Batman Returns vs Batman Forever?

BR is my favourite of the two by a mile.

BR still cops flack, but I do think its standing is improving. It has its loyal fans.

 

Batman Forever in my case. While I enjoyed Batman Returns on my initial watch, every time I look at it again, I see more flaws. I felt that Michael Keaton, who was amazing in the first film, just kinda lost the touch this time around. I didn't like the balance, nor did I feel the film felt like a real story.

It was a character piece, and the characters it focused on weren't very good. Penguin was rotten, sure, but I couldn't muster much sympathy for him. Catwoman was tragic, yes, but she came across less as logical and revenge focused. I always felt she was just plain nuts. I just never cared about any of them after awhile.

As for Batman Forever, it was a story. It had a clear beginning, middle, and end, with a paced out plot, time for character development, and some genuinely good acting from Chris O'Donnell in a few scenes.

It knew what it was trying to do. It was a goofy, but was aware of its goofiness. When it was silly, it would play it up for comedy, and revel in its silliness. When BR was goofy, it still triedt o play it off seriously (penguins? Seriously?). While Two-Face was the huge reason why I feel this film stumbles, the Riddler is awesome, and Robin has a genuinely well-written character arc. I wish he did more, but I think that was handled well.

Plus, Batman Forever was actually a Batman film.

 

Batman Forever was the first step into camp and it shows.

It has good merits and is overall a decent movie. But there are things that simply can't be stood.

Two-Face for once. It is just about the worst bastardization fo a character. Not only is the opposiotye of what it should be but it's also pointless. There's no point in making him cackling and loud-voiced and giving him two girlfriends. That follows no reasoning, neither as a re-interpretation (which one?) nor as a balance for the other villiain, Riddler, who is also cackling and loud-voiced. So much that when both are together it just feels like a competition for most annoying character, with Jones's Two-Face surrendering before Carrey's Riddler. Many times, when together, Two-Face just keep being silent and throwing some funny-wannabe grunts.

Then you have one of the most annoying love interests. A so-called well-respected psychiatrist whose main interest is getting the hot boy to keep being the most popular girl in her imaginary high school, resorting to any kind of teenager trick to achieve her shallow goal. And we're supposed to believe she's very intelligent and such a woman that Batman is in love "for the first time." The scene with her and Batman on the Gotham Police building is a major embarrassment for the bat-character.

Then we have Robin. Sure, Dick Grayson did better than I expected, but somehow when he gets the suit on, O'Donnell all of a sudden starts a Burt Ward Robin impersonation. And yes, Robin is born and his first achievement is being kidnapped. ALso, didn't Dick leave Wayne manor? Next time we hear from him, he's not only back (and Alfred didn't tell anything to Bruce about it) but also made a suit (Alfred made it actually, again, without telling Bruce anything).

 

In an act of sarcasm, I was going to say Forever but then I saw that someone said Forever and was totally serious about it.

 

It's hard times for sarcasm.

 

Batman Returns for me, and it's not even close.

 

Returns of course.

 

Batman Returns

 

Eh. No. Batman Returns is a pure camp fest.

Batman Forever for me, not really satisfied with the look and I think that both villains suck, but at least it tried to bring the real Batman to the screen.

 

So wrong.

 

RETURNS.

It does have a giant yellow rubber duck in it.

 

Batman has a music video for a Prince song.

And I would take the duck over all the comedic parts of Jones' Two-Face.

 

Eh, no. Batman 66 was.

And failed.

Although calling that 'comedy' is insulting to comedy.

 

True.

 

Batman Returns.


I like Michelle P as Catwoman but I like Nicole Kidman in Forever a lot.

 

I just watched Batman Forever last night... yikes!

It's still fun, switch your brain off, bubble-gum cinema, very much apart of the mid-90's zeitgeist, but it's flaws scream at you now.

- The neon Gotham is headache inducing and too obviously CG.
- Nicole Kidman has some of the worst, hit you on your head dialogue in the franchise.
- Kilmer doesn't get an awful lot to do except try and look brooding and serious admist the madness (''I don't fit in at a family picnic'').
- O'Donnell with his little scarf and earring... is more adorable than edgy.

-Tommy, Tommy, Tommy... how did you say yes to this butchering of Two-Face.

- And Jim Carrey is just being Jim Carrey in a green leotard. (Regardless of how fun he is.)

This review sums the movie up great:

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/...visited-batman-forever-and-batman--robin.html

So yeah... Batman Returns.

 

If TLJ was in TDK I think he have rocked. TLJ is one of my favourite actors in Hollywood. It's a shame he didn't get much chance what he could do with the character.

 

Batman Forever partially and the entirety of Batman & Robin seem like a reboot of Batman '66. Forever is more fun, but Returns is better.

 

Returns is better; it's better constructed, has more depth, and has better performances. However, Forever is a more fun watch, but I suppose that was the whole point of it compared to Returns.

 

I think the neon Gotham of Forever is pretty cool, it at least fits well with that take. B&R was just too much.

 

I thought the neon part of Gotham was fine, I didn't see it as neon was all over Gotham, just a section of it.

 

This is something I've always said too, the Neon aspects in BF don't bother me and actually I believe they were presented differently than in B&R (everything was waaay to bright in that one).

In BF it seems that the neon is contrasted with mostly dark backrops who are also somewhat similar to those of the Burton movies in structure and desing, so IMO at least, that showed a really weird juxtaposition, I liked that trip, not saying that it was better than Burton's but I enjoyed BF city too.

But again, all of that was lost in B&R when they went all out in colors and brightness.

 

No contest. Batman Returns is the best of the Batman films that have made it to the big screen

 

Forever had much more and much bigger action, incomparably bigger scale, special effects, tons of pretty boys (Kilmer, ODonnel)and poster girls (Kidman, Barrymore), comics (Carrey) and lots of superhero action. Returns was a quiet and very grim and claustrophobic tale of scarred souls, with the most bizarre and surreal humor. Person who liked Returns wont find Forever appealing and vice versa. Theyre just so different that it all depends on personal tastes