Batman Forever (1995) User Reviews

The beginning of the end

[mjw2305 · 6/10 · 14 February 2006]

Batman forever fails to follow in the footsteps of the first 2 movies, after Tim Burton and Michael Keaton were replaced with with Joel Schumacher and Val Kilmer. Schumachers approach is too comical and Gotham has lost the sinister ora that Burton created, Val Kilmer is OK as the bat, and he certainly helps save the film from total disaster.

All the other characters are new, Nicole Kidman (Dr. Chase Meridian) brings sex appeal, but her character delivers little more. Chris O'Donnell is introduced as Robin, and his martial arts antics do add something to the film. Tommy Lee Jones plays Two-Face and as usual his performance is decent, but the star of the show is Jim Carrey as the Riddler; his performance is both camp and eccentric, and it hits the mark brilliantly.

The problem with the movie, although i did enjoy it, is the total change in style; the backdrop of Gotham city is no longer dark and Gothic and the series is moving away from Batmans comic roots.

This was the beginning of the end, and it was followed by Batman and Robin. Thank god for Batman Begins.

6/10

Jim Carrey stole the show

[lee_eisenberg · 5/10 · 23 July 2005]

Some people talk about "the stick of straw that broke the camel's back", meaning when something reached the tipping point. So when did the Batman franchise go bad? Well, "Batman Forever" was getting silly, but it still had Jim Carrey to steal the show as The Riddler ("Batman and Robin" had about as many good qualities as a barrel of toxic waste). Personally, I don't know why they had to have Batman (Val Kilmer) going through therapy; remove that and he still would have been a cool superhero with neat gadgets. Tommy Lee Jones wasn't bad as Two-Face. Nicole Kidman and Chris O'Donnell, as Dr. Chase Meridian and Robin, respectively, didn't really add anything.

Overall, the point is that when Joel Schumacher took over directing, the franchise went downhill. Part of the problem was that while Tim Burton created an eerie Gotham City that looked like New York in the 1940s, Joel Schumacher created a Gotham City that looked like it was trying too hard to be "Blade Runner".

So, the franchise starting getting stale with this one, but Jim Carrey kept the movie from being unwatchable. As Edward Nygma, one of Bruce Wayne's employees, he had some great lines. In the movie, Nygma proposes a device that rests atop TV sets and reads peoples' minds, but Wayne rejects it, considering it too dangerous. Thus, Nygma becomes The Riddler, and he's the best character in the movie.

Not the best Batman movie but still an entertaining one

[maryolalov · 5/10 · 22 January 2019]

What I can say about Batman Forever is that it is getting too much hate. It is definitely not a good movie but it just isn't as bad as everyone is saying.

One of the things that ruins this movie is the awful script. While the plot is not that bad, the script is just plain awful. It's filled with unfunny and dumb jokes and poorly written dialogues. I'm aware that this movie is comic based and so I shouldn't expect much from it but this horrible script makes it look more like a parody.

The casting was also not very good. Val Kilmer as Batman was ok (if compared to Michael Keaton), Jim Carrey also did a quite good job as the Riddler. But Tommy Lee Jones's portrayal of Two Face was terrible. Two Face is a character that suffers from split personality, but the movie didn't show that. Tommy Lee Jones was playing a role that was closer to the Joker. All these "insane acts" that he was doing throughout the movie made me think that this is actually the Joker who for some reason got half of his face burnt.

Of course there are many reasons why you might enjoy this movie. The plot is not bad and even interesting at some points. If you are a fan of Jim Carrey movies you'll surely like Batman Forever not only because of the unique performance that only Jim Carrey can give but also because this movie is way more colorful than other Batman movies.

For conclusion I can say that Batman Forever is a kid friendly movie that is excellent if you have time to waste. It is definitely not a good movie but still doesn't deserve to be called the worst

Unfairly criticized but becoming a classic

[bass-player-blues · 7/10 · 13 January 2021]

