Batman Forever
1995 · Directed by Joel Schumacher
Original language: English
- action
- crime
- fantasy
The story
Batman faces off against two foes: the schizophrenic, horribly scarred former District Attorney Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, and the Riddler, a disgruntled ex-Wayne Enterprises inventor seeking revenge against his former employer by unleashing his brain-sucking weapon on Gotham City's residents. As the caped crusader also copes with tortured memories of his parents' murder, he has a new romance, with psychologist Chase Meridian.
What it’s like
Saturated, almost candy-coated Gotham: neon signs bleeding magenta and teal over rain-slick streets, Art Deco towers lit like theatre sets, and a glossy, sun-washed palette that makes the city feel more carnival than crypt. Joel Schumacher frames everything with wide, busy compositions and restless cutting, so the camera rarely settles, while Elliot Goldenthal's score swells with brassy, operatic urgency. The mood is pop-camp and garish, with flashes of grim underneath: a shadowy, gothic backdrop that the bright surface keeps breaking through. Pacing is brisk and bombastic, built around set-piece chases, gadget showcases and over-the-top performances, with an emotional register that swings between playful and melodramatic and a central arc of a haunted hero slowly opening up to love and to the ghosts of his past. Violence is moderate and stylised: punches, explosions, a few gunshots and a brain-draining device, with menace more than gore, though a villain's disfigurement and a suggested death or two give some edge. Best for comic-book fans and anyone who wants a loud, flashy, nostalgic 90s spectacle to half-watch on a weekend afternoon.
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