10 Overlooked Positives Of Batman Forever

Batman & Robin this movie ain't...

Warner Bros. Pictures

Joel Schumacher is not a popular man among Batman fans. His Batman And Robin has gone down in history as one of the worst comic book movies ever made (ortheworst, depending on who you ask) - his rubber nipple-suited Batman and glittery Mr. Freeze forever punning the film into the history books. It all turned out fine in the end, with Christopher Nolan and a very gruff Dark Knight subsequentlyrescuing his career with two of the greatest Batman movies of all time (plus the other one), but that does not make Batman And Robin any less terrible.

Often mentioned in the same breath as Batman And Robin is the film's immediate predecessor, Schumacher's Batman Forever. With director Tim Burton and star Michael Keaton nowhere to be seen, Schumacher had the unenviable job of following up one of the most iconic superhero films of all time. In spite of a promising cast (Val Kilmer, Nicole Kidman, Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey!) suffice to say that Batman Forever is not in the same league as Burton's Batman or its sequel.

With its ridiculous villains, wobbly Batmobile and horrible collection of Batsuits, it's a childish, silly and garish mess with a dumb Batman who has apparently never seen a Rorschach Test before in his life. It also introduces Chris O' Donnell's Robin, a boy wonder who can only be about five years younger than Batman itself. No-one here is arguing that Batman Forever is an unappreciated classic.

It is, however, completely undeserving of the same disdain that should be reserved for its sequel. While Batman Forever has its flaws, it hasits fair share of positives too.

This article takes a look at ten of the best things about Batman Forever. And, no, Chris O'Donnell is not one of them.

Contributor
Contributor

A film critic and professional writer of over ten years, Joel Harley has a deep and abiding love of all things horror, Batman and Nicolas Cage. He can be found writing online and in print, all over the Internet and in especially good bookstores.