Batman Forever may be the most unfairly criticzed super-hero film ever made. It's sandwiched between the fandom of the Burton and Nolan films while simultaneously blamed for leading to Batman and Robin. If you compare it to the darker and more gothic Burton films and are disappointed Keaton isn't still playing Batman, of course you're not gonna enjoy it. If you compare it to the more serious neo-realism of the Nolan films, again you're not gonna enjoy it. What is it you ask? Batman Forever essentially plays out like a live action cartoon and it does this very well. If you watch it through that lens instead of judging it for what it's not you'll find that Batman Forever actually has superior continuity and pacing than any other Batman film except maybe the 1966 version. This is coming from someone who's favorite film is Batman 1989 and a big Tim Burton fan. It honestly baffles me to hear people rave about how great Batman Returns is and then go on to bash Batman Forever. While Returns has a ton going for it, it really suffers from the same core problem as Batman and Robin; the director getting too cute with creative control. All Joel Schumacher did was set out to make a fun super-hero film with something for everyone to enjoy and I honestly think he succeeded with Forever. With Batman and Robin he went too flamboyant just like Burton went too zany and weird with Returns. The first time around both directors got it right testing the waters with their own respective styles. Everything in the film is very cartoonish and if you appreciate it from that perspective it's really quite masterful in a lot of subtle and not so subtle ways. Although Batman The Animated Series was largely influenced by the Burton movies Forever really seems like it's bringing that onto the big screen with real actors and real sets which is quite a feat. Schumacher just added more color and neon which honestly is a welcome change from the stark art deco gothic flavor present in Returns. Nothing wrong with that flavor in Returns, it's just that Burton went all in and we didn't necessarily need more of the same. Batman Returns actually has considerably different art direction from Batman 1989 yet you rarely hear fans complain about that difference or even acknowledge it.

Nicole Kidman is perfectly cast as Chase Meridian and I like Chris O'Donnell as Robin even though he was probably a tad old. Everyone criticizes Val Kilmer for being too bland compared to Keaton but honestly the latter wouldn't have worked at all in the film the way it was done. Since Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey are both such strong personalities a more stoic Kilmer contrasts that well. Batman Forever really is Jim Carrey's vehicle though. You watch Batman Forever for Jim Carrey the same way you watch Batman 1989 for Jack Nicholson.

It's Time to Retire, Mr. Schumacher

[Link_Tristan · 1/10 · 24 July 2005]

Batman Forever is the third installment for Warner Bros. Batman franchise, only Tim Burton and Michael Keaton decided to jump ship, so now we're stuck with Joel Schumacher, Val Kilmer and writing so campy it'll make you want to pitch a tent and make some s'mores. What we see in this film is a systematic destruction of absolutely everything that made the first two Batman films so popular.

Kidman and Kilmer have been great in other films like "Moulin Rouge" and "Tombstone," but Joel is simply incapable of getting any good performances out of his actors. Don't believe me? There's a scene where Kidman's character tells Batman to meet her at her place at midnight. Even though she's expecting company, she decides to sleep in the nude before he shows up. I can understand her character trying to seduce Batman, but why go to bed and fall asleep while you're expecting company? Just listen to her character's inner conflict when she says "I can't believe it. I've imagined this moment since I first saw you... and now I have you and... guess a girl has to grow up sometime." I guess I can't blame Kidman on doing the best with the crap she was given. Someone needs to fire Mr. Script Writer.

Joel, in the tradition of Burton's previous Batman film, decided to use two villains at once: the Riddler and Two-Face. Personally, I wonder why the director would want to use two villains when he can't get one character right.

In previous Batman films, the villains were layered characters. The Joker was back-stabbed in a set up, Catwoman was in a mid-life crisis and sick of being taken advantage of, and the Penguin was a social outcast playing the sympathy card so he could get revenge on Gotham. While these character motives are little more than "I want revenge" at least it's something. Joel enjoys making the villains of his Batman films silly cardboard cutouts which don't make any sense at all.

Joel turned Harvey Two-Face, a steely, no-nonsense crime boss, into a laughing idiot that hops up and down whenever he blows something up. There's a quick twenty second explanation of how Harvey Dent had acid thrown on him during a trial, so he swore revenge on Batman... what? Batman didn't throw the acid. Two-Face is pretty much Tommy Lee Jones copying Jack Nicholson's performance as the Joker, except with different makeup, and the Riddler isn't far behind. Jim Carrey was acting like... well... Jim Carrey. As "good" as Carrey's performance might be, there's really no room for non-sequitur dance sequences and goofy voices to be thrown into the middle of a scene-- but that's what Jim is good at doing, I guess. As for Edward Nigma, they briefly explained how he became the Ridler (he was fired from his job, I know that tends to make people become super-villains), but never explained why he likes making riddles. His master plan: become the smartest man alive by reading the minds of Gotham's citizens and then... and then... uh... well, it doesn't matter because we all know Batman will save the day.

