Batman Returns, while an interesting film, was too Burton-esque to be a good Batman film, and was more or less a disappointment. Riding on the success of its predecessor, it made $266 million worldwide, $145 million less than the first film. Critical and audience reception was lukewarm. While the film was a definite success, it wasn't the movie audiences expected.

Holy Franchise Batman! The Blockbuster Saga of the Dark Knight

Chapter Three:
Holy Costumed Party Batman!

Burton's first movie could never be called a kid's movie, but if a child saw it, they wouldn't be scarred for life, and as such, Warner was comfortable marketing that film for kids as well as adults. The second film was also marketed at kids, and Batman Returns happens to be a movie no one under the age of ten should see. This led to plenty of controversy, with parents complaining that it was too dark for kids. There is, of course, no reason why Batman should be aimed at kids. But perceptions of the series lingering from the Adam West incarnation, combined with Warner's misguided attempts to market the film to kids, stirred controversy nonetheless.

Tim Burton claims he had one meeting with the studio that lasted half an hour about a third film. The only plot point he had really worked out was that he would have utilized the established character of Harvey Dent, played by Billy Dee Williams, and turned him into Two Face. But Burton wasn't interested in directing because of the direction the franchise was heading, and he and the studio both decided he should serve as producer.

The studio's first choice of director for the third film was Joel Schumacher; a friend of Tim Burton's, Schumacher only said yes after getting permission from Burton. While Michael Keaton initially thought about returning, he bowed out due to "creative differences" (the studio offered him $35 million to return, one of the highest salaries ever offered at the time, though he still refused). Schumacher's first choice for replacement was Val Kilmer, who signed on without reading a script or even knowing who the director was.

The chosen villains were Two-Face and the Riddler. For the Riddler, Schumacher hired Jim Carrey, a personal friend he knew from before Carrey was famous. As for Two-Face, Schumacher wanted Tommy Lee Jones. The only problem was that Billy Dee Williams was still contracted to play the role, and the studio had to pay him a large fine due to the terms of Williams' contract. Chris O'Donnell was cast as Robin, and Nicole Kidman as Batman's love interest, Dr. Chase Meridian.

The film I'm talking about is, of course, 1995's Batman Forever.

A lot of people groan when they hear the title; there's a strong hatred towards this film by many fans, and it's easy to dismiss the film because of its sequel. But when it was released, audiences loved it and it made a ton of cash.

It's easy to see why. Batman Forever is the most mainstream Batman film ever made, and surprisingly, one of the most entertaining. This may sound strange, but I actually like it almost as much as Burton's original film,

Why? Because of the four films in this franchise, it's the only one that really, truly knows what it wants to be, and executes that very well. Batman Forever is a comic book on film. Not one of the many Batman graphic novels that are considered literary masterpieces (such as ones written by Frank Miller), but one of your everyday, weekly-running comic books (more specifically, something akin to the Batman comics of the seventies). There's plenty of exciting action, some funny one-liners and visual gags, and a healthy dose of character development that is never over or under-used. Nearly everything in Batman Forever simply clicks.

One of the main reasons I respect this film is that it's the first entry in the franchise where Batman actually feels like the main character. While I respect Burton's approach (in the first film at least) of having Batman examined by other characters, and thus, having his screen time diminished, I always think its better to have the Dark Knight front and center. While the two villains in this film take up plenty of screen time, Batman consistently feels like the main attraction (it helps that both of the villains have a personal connection to Batman this time around, linking their stories closely to the saga of Bruce Wayne).

They also give Bruce Wayne a very interesting bit of character development; repressed memories from the death of his parents. They also portray his struggle with dual identity, in contrast to that of Two-Face, which is an important struggle for the character. His character arc in this film is interesting, has a satisfying beginning, middle, and end, and serves to make the character three-dimensional. The best part about this character arc is that, unlike in the Burton films, the arc is given ample screen-time and is allowed to run its course.

But all of this would be nothing without a good actor in the role, and thankfully, Val Kilmer is excellent. Kilmer breaths life and personality into his Batman persona, something Keaton never really did. Kilmer shines equally bright as alter-ego Bruce Wayne. Not only do you get the impression of how intelligent the man is, but he also plays the 'inner demons' struggle to perfection. Every interpretation of Batman demands a different actor; Michael Keaton wouldn't work well in this interpretation, and conversely, Kilmer wouldn't work in Burton's interpretation. But for this "comic book on film" approach, I can't imagine anyone more successful in the role than Kilmer.

