By Cookie 'N' Screen
Do you have a secret film stash somewhere? No, no, not those films. I’m talking about the bad movies (again, I’m not talking about porn!). I mean movies you don’t want to admit to liking, especially if you are a hipster film snob. I’m talking about Mean Girls, Bubble Boy and Repo! The Genetic Opera. That’s right, your guilty pleasures and I’m here to tell you, that you are not alone. We all can’t keep our mitts away from these stale treats.
Do you have a secret film stash somewhere? No, no, not those films. I’m talking about the bad movies (again, I’m not talking about porn!). I mean movies you don’t want to admit to liking, especially if you are a hipster film snob. I’m talking about Mean Girls, Bubble Boy and Repo! The Genetic Opera. That’s right, your guilty pleasures and I’m here to tell you, that you are not alone. We all can’t keep our mitts away from these stale treats.
I wanna talk about a doozy that I’m sure a lot of hard-core Batman fans would dismiss in a heartbeat. There was a time long before Christopher Nolan got his genius on the brooding bat and a time just after Tim Burton re-mastered our caped crusader, when Batman was given to Joel Schumacher. Schumacher then promptly forgot about the new legacy Burton had set up and his brilliant work on The Lost Boys and created Batman Forever and a film that shan’t be named.
Batman Forever revolves around Bruce Wayne and his alter ego Batman once again called in to stop crime on the streets of Gotham. When Harvey ‘Two Face’ Dent shows up at a Circus event and kills the flying Graysons, their youngest son Dick is taken under Wayne’s wing (insert pun laugh). As soon as The Riddler comes on the scene, things go from bad to worse for our heroes and Batman must learn to accept the help of another in order to save Gotham’s future. All the while seducing the latest hot totty he’ll give his secret identity to… It’s tense stuff.
Batman Forever revolves around Bruce Wayne and his alter ego Batman once again called in to stop crime on the streets of Gotham. When Harvey ‘Two Face’ Dent shows up at a Circus event and kills the flying Graysons, their youngest son Dick is taken under Wayne’s wing (insert pun laugh). As soon as The Riddler comes on the scene, things go from bad to worse for our heroes and Batman must learn to accept the help of another in order to save Gotham’s future. All the while seducing the latest hot totty he’ll give his secret identity to… It’s tense stuff.
Why is it bad?
Batman Forever steers clear of all the hard work Tim Burton put in to help us forget about the crazy Adam West television series. Opting for a more colourful, glow in the dark and stage like Gotham, Batman Forever feels more like a silly child’s game than an actual film. While Burton set’s up his weird and elaborate stage there is still a dark side to his imagination. Schumacher is all frills, spills and set design; a film with all surface and no depth.
There is also a random lead character change from Michael Keaton to Val Kilmer. Despite the attempt at a subplot and back story, Kilmer plods stiffly through. He does as well as his always-wooden co-star Nicole Kidman (as sexy psychiatrist Dr. Chase Meridian)
And let’s not forget what Oscar-Winning Tommy Lee Jones did to a supposedly complex character…
Batman Forever steers clear of all the hard work Tim Burton put in to help us forget about the crazy Adam West television series. Opting for a more colourful, glow in the dark and stage like Gotham, Batman Forever feels more like a silly child’s game than an actual film. While Burton set’s up his weird and elaborate stage there is still a dark side to his imagination. Schumacher is all frills, spills and set design; a film with all surface and no depth.
There is also a random lead character change from Michael Keaton to Val Kilmer. Despite the attempt at a subplot and back story, Kilmer plods stiffly through. He does as well as his always-wooden co-star Nicole Kidman (as sexy psychiatrist Dr. Chase Meridian)
And let’s not forget what Oscar-Winning Tommy Lee Jones did to a supposedly complex character…
Why is it good?
One of the reason it works is because of the fact it doesn’t take itself to serious. Batman Forever isn’t trying to win the Palme D’Or and that’s ok. It’s cheesy for a reason and who exactly doesn’t like their superheroes with a bit of cheese. It’s supposed to be fun and hey, not every movie we go and watch has to make us scratch our heads. Sometimes we need more light-heartedness.
But the backbone that makes Batman Forever unforgettable is this guy:
One of the reason it works is because of the fact it doesn’t take itself to serious. Batman Forever isn’t trying to win the Palme D’Or and that’s ok. It’s cheesy for a reason and who exactly doesn’t like their superheroes with a bit of cheese. It’s supposed to be fun and hey, not every movie we go and watch has to make us scratch our heads. Sometimes we need more light-heartedness.
But the backbone that makes Batman Forever unforgettable is this guy:
Jim Carrey does exactly what Jim Carrey does and for that The Riddler is an unstoppable villain that sticks within our mind. Made in 1995, Batman Forever was slap bang in the middle of Jim Carrey crazy and it certainly does the film justice watching him fool around like a ginger Ace Ventura. Somehow his antics are endearing and watchable as Edward Nygma seeks revenge on Gotham.
Schumacher did a great job of bringing Batman Forever to families world-wide and you can’t blame him for trying. Batman Forever is the film to watch when there is nothing else to watch, it’s the film you can lounge around to. But ultimately, it’s a hyper active comic book brought to our screens, and for that you can’t help but praise Schumacher…
Schumacher did a great job of bringing Batman Forever to families world-wide and you can’t blame him for trying. Batman Forever is the film to watch when there is nothing else to watch, it’s the film you can lounge around to. But ultimately, it’s a hyper active comic book brought to our screens, and for that you can’t help but praise Schumacher…
And then slap him around the face for this!
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