As if a poorly done treatment for Two-Face and the Riddler, and a poorly done romance subplot added into the mix weren't enough, we have another poorly done subplot thrown in: Robin! The most hated side-kick in the world. Joel introduce Robin as a character who wants revenge on Two-Face and offers absolutely nothing else significant to the story. There's not much to say about Robin, except that he kicks ass at doing laundry. He's just eye-candy so the ladies (and Joel) have someone to swoon over in this poor excuse for an action film.

The biggest crime in Gotham was how Joel rebuilt the city. He demolished Burton's Gothic atmosphere and added colored lights and large bronze statues to turn the desolate wasteland of a city into a sparkling Las Vegas wonderland. He also introduced the phosperhous gang, a group of guys who glow in the dark and play heavy metal music... drug trafficking never looked so fabulous! Big naked man statues, face-painting gangs, and rubber nipples summarize everything that Joel has added to the franchise.

I've heard some arguments standing up on Joel's defense, claiming that the movie would've been better with the deleted scenes put back in. Namely, two scenes: one which shows TwoFace escaping from Arkham, writing some sort of anti-Bat message in a victim's blood, and other scene where Bruce gets amnesia and has to remember why he's Batman. The first scene was supposedly cut for being too scary for kids, but I can safely say that it was filmed and edited to fit into the rest of this crap fest perfectly. And the amnesia scene was utter crap. Honestly: AMNESIA. As if a bullet grazing Bruce's forehead and causing amnesia isn't far fetched enough, how about the fact that he cures it in under five minutes? That scene wasn't cut for being too dark, or too slow, it was cut for being too stupid.

It could be worse. You could be watching the next installment "Batman and Robin." At least the plot for Batman Forever wasn't as poorly juggled as that movie. The worst you get with this movie is a bunch of clichés, poor acting, nonsensical moments (as in "why would only thirty or so members of the circus audience slowly form a circle to look at the the dead trapeze artists?"), and an undoing everything dark and dramatic that made the first two films good. What we're left with is a campy, kid-friendly movie that anyone with a brain can tell is just a cheap knock off of the first two Batman films.

And now for something completely different

[Derek237 · 7/10 · 15 November 2005]

I loved the first two Batman movies, and honestly would have loved to see Burton go on to direct more entries in the series, but Joel Shumacher's Batman Forever is not at all an unwelcome change. I think some people recollect this film and automatically associate it with Shumacher's awful second Batman attempt, Batman & Robin. That is the bad movie. This is not. People also seem to forget how big of a hit it was. Artistically, there were things it got wrong and didn't do as well as the others, but there were things it did so much better, too. For one thing, this is the only 'Batman' with a decent soundtrack to its name (including 2 great songs by U2 and Seal).

In some ways you can look at this as a transition from the dark, tortured Batman to a Batman who has finally conquered his personal demons and gone on to be happier in being a man who fights crime in the night dressed up in rubber. For this one it was good, 'cause that's essentially how it ends, but the result of this led to the campy and just plain boring 4th episode.

But I really was surprised at how psychological of a movie Batman Forever is. I'm not saying it's particularly deep, but when you look at Edward Nygma's obsession with Bruce Wayne (stalking him, to imitating him right down to the mole), Harvey Dent's schizophrenia as Two-Face, and the fact that both Bruce Wayne AND Batman end up romancing the same psychologist is all enormously amusing. The romance isn't to be taken that lightly, though. I thought out of all 5 films Chase Meridian was Bruce's best girlfriend. The whole Vicky Vale relationship was pretty stale if you cut out all of the conflict with the Joker, and obviously Selina Kyle didn't work out so well for Bruce. Having this woman who could understand the mind of the tortured Bruce Wayne was a great idea, and I don't need to tell you that the gorgeous and talented Nicole Kidman pulled it off well.

Something I liked (and would have liked to have seen more of) was the competitive relationship between Bruce Wayne and Edward Nygma. They're enemies as Batman and The Riddler but also as regular people in everyday life. Take that scene at the Nygmatec Ball when Edward gloats about how well off he is, but Bruce is totally unflinching. Jim Carrey does a great job with a character that is so obsessed with this person; who idolizes him but hates him at the same time and is generally evil, but still can make us fall on the floor laughing.

This is a rousing and dynamic picture. It's basically the lighter side of being Batman. It was exciting with some great action sequences: I loved the end where both Robin and Chase are dropped and he saves them both. That piece of Elliot Goldenthal music when Batman finally grasps Robin's arm is excellent.

