Selections from Batman Forever, produced by Tim Burton, directed by Joel Schumacher
Coming as no surprise to anyone who has happened to glance into the windows of a hot topic during Halloween and been overwhelmed with the shear amount of Jack Skellington merchandise (much of it embellished with everything from spikes to sequins), Tim Burton's adaption of the 'lovable' pseudo-furry known as Batman (hey, he does dress up like a bat an awful lot), is filled with smoke machines, camp, decadence, and an extraordinary number of rotating gobos (some of which are in odd places: Chase Meridian's love nest, a crime scene, ect.). The film even contains one of the most ridiculous bank heist ever, from the helicopter used to lift a several ton safe from inside a building to Batman's ability to put back said safe in the same position it left despite a one in a million chance, while drowning in acid coming from pretty much nowhere. Even the guy stuck in the vault with him knows enough to pull a line straight from STARWARS: It's a trap! Just like starting this film thinking it might be a serious thriller.
But how do the characters live up as full entities by themselves in this film?
note: this review will not draw on previous sources- Only to be considered are the cannon of this film series by its own... merit.
Scale 1bad-----10good
Bruce Wayne:
Aka: Batmanbelievability: despite the fame of the recent
franchise starring men of well known report (Yes Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, we mean you), it was actually a nice change to see a funny (if not witty) portrayal of the brooding billionaire. His lines such as "I'll get drive-through" combined with a dry sense of humor played well with his personality, making him troubled but not sulking or childish. The character, although lacking the sentimental, cathartic track of Bale's later batman, seems believable in his reality (which is saying something if you have seen Burton's Gotham City). Some of his feats of strength and ingenuity (can we say jumping directly into holes from thousands of feet up?) have so crossed into the realm of the insane that the joker wouldn't attempt it, but the actual man, when speaking to a earring clad Dick Grayson, are rooted in a reality and solidly defined.
Score: 8/10
Flaws: Bruce in this film is not exactly stupid, per-say, however he is a tad careless when it comes to the obvious. For one thing, he hires an extremely emotionally unstable Jim Carrey-- sorry-- Riddler to work for his company, and is very easily tricked into a trap by both a young Drew Berrymore and a flamboyant Tommy Lee Jones (Two Face). He, similarly, lacks an air of superiority, and, especially where Nicole Kidman is concerned, acts like a puppy waiting to be given a treat. Not ineffectual, but not highly interesting.
Score: 3/10
Abilities: Apart from being able to withstand an excessive amount of rotating colored lights (yes I'm still obsessing over those damn gobos), this incarnation of Batman possesses the unique abilities of Jumping into small spaces from excessively high places, not breaking his limbs when using the grapling hook, and not having a gravelly voice of a 75 year old smoker. Some of his abilities are borderline superhuman, many entertaining as hell.
Score: 5/10
Personality Type: As mentioned earlier, this batman possesses some qualities of a puppy, and while often serious has a dry humor to him that makes him human. In addition, he is firm in his beliefs of being against killing, but respectful enough of Dick to let him make his own decisions. I wouldn't mind catching a drink with that guy, despite the serious hilarity of his rubber suit possessing perfectly shaped rubber nipples.
Score: 7/10
Fears: I know batman is supposed to fear bats, but this film takes the fear and turns it into more an odd fixation. His real fear stems clearly from the murder of his parents as a child, and shows to have given him some real trauma. Val Kilmer doesn't overplay this trauma too much, and for much of the movie you forget about it. However, it does lend some real credence to his conversations with Dick Grayson that serve to move the plot forward, even if the character development is minimal.
Score: 4/10
Position of Power: The Hero. We don't really see too much of batman's gritty antihero side in this film-- odd only because Batman is often thought of as one of the original anti-heroes.
Score: 1/10
Conflicts: Gotham's going to shit. Dick Grayson keeps trying to be his friend. Alfred isn't very good at being observant (lets Dick get away with the Batmobile, opened the door to not one but two super-villains...). Morgan Freeman isn't there to rock his world or narrate his life (We all know tha'ts what Bale pays him for). All in all, an average day.
Score: 5/10
Love Plots: Oh no, there is only one woman in the film, and ah shit, its Nicole Kidman. Oh well, we will make do. Cue a vapid romance with a women entirely too obsessed with men wearing rubber bat costumes. But hey, Bruce Wayne got laid, and really, no judgement here.
Score: 2/10
Masculine Power: Throughout the film Batman felt fairly in control as the dominant power. Even when it came to Nicole Kidman's character, it never seemed as though Bruce felt out of his league really, and the viewer's impression of the batman never faltered. He never seemed to suffer any castration anxiety or a threat by a female power (perhaps due to the lack of a femme fatale (quite a shame, considering Batman's roots in film noir and the many versions of the trope within the comics)). Homoerotic subtext lingered like a fine mist throughout the film, but was more noticeable in Dick Grayson's constant attempts to be linked with Bruce as a "partner" than any act Bruce did of his own accord. The two men did seem to like each other, and it sure did look as though Bruce admired the boy's acrobat costume even before it went from spandex to Alfred-vamped. (side note: fake rubber abs... really? on everything? and what is the purpose of the nipples?) However, they never even get close to addressing the issue-- a reading I would love to see filmed at some point. The man does keep a teenage gymnast in his basement, after all.
5/10
Overall Complexity: It is hard to separate Burton's Batman from his source material counterpart. The complexity of one tends to inform the other, and knowing more because of multiple sources makes the result look more complex than he is. However, in this cannon, this batman still receives a fairly favorable pass. He is not the most interesting variation, and although he does feel some pain from his childhood, he seems well adjusted enough (relative to other Batman from different universes) to at least give Dick Grayson some sound advice. However, lets remember that we are still talking about a man who dresses up like a bat to fight crime in a city filled of gangs that use black-lights to make their skin light up. So well adjusted in Gotham is really quite relative.
Overall complexity: 4.4/10
This Bruce Wayne has not quite reached Gary Stu level, however, he's nearing the border. What saves him is his dry humor, and, quite frankly, the level of camp in the film that make the movie not about being a serious drama, but about being something moderately hilarious. It is a dark comedy, in reality. The psychoses, unlike in Nolan's Batman trilogy, are not meant to be creepy and relatable enough to freak you out. They are intended to be campy and fun and frankly stupid. This movie knows what it wants to be and wants to do. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to waste a few hours for a few laughs with some friends.
Followup later to see the scores of some other beloved characters from the film.
Stay tuned for Robin, Two Face, Riddler, and Chase Meridian all explored.
Over and Out
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