Archive
Special Review: “Batman & Robin” – Joel Schumacher and the Inevitable Taco Bell Analogy
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Produced by: Peter MacGregor-Scott
Written by: Akiva Goldsman
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Chris O’Donnell, Uma Therman, Alicia Silverstone, Michael Gough, Jeep Swensen, Pat Hingle, Elle Macpherson
Music by: Elliot Goldenthal
Year: 1997
Let’s get one thing out of the way, right off the bat (so to speak): There was no way that Joel Schumacher was aiming to be anywhere near a serious tone for Batman & Robin. If you’re one of those people who constantly complains that Batman & Robin wasn’t serious enough, then, well, I’m just going to have to roll my eyes at you and unleash a really loud “Duuuuuh!” straight into your face.
With Batman Forever, Schumacher seemed to be experimenting with placing style over substance, something he did the opposite of with the absolutely mind-numbing A Time to Kill, but he achieved less than admirable results. With Batman & Robin, however, Schumacher didn’t even have a chance, as he found himself at the mercy of the studio, and he was clearly aiming to act out in his lack of say in the film’s production. Read more…
Awful Movie Review: “Batman Forever”
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Produced by: Tim Burton, Peter MacGregor-Scott, Benjamin Melniker, Michael Uslan
Written by: Lee Batchler, Janet Scott-Batchler, Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Lee Batchler, Janet Scott-Batchler (story)
Starring: Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman, Chris O’Donnell, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, Drew Barrymore, Debi Mazar
Music by: Elliot Goldenthal
Year: 1995
You know what? This movie gets too much of a free pass. I get that, compared to its sequel, it’s almost competently plotted out, but this in no way implies that this is a good movie. Make no mistake about this: Batman Forever is one of the worst superhero films out there, and it even lacks much of the so-bad-it’s-good qualities that its more ridiculous sequel possesses, making this almost more unbearable than that infamous stain of a film. To say that Batman Forever fails where its predecessors succeeded is to undermine the severity of the film’s existence. To put it simply, Batman Forever not only undid much of the goodwill gained by critics and audiences with the releases of Batman and Batman Returns, it very nearly laid the groundwork for the death of the genre as we know it. Read more…
Special Review: “Batman Returns” – Villainy of Biblical Proportion
Directed by: Tim Burton
Produced by: Tim Burton, Denise Di Novi, Benjamin Melniker, Michael Uslan, Peter Guber, John Peters
Written by: Daniel Waters (screenplay), Sam Hamm, Daniel Waters (story)
Starring: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, Michael Murphy, Cristi Conaway
Music by: Danny Elfman
Year: 1992
Introduction
Continuing down my recent penchant for Batman media, I come to what is, in fact, the film that forms the basis of my earliest memories of going to the theatre, Batman Returns. In rewatching the film for this review, I can honestly say… I don’t know what my mom was thinking when she took me to see this when I was just six, but I’m so glad she did, as I’m thrilled that my earliest cinematic experience that I have vivid memories of is a Batman film! I remember that she had me wait and hold our seats as she went and got our snacks, coming back, and giving me an awesome color-changing Batman Returns cup that I had for quite some time — the kind of cup that was one color when warm and then revealed more colors and details when cold items were put inside it. It was like magic! And of course, as for the film itself, Batman Returns didn’t traumatize me one bit. At least, I think it didn’t. Read more…
The Viewer's Commentary 