BATMAN FOREVER (1995) - ♦♦♦

Directed by - Joel Schumacher

Written by - Lee Batchler, Janet Scott Batchler, Akiva Goldsman (based on the characters by Bob Kane)

Starring - Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman, Chris O'Donnell

"Tim Burton out, Joel Schumacher in for the third Batman film in the nineties franchise. In this sequel, Batman must protect Gotham City from the criminal alliance between the Riddler and Two Face. 

For the most part, the screenplay is hardly as refined and structurally sophisticated as either the 1989 Batman or even Batman Returns. It is much messier and more lenient towards a more campy approach, that is particularly true in the film's visuals full of excesses of sometimes overtaking the sinister aspects of the narrative - and more notably lessens the impact of the performances from most of the cast. 

This is not the case, however, with the true highlight of Batman Forever, which comes from Jim Carrey in the role of Batman's arch nemesis, easily the most developed and magnetic character in the movie. Instead of ditching his distinctive flamboyant comedic persona, he incorporates it in the dangerously obsessive and intelligent character he plays, who comes across as bizarre, legitimately menacing and very dark.

Science Fiction, USA/UK