Part 4 in our countdown to the release of The Dark Knight Rises, in which we add neon, nipples and more...
THE BAT-FILM: Although Batman Returns was a success overall for Warner Brothers, the studio execs felt it would have made far more money had it been more family-friendly. Far more satisfied with his last film, director Tim Burton was eager to revisit the Bat-verse, but - fearing the loss of creative control afforded to him on Returns - decided to stay with the project in a producing capacity only. To replace the outgoing Burton, the studio selected Joel Schumacher to step into the director’s chair and generally lighten the mood.
And lighten the mood he does… along with making the first Batman movie that takes an interest in exploring its lead character. Burton never seemed all that taken with the Bat himself, choosing instead to shift the focus to his villains. Schumacher puts his lens back squarely on Batman, making the titular hero an actual character for the first time in his own series. And while the film is lighthearted and more kid-oriented than its predecessors, Schumacher turns in a film far more character-driven than the more “adult” Batman of Burton (which were only adult in the juvenile, fourteen-year-old’s idea of the word “adult”).
As Batman/Bruce Wayne, Val Kilmer gets the character in a way that seemed beyond Michael Keaton's grasp. Keaton always seemed uneasy in the role of an action hero, stumbling his way through scenes with an awkwardness that felt completely off for a dark, driven superhero. Kilmer goes the complete opposite route, giving us a Batman who is in complete and total control of himself and any situation he finds himself in, as Batman should be. He’s still a dark avenger of the night, but not above cracking a smile every now and then - which is really the brilliant thing about Kilmer’s portrayal, that perfect balance of tone. The actor gets the emotion and the pathos and the guilt of the character, while at the same time embracing the silliness of a dude who dresses up like a bat and gets in adventures. Kilmer is the perfect Batman: handsome, suave and - most importantly - intelligent. I’ve always preferred when Batman uses his wits every bit as much as his fists to beat the bad guys, and it’s a true delight to see Kilmer in the Batcave, working out the mystery of the Riddler’s clues - even though said “mystery” isn’t all that removed from something you’d find on the Adam West show.
Batman Forever also finally brings in Robin to the film series, played here by Chris O‘Donnell. Where Batman is, Robin surely must follow - an understandably difficult character to throw into the mix, as Robin doesn’t really belong in the loner Batman’s world, but the two remain inseparable in the public consciousness. The filmmakers’ wisely age the character to his late teens/early twenties, and “cool” him up by turning him into a biker punk (with an earring, even!). There have been several snickers had on the fact that Bruce Wayne takes such an interest in the young Dick Grayson, but the movie makes it clear that Bruce sees a kindred spirit, wanting to help this young man through the agony of losing his parents. O’Donnell does pretty good in the role, showcasing a Robin who was heroic long before strapping on the rubber bodysuit, and eager to join Batman in his war on crime. The actor walks a very fine line, as it would be easy to turn Dick’s constant pleas to Batman into annoying exchanges, but O’Donnell gets across a certain empathy and charisma to endear the audience to his character. Besides all that, he’s really not as much of a major player as the advertisements would lead you to believe, really only becoming Robin at the very end (and almost immediately turning into a hostage for Batman to rescue).
Nicole Kidman also brings a lot to the picture as Batman’s new love interest, Dr. Chase Meridian. Having Batman get involved with a sexy psychologist is an idea so novel I can’t believe it hadn’t been thought of before. She’s a wonderful romantic foil for Bruce Wayne/Batman, playing to both aspects of the character: the steamy scenes with her and Batman are draped in thinly-veiled sexuality, while her exchanges with Bruce stimulate him on an intellectual level - setting up the wonderful superhero trope where the lead character gets into a love triangle with his alter-ego. Kidman and Kilmer’s scenes are wonderfully staged and acted, and it’s nice to see a Bat-girlfriend who’s as smart and clever as the hero. It’s a shame we don’t really ever learn anything more about her character other than her obsession with Batman, but she sure as hell beats another bland, Vicki Vale-type.
Schumacher also finally involves Michael Gough as Alfred, who had so little screen-time in the last two he barely registered as a supporting character. It’s nice to see the sublime Gough finally get to exercise his considerable talents, giving us an Alfred dripping with equal parts paternal warmth and dry British humor (as he should be). It’s also nice to see the Alfred in the Batcave with Bruce, trying to solve the Riddler’s latest clues.
This is also the first Batman movie where the action scenes are filmed with any kind of competency. Schumacher stages the various fights and chases with a sense of fun and style, nicely balancing the plot with the spectacle for a very well-paced movie. The more colorful design of Gotham is a far cry from the Gothic spires of the Burton films, but fits in well with the overall tone of the movie - without really getting too far over the top like the director later would in Batman & Robin.
THE VILLAINS: And here we get to the only real problems with the movie, the pair of villainous buffoons played by Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey. Their over-the-top portrayals of Two-Face and the Riddler certainly fit in with the more cartoonish vibe of the whole movie, but sadly never really register as much of a threat to Batman, failing to build up any kind of suspense through their various schemings and machinations.
Of course, if you’re going to ham it up, you might as well get a great actor to ham it up, and Tommy Lee Jones hams things up with much relish as the bifurcated Two-Face. Two-Face is actually a pretty great, fascinating character - a split-personality who’s completely unable to make decisions without first flipping his scarred coin, Two-Face also has personal ties to Batman, as he used to be one of Bruce Wayne’s closest friends as former District Attorney Harvey Dent. Pretty much all of that is ignored over here, as Jones glosses over the fascinating psychology of the character in favor of playing him like a total loon. Making matters worse, Two-Face even gets his own naughty and nice girlfriends, Sugar and Spice (portrayed by Drew Barrymore and Debi Mazar, respectively).
