The third entry in the wildly popular BATMAN cycle boasts a new Batman, new costumes, new characters--including a Robin for the 90s, two super-villains, and yet another blonde love interest--as well as a revamped Batmobile. Holy overkill!
It's not easy being the Batman (Val Kilmer). Old enemies, like the visually and psychologically bifurcated Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones), desire revenge. Beautiful criminal psychologist Dr. Chase Meridan (Nicole Kidman) has designs on his mind and his body. A brilliant but crazed employee of Wayne
Enterprises, Edward Nygma (Jim Carrey), is transformed into the Riddler, a fiendishly clever villain who joins forces with Two-Face in a scheme to brainwash the denizens of Gotham City. The emotionally conflicted hero meets the challenge with the help of his faithful butler Alfred (Michael Gough)
and his new ward, Dick Grayson (Chris O'Donnell), a vengeance-driven circus acrobat who joins the fight in the heroic persona of Robin.
Warner Bros. brass deemed Tim Burton's BATMAN RETURNS too dark for the kiddies, so they hired Joel Schumacher (THE CLIENT) to reimagine the series in ways more friendly to marketing tie-ins. He obliged by serving up "Batman Lite," a product made irresistible by its campy, colorful packaging, but
less filling--and less satisfying--than previous incarnations. While Schumacher brings a distinctive sensibility to the project (reminiscent of the 1960s TV show), he lacks an organizing intelligence capable of accommodating so much new material. At best, BATMAN FOREVER is mildly diverting,
brainless fun that feels like a long trailer for a better film.
