not the worst.

On the visual front, things are a bit more hit-and-miss. Gotham’s questionable city planning and architecture aside, some things are a bit over-designed, such as the Riddler’s hideout with an omnipresent question mark motif, as well as Batman and Robin’s costumes later in the story. The infamous nipple and butt molding seen in Batman & Robin is present here, though while it is thankfully more subdued for the most part, it remains an unnecessary detail. The iconic Batmobile has also been redesigned in this fashion, more resembling a Hot Wheels toy with how much unnecessary detail it has, plus the Riddler’s brainwave device constantly appears to have a blender affixed to the top of it or otherwise integrated into the design.

Despite all this, much like Batman & Robin, there are occasional flashes of brilliance that feel wasted here, if only due to being buried under a layer of campiness. Some lines of dialogue (ex. Batman: “We all wear masks.”) and scenes from the movie are actually really good. One such scene is an emotional moment where Bruce Wayne, after recalling a repressed memory of his parents’ murder and thinking on how Dick Grayson’s parents died, mutters “I killed them”, as though he was blaming himself for one or both incidents.

Batman Forever isn’t the worst entry in the Burton/Schumacher series and has some good ideas, however the execution of said ideas results in a movie that came out bland compared to the others. This makes it more difficult to recommend even to diehard Batman fans, though no exploration of this set of films would be complete without watching Batman Forever once.