In terms of production design and cinematography, Tim Burton's adaptation of Batman (1989) is easily one of my favourite films because its combination of gothic, industrial and mobster imagery is absolutely brilliant. The sequel (Batman Returns, 1991) was also a Burton film and despite shortcomings in its plot, it thankfully retained a similar style to the original which helped it immensely. Joel Schumacher took over the series at this point, helming Batman Forever (1995) and its appalling sequel Batman and Robin (1997). With these additions to the series, Schumacher all but spits in Burton's face, blowing off the brilliant visual style of the first two films, and replacing it with ridiculously over-the-top techno sets and a dreadful lighting design that places far too much emphasis on neon lights.
Batman Forever does to some extent retain the dark look of the earlier films - after all, Batman is well known as 'The Dark Knight' and to shoot him in entirely bright surrounds would not be effective. However, as though feeling the need to differentiate his Batman efforts from Burton's, Schumacher turns away from the style mentioned above and creates his own 'New Gotham', featuring outrageous sets that are almost always lit with fluorescent lights and bright colours. Not even the new Batmobile (with it's dodgy-looking dorsal wing that wobbles and bends) is immune to the neon insanity. The style on display here is not nearly as effective as that of the first two films and does not serve the narrative as effectively as Burton's brilliant vision of Gotham.
It's hard to say whether Val Kilmer is worse in the title role than George Clooney in Batman and Robin; it's a very close call. He gives the gruff Batman dialogue with enough cool toughness to make him an appealing caped crusader, but his portrayal of Bruce Wayne is rotten. His delivery of dialogue is too stiff, and while its obvious he was going for 'Upper-class with a Dignified Air', he instead manages merely 'Dull and Wooden' - he fails miserably in comparison with Keaton. Likewise Keaton's agony over telling Vicki Vale of his double identity in Batman was excellent and beautifully sincere, while Kilmer's similar angst is brushed over briefly by director Schumacher and lacks the sense of fear and anxiety that should be associated with Wayne letting anyone in on his secret.
When looking solely at the scripts for the four Batman films, Bruce Wayne is at his most tortured in Forever, and the audience comes closer to understanding his motives, his torture and his misery than ever before. Unfortunately Schumacher's direction mostly fails to give these scenes the sufficiently gentle, yet dark touch they require, and Kilmer's acting serves only to bring them down further. This is an opportunity sorely lost, as it held an opportunity for some wonderful emotive scenes that could have at least dragged the film up to the level of Batman Returns. Still, these scenes are easily one of the film's highlights because they bring more of the Batman/Bruce Wayne conflict to the screen than was managed in any of the other three films. Wayne's relationship with Dick Grayson, who's personal dilemma mirror's Wayne's own is dealt with surprisingly well and is another of the film's strongest elements. O'Donnell puts in a solid performance as Grayson.
Nicole Kidman has very little to work with in her role, and the two villains are pretty silly (as if Danny DeVito and his army of rocket-armed penguins in Batman Returns wasn't silly enough) and feature some colourless and uninteresting back-stories. Thankfully, Two Face and The Riddler don't reach the point of becoming absolutely ridiculous - Schumacher was holding that ace up his sleeve for his sequel. Tommy Lee Jones is reasonable as Two Face, but he's got nothing on The Joker (a very similar character) in terms of being a psychotic, bloodthirsty villain. Carrey's Riddler seems a little too much like his zany character in The Mask (1994) and while his screen presence is strong and his delivery of dialogue generally appealing, the character is too over the top. Like Nicholson's Joker he is insane and outrageous, but unfortunately he is also not even remotely believable, and his plot to steal the brain waves of Gotham's residents is just plain stupid.
The same goes for the set action pieces which, while I'm sure are looking to emulate a comic book's style of unbelievable situations overcome by the hero's power, come across mostly as stupid and contrived. You're looking at the likes of the Batmobile driving up a wall in this film - all up it's pretty dumb. Indeed, Batman Forever is studio film making at its most gross and negligent. "Here we have two films that did well at the box office, let's make them bigger and flashier with more ridiculous set action pieces and a well known hunk actor and the audiences will come in flocks. Who cares if we're making films that are absolute crap?" I do, for one. The set action pieces, poor script and casting and new visual style really hurt Batman Forever. Long after my first viewing, my most dominant memories of the film were the overwhelming and off-putting use of bright colours and the stupidity of the brainwaves plot. Not exactly the way directors hope their work is remembered.
