Fortress of Solitude
FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE
  • Movies
  • TV
  • Anime
  • Gaming
  • Tech
  • Win
No Result
View All Result
POPULAR
  • DC
  • Marvel
  • Superman
  • Batman
  • Star Wars
  • Horror
  • Sci-Fi
  • Netflix
  • Predator: Killer of Killers
FOLLOW US
Newsletter
Fortress of Solitude
FORTRESS
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Predator: Killer of Killers
  • DC
  • Marvel
  • Superman
  • Batman
  • Star Wars
  • Horror
  • Sci-Fi
  • Netflix
Home Movies Movie Features

I Rewatched Batman Forever, And It’s The Perfect MCU Film – No, Really

Batman Forever might be divisive, but it's actually a prototype for an MCU movie.

Sergio PereirabySergio Pereira
August 7, 2024
0
rewatch batman forever film mcu movie

Released in 1995, Batman Forever touched the hearts of the world because of Seal. There, I said it. The movie is beloved because of Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose” and how it’s the only song worth singing in a shower while the shampoo bottle suffers through the aural massacre of the chorus. For many comic book movie fans, Batman Forever is seen as the beginning of the end for this version of the Caped Crusader introduced in Tim Burton’s Burtonverse. It isn’t at a Batman & Robin-level of terrible, but is it on anyone’s best Batman movie of all time list? Unlikely.

Yet, here’s the thing: Rewatching Batman Forever today makes me realize something important. It’s the quintessential compromise between the studio, Warner Bros., and what fans want from a Dark Knight movie. Call it the perfect merger between entertainment and commercial viability. Before someone accuses me of hitting the pub’s happy hour during working hours (it was 16:15, okay?), hear me out for a second: Batman Forever isn’t… bad?!

Batman Forever Movie MCU

First off, let’s discuss Val Kilmer’s Batman. For Batman co-creator Bob Kane, Kilmer was the actor whom he believed embodied exactly what Bruce Wayne/Batman should be in a live-action movie. He not only gave him his stamp of approval, but he also thought that Kilmer captured the duality of the character better than Michael Keaton. It might sound sacrilegious to even say it, but there’s an element of truth to what Kane says, especially if people are looking at the source material for comparisons.

Rewatching the film now, it’s evident that Kilmer studied how to split the personalities and play them differently on screen. In fact, his portrayal shares more in common with Christian Bale’s Dark Knight than it does Keaton’s. He understands this is a man grappling with the literal and figurative masks he wears, trying to discover who he is underneath it all. If Kilmer’s Batman had been in a more critically acclaimed movie, chances are that everyone would be talking about him as one of the best to have played the role rather than just another name.

The separation between Kilmer’s Bat and Keaton’s is clearly something that Warner Bros. aimed for from the get-go. While canonically it’s meant to be the same version of the character, the studio wanted to move past the dark vibes of Batman Returns for something more family friendly in Batman Forever. The film achieves this through its cartoonish action and colorful demeanor. Even when there are moments of seriousness in the movie, they come off as goofy and over the top to assure the audience it isn’t too dangerous. Take the Riddler and Two-Face as prime examples. Their goal of controlling the mind through the airwaves sounds like something out of Batman ’66, being almost too outlandish to succeed but still harboring enough menace to make the viewer wonder what would happen if they did achieve it.

Batman Forever Film MCU

Unquestionably, Batman Forever plays it safe, never doing anything to offend or complicate the story. You know who else does that? The Marvel Cinematic Universe. In many ways, Batman Forever is an MCU movie before the MCU. It reshuffles and reappropriates canon to create the film it wants, but also leaves enough space for future narrative threads to be unraveled. In fact, the movie ends in such a manner that a sequel is inevitable rather than just a possibility. Look at how it handles the Riddler, who is shown to still be alive and in Arkham Asylum. There’s no questioning his status here and this is a definitive hint he may have returned later on.

