Batman Forever
From Freepedia
| Batman Forever | |
| Directed by | Joel Schumacher |
| Written by | Lee Batchler (screenwriter) Janet Scott Batchler (screenwriter) Akiva Goldsman (screenwriter) Lee Batchler (story) Janet Scott Batchler (story) Bob Kane (comic book) |
| Starring | Val Kilmer Tommy Lee Jones Jim Carrey Nicole Kidman Chris O'Donnell Michael Gough Pat Hingle Drew Barrymore Debi Mazar |
| Produced by | Tim Burton Peter MacGregor-Scott |
| Distributed by | Warner Brothers |
| Release date | June 9, 1995 |
| Runtime | 122 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $100,000,000 |
| IMDb page | |
Batman Forever (1995) is the third film in the series of Batman movies which began with Tim Burton's 1989 version of the character, although it is a major departure from previous entries in the franchise, with the dramatic changes to such things as the cast, design, and most notably, Danny Elfman's theme, which is scrapped completely. It starred Val Kilmer as Batman, in his first and only appearance as the Dark Knight, and Chris O'Donnell as Robin.
Contents |
Background
While the previous two films had been directed by Tim Burton, Batman Forever was directed by Joel Schumacher, whose changes to the established designs and thematics of the first two films -- Batman's costume includes latex nipples for example -- are regarded by many as being less serious than the franchise's previous two. Burton, incidentally, stayed on the project as producer.
The villains in the movie are The Riddler, played by Jim Carrey, and Two-Face/Harvey Dent, a role played in the original 1989 movie by Billy Dee Williams, but assumed here by Tommy Lee Jones. Also in the movie is Dr. Chase Meridian, played by Nicole Kidman; the movie proved to be Kidman's breakout role and put her on the road to superstardom.
Picking up a few years after the events of Batman Returns, this sequel follows Two-Face's alliance with The Riddler and their resulting plan to destroy Batman. It also tells the origin story of Robin (a familiar character not seen in either of the two previous Batman films by Tim Burton). Robin's circus-performing family are killed by Two-Face, and the Riddler is a vengeful, obsessive former engineer of Bruce Wayne, Batman's alter-ego.
Originally it was intended that the third Batman film would be directed by Burton with Michael Keaton, Rene Russo as the love interest, Micky Dolenz as the Riddler (Robin Williams was offered the role, but turned it down) and possibly a reprise of the Catwoman character. When Burton was attached by the studio to the Superman film, Keaton left the film as he was unhappy to do the part with another director. As the younger Val Kilmer was cast, production was delayed and Rene Russo was let go, as she was deemed an inappropriate age for the part of the love interest. Due to its huge success, Batman Forever was followed two years later by Batman and Robin (1997).
Critical reaction and box office
The film's budget was approximately $90 - $100 million and earned $184,031,112 in total domestic sales and $152.5 million worldwide (according to [1]), making it the most successful movie of the summer of 1995 and second-best of that year (next to Toy Story). It was also the third most successful Batman movie as of July 20th, 2005 (after the 1989 original and 2005's Batman Begins).
The film obtained generally mixed reviews. Much of the negativity came from the drastic makeover of the franchise (most of it led by Joel Schumacher at the will of the Warner Brothers executives). Due to the fact that Batman Returns earned less than the original, Warner Brothers insisted the movie be made into a kid-friendly cash cow.1. This resulted making the third Batman movie with a feel that was more reminiscent to the 1960's TV show than its Burton predecessors. Disapproval was also heaped upon Val Kilmer, who, though being physically fit for Batman, was widely criticized for his wooden portrayal of Bruce Wayne. Others accused Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones' over-the-top performances as the Riddler and Two-Face, who, in contrast with past villains, were cartoonish rather than menacing. Another source of controversy is the introduction of nipples in the Batsuit (except for the one used in the finale), as well as the humorous close-ups of Bruce Wayne while donning his suit.
A prominent criticism of the film's atmosphere centers around the constant use of neon lights, black lights, and glow-in-the-dark elements, which seemingly reaches its peak with the street gang Robin fights halfway through the film. These effects are regarded by some fans as slightly nonsensical. Another issue some fans have had with the film are the new gadgets. While Batman's technology has always been sci-fi and fantastical, some fans thought that the Batmobile climbing walls and a cape that melts into a bomb resistant shell were pushing the plausibility of things to their limits.
Batman Forever has been regarded by some as a homoerotic movie after a conservative columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, Gary Willis, (not a movie reviewer) sardonically bashed the movie's campiness and perceived homoerotic motifs ("Batman Forever is a Gay Old Time," Chicago Sun-Times, 1995). Though not defending the film's cinematic merits, most view this analysis a groundless throwback to similar homophobic criticisms of the early years of the comic books and the 1960's TV series.