I liked Burton's 2 films and obviously Batman Begins better than Forever, but when you're in the right mood for it, it really is a fantastic movie that, if nothing else, thoroughly entertains.

My rating: 7/10

Forever awful!

[the_mysteriousx · 1/10 · 3 July 2004]

After seeing this in the theater in 1995, I swore I'd never see another Batman film it was so bad. Well, I decided to revisit it and finally see Batman and Robin in the past week and well, this movie still has absolutely no redeeming values.

We can't even get a minute into the film when we are introduced to Val Kilmer as Batman in the batcave as the corporate sell out. "I'll get drive thru" he responds to Alfred after he had offered him a sandwich to go (I remember the stupid McD's tie-in commercial). Good to know the filmmakers are straight with us and let us know there is no integrity in this bat-world.

Kilmer is a robot as Bruce Wayne AND as Batman. Some lines almost sound as if they can't even get out because he is just so incredibly rigid. The dialogue is of course, idiotic, but then what did we expect. Joel Schumacher began his deconstruction of the franchise with non-stop MTV cuts and completely gratuitous dutch angles, not to mention every damned shot has every color in the spectrum represented in it! That's not art, that's a bad excuse for not having a visual style.

The villains - ugghhh!!! It was such a bad idea to combine two villains that are basically identical. They are both totally 100% insane. They don't compliment each other at all, instead they annihilate you with a never-ending barrage of craziness and bad over-acting. Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey were two of the five most in-demand actors at the time and they got top billing, but Carrey is simply the wrong choice for the Riddler and worse, the character of the Riddler is now a scientist!!!??? Two-Face is a poor man's version of the Joker without the grandeur and presence of Nicholson's great madness.

Drew Barrymore is utterly wasted in a nothing role. Chris O'Donnell is given the thankless role of Robin and gets to be the sidekick to the robot, Batman. I don't even remember seeing Commissioner Gordon; his role was so useless. Nicole Kidman looking so beautiful is actually the single thing that got me through the film.

I could go on and on, but ultimately this film is really responsible for killing the Batman franchise. The series lost its' soul, as we no longer followed Batman the character. In this film there are weak attempts to copy the first film by showing Bruce Wayne contemplating over his parents' deaths again. This is pointless because we've tread down this path before. We don't get anything new.

Batman Forever actually launched this modern style we are stuck in with tons of ridiculous effects and ignoring the great story and artistic style that made the first two Batman films good. Most recent films such as Van Helsing are carbon copies of this empty film. Glitzy colors, cuts and famous actors - no script or care for characters and no care to create a plausible world within the realm of fantasy.

***BTW - Worst moment - Batman avoiding getting trapped in the alley by Two-Face's gang and then driving the Batmobile up the wall. And then they cut to the next scene as if we naturally can figure out where the hell he drove next after heading skyward. Or how about the capsule with acid that gets pulled out by the helicopter and then released by Batman and it just naturally swings right back into the hole it came from. Please!

Soon to be a Classic !

[magnus_nilsson99 · 7/10 · 9 February 2021]

Its overplayed by the allstar cast but it also have some of the best moments "script wise" in the bat-film history. Its colorful but also dark and I actually had a nice time watching this.

I was entertained. Nowdays its rare.

Schumaltzer should stay away from the Batman films...

[Betelgeuse-19 · 1/10 · 1 June 2002]

...Because they sure aren't anything he's good at. I mean, Schumaltzer is capable of creating decent films (8mm, Tigerland, The Lost Boys) but here, blah. I had to force myself to see the whole thing.

Alright, first of all, guess what they have on the Batsuits. NIPPLES! Holy crap, Batman! Is this a porno? As what one guys said on eFilmcritic, "if they wanted nipples, Showgirls was still playing." Indeed!

Second of all, there is neon flashing everywhere. Was the cinematographer high on drugs while designing this? Also, how the hell could the Oscars actually nominate the cinematography? Did they see the original film? I mean, I know the original film won a few Oscars, but that doesn't mean they watch every film they are sent to, they basically only nominate (and choose winners) by doing what's expected of them.

Third of all, I'll stop here and say I hate nearly everything else of this pale imatation of the Adam West series with neon.

1/10

Better than most people remember.