For Warner Bros., one of its chief concerns about Batman Forever was merchandising opportunities. It wanted a film that could sell toys, clothing, and video games to both kids and adults. Unlike Batman Returns, with its Count Orlok-inspired Penguin and dominatrix-styled Catwoman, every character and vehicle in Batman Forever translated well into other mediums. The studio won here, as even the Tim Flattery designed Batmobile remains in demand today because of how striking it appears. Fans win, too, as they receive more cool stuff to put on their mantle pieces rather than the barest of merch possibilities.

Maybe Batman Forever might not be the best superhero film of all time. Then again, neither does that honor belong to anything the MCU produced. However, it’s a perfectly serviceable film that satisfies both the fans and studio’s greater interests. Sign me up for the Joel Schumacher cut of the film because that’s something I can get behind immediately. 

Tell us, do you think Batman Forever is an underrated film? Let us know in the comments.

Batman Forever

Batman must battle former district attorney Harvey Dent, who is now Two-Face and Edward Nygma, The Riddler with help from an amorous psychologist and a young circus acrobat who becomes his sidekick, Robin.

movie poster
Studio: Warner Bros.
Running Time: 122 minutes
Release Date: June 16, 1995
Cast: Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman, Chris O'Donnell, Michael Gough
Director: Joel Schumacher
Writers: Bob Kane, Lee Batchler, Janet Scott Batchler
Genre: Action, Adventure, Superhero
Box Office: $336.6 million
Tags: BatmanFeaturedMarvelMCUMovie NewsSuperhero Movies
ShareTweetShareSend

About the Author: Sergio Pereira

Sergio is an entertainment journalist who has written about movies, television, video games, and comic books for over a decade and a half. Outside of journalism, he is an award-winning copywriter, screenwriter, and novelist. He holds a degree in media studies and psychology.

Related Posts

Stitch Worthy to Lift Thor Hammer Marvel Comics
Comic Features

Marvel Reveals That Stitch Is Worthy to Lift Thor’s Hammer

July 3, 2025
New Superman Movie Hype Poll
Movie News

James Gunn Upsets Indians Fans With His Comments About the Negativity Surrounding Superman

July 3, 2025
James Gunn or Superman the Star of DC reboot
Movie News

James Gunn Says Superman Is His First Superhero Movie

July 2, 2025

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

MOST READ

Melissa Benoist Says She Is More Excited About Supergirl Than Superman
Movie News

Melissa Benoist Says She Is More Excited About Supergirl Than Superman

June 20, 2025
New Reed Richards Blue Suit Marvel MCU Fantastic Four First Steps
Movie News

Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards Could Be Modelled on a Real-Life Disney Icon

June 19, 2025
Cristin Milioti Warner Bros HBO Max The Penguin
Trending

Cristin Milioti Calls Out Warner Bros For Deleting Her Show From HBO Max

June 19, 2025
James Gunn DCU Sony Spider-Man Problem
Movie News

James Gunn’s DCU Has A Sony Spider-Man Problem

June 18, 2025
Fortress of Solitude

© 2025 Fortress of Solitude, a division of Fortress Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

More about Fortress of Solitude

  • About Us
  • Contact Fortress of Solitude
  • Work With Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Sign Up For Our Newsletter
  • Publishing Principles
  • Ethics Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Ownership
  • Privacy Policy & Site Disclaimer

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
SUBSCRIBE
  • MOVIES
    • Movie Features
    • Movie Lists
    • Movie News
    • Movie Reviews
  • TV
    • TV Features
    • TV Lists
    • TV News
    • TV Series Reviews
  • ANIME
    • Anime Features
    • Anime Lists
  • COMICS
    • Comic Features
    • Comic Lists
  • GAMING
    • Gaming Features
    • Gaming Lists
    • Gaming News
    • Game Reviews
  • TECH
    • Tech Features
    • Tech News
    • Tech Reviews
  • INTERVIEWS
  • WEB STORIES
  • ABOUT US
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Ownership
    • Work With Us
  • WIN

© 2025 Fortress of Solitude, a division of Fortress Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.