Movie · 1995 · Action, Crime, Fantasy · 2h 1m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 0.9/10 (600.1K ratings)
Courage now, truth always, Batman forever!
Overview
Batman faces off against two foes: the schizophrenic, horribly scarred former District Attorney Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, and the Riddler, a disgruntled ex-Wayne Enterprises inventor seeking revenge against his former employer by unleashing his brain-sucking weapon on Gotham City's residents. As the caped crusader also copes with tortured memories of his parents' murder, he has a new romance, with psychologist Chase Meridian.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.9/10
IMDb: 5.5/10
Letterboxd: 2.55/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 41%
Metacritic: 54
TMDB: 5.5/10
Director
Joel Schumacher
Production
Warner Bros. Pictures, Tim Burton Productions, Polygram Pictures
Cast
Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman, Chris O'Donnell, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, Drew Barrymore, Debi Mazar, René Auberjonois, Joe Grifasi, Elizabeth Sanders, Philip Moon, Jessica Tuck, Dennis Paladino, Kimberly Scott, Michael Paul Chan, Jon Favreau, Greg Lauren, Ramsey Ellis
Where to watch
Max
Curator Review
Verdict
A loud, neon-soaked studio comic-book spectacle that swings hard between gothic melodrama and cartoonish camp. It’s uneven and often ridiculous, but the design, energy, and Jim Carrey’s manic performance make it a memorable 90s blockbuster rather than a total misfire.
Best for
Viewers who like campy superhero movies
Fans of stylized 90s studio excess
People who enjoy comic-book villains chewing scenery
Audiences open to a playful, pop-art Gotham
Skip if
You want a serious or grounded Batman story
You dislike broad camp and exaggerated performances
You prefer tight plotting over spectacle
You’re looking for the darker Burton or Nolan tone
Overview
Batman Forever is a strange but undeniably vivid pivot point: less haunted than Burton’s films, more glossy and toyetic, and fully committed to turning Gotham into a neon fever dream. The production design is the real star, with elaborate sets, bold lighting, and a comic-book artificiality that gives the movie its most lasting appeal.
Worth noting
The film’s tone is all over the map, but that instability is part of the experience. Val Kilmer plays Bruce with a cool, wounded reserve, Nicole Kidman brings glossy erotic thriller energy, and Jim Carrey goes full live-wire chaos as the Riddler. Tommy Lee Jones is the biggest mismatch, but even that feels like part of the movie’s anything-goes logic.
Bottom line
As a Batman movie, it’s divisive; as a 90s blockbuster artifact, it’s fascinating. It’s messy, overproduced, and often silly, yet it has a confidence and visual imagination that keep it from feeling disposable.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Josh Lewis (3★) · 4074 likes
Schumacher took some of the most gorgeous, neon-lit, elaborately designed sets, matte paintings, and miniatures of the 90s and one of the most lucrative blockbuster studio IPs and made it into a campy cartoon romp about a few extremely horny costume fetishists and drag enthusiasts trying to kill each other. Jim Carrey spends most of his screen time in a green onesie, dancing with a pimp cane and screaming shit like "spank me" and "joygasm" while blowing shit up and… more Schumacher took some of the most gorgeous, neon-lit, elaborately designed sets, matte paintings, and miniatures of the 90s and one of the most lucrative blockbuster studio IPs and made it into a campy cartoon romp about a few extremely horny costume fetishists and drag enthusiasts trying to kill each other. Jim Carrey spends most of his screen time in a green onesie, dancing with a pimp cane and screaming shit like "spank me" and "joygasm" while blowing shit up and… more
Logan Kenny (5★) · 3045 likes
I can’t believe that there are people in this world who don't think this is the absolute shit.
Ellie ✨ (2★) · 2638 likes
it's not a real batman film unless martha wayne's pearls fall to the ground in slow motion
roby (3★) · 2193 likes
Nicole Kidman’s character is the horniest mother fucker I have ever seen.
2002 · Action, Science Fiction · 2h 1m · PG-13 · Curator 7.3/10 (3.3M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, fuboTV, Netflix Standard with Ads
A more earnest comic-book blockbuster, but still rooted in identity, romance, and superhero spectacle.