Batman Forever (1995)

"The third installment...is the best to date.  Christine James, Box Office Magazine
"Satisfying, thrilling.  Hal Hinson, The Washington Post
"...better paced and more consistently entertaining [than Batman and Batman Returns]...  Matt Zoller Seitz, Dallas Observer
"The best Batman yet.  Pat Collins, WWOR-TV
"Bigger, battier and better.  Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today

Editor's Note Gotham City is once again under siege, this time by the mind-controlling Riddler and the diabolical Harvey Two-Face. The Caped Crusader cleans up with the help of his new side-kick Robin in this effects-laden thrill ride.

	Tommy Lee Jones
	Nicole Kidman
	Michael Gough
	Chris O'Donnell
	Pat Hingle
	Jim Carrey
	Drew Barrymore
	Val Kilmer
	Joel Schumacher - Director

The third installment in the "Batman" series. Here the Caped Crusader must once again contend with two strange-looking, personality-impaired villains. First, there's maniacal ex-DA Harvey Two-Face, so named because half his countenance has been horribly disfigured by acid. Then there's the wise-cracking, hyperactive Riddler, whose alter-ego Edward Nygma is a nerdy, highly disgruntled ex-employee of Bruce Wayne. Together, these two masterminds plan to conquer the world with a device that not only mesmerizes users with 3-D television images, but also transports the viewer's thoughts into the Riddler's mind.| Batman also has to contend with two other new people in his life. One is lovely psychiatrist Chase Meridian, who has fallen in love with Batman AND Bruce Wayne. Then there's Dick Grayson, a young, orphaned acrobat who desperately wants to become Batman's crime-fighting sidekick in order to get revenge on the man responsible for his parents' death: Harvey Two-Face. Rolling Stone
"...True to its unbridled comic spirit....[Carrey makes] uproarious and artful displays of physical comedy..." 07/13/1995 p.114-5

USA Today
"...Val Kilmer nicely recharges the sexual batteries of both the brash Bat guy and billionaire alter-ego Bruce Wayne..." -- 3 1/2 out of 4 stars 06/16/1995 p.1D

Entertainment Weekly
"...A loony-tunes extravaganza....What a pleasure it is to watch Carrey take over the movie!..." -- Rating: B 06/23/1995 pp.34-5

Variety
"An enormous fun-house ride....The film boasts considerable action and visual splendor....Kidman looks terrific..." 06/19/1995

Los Angeles Times
"...With steely eyes, inflectionless speech and a Zen-like cam, Kilmer is adept at both the heroic and the humorous aspects of his conflicted personality..." 06/16/1995 p.F1

Chicago Sun-Times
"...The movie looks great....It's great bubble gum for the eyes..." 06/23/1995 p.41

ReelViews 8 of 10
It's lighter, brighter, funnier, faster-paced, and a whole lot more colorful than before. There's a new actor underneath the cape, a new girlfriend on his arm, and a new partner by his side. The director is different and the composer has changed. The villains -- Jim Carrey decked out in a neon question-mark jacket and Tommy Lee Jones with a face out of The Elephant Man -- are making their debuts. Yet somehow, perhaps because of the costume, it still feels like the same Batman we've gotten to know in two previous films. The same, yet different -- and much better...There's a lot going on in Batman Forever -- probably much more than in either Batman or Batman Returns -- yet Joel Schumacher keeps things on an even keel, moving swiftly without creating such a strong undertow that the viewer loses his or her footing. The film is a blast and, ultimately, a very quick two hours. In a relatively short time, we get a solid action/adventure story, an odd romantic triangle (Chase is attracted to Batman; Bruce Wayne is attracted to Chase -- it kind of recalls the old Lois Lane/Clark Kent/Superman thing from the first two movies about that superhero), and the most detailed exploration of Batman's character to date. All-in-all, this is a very full motion picture...Given Hollywood's poor track record with second sequels -- take the third installments of Superman, Star Wars, Alien, Lethal Weapon, and Die Hard as examples -- it's understandable if a viewer approaches Batman Forever with a measure of skepticism. In this case, however, the trepidation can be put aside. The latest Batman proves it's entirely possible for a big-budget, overcommercialized blockbuster sequel to offer even the most cynical viewer a wholly enjoyable time at the movies. - James Berardinelli

Chicago Sun-Times 7 of 10
A question has been nagging at me ever since the first Batman movie, and "Batman Forever" makes it inescapable: Would Bruce Wayne continue his keen interest in crime fighting if he didn't get to wear the Batman costume? The opening scene plays like a commercial for a rubberwear shop, and throughout the movie, the dominant images are of fetishistic gear: The belt buckles, boots, gloves, capes, masks, and of course, the cute little dime-sized nipples on Batman's and Robin's chests. When Batman tries on his new prototype costume late in the movie, and there's a closeup of its gleaming buttocks, the audience chuckles knowingly...Val Kilmer is a completely acceptable substitute for Michael Keaton in the title role, but in all three of the movies, Batman remains shadowy and undefined. The movies exist for their villains, who this time both seem to be playing the same note; the Riddler and Two-Face alternate in overacting, until the pace grows wearying. There is no rhythm to the movie, no ebb and flow; it's all flat-out spectacle...Is the movie better entertainment? Well, it's great bubble gum for the eyes. And 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)...I liked the look of the movie and Schumacher's general irreverence toward the material. But the great Batman movie still remains to be made. Here is the most complex and intriguing of classic comic superheroes, inhabiting the most visually interesting world, but somehow a story hasn't been found to do him justice. A story - with a beginning, a middle and an end, and a Batman at its center who emerges as more than a collection of costumes and postures. - Roger Ebert