Batman Forever (1995)

Directed by Joel Schumacher. Starring Val Kilmer, Jim Carrey, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris O’Donnell, Nicole Kidman, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, George Wallace, Ed Begley Jr., Drew Barrymore, Debi Mazar, René Auberjonois. [PG-13]

In this sort-of-continuation of the Tim Burton Batman movies, Gotham City has gotten a lot brighter, busier, jokier, and noisier, and Bruce Wayne/Batman (now played by Kilmer) must contend with two extremely over-the-top villains—Two-Face (Jones) and the Riddler (Carrey)—while taking in a newly-orphaned teenage acrobat named Dick Grayson (O’Donnell), who becomes Batman’s crime-fighting sidekick, Robin. Complaints that Batman Returns was unsuitable for kids may have had a detrimental effect on the conceptualization of this fatuous, neon-infused absurdity, resulting in a movie that seems aimed directly at those very kids (and die-hard fans of camp and homoeroticism). Logic and continuity are vaporized at every turn, and the new characterizations are mostly a wash; the Riddler’s riddling is all surface-area gimmick, Two-Face makes no sense (he flips his coin for crucial decisions, but never acts as anything besides a scenery-chewing rotter), Kidman’s love interest is a breathy bore with a kinky hang-up on batty bats, and O’Donnell tries too hard to make Dick/Robin more of a tough rebel than a “dutiful ward.” As for Batman, Kilmer is wooden both in and out of the cape and cowl, a performance choice that flies in the face of so much garish, fetishistic decoration. Carrey’s relentless mugging is the only part of the flamboyant new attitude that works even intermittently, and director Schumacher shows no instincts on how to assemble all of the flashy bits and pieces into something other than a catalog of eye candy shots. Look for Jon Favreau in a bit part, as well as a cameo from R&B group En Vogue (not as themselves). Trailed by Batman & Robin, with Schumacher sticking around and Kilmer getting swapped out for George Clooney.

39/100