[Thatman95 · 10/10 · 17 May 2001]

While the Batman franchise has been much maligned in recent years due to the disappointing performance of the last live-action film, Forever was second in quality only to the first Bat-film. It added color back into a Gotham that had gotten way too claustrophobic, and brought the tone back to something resembling the comics. Jim Carrey is a scene-stealer and dead on as The Riddler, and Val Kilmer is the perfect Bruce Wayne and Batman. Tommy Lee Jones does a great turn as Two-Face, unfortunately he isn't given enough to do and therefore comes across too cartoony, minus the angst of the character in the comics. One other big complaint is the new score - gone are Danny Elfman's orchestrations. Elliot Goldenthal's music would have been fine if not for his predecessor. Most people tend to lump this one in the 'lousy' section, it seems, but it was one of the biggest movies of '95 and a very faithful adaption overall. Now if they'd only release the director's cut

Fast and funny, if rather hit and miss

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 15 April 2010]

I thoroughly enjoyed the first two Batman movies, and although Tim Burton didn't return and replaced by Joel Schummacher I decided to give Batman Forever a chance. The film isn't as good or as dark as the first two films, but it is a huge improvement over Batman and Robin, the less said about that film the better. Anyway, this film is quite possibly the fastest and the funniest of the series, but despite all this there are some hit and miss elements. Chris O'Donnell is annoying and lifeless as Robin, the script has its weak spots despite some terrific lines from Jim Carrey and while Nicole Kidman was bearable, her character could have been written better. However, it is stylishly filmed with Oscar-nominated photography and excellent special effects, the direction is surprisingly more efficient and the action hurls along at an exciting and breakneck pace. The acting is good on the most part with Val Kilmer brooding as Batman and Michael Gough perfect as Alfred. The villains steal the show though, while Tommy Lee Jones is excellent as usual as Two Face Jim Carrey is the one with the best lines and delivery as the Riddler. Overall, hit and miss but a decent entry in the Batman franchise. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Why did they omitted the dark n dystopian look. Jim Carrey did the same overacting what he did in Mask.

[Fella_shibby · 5/10 · 5 September 2023]

I first saw this with a bunch of school pals in Sterling theatre (South Bombay) in the year 1995. Revisited it recently with my 10 year old nephew.

After having enjoyed both the Keaton's Batman movies on vhs in the late 90s, i was looking forward for the theatrical experience.

While Keaton's movies were dark with gothic style n a dystopian atmosphere, especially Batman Returns was far ahead of its time with a scary villain. Even my 10 year old nephew found the Penguin villain far better n scary than the 2022 version.

Batman Forever ruined the experience with unnecessary comedic elements n lottuva overacting by Jim Carey who did the same stuff what he did in previous year's The Mask.

We have Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon.

He played Gordon in the 1989 film Batman and its three sequels. He is one of only two actors to appear in the four Batman films from 1989 to 1997; the other is Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth.

In one scene Robin is caught by Two Face while Batman is engaged with The Riddler n then suddenly without any explanation, Robin is shown trapped by The Riddler.

OKAY FILM

[Big Movie Fan · 27 February 2002]

I must admit that I was biased before I'd even seen this movie back in 1995. I was biased because I just didn't expect it to be any good due to the absence of Michael Keaton.

When I did watch it I thought it was okay. Val Kilmer did his best as Bruce Wayne although he just looked a bit too young to play a millionaire playboy-but he did do a good job.

Finally we saw the debut of Robin. I thought Robin's costume was cool-it was updated for the 1990's.

Once again the villains stole the show. Jim Carrey (a truly funny man) made a great Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones made a superb Two Face.

Nicole Kidman made a great love interest for Batman but I would have liked to see more interaction between them in the film.

Whilst I think the first two Batman films were the best, I have no problem in recommending this film to any Batman fan.

the worst Batman film

[dr_foreman · 1/10 · 10 July 2004]

At least "Batman & Robin" can be laughed at for the camp classic that it is. "Batman Forever" masquerades as a decent movie, but it falls so far short that it earns a much larger share of my hatred. It does my heart good to see that, with the passage of time, people are finally realizing that the much-maligned "Batman Returns" eats this turkey for breakfast.

There's so much to hate about this movie. Carrey is just awful as the Riddler; his crotch-hugging costume is tacky, his shouting grates on the nerves, and you know what? He doesn't even come up with too many riddles. Tommy Lee Jones is equally awful as Two-Face, as he mugs and hollers in a vain attempt to keep pace with his insane co-star. His character is poorly written, too; Two-Face always abides by the decision his coin makes, and he would never flip and re-flip it to get a certain result, as he does in this movie. Believe it or not, that little sequence changes - and ruins - the entire character. The plot stinks, too, as the Riddler is apparently trying to control everyone's minds with what appears to be a big blender.

