Batman Forever: I Love This Movie

[Timothy Hunter]

Why is Batman and Robin universally seen as worse than Batman Forever? Uma Thermon played the part of a tongue in cheek femme fatale beautifully. Alicia Silverstone made a good Batgirl. Schwarzenegger wasn't the right fit for the character, but Mr. Freeze was probably the most complex of the Burton Batman villains. This was the best use of Alfred in any of the Burton quadrilogy. But something makes Batman and Robin worse than Forever and I can't put my finger on it. George Clooney really is the worst Silver Screen Batman, but not to the point that he ruins the film. I think it's that it just was too far removed from reality, a fine line that all three of the previous Batman movies were already on the brink of crossing. Less of a movie and more of a fever dream, which I love, but the same time disturbs me.

[Speed Force League Unlimited]

George Clooney as Batman is my fourth favorite live action Batman at this point, Adam West, Michael Keaton, and Christian Bale are obviously higher ranking than him. I really really think he's an underrated Bruce Wayne/Batman, and has been closer to the Batman I love than most of the rest, including Kilmer who feels more on the stiff side.

Affleck okayed the dumbest Batman ever, and it's so golden how his character changed from one kind of bonehead to the opposite in the span of a movie to its ending, a brief appearance in Suicide Squad, and the entirety of Justice League.


But I agree about Batman Forever being such an absurd fun movie that has some right ideas, I'm even one of the rare few who love laundry karate scene silliness.

[batnbreakfast]

Over the years I certainly am more forgiving of BF and appreciate Kilmer more (I like him a lot in other movies) but I can't get over the worst Two-Face ever and the score being a grinding cacaphony. The excuse for B&R being campy like the '66 version is flawed because B&R is campy without any of the '66 charm.

[Speed Force League Unlimited]

Over the years I certainly am more forgiving of BF and appreciate Kilmer more (I like him a lot in other movies) but I can't get over the worst Two-Face ever and the score being a grinding cacaphony. The excuse for B&R being campy like the '66 version is flawed because B&R is campy without any of the '66 charm.

Credit card compartment is more meaningful than coin compartment from the sonar suit in Batman Forever.

[Mace Dolex]

It was three long years since Batman Returns and seeing the teaser for BF on EXTRA I was excited for any kind of Batman movie, sure I was saddened for Keaton not returning but the idea of having Val Kilmer who was younger just meant a few more outings from him (who knew he wouldn't come back).

Danny Elfman's theme back then was just so iconic that it was hard not hearing the familiar tunes in a Batman film and Elliot Goldenthal is a capable composer (Alien 3) but his score for Batman was just ok.

[Frobisher]

I mean, who the Hell even calls the third film Batman Forever when Batman 4ever is right there?

[Speed Force League Unlimited]

It was three long years since Batman Returns and seeing the teaser for BF on EXTRA I was excited for any kind of Batman movie, sure I was saddened for Keaton not returning but the idea of having Val Kilmer who was younger just meant a few more outings from him (who knew he wouldn't come back).

Danny Elfman's theme back then was just so iconic that it was hard not hearing the familiar tunes in a Batman film and Elliot Goldenthal is a capable composer (Alien 3) but his score for Batman was just ok.

Probably Joel Schumacher.

It's funny that some of the tracks Elliot Goldenthal composed for Demolition Man sound pretty similar to Danny Elfman's Batman music, then he composed some nice tracks to listen to for Batman movies he worked on, but the theme is pretty 'eehhhh'

[Scott Taylor]

I feel the same way. Batman Returns, I like bits and pieces of it. As a whole it doesn't make a lot of sense. While Max Shreck feels like a stand in for Harvey Dent (I'm not sure what happened there or why Billie Dee Williams didn't return), I don't know if he was swapped back in but everything else stayed the same (minus Chip Shreck obviously) if it would have helped. BF and B&R, as bad as they are, I can enjoy them from beginning to end, not in bits in pieces like BR. *shrugs*

These are good points about Returns. For me, it felt out of synch with the first movie, like it wasn't in the same mold. There seemed to be little to link the two together outside of Batman himself and a little of the kooky dark Gotham scenery. Harvey Dent would have been a good start. Vicky Vale, that newspaper guy. Those first two Batman movies seem disconnected.

Compare that to the Nolan trilogy where its all so connected and thought out.

[babyblob]

These are good points about Returns. For me, it felt out of synch with the first movie, like it wasn't in the same mold. There seemed to be little to link the two together outside of Batman himself and a little of the kooky dark Gotham scenery. Harvey Dent would have been a good start. Vicky Vale, that newspaper guy. Those first two Batman movies seem disconnected.

Compare that to the Nolan trilogy where its all so connected and thought out.

I would rather watch the disconnected Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Fover and Batman and Robin all day over the Nolan films. Thats my hot take.

[Mia]

Why can't more movies be like Batman Forever? Why can more movies, period, be like Batman Forever? Tommy Lee Jones gives the performance of his life playing Two Face. His scars look like face paint from a children's birthday party. Still better than that Two Face with the CGI eye in Dark Knight. I am honestly shocked that Jim Carey wasn't nominated for an Oscar for his performance as the Riddler. He gives it his all. Much better than Heath Ledger as the Joker. Batman adopts a kid as old as he is! Val Kilmer is the perfect Batman. With his Barbie face no one in their right mind would expect this Bruce Wayne to be Batman, but when Kilmer puts on the cowl I was sold.

You might think I'm trolling, but I'm not, words cannot express how much fun Batman Forever. From the movies I've seen (The Lost Boys, 8MM, and this), Joel Schumacher appears to be a pretty damn good director.

I haven't watched it since it left cinemas. And think that Nolan's take was superb. But I did love the film when it came out. I thought the cast was great. Fun yet captured the essence of the characters.

[Castle]

It was a fun movie, very much like the marvel films we have now but updated for the 2000s but with a little more edge.

However something about the film did signal comic films was reaching an end and needed a whole genre reboot.

The best part of the film was the soundtrack

[Timothy Hunter]

Probably the outright stupidest part of Batman and Robin, which no one seems to mention, is that Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy share a cell at the end of the film. Granted, Arkham Asylum isn't your garden variety jail, but what type of prison puts men and women together? That just seems like a recipe for disaster.

Nothing in Batman and Robin is worth getting wrapped up over, and Joel Schumacher has went on to make much, much, much better movies such as 8 Millimeter

[Speed Force League Unlimited]

Probably the outright stupidest part of Batman and Robin, which no one seems to mention, is that Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy share a cell at the end of the film. Granted, Arkham Asylum isn't your garden variety jail, but what type of prison puts men and women together? That just seems like a recipe for disaster.

LOL. That is true, I never commented on that before. But Batman Forever opens with Harvey Dent committing the crime of robbing from a bank, placing boiling acid in cabinets of the safe and closing them perfectly well without anyone noticing, and attaching cables to the safe he wants to steal that has boiling acid he placed that only poured out a minute after the safe went up by the suspended helicopter, remained boiling all the time it was there....

Nothing is worth getting worked up about in both movies, but that is what makes them both hilarious spectacles.