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"BATMAN FOREVER" (1995) (Val Kilmer, Jim Carrey) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Mild Mild Heavy Moderate Heavy Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Heavy Mild Mild None Mild Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate None Moderate Mild Heavy QUICK TAKE: Action/Adventure: Batman faces new threats brought on by Two-Face and The Riddler, whose crazed scheme threatens the minds of Gotham City's denizens. PLOT: Harvey "Two-Face" Dent (TOMMY LEE JONES) has his reason for seeking revenge against Batman. A former district attorney, facially and mentally scarred by acid thrown at him by a mafia boss during a trial, Batman failed to protect him from the incident. Edward "The Riddler" Nygma (JIM CARREY) also has his reasons, though more centered around Bruce Wayne (VAL KILMER), who rejects the notion of what he deems to be his greatest invention: Television, downloaded into the brain waves of viewers, giving them an ultra-sensory experience via holograms. Wayne doesn't like it because controlling the minds of people brings up too many questions, and he'd prefer to keep his company legit as it has always been. For criminal acts, they're the perfect pair. Being that Wayne is also Batman, he's got his own fair share of problems besides trying to stop these two. After Dick Grayson's family is killed, he flashes back to the deaths of his own parents by the gun of a robber, takes Grayson (CHRIS O'DONNELL) in, tries to fend off Grayson's insistence that he be made a partner in Wayne's crime-fighting efforts, and is also unsure about whether to pursue a relationship with Dr. Chase Meridian (NICOLE KIDMAN), a psychologist specializing in "abnormal psychology." Meridian claims to know what he is going through, learns from him what it is that troubles him, but she's also torn between him and Batman, whom she finds just as attractive. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Fans of the Batman character will want to see this, and so will fans of Jim Carrey. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For strong stylized action. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: VAL KILMER plays billionaire Bruce Wayne, philanthropic towards Gotham City and equally protective as Batman. He strives toward making his company, Wayne Enterprises, work for the good of the city, and rejects Edward Nygma's notion of controlling people's brain waves on the basis that people's minds should not be controlled and too many questions would be brought up, questions that he doesn't need because he wants to keep doing the good that he does. He also takes Dick Grayson into his care when the young acrobat is left an orphan, and does the Dance of the Potential Relationship with Dr. Chase Meridian, unsure of whether he should pursue one. He doesn't curse, he doesn't smoke, he doesn't drink, but he does use weapons when necessary against the bad guys and fights to save the city from doom. CHRIS O'DONNELL plays Dick Grayson, part of the family acrobatic troupe, The Graysons, who go from four members to one when Two-Face's uninvited appearance at the Gothic Circus sends his father, mother, and sister falling to their deaths. He's understandably sullen when he's taken in by Bruce Wayne, wanting nothing more than to get revenge against Two-Face for the death of his family. He's also the boy wonder soon to become Robin and is continually after Wayne to make him his partner in the business of being a superhero. Dick doesn't drink, smoke, or curse either, but uses weapons as well. JIM CARREY plays Edward Nygma, peeved at Bruce Wayne for rejecting his invention that taps into people's brain waves when they wear the device, which gives them an even more involving experience watching TV by using holograms. The plot runs a little deeper than what the public will receive because he intends to have each device beam to a central location so he can learn all the secrets of everyone who's watching, be privy to all their thoughts, and in his association with Two-Face, also get bank account numbers, credit card numbers, and any other number that could earn them a lot more money than just by what they're getting in profits. Nygma also assumes the alter-ego of The Riddler, only after he's sent Wayne a number of riddles that all mean something when put together. He doesn't drink, smoke, or curse, but puts a lot of Gotham's citizens in danger, as well as Batman, Robin, and Dr. Chase Meridian. TOMMY LEE JONES plays Harvey Dent, aka "Two-Face," who becomes of two faces and two minds after a mob boss throws acid at him in a courtroom during his stint as district attorney. Because Batman failed to protect him from the attack, he wants revenge and forming a partnership with The Riddler, only after causing chaos at the Gotham Circus, is the perfect way to do it, because Nygma's invention brings enough publicity and enough buyers and will eventually cause Batman to try to stop the nefarious deeds of him and Edward. "Two-Face" drinks two different kinds of wines at a party, curses at least once, uses a number of weapons, and also has female companionship in the way of Sugar and Spice, two girls who each cater to his different personalities, and who present themselves in two slinky outfits apiece. NICOLE KIDMAN plays Dr. Chase Meridian, a psychologist who specializes in "abnormal psychology," but who is clearly more interested in Batman and figuring out what troubles Bruce Wayne so much to the extent that his dreams appear to him when he is awake. Whenever she's onscreen, she's also torn between Batman and Bruce Wayne, little knowing that they are the same man. She curses at least twice, wears short skirts, and exhibits significant cleavage. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this PG-13 rated action comedy. Profanity consists of 2 "hells," while a few other expletives are also uttered. A few women appear in short skirts and display various amounts of cleavage, while at least one character drinks. Violence consists of lots of gunfire, property damage, one person being shot to death, three falling to their death, while there's lots of physical action and other physical contact. Some moments of peril might be unsettling or suspenseful for younger viewers. The two main villains have wildly varying degrees of bad attitudes, while all sorts of potentially imitative behavior are present, especially by the actions of one of the villains. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, one shot of Batman rappelling downward makes some unusual motions. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE After a coin flip determines that he will not kill the guard he has held hostage, Two-Face says to him, "Fortune smiles, another day of wine and roses. Or in your case, beer and pizza," commenting on his girth. At a party, Two-Face drinks a dark-colored wine and red wine from two separate glasses at the same time. BLOOD/GORE While firing at Batman from inside a helicopter, Two-Face inadvertently kills his henchman pilot. No blood is seen, and he dumps the body from the seat and takes over. After taking over the Gotham Circus, where he has set a bomb to explode, Two-Face fires at the riggings where Dick Grayson has scuttled up towards the roof with the bomb. The riggings snap and all of Dick's family falls to the ground, dead on impact, shown from a high-angle and no blood present. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Edward Nygma works for Wayne Industries, given an office of his own, likely so he'll not pose a danger to the other employees with his eccentricities. Despite his boss's maneuvering to lead Bruce Wayne away from him before he can corner him, he does and tries to sell Bruce on the idea of beaming TV signals into people's brains, giving them an even more involving television-watching experience with holograms. He's rejected, and this drives him to take his invention even wider and he teams up with fellow villain Harvey "Two-Face" Dent, who wants revenge of a different sort. He switches between his identities as Nygma and as The Riddler, who sends Bruce Wayne riddles to figure out. He's subservient to Two-Face when the situation calls for it, but its in his lair where he enjoys his ultimate power. He and Two-Face also break into Wayne Manor and wreak much havoc, though The Riddler does his share in a much more flamboyant manner. Harvey Dent was once the district attorney for Gotham City, but was soon scarred by acid thrown at him in a courtoom by a mafia boss. The acid not only ate into his face, but also his brain, and he lives with split personalities, which brings meaning to his moniker, "Two-Face." He wants revenge against Batman for not protecting him in that courtroom and since he and Edward are pretty much after the same thing, a team-up saves energy and screen time. But his wants are simpler. Where Edward wants the world, Two-Face only wants Batman, but for the time being, he works with his masked henchmen in stealing as much cash as necessary to fund Edward's scheme and spending time with his two ladies, Sugar and Spice, who each represent his distinct personalities. His ever-present coin is his "Achilles heel," according to Dr. Chase Meridian and when he and The Riddler break into Wayne Manor, he's content with sitting in a chair and deciding a fate by the flip of his coin. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. For a film of this caliber, however, many things aren't portrayed realistically or graphically. Two car chases involve gunfire. There are a few explosions, a helicopter crashing through an advertisement for an eye care product and then into Gotham's Statue of Liberty, and two characters in peril towards the end of the film. The antics of Two-Face and The Riddler may also unsettle some kids. GUNS/WEAPONS Stylized Tommy guns/Handguns/Blades/Various explosives: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill people and/or cause property damage. See 'Violence' for further details. