What is the movie, you may ask? Well, if the title of the post hadn't clued you in, the film that holds the distinction of being nearest and dearest to my heart is Batman Forever, the third film in the '89-'97 Batfilm series, and the highest-grossing (or second-highest, depending on how you qualify) film of 1995.
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| This was the first image of the movie I saw, and it's still my favorite. |
To clarify, by no stretch of imagination do I claim that this is the best movie ever made; heck, it's not even the best Batman movie ever made. But it is my favorite - I liken it, and a few other films of varying natures, to comfort food. It may not be fine dining, but it's one of those movies that I just love, warts and all. It's my cinematic mac'n'cheese.
I could give you a number of reasons why it's special to me: it came out at an important point in my adolescence when I was very much on the crest of the 'teenage immortality' tsunami, and as such, I have a number of very good memories attached to it; it featured the Riddler, my favorite fictional character; I was wildly in love with the marketing, and could not begin to tell you how many trips to the late lamented WB Store I made over a period of months, soaking up every bit of information or merchandising I could in those halcyon pre-internet days, etc. etc. etc. All of those are factors, but when you get right down to it, basically I just really loved the movie when I saw it, and I've never grown to like it any less.
It's no masterpiece, I freely acknowledge that. There's quite a bit of loopy dialogue, much of the acting is hammy, the film is edited together strangely (which has a lot to do with a studio mandate, more on that in a minute), and it's got some extremely dubious plot elements: a hidden luge track running halfway across the city, the Batmobile racing straight up a vertical wall, giant glowing green clouds of 'neural energies' floating across the city that apparently no one notices, and so forth. Danny Elfman's phenomenal, moody, majestic orchestrations - which were used in Forever's trailers - were jettisoned in favor of Elliot Goldenthal's brash, brassy themes. The incredible aesthetic of Gotham City in the first two movies was replaced by architectural mish-mash and Day-Glo paint. And let's get this out of the way: Yes, they put nipples on the Batsuit. I can't say that the film doesn't take its characters seriously, but it is played much more like a cartoon than the two previous entries in the series, and is devoid of any of their darkness or atmosphere. Of course, the first two films were directed by Tim "Gothic Creepy" Burton; Burton only produced Forever while Joel "It's a Toy Movie" Schumacher directed.
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| Jim Carrey channeled a LOT of Frank Gorshin. |
When the movie was filmed, it was actually much darker than what was released. At the start of the film, Two-Face made a bloody escape from Arkham Asylum, and there was a whole subplot, only hinted at in the finished film, about Bruce's interactions with the bats beneath Wayne Manor and their effect on his psychological state, in addition to explanations about the night of the murder of Bruce's parents, Thomas Wayne's diary, and so forth. (Some of the cut scenes are available on the 10th anniversary DVD, others are still missing, though.) When Warner Bros., who was already displeased with Burton's methods after the dark and somewhat gruesome Batman Returns, saw the cut of the film, however, they objected and wanted the film toned down and lightened even further, and the finished movie is the result. That's why, if you pay careful attention, much of the editing in the first half of the movie makes no sense, with characters' movements being erratic, and action in scenes shifting from morning to night in the course of a few moments. Had the film been released as written or even as originally shot, I think it might have ended up being more solid.
As it is, though, I think it's a better film than people give it credit for being. Yes, it's a far cry from the Dark Knight Trilogy which followed a decade later, and it lacks the mood, character, and sheer style of Burton's 1989 film. But it's certainly more faithful to the characters, and less of a mess than the over-indulgent, weird Batman Returns, and it's nowhere near the debacle that its sequel Batman & Robin would be, which decided to try and recreate the 1960s show but without the personality or irony. It's a product of its time. It's not really on a level of any of the modern wave of superhero films, but on its own merits, it's actually quite enjoyable.
If nothing else, it's fun. I've never been in the camp that's seen Batman as just an angry, angsty grouch. There's a place for that, to be sure, just as there's a place for the campy comic Batman, but I prefer a balance, and I thought Forever brought it very well. I loved how Batman and the Riddler were played, and I thought the use of the requisite riddles was pretty neat, even if they did make Batman look rather dense. The re-write on Robin's character was an interesting take, which worked well for the film, though Two-Face comes across as a loon...a watered down version of the Joker, really. I also contend that Nicole Kidman has never looked as good as she did in this film. There are some good lines...mostly Riddler's...and the soundtracks has some great songs on it. The movie is energetic and playful, and even has some neat little nods to the comics. For example, the illuminated laundry sign which hangs outside of Edward Nygma's apartment is from Riddler's very first comic appearance in 1948, and factors in to the first crime he ever committed. And I still love the giant green question mark which appeared when Riddler hijacks the Bat-Signal. It might be my favorite image from the film.
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| Val Kilmer as Batman, Nicole Kidman as Dr. Chase Meridian, and the Batnipple as itself. |
The movie's become something of a footnote in the intervening years; it lacks the legacy of the 1989 film, but also (fortunately) lacks the notoriety of Batman & Robin. Schumacher's career took a hit, though, following his two Batfilms, as outside of the film adaptation of the musical Phantom of the Opera, he's not had much in the way of high-profile jobs. The cast has had varied success; while Nicole Kidman and Tommy Lee Jones have remained Hollywood A-listers ever since, and Chris O'Donnell has managed to carve out a TV career, Val Kilmer and Jim Carrey's careers have largely evaporated since the late '90s. Drew Barrymore doesn't do much on-screen anymore, and veteran character actors Michael Gough and Pat Hingle have passed away. While Keaton's take on Batman is still remembered fondly, which was certainly helped by the release of Birdman last year, this third entry hasn't really endured in the cultural memory quite as much.
And that's fine by me. I'm perfectly content to hang on to this one on my own. It's a pick-me-up kind of film. Everybody's got at least one movie that's off the beaten track that they love. I might even go so far as to call it a guilty pleasure. To tell the truth, I actually haven't watched it in a few years; I might need to rectify that in the near future and toss it in the DVD player one of these days.
Anyway, Happy Birthday, O Favorite Film. Thanks for making my teenage self very happy, and for cheering me up ever since.
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| This hung opposite my bed for ages. |
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