Batman Forever

***Batman Forever*** is a 1995 action superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman, directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Lee Batchler, Janet Scott Batchler, and Akiva Goldsman. The film stars Val Kilmer as Batman, Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face, Jim Carrey as the Riddler, Nicole Kidman as Dr. Chase Meridian, and Chris O'Donnell as Batman's sidekick Robin. The plot revolves around Batman as he tries to stop villains Two-Face and the Riddler as they enact a scheme to take over Gotham City, all while taking young orphaned acrobat Dick Grayson under his wing and pursuing a romantic relationship with psychologist Dr. Chase Meridian.

*Batman Forever* was produced by Tim Burton, who directed the previous two films, and Peter MacGregor-Scott. It was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. as the third entry in the studio's long-running *Batman* film franchise. It premiered at the Mann Village Theater in Los Angeles on June 9, 1995, and was released to American theaters on June 16.

Following the controversy over *Batman Returns* being supposedly too dark and inappropriate for child audiences, Tim Burton was asked to step down as director and was replaced by Joel Schumacher, who promised the studio he could deliver a more lighthearted product. With Burton's departure, Michael Keaton elected not to return to the role of Batman and was replaced by Val Kilmer. Filming began in September of 1994.

*Batman Forever* was financially successful, but received mixed reviews compared to the mostly positive reception of the previous two films. The film's tonal and stylistic departure from Burton's films was a common point of criticism. It was followed by a sequel, *Batman & Robin*, two years later, with George Clooney replacing Kilmer as Batman. While Joel Schumacher's entries were originally developed as sequels to Burton's, they stood out from the prior two films in their visual style and tone and were considerably less well-received. Furthermore, the only actors from Burton's films who returned for the Schumacher films were Michael Gough and Pat Hingle. As such, the Schumacher films were later declared by *Batman* and *Batman Returns* screenwriter Sam Hamm as taking place in the alternate universe of Earth-97, as opposed to Earth-89 where Burton's films took place.

## Plot

Harvey Dent, after being scarred and driven insane in an acid attack by crime boss Sal Maroni and taking on the criminal identity of Two-Face, holds a security guard hostage at the Second Bank of Gotham. Batman arrives on the scene in the Batmobile, and is briefed by Commissioner Gordon and criminal psychologist Dr. Chase Meridian. Batman takes the elevator to the top floor of the bank, avoiding a hail of gunfire from Two-Face's thugs, and defeats them. Batman heads into the safe where the captive guard is being held, only to be informed it's a trap. The safe begins being lifted out of the bank by a helicopter and starts to fill with acid. Batman cracks the safe door and escapes, using his grappling hook to lower the guard to safety. Batman climbs onto the chopper and fights with Two-Face, who sets the chopper to crash and escapes with a parachute. Batman cannot stop the helicopter from crashing into a statue, but jumps out before it crashes and lands safely in the water.

At Wayne Enterprises, Bruce Wayne is approached by his obsessive employee Edward Nygma, who presents him with his new invention that can beam images directly into the mind by manipulating brainwaves. Nygma asks for funding for his project, but Bruce declines on the basis that the technology "raises too many questions." Bruce leaves after seeing the Bat-Signal, while Nygma vows revenge on Bruce. Batman arrives at police headquarters and is greeted by chase, who informs him that she has determined Two-Face's coin is his Achilles' heel, and can be exploited. Batman says he is already aware of this, and asks if that is all Chase has brought him there for. She responds by making romantic advances toward him before Commissioner Gordon arrives and asks what is going on. Batman says it is a false alarm and leaves.

Nygma's supervisor Fred Stickley finds him working on his invention at the office and demands that he stop. Nygma responds by knocking him out and strapping him to a chair, then attaching a prototype of his invention to his head. Nygma activates the device, which not only broadcasts images into Fred's mind but in an unintended side effect feeds his brainwaves into a receiver Nygma is wearing and causes him to become smarter. When Nygma powers off the device, Fred angrily rants at him and says he will fire him and report him to the authorities, but Nygma simply pushes him out the window to his death. Nygma tampers with the security camera feed and frames Fred's death as a suicide, then resigns from the company. He also begins leaving riddles for Bruce.

Bruce visits Chase's office to try and get her opinion on the riddles he's been receiving, and she informs him that whoever is leaving them is obsessed with him and may want to kill him. Bruce invites Chase to go with him to the charity circus event, which is hijacked by Two-Face and his men. Two-Face arms a large bomb and informs the crowd that he will detonate it and kill them all unless someone gives up Batman's secret identity. Bruce tries to give himself up, but cannot be heard in the commotion. The Flying Graysons, a family of acrobats performing in the circus, use their skills to move the bomb to the roof. Two-Face shoots the wires holding the Flying Graysons up in the air, causing them to all fall to their deaths except for the youngest member, Dick. Dick successfully dumps the bomb into the water, but is devastated to find his parents and brother dead. Inspired by Two-Face, Nygma decides to take up a criminal persona of his own.