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Blind, stupid, simple, doo-dah, clueless luck!" "Hot entrance," "Let's start this party with a bang!" "Boys, kill the bat," "Blast him!" "Open sesame," "Haul away," "Yes! Oh, happy day," "Farewell forever to that pointy-eared night rat," "Have the good taste to die," "Are you trying to get under my cape, doctor?" "A girl can't live by psychoses alone," "It's the car, right? Chicks love the car," "Caffeine will kill ya!" "What a rush!" "Surf's up, big kahuna!" "So, what you're saying is, this guy's a total wacko," "Yikes, time's up," "By the way, that's never going to heal if you don't stop picking," "Let's see if you bleed green," "Kill the bat!" "What's the point, big boy?" "Has anybody ever told you, you have a serious impulse-control problem?!" "Bastard!" "Patience, O Bifurcated One," "Your entrance was good, his was better," "Nothing like a bad case of gas!" "Why can't you just die?" "Batboy," "Nightwing," "Screw you," "Riddle me this," "Spank me," "Shut up!" "Now that's impressive!" "Joygasm!" "I'm coming, my sweet," "Holy rusted metal, Batman," "Holey," "Noble. Stupid, but noble," "Riddle me this, riddle me that," "Let's get real," "You betcha!" "Was that over the top? I can never tell," "Freak!" "Bummer" and "He is definitely a wacko." Jim Carrey (The Riddler) is famously known for his physical comedy and facial mugging, and there's a lot of that here that kids will be tempted to try, perhaps even hours after the film is over. Tommy Lee Jones (Two-Face) also gets into the act, partly because of his character, and perhaps because he was also inspired while performing with Carrey. All of the stunts, fighting, and other physical action may be enticing for some kids to imitate. JUMP SCENES Glass shatters suddenly, and there are a few explosions that may surprise. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) "Batman Forever" features a very overbearing, sometimes ominous score appropriate for a superhero movie that doesn't let up when it starts during Batman's adventures. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None PROFANITY At least 2 hells, 1 damn, and 1 use each of "Oh God' and "Oh my God." SEX/NUDITY After Batman arrives at the Bat Signal to see what triggered its activation, Chase comes out of the shadows wearing a short skirt and showing significant cleavage. After she details all that she has loved about "tough guys," she tells Batman that she now loves black rubber and he responds with, "Try a fireman. Less to take off." Chase then tells him, "You like strong women. I've done my homework, or do I need skintight vinyl and a whip?" Being of two personalities, Two Face also keeps two women; Sugar, who represents his good side, and Spice, catering to his bad side. Both women are fond of short skirts, though Sugar favors white stockings, and Spice likes black stockings. They've got much cleavage in common too. Chase emerges from another room, wearing a skirt a few inches above the knee and exhibiting some cleavage. After being rescued by Batman at a party taken over by Two-Face, Chase kisses Batman and says, "My place, midnight." Chase is asleep under the covers, presumably naked, which is proven when she wakes with a start and wraps the covers around her, getting up to walk to the balcony door. After lobbing a grenade at another part of the Batcave's structure and watching it explode, The Riddler completes his pitcher's stance by adjusting his crotch on the way out. In shots of Bruce Wayne putting on his new Batsuit, the camera lingers for a few seconds on the rear of the costume. In talking about how his brain device will bring to him every single thought that every single person has who wears it, he mentions sexual fantasies as one of those types of thoughts and does a pelvic thrust. While introducing his twisted game of chance to Batman, The Riddler introduces Robin with, "This acrobat turned orphan likes Saturday morning cartoons and dreams of one day being…bare naked with a girl!" As Chase falls, her skirt flies up and her clothed behind can be seen for a second. SMOKING None TENSE FAMILY SCENES Robin's family, a high-wire circus act, is killed when Two-Face fires on the riggings at the Gotham Circus in an attempt to stop Robin from moving the bomb out of the tent. Seeing what's happened to Robin and in scenes later, Bruce Wayne flashes back to his own parents being killed by a mugger. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The history of Batman in the movies, perhaps all the way from the 1949 movie serial released on DVD in 2005, to the latest starring Christian Bale. Moments in the film that look like they could have come from the Batman comic books. The differences between stylized violence and hard violence in films. Two-Face's henchmen use unusual-looking Tommy guns while in a Martin Scorsese film, guns look very real. VIOLENCE Batman gathers the tools of his trade, the weapons needed to handle yet another call to action. It doesn't take long before Two-Face is introduced, holding a security guard hostage, who's bound at the feet, on the floor. After flipping a coin that determines the fate of the hostage, Two-Face finds it in favor of letting the guard live and has his masked thugs hoist the guard and take him into the vault. Two-Face knows that Batman will soon arrive and, seeing that the green "up" arrow is lit, orders his henchmen to surround the elevator. They approach it with guns ready and as soon as it stops, the henchmen open fire, spraying countless bullets which punch dozens of holes in the elevator doors. Two-Face orders the doors open, and Batman's got