I think Joel Schumacher had a sincere vision for this film as a camp classic. That’s why he piles on the jokes and the bad puns. That’s why he gives us a quick close-up of Batman’s bat-ass in the obligatory “suit up” montage. That’s why most of the cast seem to have been directed to simply yell and flail and bug out their eyes. That’s why the look of the film is a curious blend of Anton Furst’s gothic art deco studio set from 1989 with the Dutch angles and loud colors of the Adam West days (neon galore, along with black light effects and a rainbow of lighting schemes). I don’t think Schumacher ever considered taking a crimefighter in a bat costume seriously and probably wouldn’t have understood why any filmmaker would ever want to do that.
In other words, I think that Schumacher had his heart in the right place.
Too bad the movie sucks harder than a new Hoover. It’s the saddest sort of affair: An unfunny comedy. It struggles to be as silly as the old TV series, but it doesn’t come close to its absurdity. In 1966, Adam West and Burt Ward fought outrageous villains with outrageous plans, got saved by bizarre strokes of luck and won the day through means that ranged from clever to ridiculous. Batman Forever, by contrast, gives us the over-the-top bad guys, but then becomes just another bloated action movie when the chips are down. With a budget this big, Schumacher doesn’t have to be witty, so he doesn’t even bother.
The most charming thing about it: With its 90s production values, broad performances and Christmas tree lighting, Batman Forever plays decades later like the most expensive Full Moon Entertainment production ever. The characters even look like toys. I think Charles Band would have directed a better film than Schumacher. Also, Jeffrey Combs would be a fine Bruce Wayne and Tim Thomerson has Two-Face written all over him.
Batman’s 90s low-budget, straight-to-video series. It exists in my mind and I like it.