AUGUST 1, 2008 - VOL. 1, ISSUE 19

Where does this Batman fit in with the whole scheme of things? I still can't figure out. The scene that fully shows us the concept behind the movie is Batman and Robin storming of The Riddler's hideout. How did he build it out in the ocean without anyone noticing? Doesn't Bruce Wayne know everything about his beloved Gotham? And wouldn't you want a hideout that was actually hard to find, much like the Penguin's, and not a spinning blender that shoots out green lasers? Robin lands on the island and says, "Holy rusted metal, Batman." And there we have it. This movie is nothing but a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy, and the product we are watching is nothing but a blurry blob that we think is Batman. This "Wholly rusted metal, Batman," is a clear shout out to the original Batman and its followers, it isn't even cleverly hid, like an homage to the original, but it is forced in front of our faces. That is Batman Forever, a forced regurgitation that relies solely on our image and understanding of Batman and Gotham.

The main problem with this film is it's wish-washy main theme and two dimensional characters are ripping the story at all seams. This happens because the film is a misappropriated pastiche, relying heavily on Tim Burton's films and the little we know about the Batman from them. This can be easily seen in the setting. Sometimes its dark and gnarled, with the buildings twisting to create an underworld, just like in Burton's, but then juxtaposed to a Gotham City set in the future. I don't know what time period, or what world for that matter, this takes place. Whether Burton's pastiche or Schumacher's new additions, the tone and locale is foreign on all fronts. Two-Face drives an Al Capone-style car, complete with goons that shoot Tommy-guns, but Batman has a car that literally can climb buildings with a grappling hook. There is another time when Two-Face's helicopter runs into the Statue of Liberty, with Gotham written on her. Where are we? What I do know is that it confuses and frustrates me. I can't figure out if I am in Gotham or in a dance club.

The theme of the movie, as it is told to us word for word by Bruce Wayne, is that people have both black and white sides. We are two-faces on the inside. This is only really apparent within Robin's and Two-Face's character. Other than that, it is pretty much brushed over quickly. For the rest of the movie, we are supposed to get that Batman is torn between vigilantism and justice, because we know Batman because we have obviously seen the first two movies. In fact, I wonder if that theme was thrown in there at the last second because they really didn't have a reason for why we are watching this movie. It feels rushed, forced, and under explored. With Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, we get to see Batman wallow in this grey zone between good and evil. In this movie, Batman is the hero of the city, a well-known celebrity, and people praise every action he does. Does this city represent the director's viewing of us? Do we just accept this lackluster and incomplete theme because it is a hero- our iconic figure of the night? Batman Forever is just a mush of elements smashed together to create a movie, starting with the characters.

So who is the main character in this film? The Riddler, we get to see his rise and fall; Two-Face, an ugly man without much menace; Robin, the side kick who has the most character evolution; Dr. Chase Meridian, the love interest and the only reason for Bruce Wayne to be in the story; or Batman, his name is in the title, but his character never changes and his motivation is borrowed from the last two movies. O.K., so we should examine how we define the main character. Is it screen time, the title character, the one with the most at stake, the one who changes, or the one with the most influential actor? I don't know and neither does this movie. At so many times these characters are pulling to be the main story line, and what it does is stretches the story to a point that, when making it a watchable time length, important character motivation and logic are passed over in order to get to the ending. Batman and Robin must win, Bruce must get the girl, the Riddler must be knocked down a peg, and Two-Face must get what's coming to him. To do this, a lot of assumptions need to be made in the plot. In one scene, Batman is cruising around in his car, and Two-Face randomly knows where the bat is at and he also happens to be carrying a rocket launcher. How did he get that weapon? It doesn't matter because he's Two-Face, and Two-Face is a bad guy and bad guys need guns, so it isn't odd that he would have one. How did he track Batman? Same answer. How did the Riddler build such a layer? He's the Riddler. Why does Bruce go after them? Because he's Batman.

The ending is the most disheartening of the whole movie. It ends with an opening for another movie, one that is worse. How can this awful adaptation, sequel, family fun Batman end with an opening to make another one? It is gross. What it sets-up is a regurgitation of a pile of puke: a copy of a bad copy.