Batman Forever marked a massive change for the series. Tim Burton was out of the director’s chair, Joel Schumacher was in, Michael Keaton had left the cape and cowl behind and Val Kilmer suddenly had some very big boots to fill. After how much I loved Batman and Batman Returns, this was always going to be a difficult transition.
The difference is obvious almost immediately. Burton’s dark, gothic Gotham has been replaced by neon lights, enormous statues and a city that often looks like the world’s biggest nightclub. Schumacher wasn’t interested in simply copying what came before, and I can respect that, but I’ve always preferred my Batman lurking around in the darkness rather than standing underneath enough fluorescent lighting to illuminate half of Gotham.
Val Kilmer was certainly capable of playing Batman. I’ve always rated him as an actor, particularly after movies like Top Gun and Tombstone, and there are moments here where you can see what his Batman could have become with another film. He’s suitably serious underneath the mask and has the physical presence for the role, but his Bruce Wayne never grabbed me in the same way Michael Keaton’s did.
Part of the problem is that Kilmer doesn’t get enough room to really make Batman his own. There are attempts to explore Bruce’s past and the psychological reasons behind his dual identity, but the movie is so busy elsewhere that some of that material struggles to make the impact it should. Kilmer ultimately gives us a good Batman trapped inside a film that seems considerably more interested in everything happening around him.
One of those distractions is Jim Carrey, who goes absolutely berserk as Edward Nygma. After being rejected by Bruce Wayne, Nygma transforms himself into the Riddler and essentially gives Carrey permission to turn every dial up as far as it’ll go. It’s loud, ridiculous and completely in keeping with the movie Schumacher is making.
Tommy Lee Jones joins him as Harvey Dent, otherwise known as Two-Face. Jones is another fantastic actor, and pairing him with Carrey sounds brilliant on paper. The two certainly make for a memorable villainous double act, although this version of Two-Face is a long way from the darker, more tragic character he could have been. Jones spends much of the film trying to match Carrey’s energy, which means subtlety doesn’t stand much of a chance.
Still, I can’t deny they’re entertaining. Carrey and Jones chew through the scenery with such enthusiasm that there are times when Batman Forever feels less like a Batman movie and more like a competition to see which villain can be the biggest lunatic in Gotham. In Schumacher’s neon-soaked world, that somehow fits.
Nicole Kidman is another strong addition as Dr. Chase Meridian, a psychologist with an interest in Batman that goes well beyond the professional. Her relationship with Bruce has an interesting dynamic because she’s attracted to Bruce Wayne while being completely fascinated by the man underneath the mask. There’s a slight echo of Bruce and Selina Kyle from Batman Returns, although it never reaches the same emotional level for me.
Then we have Robin.
I’ve never been the biggest Robin fan because I prefer Batman operating alone in the shadows, but Chris O’Donnell does a perfectly decent job as Dick Grayson. The movie gives him a tragic introduction after Two-Face attacks the circus and kills his family, leaving Bruce to take him in and eventually face the uncomfortable reality that Dick is heading down a path very similar to his own.
O’Donnell brings plenty of youthful energy to the role and his frustration with Bruce makes sense. He wants revenge, Bruce knows exactly where that road can lead, and eventually we get the introduction of Batman and Robin as a crime-fighting partnership. It isn’t necessarily the Batman setup I’d choose, but within this version of Gotham it works well enough.
Interestingly, Robin could have appeared much earlier. Marlon Wayans had been cast during the Burton era before plans for the character were dropped. By the time Batman Forever arrived, the role had been completely reworked and O’Donnell became the Robin we eventually saw on screen.
There are still individual moments I really enjoy. The redesigned Batmobile is ridiculously flashy but fits Schumacher’s Gotham, while the Batboat gives Batman another great toy to play with. We also get martial arts legend Don “The Dragon” Wilson popping up briefly as one of the gang members, which is a fun little appearance for action fans.
The action itself is bigger and brighter than Burton’s movies, but that’s also where some of my problems come in. There’s very little restraint. Gotham has become a giant techno party, the villains are constantly competing for attention and even Batman’s world seems determined to glow in the dark.
It’s difficult not to wonder what might have happened if Burton and Keaton had been allowed to complete a third movie together. I’ve always thought that Batman, Batman Returns and a proper Burton/Keaton finale could potentially have formed one of the greatest Batman trilogies ever made. Whether it could have rivalled Christopher Nolan’s trilogy we’ll obviously never know, but I would have loved the opportunity to find out.
That doesn’t make Batman Forever a disaster. Far from it. Val Kilmer is a good Batman, Jim Carrey is enormously entertaining, Tommy Lee Jones throws himself into Two-Face, Nicole Kidman is excellent and Chris O’Donnell does what the movie needs from Robin. There’s a lot of talent on screen.
The problem is that I simply don’t connect with Schumacher’s Gotham the way I connected with Burton’s. The darkness has been replaced by neon, the atmosphere has become increasingly cartoonish and Batman himself sometimes feels like he’s fighting for attention inside his own movie.
Batman Forever is one I can take or leave. I’ll happily watch parts of it, and there’s enough here to enjoy, but it isn’t a Batman movie I find myself desperate to revisit. Kilmer deserved more time to develop his version of Bruce Wayne, and I do wonder what another movie with him might have produced.
Unfortunately, that never happened.
Things were about to get considerably more colourful.
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