5. Batman Forever - Composer: Elliot Goldenthal / Artists: U2, Seal
I treat
Batman Forever as a guilty pleasure superhero film. It's not great. It ruins the set up of the Burton films and is leagues away from Nolan's Batman trilogy. It could have been so much more. It's something I discussed in a recent article of mine
'12 movie franchises that could have been so much better'. But as it stands, its fun, it's cheesy, and its no so terrible that you can't enjoy it for what it is. Its certainly nowhere near as bad as its follow up, even if Chris O'Donnell was a terrible casting choice as Robin and the character of Two Face was far surpassed in
The Dark Knight. But the one thing
Batman Forever does have going for it, is its soundtrack. We'll start with Elliot Goldenthal's composition. It is wonderfully deranged and manic, capturing the mood of the two villains perfectly. The title of one piece sounds horrific - 'Gotham City Boogie' - but it frenzied and crazy and a very comic-booky, but in a fun way. The main titles too are wonderfully epic - it feels lighter in tone than Danny Elfman's darker (and superior) Batman Returns soundtrack, but it a brilliant piece none the less and is iconic as the earlier Batman themes - something I felt Nolan's Batman trilogy never really grasped.
Batman Forever was also the first and only Batman film to have not one, but two great songs accompanying it. Firstly we have Seal's 'Kiss From A Rose'. It's a stunning song, romantic and haunting and far superior to the relationship it attains to; that of Bruce Wayne/Batman and Doctor Meridian Chase. Secondly we have U2's 'Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me'. I love this song. It's over the top and deranged, just like Goldenthal's score, but its a cracking song too, with dark and twisted lyrics and a magnificent music video that blends scenes from the film with a nightmarish animated comic where the band themselves are the villains. Remind yourself how good the song (and the video) is, with this clip below... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zuy4828wpvg