Batman Forever marked a changing of the guard in the Batman Movie Franchise. We were introduced to a new Batman, a new Batmobile, a new partner, and a new Gotham. The change that made the most impact (in fact was primarily responsible to the aforementioned ones) was Tim Burton's ousting from the director's chair in favor of Joel Schumacher. Apparently Warner Bros. wasn't happy with the direction Burton was taking the franchise. Batman Returns wasn't nearly as successful as it's 1989 predecessor. Schumacher took the franchise in a whole new direction. Gone was the dark, twisted Gotham of Burton's nightmares, and in was the neon-lighted "video-game" world of Schumacher.
Michael Keaton apparently had some dispute with Warner Bros. about returning as Batman, thus a new actor donned the cape and cowl: Val Kilmer. I have always like Kilmer, but for some reason, he left his acting ability at the front stoop of Wayne Manor, as he really sucked as the new Batman. Where as Keaton really didn't look the part of Batman or Bruce Wayne, he more than made up for it with his incredible understanding of how to portray both characters. That is a key point: They are two distinct characters. Kilmer failed to reconcile this, and thus was doomed from the beginning. When I see the first two movies, I have a hard time believing that it is Keaton behind the Cowl. When I see Batman Forever, I see Kilmer in a rubber mask. I guess the only way you can truly appreciate Kilmer's portrayal of Batman is if you don't compare it to Keaton's; something I can't bring myself to do.
Dick Grayson has long been my favorite comic book character. I like him (and his two alter egos: Robin and now Nightwing) probably as much or more than Batman himself. Even so, I wasn't sure, in the beginning, if Robin had a place in a Batman movie. Certainly not in a Burton-style movie, however, if there was a saving grace for the way Schumacher worked things, it was that it allowed the introduction of this character into the franchise. When I saw the previews of Batman Forever, I was shocked. They had a punk kid with an earring and a crew cut portraying my favorite character?! The blasphemy! I quickly warmed to Chris O'Donnell, however, as I found his rendition of Dick/Robin refreshing. With hints of Jason Todd mixed in with the semi-traditional story of how Dick and Bruce came to be partners, the Robin storyline quickly became my favorite thing about Batman Forever, and Chris O'Donnell one of my favorite actors.
Tommy Lee Jones starred as Two-Face, but I think starred is a bit of a euphamism. Two-Face is nothing like Jones's interpretation of him. He seemed to be copying Nicholson's portrayal of the Joker a little too much. I think that had a lot to do with Schumacher trying to take a lot of elements from the first Batman movie. Regardless, Two-Face is a forgettable character in the Batman movie mythos.
The Riddler, as portrayed by Jim Carrey, constitutes the 'meat' of the villainy in Batman Forever. While a little more fruity than the traditional Riddler, Carrey makes it believable and does a good overall job with this part. In fact, he brings out a sinister and diabolical side of the Riddler that has seldom been seen.
The costumes were pretty good, for the most part. The Bat-Costume , through 90% of the movie, was a duplicate of Keaton's in the original movie. Up until the end where he used the new suit with the "Sonar Modifications". That suit wasn't too bad, but wasn't nearly as good as it's predecessor. Robin's suit was much like the one Tim Drake wears in the comics nowadays. With full 'pants and sleeves', Robin looks a bit more menacing than with the elf shoes he used to wear in the comics. In fact, I like this suit better than the one he wears in Batman & Robin.
The storyline was pretty well thought out. It sees Batsy, however, once again reveal his identity to a chick (What the hell? You'd think it was a pickup line for Bruce with the number of times he's pulling off that damn cowl in front of a Betty!) Anyway, while the storyline is sound, Schumacher's rendition of Gotham, Batman, and the uplifting atmosphere surrounding it all really drags the movie down, in my opinion. For some reason, a side of me still likes Batman Forever a little bit. Maybe it is the Robin thing, maybe it is just because it is a Batman movie, I don't quite know. Batman Forever appealed to the masses, the sales prove that. But it didn't appeal to the hardcore fandom of Batman. The departure of Burton and Keaton was a sad day in the Batman Movie genre.
A new Batmobile made it's debut in Batman Forever. I really think that it looks quite sharp. I still like the original better, but this one isn't far behind. A new Batplane makes it's appearance at the end of the movie (Remember the original? Parts are probably still lying all over Main street in Gotham!). This one is awesome, and is indeed better than it's predecessor in my opinion. The final Bat-Vehicle to make a screen appearance in Batman Forever was the BatBoat, a cool speedboat. Robin used this at the end just long enough to get to the Riddler's lair-Then it was destroyed (along with the Batplane).