BATMAN FOREVER
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1995 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): *
I am sorry to report that Tim Burton has decided to make a third Batman movie, BATMAN FOREVER. This is the first one that he did not direct although he did produce it. For director he tapped Joel Schumacher, whose only halfway decent film was THE CLIENT.
BATMAN FOREVER has nothing new to say. As usual, there are a set of villains: D. A. Harvey "Two-Face" Dent (Tommy Lee Jones) and Edward Nygma - The Riddler (Jim Carrey) and good guys: Dr. Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman) and Commissioner Gordon (Pat Hingle). This time we have Chris O'Donnell playing Dick Grayson - Robin. The biggest difference of all is Val Kilmer as Bruce Wayne - Batman rather than Michael Keaton.
The plot, you ask? Why do you ask? If you have seen one Batman, you have seen them all. I will not cover the plot as its existence is irrelevant. One sees Batman to sneer at the villains and watch all of the gadgetry and stunts. Almost every scene requires the suspension of disbelief in order to watch it.
The script is full of one liners that end in "ha ha ha" just to make sure that you know it is supposed to be a joke. Moreover, the director has the actors get all wild eyed to make absolutely sure you know it is a joke. Perhaps, Batman has always been this way, but the style has outlined ability to charm or interest an audience. The audience in the theater I was at had about as much interest in the movie as Val Kilmer did, which is almost none. He sleepwalked through most of the movie. Even at that, his performance was much better than Kidman's who was unable to demonstrate she could act at all, and based on her previous movies, I would say the jury is still out on that question anyway.
The sets by Barbara Ling and the cinematography by Stephen Goldblatt were in the usual dark and foreboding Batman style. Granted they were not as sinister as in BATMAN or BATMAN RETURNS, nevertheless, they were pretty depressing.
I understand that Robin Williams was offered the role of The Riddler, but Tim Burton got frustrated when Williams would not make up his mind if he wanted to take the part or not and gave it to Carrey instead out of frustration. Frankly, I think Williams's style of humor would have enlivened the show some, and I am sorry he did not agree to do the part.
BATMAN FOREVER seemed liked it ran forever. The editing by Dennis Virkler was fast paced, but had too much material at 2:00. I was bored from the beginning. It is correctly rated PG-13 for comic violence and sexual references. I would not let kids under 13 see it, but there were a fair number of 8 year olds and above in the audience when I saw it. I do not recommend the movie, and I award it a single star solely for the gadgets. I hope Tim Burton realizes that the Batman formula is tired, and it is time to bury it. I do hope that next year we do not have BATMAN AD NAUSEAM as yet another blockbuster attempt.
**** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable.
REVIEWED WRITTEN ON: July 27, 1995
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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