On DVD
Batman Forever was given a "bare bones" DVD release when the medium was introduced in 1997-98. However, in 2005, the newest feature film, Batman Begins, spawned Warner Bros. to release a Two-Disc Special Edition set of all four Burton-Schumacher films in Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997.
Features of the first Schumacher film include:
- Digitally Remastered Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer
- English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Track
- English DTS 5.1 Surround Track
- Audio Commentary with Director Joel Schumacher
- Riddle Me This: Why is Batman Forever?
- Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight Part 5: Reinventing a Hero
- Beyond Batman Documentary Gallery Including:
- Out of the Shadows: The Production Design of Batman Forever
- The Many Faces of Gotham City
- Knight Moves: The Stunts of Batman Forever
- Imaging Forever: The Visual Effects of Batman Forever
- Scoring Forever: The Music of Batman Forever
- "Kiss From a Rose" Music Video by Seal
- Selection of Additional Scenes
- The Heroes and The Villains Profile Galleries
- Batman Forever Theatrical Trailer
Trivia
- This is the second time Val Kilmer and Michael Gough were in a movie together. The first movie was the 1984 comedy movie Top Secret! where Val made his debut.
- One other name that was thrown out by Warner Brothers for Batman Forever was Batman Strikes.
- Tom Hanks and Alec Baldwin were almost cast as Batman.
- Mel Gibson was rumored to be almost cast as Two-Face, and Micky Dolenz filmed a screen test to audition for the Riddler.
- In one early 1993 draft, the villains were originally set to be Two Face and The Scarecrow.
- Director Tim Burton intended to direct the third film in the franchise, but turned it down due to creative differences. According to the audio commentary on the 2005 Batman Returns DVD, Burton admits that he didn't exit the series, but rather, was not asked to return.
- Detective Harvey Bullock was originally set to have a small role in the film, but WB thought he would be confused with Harvey Dent/Two Face.
- Robin Williams was offered the role of the Riddler, but he refused to consider it pending an apology from Warner Bros. for their casting of the Joker in the original Batman movie. Jack Nicholson was the offered the role of Joker first but kept delaying his answer and Williams was offered the role. The producers turned around and informed Nicholson that Williams was considering the offer, and Nicholson accepted.
- Over forty minutes of the movie was cut to make it more appealing and marketable to viewers with children. It was rumored for some time that this footage would be restored on the 'Director's Cut' DVD released in the upcoming 2005 boxset of the 1989-1997 films. However, Warner Bros. have declared plans for this were abandoned, although the Special Features on the disc will include some deleted scenes separate from the main feature.
- Commissioner Gordon (played by Pat Hingle) was originally going to be shot and killed by Two Face in an early draft, but the idea was turned down when WB wanted a family-friendly Batman film that children could go to.
- Chris O'Donnell, Corey Feldman, and Corey Haim auditioned for the role of Robin in Batman Forever. Ultimately, Chris O'Donnell got the part. Christian Bale, who plays the role of Batman in Batman Begins, was also considered for Robin.
- Billy Dee Williams agreed to play Harvey Dent in the original Batman, hoping that the role would guarantee he would be play Two-Face himself in a sequel. However, he was eventually bought out in order to recast the role with Tommy Lee Jones. Many fans have noted that they disliked Jones' manic performance and believed that Williams would have done a better job.
- In one scene, Two-Face is repeatedly flipping his coin, trying to get the result he wants. This has irked many comic book fans since it is part of the character's mentality to accept the result a single toss has been fated.
- Leonardo Dicaprio also auditioned for the part of Robin, but he was ultimately beaten by Chris O'Donnell.
- Is 122 minutes long, shorter than the Burton films.
- In the comics, Robin is a teenager; Chris O'Donnell was almost 30 years old during filming. But yet in the film, he still asks about Social Services after his parents were killed, implying that he was in fact a teenager.
- When Dick is talking to Batman about superhero names he could use, he says Nightwing, which is the current identity of Grayson.
- In one scene, Bruce Wayne mentions that the travelling circus has moved onto Metropolis, a clear reference to the fictional city of another DC Comics character, Superman.
Soundtrack
Hit singles from the soundtrack include "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" by U2, and "Kiss From A Rose" by Seal, both of which were nominated for MTV Movie Awards. "Kiss From A Rose" (whose video was also directed by Schumacher) reached #1 in the US charts as well.
External Links
- Batman Forever at the Internet Movie Database
- Batman Forever review, Batman Forever DVD review
- A Belated Apology to Joel Schumacher (Signed, The Internet)
| The Batman movies |
|---|
| Batman serials |
| The Batman | Batman and Robin |
| Adam West TV series continuity |
| Batman |
| Tim Burton-Joel Schumacher series continuity |
| Batman | Batman Returns | Batman Forever | Batman and Robin |
| Bruce Timm TV series continuity |
| Batman: Mask of the Phantasm | Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman | Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker |
| Christopher Nolan series continuity |
| Batman Begins |
