Ok, I just have to say this, Batman Forever and Judge Dredd were the very first superhero movies I ever saw. I was four and I’m well aware neither film isn’t exactly regarded as a classic nor have aged particularly well but I still love the hell out of this thing.
So our third time around, this time with Val Kilmer as Batman, Batman faces off against his old friend Harvey Dent, now Two-Face. Aiding the police in the investigation is sexy Dr Chase Meridian who thinks Batman is super hot because he’s dark, mysterious, and he’s a buff dude in a black rubber suit. Bruce however starts courting chase when he goes to her for consultation on a creepy letter he was left by a disgruntled employee, Edward Nygma, who became the Riddler. So Riddler joins forces with Two-Face and has a plan to drain the brains of Gotham. On top of this, Bruce feels a huge sense of history repeating when young acrobat named Dick Grayson is left orphaned after Two-Face kills his family, much in the same way Joker killed Batman’s. To face the duo, Batman needs to team up with Robin and also rediscover why he chose to be Batman…
Ok, first I have to say the tone is definitely more vibrant and more family oriented than the Burton films. This is the first of two now by Joel Schulemacher- and yes tomorrow I’m talking about the infamous elephant in the room. Kilmer is alright as Batman and Bruce Wayne but I feel like he was trying to be more like Keaton. Nicole Kidman is pretty much eye candy as chase. Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face is what kills the movie; what would have been a great casting choice was a total crapshoot because it’s played for laughs. I’m going to say the best part of it, by far is Jim Carrey as Riddler. He is genuinely creepy but also funny. Chris O Donnell as Robin was my favorite as a kid. Despite some hokey ass moments, I think it’s a fun superhero flick. Nothing really special but by no means a shit storm. I’d say it is the second best of the four. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
One thought on “Batman Forever”