Complete with garish costumes, neon lights, and bombastic music, "Batman Forever" is certainly the best headache-inducer out there, but it's not a good comic book movie even though it struggles valiantly to capture the right "feel." Joel Schumacher, who also directed the equally tacky "Phone Booth," is rightfully lambasted for ruining the Batman franchise after two pretty strong initial entries. Bad...just really bad...

Actually not bad

[cameronbettoncom · 7/10 · 19 August 2022]

Is it silly? Yes, but it's intended to be a silly more kid friendly Batman movie and it does that great, but people hate on it for being silly. Don't listen to those reviews its actually a pretty nice movie. Is it a masterpiece? Not really, but if you're okay with a more wacky, light hearted over exaggerated Batman with a silly tone, it should be okay. I haven't seen Batman and Robin yet at the time of me making this but when I do I'll make a review.

Forever a bomb

[Agent10 · 1/10 · 13 August 2002]

This film should have ruined many careers, but that was reserved for the even worse Batman and Robin. The original conception of the film had taken a horrible turn, not only in killing the franchise,

but also turning the series into some sugar rush/caffeine trip which couldn't be stopped. A bad film, Val Kilmer was absolutely horrible in his role as Bruce Wayne, going through each scene like he had better things to do. Also, Jim Carrey's over the top view of The Riddler was far too annoying, making his character mostly unnecessary. Sadly, Tommy Lee Jones graced this horrible film, leaving a dark spot on his resume. Watch this film for the U2 song, but stay away from the rest of it.

The 2nd best in the 90s!!

[packerslilc4 · 7/10 · 17 October 2021]

I love Batman Forever! I grew up in the 90s, and this is definitely my favorite when I grew up, of course behind Batman 89. Val Kilmer as Batman was amazing! He should've done Batman & Robin, Jim Carey as the Riddler was amazing and definitely lit up this movie. Of course Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Two Face is an iconic character. Thank you Joel for an amazing childhood movie!

Cheasy

[hsjung · 3/10 · 31 August 2008]

this film was soooooo gay. Unlike the dark mood of Gotham city from the previous 2 films, Gotham city feels too light. Tim Burton portrayed Batman as a cool fearless but still heroic person but in Batman Forever, Batman has turned in to a sissy, showing fear and pain when beaten. Stunts were also too simple. Previous 2 films did not have Batman simply go into direct fist fight but had him perform dangerous stunts from high buildings. But there's too much fist fight scenes in this film. It's good that they showed the origin of Robin but the costume design for both Batman and Robin were gay. Why show nipples and penis while it could be much cooler flat looking like the costume from 1989 one. This film is Childish, it really is. The director went beyond the real heroic theme. It wasn't heroic at all, it was childish. I say people should never watch this film, it's a total waste of time or money.

Entertaining and spectacular

[allmoviesfan · 7/10 · 22 December 2023]

Val Kilmer is no Michael Keaton and Joel Schumacher is no Tim Burton.

Once you realise this and cast it from your mind, you realise that Batman Forever - with Kilmer replacing Keaton in the title role and Schumacher moving away from Burton's dark imagery in favour of a movie with a lighter, almost comical mood - is still a fun superhero film.

Kilmer is fine as Batman. Big shoes to fill, and I thought he did the best he could.

Tommy Lee Jones as Two Face aka Harvey Dent reminded me of his role as William Strannix in Under Siege: no one plays an off-balance bad guy like Tommy Lee Jones. He was very entertaining.

People say Jim Carrey overplayed the Riddler? Of course he did. That's the character: madcap. He was fine, and made a good one-two villain double punch with Two Face.

Nicole Kidman as Chase Meridian: alluring, and a good way for Bruce Wayne and Batman to co-exist in the same world.

Chris O'Donnell as Dick Grayson aka Robin. Had to happen eventually. I didn't hate the inclusion of the iconic character. Actually, thought he was introduced well.

Don't think too much. Just enjoy.

I did.