Back in 1995, it didn’t get much bigger than Jim Carrey. The comedic actor was huge, so when it was announced he’d be playing the Riddler in the next Batman movie, everyone’s ears perked up a little bit. Carrey plays the villain much like you would expect, all zany Id and kooky, instantly quotable one-liners. Carrey does a nice job overall, and holds his own well against Jones. There’s a nice, nuanced quality just beneath the wacky surface, hinting at the acting depths Carrey would later plumb in serious movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
The two actors seem to be having an absolute ball, and it’s hard not to be charmed by them at first. But the overacting and constant wackiness quickly gets exhausting after a while, as Jones and Carrey seem intent on topping each other with snappy one-liners and general insanity. I did like their final encounter with Batman, as the Riddler forces him to choose between saving Robin or Chase. It’s a far more personal showdown as opposed to an elaborate set-piece, and completes our hero’s arc for the movie - allowing Batman to achieve self-actualization by realizing that being Batman isn’t a curse, but a choice.
THOSE WONDERFUL TOYS: Everything gets a redesign here, as Batman and Robin’s outfits have a sleeker look (and yes, nipples). The Batmobile also gets a complete overhaul into a glowing, spiny hot rod. It looks appropriately lean and mean (and can now scale walls, thanks to a nifty grappling hook), but I can’t really say that it’s an improvement over the last design. We also get a new Batboat and Batwing (which handily detaches its wings to become a Batsub), but they really don’t do much other than fly and sail around a bit before exploding. You’d think the filmmakers could find more exciting things for the vehicles to do in these movies…
Batman’s gadgets and weapons are pretty much the same, albeit far more shiny. He uses a greater variety of tools, such as flame-cutters, electric tasers and some handy shade visors to protect his eyes from bright lights. He also uses a pair of rocket boots in the last set-piece, but I couldn’t really discern exactly what purpose they served.
THE BAT’S IN THE DETAILS: The “Special Edition” DVD has some rather illuminating deleted scenes, chief among them a jaunt into the deeper recesses of the Batcave for Bruce Wayne that is very Empire Strikes Back. After being shot by Two-Face, Bruce is having some memory troubles, so Alfred leads him into the cave to find himself again. Here, Bruce confronts his past, and realizes that his fixation on his father’s diary is due to his reading a passage where he finds out he begged his parents to take him to the movies on that fateful night they were both shot and killed - making him feel responsible for their deaths. He then is confronted by a giant, bat-like creature, which reminds him just who he is and what he has to do. There is also a much darker opening, which sees Two-Face escaping from Arkham Asylum. Before the DVD came out, there was talk of integrating this footage into the film for a “Director’s Cut,” but it never materialized. Hopefully someday these scenes will find their way back into the movie, as it makes for a much richer film.
A lot of Bat-fans cringe when you bring up the name Joel Schumacher, but - at least in Forever - Schumacher is far truer to the Batman mythos than Burton ever was: Arkham Asylum is introduced, Alfred and Commissioner Gordon are more involved, and Schumacher fashions Batman himself into the guilt-ridden hero more in line with his portrayal in the best Batman stories.
I've always loved the conceit of the superhero getting into a love triangle with his alter ego, mainly because it perfectly encapsulates that, when trying to woo that special someone, oftentimes your greatest enemy is yourself.
The scene where Dick saves a girl from a bunch of Day-Glo hoodlums (led by Don “the Dragon” Wilson) in a glowing back alley serves as a foreshadowing of the neon horrors that await us in Batman & Robin…
First he just lets Vicki Vale into the Batcave, now Alfred lets Dick Grayson out-and-out steal the Batmobile for a joy ride. I would be worrying about my job security if I were him…
The crass opening scene where Batman tells Alfred he’ll “get drive-thru” feels like it was shot specifically for the fast-food tie-ins - we should be thankful there are no golden arches visible amongst the neon skyline of Gotham City.
I had this on VHS as a kid, and let me tell you... I wore that fucker out. Even though it's probably been a decade since I last watched it, I found myself still able to quote whole passages from the movie as it played. Sad, but true.
Gotham City should just put a ban on all public celebrations/parties, considering they always get crashed by some super-villain or other.
Harvey Dent was played by Billy Dee Williams in the first Batman, as the actor took on the role hoping he'd one day get to play Two-Face. So much for that.
Rene Aubergonois plays a doctor at Arkham Asylum who is pale and has full-on Robert Smith styled black hair. Unsurprisingly, his name is “Dr. Burton.”
Long-time Andy Kaufman friend and collaborator Bob Zmuda makes a small appearance here, as does future Iron Man director Jon Favreau.
“The circus should be halfway to Metropolis by now…” Heh.
The “holy rusted metal” moment is painful, on so may levels.
BEST QUOTE: “It’s the car, right? Chicks dig the car.” Corny, but true.
THE LAST LAUGH: I’ll go ahead and say it: despite the hammy villains, Batman Forever is easily the best of the four original films - providing an exciting psychosexual thriller that remains character-driven, while also not afraid to get silly and just plain fun.
No comments:
Post a Comment