People often remember the 1980's as a decade that was responsible for many crimes against fashion, particularly for the garish colours that made their mark on the fashion of the time. It's as if the films of the Batman series found themselves in a strange time warp, and the Burton films, a product of the 80's, were stylistically brilliant, while the Schumacher films, a 90's product, found themselves unfortunate victims of 1980's excess and unsightliness.
Batman Forever does to some extent retain the dark look of the earlier films - after all, Batman is well known as 'The Dark Knight' and to shoot him in entirely bright surrounds would not be effective. However, as though feeling the need to differentiate his Batman efforts from Burton's, Schumacher turns away from the style mentioned above and creates his own 'New Gotham', featuring outrageous sets that are almost always lit with fluorescent lights and bright colours. Not even the new Batmobile (with it's dodgy-looking dorsal wing that wobbles and bends) is immune to the neon insanity. The style on display here is not nearly as effective as that of the first two films and does not serve the narrative as effectively as Burton's brilliant vision of Gotham.
It's hard to say whether Val Kilmer is worse in the title role than George Clooney in Batman and Robin; it's a very close call. He gives the gruff Batman dialogue with enough cool toughness to make him an appealing caped crusader, but his portrayal of Bruce Wayne is rotten. His delivery of dialogue is too stiff, and while its obvious he was going for 'Upper-class with a Dignified Air', he instead manages merely 'Dull and Wooden' - he fails miserably in comparison with Keaton. Likewise Keaton's agony over telling Vicki Vale of his double identity in Batman was excellent and beautifully sincere, while Kilmer's similar angst is brushed over briefly by director Schumacher and lacks the sense of fear and anxiety that should be associated with Wayne letting anyone in on his secret.
When looking solely at the scripts for the four Batman films, Bruce Wayne is at his most tortured in Forever, and the audience comes closer to understanding his motives, his torture and his misery than ever before. Unfortunately Schumacher's direction mostly fails to give these scenes the sufficiently gentle, yet dark touch they require, and Kilmer's acting serves only to bring them down further. This is an opportunity sorely lost, as it held an opportunity for some wonderful emotive scenes that could have at least dragged the film up to the level of Batman Returns. Still, these scenes are easily one of the film's highlights because they bring more of the Batman/Bruce Wayne conflict to the screen than was managed in any of the other three films. Wayne's relationship with Dick Grayson, who's personal dilemma mirror's Wayne's own is dealt with surprisingly well and is another of the film's strongest elements. O'Donnell puts in a solid performance as Grayson.
Nicole Kidman has very little to work with in her role, and the two villains are pretty silly (as if Danny DeVito and his army of rocket-armed penguins in Batman Returns wasn't silly enough) and feature some colourless and uninteresting back-stories. Thankfully, Two Face and The Riddler don't reach the point of becoming absolutely ridiculous - Schumacher was holding that ace up his sleeve for his sequel. Tommy Lee Jones is reasonable as Two Face, but he's got nothing on The Joker (a very similar character) in terms of being a psychotic, bloodthirsty villain. Carrey's Riddler seems a little too much like his zany character in The Mask (1994) and while his screen presence is strong and his delivery of dialogue generally appealing, the character is too over the top. Like Nicholson's Joker he is insane and outrageous, but unfortunately he is also not even remotely believable, and his plot to steal the brain waves of Gotham's residents is just plain stupid.
The same goes for the set action pieces which, while I'm sure are looking to emulate a comic book's style of unbelievable situations overcome by the hero's power, come across mostly as stupid and contrived. You're looking at the likes of the Batmobile driving up a wall in this film - all up it's pretty dumb. Indeed, Batman Forever is studio film making at its most gross and negligent. "Here we have two films that did well at the box office, let's make them bigger and flashier with more ridiculous set action pieces and a well known hunk actor and the audiences will come in flocks. Who cares if we're making films that are absolute crap?" I do, for one. The set action pieces, poor script and casting and new visual style really hurt Batman Forever. Long after my first viewing, my most dominant memories of the film were the overwhelming and off-putting use of bright colours and the stupidity of the brainwaves plot. Not exactly the way directors hope their work is remembered.
People often remember the 1980's as a decade that was responsible for many crimes against fashion, particularly for the garish colours that made their mark on the fashion of the time. It's as if the films of the Batman series found themselves in a strange time warp, and the Burton films, a product of the 80's, were stylistically brilliant, while the Schumacher films, a 90's product, found themselves unfortunate victims of 1980's excess and unsightliness.