Way over the top

[MrVibrating · 4/10 · 17 January 2007]

When you have such a dark, grumbling and stone-faced person as Batman, what should you NOT do? That's right, add wacky, over-the-top goof-ball villains! Tom Lee Jones stars in his second movie featuring him as a psycho and U2 on the soundtrack. He guffaws, he sneers, he sobs, he smiles manically and gives as physical as a performance as his aging body allows.

Pity, then, that he fades completely in every scene Jim Carrey is in, or every scene where we expect him to enter soon, which are all of Lee's scenes. And it's no wonder. Jim Carrey is his usual wacko character, grimacing and silly-walking his way through the movie. While that's usually fun to watch, Joel Schumachers tilting direction makes it all slightly nauseating.

He does have some of the best lines, and there's nothing wrong with his performance. I stress 'his', cause there was plenty of wrong with the others. Chris O'Donnel juts his jaw and strains his face, throwing lines left and right without the slightest fore-thought. Nicole Kidman stands around looking sassy and gets some of the worst lines.

Val Kilmer is totally bland, and were it not for "Heat" I would not be able to recall how he looked. And we covered Tom Lee Jones. There are a few other roles, all of them filled with people busting to top Jim Carreys performance. The only one we can trust is old Michael Gough, the butler.

There are plenty of phony-looking gun fights and explosions, large sets that actually give you the unusual gut feeling that the money could have been used to build that house in Gambia or Etiopia, and more innuendo than you can stand, ranging from the obvious(closeup of the Batbutt with a mysterious zipper) to the slightly more sublime(Alfred calling Robin "Master Dick").

Unless you're a Jim Carrey fan or like camp-noir movies, then there's nothing for you to see here. Move along.

Not as good as Batman and Batman Returns, but it's still a good movie

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 8/10 · 19 September 2002]

Personally, I just enjoyed the first Batman the best, I think a lot of us did. But that doesn't mean this was a bad installment to the "Batman" series, it's actually very decent worth more than one look. We do have a new but every exceptional Batman, Val Kilmer, who has a tough role to fit into after the great performances Michael Keaton brought. Nicole Kidman plays Chase, a beautiful and intelligent scientist who has the hots for Batman more than Bruce, she does a great job and looks so sexy! Jim Carrey, the master of comedy, takes the role of The Riddler, only he can bring the true comic relief and was a great choice. Tommy Lee Jones, as Two Face, was also great and so believable as a scary villain. Last but not least, Chris O'donnel as the wimsical, but more serious than anything version of Robin. The dynamic duo are finally put together for this masterpiece of a sequel!

Batman is now fighting Two Face, or Harvey Dent, who was brutally scarred on one side of his face in a court case of his when he was a lawyer. When he fails one night to successfully capture Two Face, he meets Dr. Chase Meridian, a beautiful scientist and journalist. She is just fascinated with him and it's almost love at first sight for her. Batman of course is falling for her, but is playing hard to get. When Bruce Wayne makes a move on her though, she accepts and they attend a charity circus together, they see the Flying Gracins, a family of flying acrobats, but when the party is interrupted by Two Face and he demands to find out the true identity of Batman otherwise he'll set off a bomb in the circus! When the Gracins try to stop it and Dick Gracin, the youngest flying member goes his separate way to stop it himself, the family is on top of some very high up beams and wire which Two Face stops them by shooting the wires causing the Gracins to fall down to their deaths in front of everyone. When Dick stops the bomb, he is too late to see his family lying dead on the floor.

He comes to live with Bruce and wants revenge on Two Face and promises death and justice! It's not too soon that he discovers that Bruce is Batman and wants to be him at first, but then decides that he shouldn't take over but they should become partners! Batman refuses knowing that it's too dangerous; he continues his affair with Chase. But there is a new problem, an angry employee, Edward Nygmam, at Bruce's business now wants to destroy Batman and become evil! Who better to join up with than Two Face? He also has a machine that can read a person's mind and makes it tell the person's deepest darkest secrets. When Bruce comes to a party after Edward is successful in selling these machines, he tempts Bruce into the biggest machine of all and finds out what Bruce has been hiding for so long. When Batman and Chase are together, she confesses to Batman that she is now falling for Bruce. When she and Bruce have a get together, he wishes to tell her the truth, you know a little bit before this scene he said to Alfred "I've never been in love before", what happened to Vicki Vale and Catwoman? I always wondered that! But anyways, Two Face's gang kidnaps Chase and now Bruce must save her, but his bat cave has been destroyed by The Riddler! With the riddles that Edward sent to Bruce as clues, he and Alfred put everything together and know that it's not going to be easy to defeat this powerful team, that's where Dick comes in, or now known as Robin! Can the dynamic duo save Chase in time and save the world from getting their brains sucked into The Riddler's and can Robin get the revenge he's wanted for so long with Two Face?

