BATMAN FOREVER
[Spoilers]
A film review by will@walden.mo.net
Copyright 1995 will@walden.mo.net
This latest adventure with the Dark Knight is an excellent sequel, much better than the last one. Depending on your tastes, you might like this one better than the original. However, comic book fans will be disappointed as usual. But get real, you just can't put 50+ years of plotlines and character development into two hours.
Even though it seems they tried for some character development. Character development is all this film has. Plot, "Oops, we forgot the plot!" is very thin. Disgruntled employee tries to take over the world. No that's never been done before. Characters have *lots* of motivation. Good method acting, bad writing.
Sequel fans will dislike the continued trend in these films, namely, the major characters keep getting killed off. I guess if you are a big enough star, you have it in your mind to do just *one* film, you get the writers to kill your character off at the end of the film. So they killed the Joker, *the* quintessential Batman foe. And they killed that *travesty* of a Penguin, no big loss. Oh, since we can only sign a female co-star for a film, let's reveal Bruce's identity to each *one* yeah that's the ticket; we know how people can keep a big secret like that. Whatever the producers think they are producing, they aren't concerned about story. Nope just entertainment.
Entertaining, BATMAN FOREVER *is*. Worth the $5. Probably worth the $9, you silly price-inflated coastal people. Go see it. Have fun. You could *even* bring the kids. Heck there's more violence in the Mighty Dwarfin' Flower Strangers than in this cute film. Psychology students would love this film. Also people with multiple personalities. "Like it? I liked it, but I did not."
Here's a cool game you can play, see how many references to "two" you can get in the film.
Okay, enough commentary, here's the dirt.
Val Kilmer is an excellent Bats. "Mr. Wayne, nice facial reconstruction you had there." "Yes, Alfred is quite the plastic surgeon."
What's his name is back as Alfred, *the* best actor in the lot, in my opinion.
What's his name is back as Commissioner Gordon. Nice, easy no- dimensional character there.
Nicole Kidman is Dr. Chase Meridian. A lovely 1/2-dimensional shrink specializing in Abnormal Psychology. Who can't keep her pants on. Kidman looks much better as a redhead, but I guess they couldn't have her competing with Carrey's dye-job. Check it: for all you who did not get it, "meridian" means divider, or halfway. Like, she goes for both Wayne and Bats.
Tommy Lee Jones. Poor guy plays Two-Face. "Hey, the acid scaring half my face and body, I could handle. But the other half becoming a WHITE MAN, that drove me nuts!" Why waste a perfectly good actor such as Jones on a one-dimensional (at least he has one, dimension) basically angry character. Should have signed Billy Dee Williams (see three names, still looks good on the marquee) for the part. I think it's much better to have a Very Good Looking Actor play the part of the hideously-half-scared Two- Face, instead of the "Attractive but not Beautiful" Jones. Who *is* his tailor?
Chris What's-his-brush-cut-head plays Dick Grason, recently orphaned acrobat. Guess where he gets the silly orange costume. Flimsy "Robin" name origin. "'Shot in like a Sparrow.'.. nah... 'Shot in like a Hawk.' ... nope.... I know 'Shot in like a ROBIN.' Yeah! that's it." Give me a break. Girls will swoon, he plays a good straight man to Kilmer's gag man. "Holy angst-filled-directionless-twentysomething idol Batman!"
Okay, here's the scene stealer: Jim Carrey. You could see this coming. First upstaged by Nickolson, then bored to death by Walken, DeVito, and Pfeiffer, and now to be "Out classed, out coifed and out *done*" by Carrey in this film. Interesting use of question mark motif; not quite enough riddles to put our frontal lobes in gear; and a silly and dubious "big city-wide conspiracy--evil-techno-fear" plot twist. "Hey, I know, let's have 'em build a giant capacitor to steal the city's power. Oh, did we do that before?" "I got it, let's take a consumer product and make it unsafe to use! ... Oh, did we do that before?" "Hey, here's one, lets make a bunch of evil *blenders*."
Rene' Auberjonois even has a cameo as Arkham Asylum's "Dr. Burton"
If I had to use one word to sum up the costuming and props: Marketing. Can you say *lots* of action figures? "Holy wardrobe, Batman! That Riddler sure is a snappy dresser!!"
Speaking of art direction, in this movie Gotham City seemed somehow, I don't know *cheery*. What's this? No, don't worry, there still are plenty of cool statues and big, megalopolis-city scapes. But the whole place looks cleaner, almost hospitable. I guess old Bats sure has cleaned up the town since the first movie.
Well now that they have killed off or otherwise eliminated five count 'em five Batman Villains/anti-Villains who can they do next?
Poison Ivy? The Scarecrow? Some silly corporate bad-guy? Oops, done that. Nah, just wrap up the Batman stuff and pick some other character for the next superhero movie from the comics, say Aquaman or the Green Lantern. I can hear the producers now: "Yeah, that's the ticket! Aquaman could be this cool water guy with an eco-twist! Or, better yet, go with this Lantern guy. With all the computer stuff now, those silly giant can-openers and mouse-traps would look really *cool* on the big screen...."
Be afraid, be very afraid.
TTFN!
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