After Batman Returns, everything changed.
Out went Tim Burton and Michael Keaton, and in came Joel Schumacher and Val Kilmer. And just like that, the dark, gothic world that had been built in the first two films was basically stripped down to its bones. Alfred and Gordon are still around, sure—but everything else? Completely different.
This is where Batman goes neon.
Gone are the shadows and gothic atmosphere, replaced with bright lights, giant statues, and a version of Gotham that feels more like a comic book theme park than a real place. And you can feel exactly why that shift happened. This is very much a “hey, you didn’t like how dark Returns was? Don’t worry, we fixed it” kind of movie.
And that’s where Batman Forever becomes one of the most divisive entries in the franchise.
For me, it lands somewhere in the middle.
It’s not a bad Batman movie—but it’s definitely a messy one.
Val Kilmer steps into the role, and honestly, he’s… fine. He’s not bad at all. In fact, he’s probably better as Bruce Wayne than he is as Batman. The movie actually tries to explore Bruce’s psyche a bit more—why he is the way he is, what drives him—which is interesting in theory. The problem is, the movie is juggling so much that none of it really gets the depth it probably should.
And that’s the biggest issue here.
This movie is packed.
You’ve got Bruce Wayne’s psychological arc, Nicole Kidman as Chase Meridian (who’s somehow in love with both Bruce and Batman), the introduction of Robin with Chris O’Donnell, and then two major villains on top of that.
It’s a lot. And you feel it.
Robin’s inclusion is interesting, but also kind of awkward. This isn’t the traditional version of the character—it’s more of a young adult take on Dick Grayson. Kilmer and O’Donnell have decent chemistry, but some of the choices around Robin are… questionable, to say the least. (Yeah, the laundry scene—you know the one.)
Then you get to the villains.
Jim Carrey as the Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face should be a home run on paper. These are two incredible actors, right in their prime.
But instead of elevating the material, the movie leans hard into making them exaggerated, almost cartoonish versions of themselves.
Carrey isn’t really playing the Riddler—he’s playing Jim Carrey as the Riddler. And while that can be entertaining in moments, you can’t help but wonder what a more grounded, serious take on the character could’ve looked like.
Tommy Lee Jones, meanwhile, is just kind of… there. He doesn’t bring much depth to Two-Face, and the character ends up feeling like a missed opportunity more than anything else.
And that’s kind of the theme of Batman Forever.
Missed opportunities.
Because buried underneath all the neon and chaos, there are ideas here that could’ve worked. Exploring Bruce Wayne’s trauma. Introducing Robin in a meaningful way. Using villains like Riddler and Two-Face to challenge Batman psychologically.
But the movie never fully commits to any one thing.
Instead, it tries to do everything.
And when you try to fit five pounds of ideas into a two-pound movie, something’s gotta give.
That said… I can’t sit here and say I don’t have some appreciation for it.
This is one of those movies that was always on TV growing up. It’s endlessly rewatchable in that “throw it on cable and catch it halfway through” kind of way. It’s colorful, it’s loud, it’s got big performances, and even when it doesn’t work, it’s at least trying to be entertaining.
And in hindsight, it’s also the bridge.
The studio wanted something lighter, more marketable, more kid-friendly—and this is what we got. Not a complete disaster, but a clear step away from what made the Burton films special.
And knowing what comes next with Batman & Robin… you can kind of see where things are heading.
Still, I can’t help but think about the “what if.”
What if Burton had stayed?
What if we got his version of Two-Face? His version of the Riddler?
What if they just tweaked the tone instead of completely reinventing everything?
Instead, Batman Forever ends up being this strange middle ground—part serious Batman story, part neon spectacle, never fully committing to either.
It’s not the worst of the bunch.
But it’s where things start to slip.
Final Verdict: A flashy, overstuffed, and divisive Batman film that has its moments, but ultimately feels like a franchise caught between two completely different visions.
Batman Forever = 6.5/10
