Nicole Kidman has lots of fun sinking her teeth into the role (created for the film – Meridian doesn’t exist in the comics) that requires her to have a bit of a kinky thing for black rubber. Unless you’re Dr Chase Meridian, the sultry psychologist who tries to get into Batman’s head – and his bed. The best Chris O’Donnell film in existence remains Circle of Friends, obviously, but he makes a great Robin. In Batman Forever, however, Dick Grayson is pitched just right, introduced in the rollicking circus scene (one of the best in the Bat franchise), in which his entire family is wiped out. Introducing him to the movie version of Gotham isn’t easy – just look at how Christopher Nolan fudged things at the end of The Dark Knight Rises.

His score for Batman Forever is a sumptuous feast, a ballsy and brassy salute to Gotham’s finest. Nygma?) would be proud of: when is a Batman film’s score better than both Danny Elfman’s and Hans Zimmer’s?Įlfman’s music for the first Batman movie defined its hero, until Goldenthal came along, tore up the form book and made the Caped Crusader his own. Here’s a riddle for you that Edward Nygma (geddit? Mr E.

Schumacher’s Gotham is still a frightening place, filled with shadowy corners and the murder of a key character’s parents, but there is enough neon leaping out of the darkness to make it palpable. No one wanted to see a diapered Danny DeVito eating live fish, so something had to give.īatman Forever filled the void. Tim Burton’s first Batman film in 1989 was a huge success (even if it probably should have been called ‘Joker’), but it gave him licence in the sequel, 1992’s Batman Returns, to go way too far over to the dark side. Then, like now, audiences were crying out for a lighter take on the Dark Knight. How cool is that? And back in 1995, this was a convenient way to let cinema-goers know they were in the right theatre.īatman Forever was released 20 years ago, but the more things change, the more they stay the same. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of its release tomorrow, here are the reasons why Batman Forever is the best Batman film, well, forever.

Batman forever movie facts