Bruce agrees to take Dick in, but Dick informs him that he intends to go after Two-Face himself. Bruce manages to convince Dick to stay by showing him his motorcycle collection. Dick's situation reminds Bruce of his parents' deaths, and he feels guilt for indirectly causing the Graysons' deaths. Bruce sees the Bat-Signal from Wayne Manor and heads to Gotham City in the Batmobile. He engages in a chase with Two-Face and his thugs, but escapes by using a grappling hook to drive the Batmobile up the side of a building. Two-Face is frustrated by Batman's escape, but his assistants Sugar and Spice try to cheer him up. Suddenly, Nygma announces his presence at Two-Face's lair and introduces himself as the Riddler. He offers to help Two-Face unmask and destroy Batman, in exchange for enough capital to complete his invention, which he calls the Box. Two-Face flips his coin to determine whether to work with the Riddler or kill him, and the coin lands with the good side up. The Riddler and Two-Face begin a crime spree throughout Gotham, stealing enough money to fund Nygma's enterprise. Nygma founds a new company called Nygmatech and releases the Box commercially. While it broadcasts images into the minds of Gotham's citizens, it feeds information into Nygma's brain and causes him to grow in intelligence.

At Wayne Manor, Dick manages to sneak through a locked door and stumbles upon the Batcave. He steals the Batmobile and drives it through Gotham, then exits it to save a young woman from gang members. Dick defeats the criminals and saves the woman, but more gang members arrive and surround him. However, Batman arrives and scares them off. Dick attacks Batman, blaming him for the deaths of his parents. Batman assures him that if Bruce Wayne could have given his life to save Dick's family, he would have. At the Batcave, Dick asks Bruce to help him find and kill Two-Face, but Bruce warns that doing so will set him down the same path as himself.

Bruce attends a party hosted by Nygma and investigates his latest invention, which can broadcast sophisticated holograms into the brain. Bruce deactivates the device by removing its power source, but Sugar replaces the power source while Bruce is inside the booth, allowing it to extract information from his mind. Two-Face crashes the party and demands the valuables of all the guests, but Bruce suits up as Batman and fights back. Two-Face and his men lure Bruce into a subway construction area, then attempt to burn him alive. When this fails, Two-Face causes the construction site to collapse, burying Batman in gravel. Fortunately, Dick rescues him. Bruce is angry at Dick for nearly getting himself killed, but Dick insists that he become Batman's partner. Bruce refuses to let Dick become like him, but Dick says he will be his partner whether he likes it or not. Batman visits Chase, who reveals to him that she has fallen in love with Bruce Wayne. With this, Bruce decides to stop being Batman once and for all, much to Dick's dismay. He invites Chase over to Wayne Manor, where he reveals to her that he is Batman. Two-Face and the Riddler, having learned that Bruce is Batman thanks to the scan of his brain, raid Wayne Manor. The Riddler destroys the Batcave, while Two-Face shoots Bruce in the head, grazing him but knocking him unconscious. The Riddler stops Two-Face from killing Bruce, and the two villains escape with Chase as their hostage. The Riddler takes Chase to his island headquarters, from where he shines a giant green question mark over the Bat-Signal in the sky.

Bruce and Alfred decode the riddles and determine that Edward Nygma is the Riddler. Bruce dons the only surviving Batsuit but is met by Dick, who has been outfitted with a suit of his own thanks to Alfred. Batman accepts Dick as his partner, Robin, and the two approach the Riddler's base in the Batwing and Batboat. Two-Face and the Riddler use mines to destroy the Batboat, while a laser fired from the island base knocks the Batwing into the water. Batman ejects and rescues Robin, and the two climb onto the island. They find that the ground is made of metal and are separated as the ground begins to elevate. Batman enters the building and narrowly escapes a lowering spiked ceiling before making his way into the building's main chamber. Robin encounters Two-Face and beats him, but decides to spare him. Two-Face compliments Robin for being noble, but calls him stupid as he holds him at gunpoint. The Riddler confronts Batman with two hostages: Chase and Robin. He says that Batman can only save one before the other is dropped into a watery grave. Batman throws a Batarang at the device the Riddler is using to absorb knowledge from Gotham, destroying it and causing all of the Riddler's acquired knowledge to be drained. The Riddler presses the button causing Robin and Chase to be dropped to their deaths, but Batman uses his grappling hook to save both. As they stand in the rafters, they are held at gunpoint by Two-Face. Batman tells Two-Face he hasn't flipped his coin yet, and Two-Face thanks him before flipping it. Batman then throws several coins into the air, causing Two-Face to become confused and stumble before losing his balance and falling to his death in the water below. Batman approaches the defeated Riddler, who is terrified by the vision of an approaching bat.

Nygma is confined in Arkham Asylum, now rendered completely insane and believing himself to be Batman. Chase informs Bruce that his secret is safe, and the two share a passionate kiss. Batman then resumes his war on crime with Robin by his side.