3# Ill get Drive Thru - Batman Forever (1995)
Elliot Goldenthals orchestral score soars through the speakers as the Batman logo and the acting credits of the main characters shoot across the screen in vibrant shades of green, orange, red and pink.
Batman Forever (1995) has begun. Suddenly, our hero appears. Once suited up in his trademark outfit and cape, he carefully selects the weapons and gadgets he will need for his next skirmish with Gothams criminal fraternity. Ascending the cold metal stairs of the bat cave he emerges, triumphant, as the Batmobile raises up to meet him on its bespoke rotating platform. The music reaches its dizzying height as the caped crusader examines his trusty steed... then Alfred enters the shot and says Can I persuade you to take a sandwich with you sir? to which Bruce replies with Ill get drive thru. What a way to kill any sense of pace, drama or tension which may have been building up until that point. This isnt a dig at
Val Kilmer; in fact, I found his portrayal of the caped crusader in Batman Forever (1995) just as entertaining as Michael Keatons previous efforts. I enjoyed the film immensely, with fast paced action, moments of genuine drama and a host of colourful villains presented as if they were taken directly from the pages of the comic books. I realise that this line is supposed to be quirky and funny just like the villains of the piece, but it doesnt fit with the mood of the scene its placed in at all; the gloom, the murkiness, the mystery, the technology, the badassery of it all collapses as soon as those lines are spoken. Plus Bruce and Alfred rarely ever use humour in the same way that the Joker or Two Face might, meaning that the exchange, although brief, seem out of sorts. To make matters worse, after these lines are unavoidably uttered Schumacher desperately tries to reel the audience back in with a return to the gloom, the darkness and the calculated music but its all too late. Its an unnecessary nod to the humour of the 60s series one of several throughout the film but it just doesnt fit. Still, perhaps the next scene is better... You can watch the infamous moment
HERE.