| |
Batman Forever is a 1995 superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman. Joel Schumacher directed the film, which stars Val Kilmer as Batman, as well as Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman and Chris O'Donnell. Batman Forever tells the story of Batman (Kilmer) trying to stop Two-Face (Jones) and the Riddler's (Carrey) villainous scheme of draining information from all the brains in Gotham City. Batman gains alliance from psychiatrist Dr. Chase Meridian (Kidman) and adopted sidekick Robin (O'Donnell).
film opens with Batman (Val Kilmer) stopping a hostage situation in a bank caused by Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones), alter ego of physically/emotionally scarred former district attorney, Harvey Dent.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Batman Forever' Start a new discussion about 'Batman Forever' Answer questions from other users |
Quotations
We're 5 little items of an everyday sort. You'll find us all in a tennis court.
In... A-E-I-O-U. Vowels.
Poor Edward. I had to save them both. You see, I'm both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Not because I have to be. Now... because I choose to be.
The Bat's stubborn refusal to expire... IS DRIVING US INSANE!
There is no way for me to save them or myself. This is all one giant death trap.
Why yes, of course, you're right, Bruce. Emotion is always the enemy of true justice. Thank you. You've always been a good friend. tosses the coin
You should have let me in on this. We could have planned it, prepared it, pre-sold the movie rights!
Encyclopedia
Batman Forever is a 1995 superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman. Joel Schumacher directed the film, which stars Val Kilmer as Batman, as well as Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman and Chris O'Donnell. Batman Forever tells the story of Batman (Kilmer) trying to stop Two-Face (Jones) and the Riddler's (Carrey) villainous scheme of draining information from all the brains in Gotham City. Batman gains alliance from psychiatrist Dr. Chase Meridian (Kidman) and adopted sidekick Robin (O'Donnell).
Plot
The film opens with Batman (Val Kilmer) stopping a hostage situation in a bank caused by Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones), alter ego of physically/emotionally scarred former district attorney, Harvey Dent. Two-Face escapes. Edward Nygma (Jim Carrey), a researcher at Wayne Enterprises develops a device to beam television directly to a person's brain. Bruce Wayne rejects the invention, noting that "it raised too many questions", and Edward resigns from his position.
After meeting beautiful psychiatrist Dr. Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman), Bruce invites her to a charity circus event. Two-Face and his henchmen storm the event in an attempt to discover Batman's secret identity, while acrobat family The Flying Graysons are murdered. The youngest member, Dick (Chris O'Donnell), survives and stops a bomb from exploding caused by Two-Face. Upon his return, he discovers Two-Face killed his family and escaped. Bruce assumes responsibility for Dick and allows him to stay at Wayne Manor. Dick declares his intention to kill Two-Face in revenge for his family's murder, and when he discovers Bruce's secret identity as Batman, he insists on becoming his sidekick, "Robin".
Meanwhile, Edward has become psychologically obsessed with Bruce, leaving riddles for him. He decides to become a criminal known as "The Riddler" and allies with Two-Face. With his invention, Edward can read and control people's minds, and steal their intelligence quotient. At a business party, Edward discovers Bruce's secret identity, while Robin saves Wayne's life. Batman later goes to Chase's apartment where Chase, who is completely naked and covering herself with a white sheet, tells Batman that she has fallen in love with his alter ego, Bruce Wayne. Nights later, when Wayne tries to confess the truth of his life to Chase, Two-Face and Riddler converge into the Batcave, destroying most of the equipment, kidnapping Chase and leaving another riddle.
Solving the last riddle, Batman and Robin locate the Riddler's lair. Robin is caught by Two Face. This leads to The Riddler holding both Robin and Dr. Meridian as hostages, giving Batman the choice of only being able to save one of them. He finds a way to save both, destroying the brainwave-collecting device and warping Riddler in the process. In the battle, Two-Face falls to his death. The Riddler is committed to Arkham Asylum, and Chase is asked to consult on his case. Riddler offers to reveal the identity of Batman to her, but he thinks himself Batman. Chase then meets Bruce Wayne outside and tells him his secret is safe.
Cast
- Val Kilmer as Bruce Wayne / Batman: After coming across the journal of his father, he starts questioning his act of vengeance. Bruce struggles with his dual identity as a crime fighter, becoming romantically involved with Chase Meridian. Bruce decides to return as a crime fighter upon "The Flying Graysons Massacre".
- Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Dent / Two-Face: Formerly the good district attorney of Gotham City, half of Harvey's face is scarred with acid during the conviction of a crime boss. This leads to events that showcase him as Batman's eccentric enemy "Two-Face".
- Jim Carrey as Dr. Edward Nygma / Riddler: A former employee at Wayne Enterprises, Edward is fired by because of the dangers of his newest invention. He becomes psychologically obsessed with Bruce Wayne. In a secret identity he becomes the villainous Riddler, leaving riddles and puzzles at scenes of crime.
