Batman Forever (1995)

Overall: B+
Cast: A
Plot: A
Special Effects/Stunts: B
Similarity to Comic: B+
Director: Joel Schumacher
Comic Company: DC
Stars: Val Kilmer, Jim Carrey, Tommy Lee Jones
Rating: PG-13
See the IMDB page
See the Rotten Tomatoes page

Batman forever is a fantastic movie.  I can't count how many times I've seen this movie or how many more times I will watch it in the years to come.  It is truly a classic, and although it is not regarded as one of the best Batman movies of all time, it definitely should be.

The Good: They finally got the cast right! After sitting through some flat performances in the last two Batman movies this one always comes as a surprise.  Every single actor is colorful and completely committed to their character.  Jim Carrey fits his role perfectly and I honestly doubt anyone will ever play the Riddler better than he did.  Tommy Lee Jones acts like the perfect bipolar maniac that is Two-Face and his ability to switch from normal to crazy in the blink of an eye is rivaled only by Jack Nicholson as the Joker in the 1989 film.

Val Kilmer.  Enough said.  This guy, who hadn't had a noteworthy role since playing Iceman in Top Gun (another great film), seemingly comes out of nowhere and delivers one of the best Batman performances ever.  Although he doesn't play the best Bruce Wayne, he got enough camera time as the Dark Knight to make up for it.  Aside from the cast the makeup and costume work was incredible in this film as well, and the continuity to the comic books is nearly spot on in many scenes.  Oh and the Batmobile is awesome.

The Bad: I don't have a whole lot to say in this section.  I don't remember Dr. Chase Meridian being such an important character in the comics, and even in this movie she just kind of shows up and starts throwing herself at Batman, claiming first that she has a romantic interest in him then saying that she just wants to study him because any man that runs around in a bat costume must be off his rocker.

Commissioner Gordon was played by the same terrible actor.  I don't know if it was the directing, the writing, or the acting, but the Gordon they portray in these movies destroys what Gordon really is in the comics.  He is not written in as a partner or an ally, but merely a dumb fat guy yelling at his cops, or an obstacle Batman has to dance around in the fight scenes.  Come on, Gordon deserves better than that.

The Interesting: I found it interesting that the comic continuity was spot on for things like Two-Face's origin story and Robin's origin story, yet they just kind of threw Dr. Meridian in there for no other reason than to be a love interest for Batman.  Why does Batman HAVE to have a love interest in every single movie?  One of the things that sets Bruce Wayne apart from other heroes is that he prioritizes and puts the city of Gotham before his love life almost every single time.  Hollywood simply can't grasp that.

The first Batsuit with nipples made it's debut in this film, the Robin suit also had nipples. I don't like it nor do I dislike it, I'm just curious as to why a rubber superhero suit has to have nipples?  I'm not the only one thinking that am I?

Conclusion: This movie is definitely not my favorite Batman movie of all time, but it's definitely number two or three.  It's very underrated and incredibly significant.