Batman Forever is a fantastic installation into the Batman series. I would highly recommend it! It's got action, romance, drama, comedy, and great sets! Among a fantastic soundtrack featuring U2 and Seal's famous "Kiss from a Rose". It's a good movie and should be seen by every Batman fan!

8/10

Nowhere near Burton

[MFC9 · 6/10 · 30 November 2021]

The trailer for Batman Forever had Danny Elfman's original score, making us think this would be another Burton-esque sequel. Unfortunately Warner over-corrected Batman Returns' darkness with a campy, hyper coloured comic book. Kilmer is pretty good as Batman/Bruce, and Kidman reasonable as the psychologist love interest. Jones and Carrey are both completely off their faces, and O'Donnell doesn't quite succeed as the too cool for school Robin. OK at times, but nowhere near Burton's two films. 6/10.

how stupid

[spimpulse2003 · 5/10 · 22 January 2006]

this movie was one of Jim Carey's tommy lee Jones' val kilmer's, and Nicole kidman's worst movie ever.

The entire movie was just horrible right from the beginning and why the hell was this movie so campy oh yeah thats right Joel Schumacher, and Akiva Goldsman did the movie. the only great team's on a batman have been the Tim Burton, and Sam hamm team, and the Chris Nolan, and goyer team. Goldsman, and Schumacher must be gay with each other due to the fact that i thought it was all around bad acting, and villains weren't as menacing as they should have been and two-face was done horrible, and just the riddler looked like a homosexual at the end of the movie, and just all around the movie was horrible.

In the movie Bruce and takes on the new sidekick of robin, but heres the thing two-face had nothing to do with the murder of robin's parents so why did this happen? Another thing is that they screwed up the riddler because he never mastered and i mean never mastered the ability to take out peoples thoughts that was the mad hatter that could enslave the human mind. Face and riddler were never connected as being partners since riddler thought he was too smart to be partnered, but on occasion he may have briefly worked with another villain but did not remain for long. In the end of the movie the riddler becomes a brain dead person, WTF! The riddler never became brain dead, he only became more insane.

I recommend to all if you have this movie please burn it, because it may very well taint your homes, and if you haven't seen this movie take my advice and don't see it, because it is just that much of a waste of time.

Where is keaton and burton when you need them?

[modius · 2 December 2000]

I liked the first two batman movies, they were very, very dark, broodish and more in line to the actual dark comic book style. Burton is an amazing director and brought the best out of Keaton(when batman was out he became the coolest man around - and now he's not even given an eyelid!).

So what went wrong with this film. Was is Schumacher? Apparantly Keaton had doubts over wanting to do another Batman movie and after meeting Schumacher dropped out. It is amazing that such an actor can be put off a film such as this. But after seeing the film I can see why.

The film starts off pretty well, a helicopter crash into a statue of libery look-a-like - with Batman trapped inside, struggling to get outside before it crashed and blew up - it kinda took me back to old James Bond movies. The background song "Kiss from a Rose" provided by Seal is romantically well placed - but it isn't in the same OTT style as the film - unlike the U2 version.

The film lacks anything other than a flimsy plot of revenge. Batman (played by a boring, Val Kilmer) plays master to a vengeful Robin who wants revenge on a flat villan, Two-Face (underplayed by Tommy Lee Jones), who is working with the Riddler - played by an OTT Jim Carrey (I personally would have gone for Robin Williams, but I guess Williams is too old - he's probably fits "the Mad Hatter" rather than the Riddler).

I know Carrey was payed MegaBucks to carry this flimsy film, but this is no reason to make him the only star of this film. Why, when Carrey gets all the minds off tv-zombies, doesn't realize Batman's true identity sooner is beyond me.

Carrey's character is never explained properly, why is eccentric? OK - he never got praise for his work, but if you didn't get praise for your job you don't come crazy and wear green spandex overnight do you?

This film is pretty poor compared to the previous versions, Nicole Kidman although looking pretty - figures out Batman's true identity far too quickly. She's supposed to be head strong, but instead comes across as a dasmel in distress.

Overall I suggest you return to the old versions. And I would suggest avoiding the PAINFUL Clooney version: Batman and Robin.

Overall: 4/10