- Nicole Kidman as Dr. Chase Meridian: A psychologist and love interest of Bruce Wayne. Chase is fascinated by the dual nature of Batman. She's held as a damsel in distress in the climax.
- Chris O'Donnell as Dick Grayson / Robin: Once a circus acrobat, Dick is adopted by Bruce after Two-Face murders his parents and brother at a circus event. Bruce is reminded when his parents were murdered when he sees the same vengeance in Dick. He eventually discovers the batcave and learns Bruce's secret identity. In his wake, he becomes the crime fighting sidekick, Robin.
- Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth: The faithful butler of Bruce and Dick.
- Pat Hingle as James Gordon: The Police Commissioner of Gotham City
- Drew Barrymore as Sugar: The "good" henchwoman of Two-Face.
- Debi Mazar as Spice: The "bad" henchwoman of Two-Face.
- Ed Begley, Jr. as Fred Stickley: Edward Nygma's ill-tempered supervisor at Wayne Enterprises. Begley was uncredited for this role.
Elizabeth Sanders, wife of Bob Kane, cameos as "Gossip Gerty". Jon Favreau and Don "The Dragon" Wilson also have cameos. Joe Grifasi portrays a bank guard at the films opening and Rene Auberjonois plays Dr. Burton at Arkham Asylum.
Production
Even though Batman Returns was a financial success, Warner Bros. felt the film should have made more money. The studio decided to make the film series more mainstream. Joel Schumacher replaced Tim Burton as director, while Burton decided to stay on as producer. Burton approved of Schumacher. Lee and Janet Scott Batchler were then hired to write the script. Akiva Goldsman was brought to perform a rewrite. He delivered a "production draft" in June 1994. Production went on fast track with Rene Russo cast as Dr. Chase Meridian. Michael Keaton decided not to reprise Batman because he didn't like the new direction the film series was heading in. Keaton also wanted to pursue "more interesting roles", turning down $15 million to appear in Batman Forever. Val Kilmer was cast days later, and the filmmakers decided that Russo was too old for Kilmer, replacing her with a different actress.
Robin Wright Penn, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Linda Hamilton were in competition for Dr. Chase Meridian, with Penn appearing as the favorable choice. Nicole Kidman was eventually cast. Robin Williams turned down the Riddler, while Michael Jackson was attached to the role, but the filmmakers ignored him. Jim Carrey was eventually cast. Robin appeared in the shooting script of Batman Returns but was deleted due to too many characters. Marlon Wayans was cast in the role, and signed for Batman Forever. It was decided to replace with Wayans with a different actor Leonardo DiCaprio and Chris O'Donnell became the top two choices, with O'Donnell winning the part. Mitchell Gaylord served as O'Donnell's stunt double.
Filming started in September 1994. Rick Baker designed the prosthetic makeup. John Dykstra, Andrew Adamson and Jim Rygiel served as visual effects supervisors, with Boss Film Studios and Pacific Data Images also contributing with visual effects work. Schumacher had problems filming with Kilmer, while "Jim Carrey was a gentleman, and Tommy Lee was threatened by him. I'm tired of defending overpaid, overprivileged actors. I pray I don't work with them again."
Reception
Peter David and Alan Grant wrote separate novelizations of the film. Dennis O'Neil authored a comic book adaption, with art by Michal Dutkiewicz. Batman Forever was released in America on June 16, 1995 in 2,842 theaters, making $52.78 million in its opening weekend. This was the highest opening weekend of 1995. The film went on to gross $184.03 million in North America, and $152.5 million in foreign countries, totaling $336.53 million. Batman Forever was declared a financial success. The film earned more money than its predecessor Batman Returns, and was the second-highest (behind Toy Story) grossing film in North America in 1995. In worldwide totals Batman Forever was number six.
Based on 48 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, 44% of reviewers enjoyed the film, with the consensus of "Loud, excessively busy, and often boring, Batman Forever nonetheless has the charisma of Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones to offer mild relief." The film was more balanced with 13 critics in Rotten Tomatoess "Top Critics" poll, receiving a 69% approval rating. By comparison Metacritic collected an average score of 51, based on 23 reviews.
Jonathan Rosenbaum called Batman Forever "suitable for boys of five and under. Nicole Kidman is here to validate the rampant repressed homoeroticism." Peter Travers criticized the movie's blatant commercialism, but commented that "Batman Forever still gets in its licks. There's no fun machine this summer that packs more surprises. The script misses the pain Tim Burton caught in a man tormented by the long-ago murder of his parents." Brian Lowry of Variety believed "One does have to question the logic behind adding nipples to the hard-rubber batsuit. Whose idea was that supposed to be anyway, Alfred's? Some of the computer-generated Gotham cityscapes appear too obviously fake. Elliot Goldenthal's score, while serviceable, also isn't as stirring as Danny Elfman's work in the first two films."
