"Let's start this party with a Bang" - Two Face
"Riddle me This, Riddle me That. Who's afraid of the Big Black Bat?" - The Riddler
Directed By: Joel Schumacher
Produced By: Tim Burton, Peter MacGregor-Scott
Studio: Warner Bros., PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Tim Burton Productions
Distributed By: Warner Bros.
Release Date: June 16, 1995
Running Time: 122 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English
Budget: $100 million
Box office: $336,529,844
Rating: 5.4/10
Cast
Val Kilmer as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Dent/Two-Face
Jim Carrey as Edward Nygma/The Riddler
Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon
Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth
Nicole Kidman as Dr. Chase Meridian
Chris O'Donnell as Dick Grayson/Robin
Synopsis
Director Joel Schumacher inherited the Batman franchise from Tim Burton and began steering it in the campier direction of the Sixties television show with this third installment. First-time Batman/Bruce Wayne (Val Kilmer), in his only outing as the Caped Crusader, is effectively brooding as he ponders strange dreams about his parents' death and escapes his own near-demise at the hands of Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones), a former district attorney driven insane and turned into a master criminal when a gangster throws acid in his face. Meanwhile, as sexy psychologist Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman) tries to analyze and seduce both Bruce Wayne and Batman, Wayne Enterprises employee Edward Nygma (Jim Carrey) reacts badly to getting fired, using his self-invented mind-energy device to transform into the super-intelligent Riddler. The Riddler teams up with Two-Face to bring down Batman and drain the minds of Gotham City residents with his device, while Batman gets some much-needed help in the form of circus performer Dick Grayson (Chris O'Donnell), out for vengeance after being orphaned by Two-Face.
Production
While the previous two films had been directed by Tim Burton, Batman Forever was directed by Joel Schumacher, who made changes to the established designs and thematics of the first two films.
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.
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, who was not seen in either of the two previous films; As in the comic books, Robin is a circus performer whose family is murdered (although, in the film, his family is killed by Two-Face, rather than an ordinary gangster) and becomes Bruce Wayne's ward and Batman's partner in crime-fighting. The Riddler, meanwhile, is portrayed as a vengeful, obsessive former engineer who once worked for Bruce Wayne.
According to an interview with Janet Scott Batchler, Tim Burton's only involvement with Batman Forever was approving Joel Schumacher as director and Lee and Janet Scott Batchler as the writers. Burton did not contribute story ideas and by the time the Batchlers signed on, Schumacher already had hired Tommy Lee Jones to play Two-Face. Since Warner Brothers wanted two villains in the movie, the Batchlers then decided to bring on The Riddler, due to the character's popularity. They wrote the role with Robin Williams in mind, but no deal was made with him. Schumacher also wanted to bring in the character of Robin and the Batchlers turned to their assistant, who grew up in the circus, for research. The character of Dr. Chase Meridian was also created as a way to challenge both sides of Batman's personality, with Nicole Kidman's name mentioned for the role in the early stages.
At the time the third Batman film went into production, it was initially going to be directed by Burton with Michael Keaton. The film was to have Bruce Wayne enlisting the assistance of an orphan by the name of Robin, in bringing down the villainous Riddler, not expecting to meet with a new love interest to complicate matters. Rumors claimed Micky Dolenz was the Riddler and that Robin Williams was offered the role, but turned it down, with a possible return of Catwoman (who survived the events of Batman Returns). Renee Russo was cast as Keaton's love interest. After initial casting with Marlon Wayans he actually signed on to portray Robin and costume tested for the film. But Warner Bros. ultimately threw out Burton after they realized the tone of the film was to be similar to Batman Returns. When Schumacher came on board as the new director, he threw out most of Burton's decisions and ideas, starting from scratch. As a result, Marlon Wayans' contract was actually paid out in full by Warner Bros. and Chris O'Donnell was cast as Robin instead. Tommy Lee Jones was then cast as Two-Face to replace Burton's choice of Billy Dee Williams, although Burton never intended on using the character in the film but had left it open as a possibility in future installments. Schumacher approached Robin Williams to play the Riddler, who after some deliberation turned down the role. Instead Schumacher cast Jim Carrey. Renee Russo was deemed too old to play Kilmer's love interest, and therefore was replaced by Nicole Kidman.
After some negotiating, Keaton left the film as he was unhappy with the script being lighter-in-tone and the absence of Tim Burton. Due to its huge success, Batman Forever was followed two years later by Batman & Robin.
Awards
1995 - Universe Reader's Choice Award: Best Fantasy Film
1996 - Kids' Choice Awards: Favorite Movie Actor (Jim Carrey as The Riddler)
1996 - Brit Awards: Best Soundtrack
1996 - ASCAP Award: Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures (Adam Clayton, The Edge, Bono, Larry Mullen Jr. ~ For the song "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me")
1996 - ASCAP Award: Top Box Office Films
Review
"By now, Jim Carrey is doing sarcastic takes on his own sarcasm, and there's something funny and a little scary in that." - Owen Gleiberman (Entertainment Weekly)
"Joel Schumacher submits to the Wagnerian bombast with an overly busy surface, and the script by Lee and Janet Scott Batchler and Akiva Goldsman basically runs through the formula as if it's a checklist." - Jonathan Rosenbaum (Chicago Reader)
"Batman Forever is in and out but wins in the end by staying true to its unbridled comic spirit." - Peter Travers (Rolling Stone)
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