As I touched upon earlier, the choice of villains, and their execution, is a marked improvement over Batman Returns. Two-Face is portrayed in an extremely classic way; it adheres to most any portrayal of the villain in other mediums, such as the comics or the TV show. His origin and appearance are standard for the character, and he uses a coin toss to decide many of his actions. They also portray Two-Face's obsession with Batman, and the philosophical similarities of the character; Batman has two personas, but inhabits only one or the other at any given time, while Two-Face's two personas are always on display. This links him closer to Batman than, for instance, the Penguin in the second film.

Tommy Lee Jones plays Two-Face, and is wonderful. Jones is one of those actors who can play a deep, tormented role like in No Country For Old Men, a character-driven action role like in The Fugitive, and an all-out crazy, but undeniably fun, villainous role like Two-Face. I'm sure Billy Dee Williams would have done a fine job as Two-Face if Burton was directing, but with the huge change in style, it was a good choice to recast.

The other villain is the Riddler, also classically portrayed as he was in the comics and other mediums. Jim Carrey dons the green costume, and is very good. He's certainly menacing, though in a very goofy and off-beat way. Personally, I think Carrey is best when he's calm; of course, calm for Jim Carrey is off the wall for most actors, but this is a role where if he had toned it down just slightly, the performance would have been perfect.

I do, however, love how they wrote the part. Having him an employee of Wayne enterprises gives him a plot link to Bruce beyond just stopping his evil plot. His evil plot is also pretty interesting; stealing people's I.Q. with a box on TV sets. It's classic comic book fare. Carrey and Jones have great chemistry together, and make for the most effective and logical villain pairing in the Burton/Schumacher franchise.

Warner Bros. had pressured Tim Burton to include Robin in both the first and second films; Burton personally hated the character, calling him "worthless," and claiming that Robin didn't fit in with his interpretation of Batman as "the loner of loners." Schumacher didn't seem to have a problem with the character, and Robin makes his first franchise appearance in this film. I generally agree with Burton about Robin; he doesn't fit with the Batman style. However, Robin is handled very well in Batman Forever.

Robin's origin and role in the film plays into Bruce's character arc; Dick Grayson (Robin) and his family are acrobats in the circus, and when Two-Face plants a bomb to trap Batman, Dick's family is killed trying to stop it. Bruce adopts Dick, who is consumed with thoughts of revenge. The young Grayson's troubles remind Bruce of his childhood trauma, and he tries to be a role model to the young man. The only problem with Robin in this film is the actor who portrays him; Chris O'Donnell is a weak Robin. He's not bad, but he's not really good either.

Nicole Kidman plays a character original to the film, Dr. Chase Meridian, Bruce's love interest. She finds herself extremely attracted to Batman, who also happens to like her, and begins to date her as Bruce Wayne. She's also a psychologist who deals with dual personality, which makes her a perfect love interest for Bruce.

In the end, Batman Forever is very successful in its intention to be a comic-book on film. All of the sub-plots get a good amount of focus, and for the first time, Bruce feels like the main character. The strength of the character comes from the many ways he can be interpreted, and as long as an interpretation is handled well, then I'm usually all for it. Batman Forever chooses to be a comic-book styled film, and succeeds very well. It's not really any worse or any better than Burton's first film; it's just different.

My only major concern with this film is that awful title. Batman Forever? What does that even mean? Tim Burton shares my opinion; "I always hated those titles like Batman Forever. That sounds like a tattoo that somebody would get when they're on drugs or something."

Despite the weird title, Batman Forever gets a well-earned B+.

And audiences loved it too, not surprisingly. Not only was the film marketable to people of all ages, but the film had two huge stars riding on the success of a string of hits. The year before, Jim Carrey had released three major films; The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, and Ace Ventura. Tommy Lee Jones was a huge star after his Oscar-winning role in The Fugitive, as well as a handful of other roles. The film was destined to be a hit, and it was, with a worldwide take of $336 million.

And when a film makes that much money, it's time for a sequel.

To Be Continued...

Check Back Tomorrow for Chapter Four!