Scott Beatty felt "Tommy Lee Jones played Harvey Dent as a Joker knock-off rather than a multi-layered rogue." Lee Bermejo called Batman Forever "unbearable". Roger Ebert gave a positive review, "Is the movie better entertainment? Well, it's great bubblegum for the eyes. Younger children will be able to process it more easily, some kids were led bawling from Batman Returns where the PG-13 rating was a joke." Mick LaSalle had a mixed reaction, concluding "a shot of Kilmer's rubber buns at one point is guaranteed to bring squeals from the audience." James Berardinelli enjoyed the film. "It's lighter, brighter, funnier, faster-paced, and a whole lot more colorful than before."
At the 68th Academy Awards, Batman Forever was nominated with Cinematography, Sound and Sound Editing. "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" by U2 was given a Golden Globe Award nomination. At the Saturn Awards, the film was nominated for Best Fantasy Film, Make-up, Special Effects and Costume Design. Composer Elliot Goldenthal was given a Grammy Award nomination. Batman Forever received six nominations at the 1996 MTV Movie Awards. "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" was given a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Song.
Original cut
Batman Forever went through a few major edits before its release. Originally darker than the final product, the movie's original length was closer to 2 hours and 40 minutes according to director Joel Schumacher. There was talk of an extended cut being released to DVD for the film's 10th anniversary in 2005. While all four previous Batman films were given Special Edition DVD releases on the same day as Batman Beginss DVD release, the version of Batman Forever released was the original, although some of the following scenes were in a deleted scenes section in the special features. The following is a compiled list of the most important deleted scenes or original versions of scenes:
- A famous scene that featured Two-Face escaping Arkham originally opened the movie. A guard enters the empty cell and finds the words "The Bat Must Die" illuminated by lightning on the wall. The film's events in the first 15 to 20 minutes were in different order as well, and the resulting "new opening" has made its way to YouTube.com.
- One scene featured a local Gotham talk show with Chase Meriden as a guest, talking about Batman.
- The scene at the casino robbery where the Riddler fails at punching the security guard originally added the Riddler proceeding to beat the man with his cane.
- There was originally a scene of Alfred and Bruce examining the Nygma Tech "Box".
- An extended conversation when the Riddler and Two-Face team up.
- One scene showed the development of the NygmaTech building on Claw Island, funded by the Riddler and Two-Face's robberies. This features deleted scenes of Nygma visiting the site and the box press conference.
- One deleted scene featured a philosophical conversation between Two Face, Riddler, Sugar, and Spice as they take hits from the box.
- The Wayne Manor raid sequence was longer, featuring Bruce and Chase fighting Two Face and his thugs.
- The fight scene between Two-Face and Robin on Claw Island was originally longer.
- The scene where the Riddler has Chase chained up on a couch originally ended with him knocking her out by injecting her with a type of sleeping drug. He then says, "Nap time, gorgeous." to Chase.
- One sequence came directly after the casino robbery, where Batman follows a robbery signal on a tracking device in the Batmobile. He shows up at the crime scene and finds he is at the wrong place (a beauty salon), in which a room full of girls laugh at him. The Riddler had been throwing Batman off the track by messing with the Batmobile's tracking device. This would explain why in the theatrical version Batman seems to give Riddler and Two-Face moments of free rein over the city.
- Originally the "Tell her how you feel" scene ran longer, with Wayne trying to call Chase, but unable to speak, hung up and said "Who am I, Alfred? I don't know anymore..."
- One of the most important deleted scenes, which is on the DVD, shows Bruce waking up from being shot by Two-Face with temporary memory loss. Bruce remembers everything except being Batman. After Alfred shows him the Batcave, Bruce comes upon a section of the cave where he first encountered the bat that inspired his alter ego (which is shown earlier in the movie when he talks to Chase). This deleted scene kept in line with the earlier storyline of Thomas Wayne's diary, which Bruce finds in the cave. The recurring nightmares of his parents' deaths throughout the movie are given closer inspection when he reads the diary. He had believed his parents would not have died if he hadn't made them go to the movies, but his father's diary reveals that his parents had been planning to go to the movies anyway, prompting Bruce to say through tears, "It wasn't my fault..." He sees the bat again in this scene, and the size of it made many fans who saw the screenshot think it was Man-Bat. It was confirmed that this was not and was never intended to be Man-Bat.
- The movie originally ended with Chase asking Alfred, "Does it ever end?" This was followed by Batman standing on the ledge of a building, just like the original film of 1989, and he is then joined by Robin. The final shot was reportedly supposed to be the dynamic duo leaping off the building and coming downwards at the camera. While the scene of the dynamic duo is not on the DVD, Chase and Alfred's scene is.
See also
External links
|