a lot of work to do. He kicks all the surrounding henchmen to the ground, knees one of them in the stomach, kicks one in the face, slams another to the ground, endures the choke-hold of another, fires his gun at one nearby, and the resulting hit renders that henchman incoherent and babbling. He throws one of his weapons, which ties a henchman's legs together, and starts whaling on another set of henchmen, slamming one to the wall and bringing him down hard, kicking a weapon out of the hand of another and knocking him down, knocking down another and then kicking another in the face. The most showy henchman is one with blades on his knuckles and he runs at Batman who steps to the side and catches the guy before he falls down the open elevator shaft, throwing him at the babbling henchman and they both fall and babble together. A following sequence involving a helicopter finds lots of gunfire, including Two-Face firing at Batman from inside the chopper, Batman trying to get at Two-Face from outside, the helicopter crashing through an eye care billboard, and eventually into Gotham's take on the Statue of Liberty, exploding on impact and falling. Angry at Bruce Wayne rejecting his idea, and especially at his boss, Fred Stickler, stifling him, Edward Nygma encounters Fred, who wants to know what he's still doing at work at night, and Edward clocks Fred on the head with a percolator, knocking him out, then trying out his invention on him. His final act involves pushing a tied Fred to the large window and shoving the chair forward, letting him roll on towards the window until the cord stops unraveling. He then leans out the window, takes his invention off Fred's head and Fred falls to his death to the water below. The Gotham Circus is periled by Two-Face's presence, who takes over as ringleader, after his henchmen drag the regular ringleader away. He sets a bomb up to explode inside the tent, and Dick Grayson detaches the bomb from the ceiling and rolls it up and out of the tent, dropping it into the water. Two-Face notices this and fires at the riggings in the hopes of bringing Dick down, but it ends up causing the deaths of Dick's mother, father, and brother. After this event, Bruce has a flashback to the death of his parents, showing his father being shot in the back, a rose falling and pearls scattering, and a shot of the robber holding the gun. Batman gets involved in a chase with Two-Face and his henchmen, which includes Two-Face firing a rocket-propelled grenade at the Batmobile and missing (thanks to a function that allows the Batmobile to move to the side), and hitting one of the henchmen's cars, exploding it. The remaining cars in pursuit fire on the Batmobile numerous times. Then, the Batmobile approaches a dead end, and Batman activates another feature where the Batmobile scales a wall and the henchmen's cars crash into one another and explode. The Riddler finds Two-Face's hideout and Two-Face responds by holding a gun to his face. After settling matters, The Riddler starts a commentary about Two-Face's locale and, wanting to get back to business, Two-Face fires a shot into the air. To gather funds for the expansion of Edward's invention, Two-Face and The Riddler break into cases at a jewelry store and grab what looks valuable, while Two-Face's thugs hold the customers at bay. The thugs also rob a casino of its earnings and the guests of their winnings and whatever else valuable they have on them, while Two-Face teaches The Riddler how to punch someone, and he tries it and fails. Dick finds the Batcave, and takes the Batmobile for a drive, soon coming upon a girl who's being chased by a couple of gang members, pushing her around. Grayson punches, kicks, and knocks out the glow-in-the-purple-light thugs, but a sharp whistle from the gang leader produces a lot more gang members and Batman soon comes to fight them off as well. Two-Face and his thugs crash the party celebrating the premiere of Edward's invention, guns out, set to hold everyone up for whatever they've got. The purpose of it is to bring Batman around, which happens, as he crashes down through a glass dome into the party and two henchmen fire at him, but he backflips off a fountain and takes them out. On the dance floor, he punches one of them in the face, throws another to the side, kicks a third to the ground, breaks the leg of a fourth and elbows him in the chest. One henchman nearly punches Chase but Batman gets to him first. Batman pursues Two-Face, who descends the steps of the building, firing a few shots into the air. They soon encounter each other on an already rickety-looking structure, and Two-Face lets gas fumes pour out of some adjacent pipes, then fires into the fumes and explosions rush toward Batman, who crouches and activates a heat shield. Two-Face is surprised at this development and fires at the structure Batman is standing on and it collapses and showers of dust, sand and other material fall onto him. On Halloween Night, Wayne Manor is host to young trick-or-treaters and two not-so-young trick-or-treaters make their presence known when Alfred the butler opens the door and The Riddler's cane lashes out at his neck and he falls to the floor, out cold. Two-Face and The Riddler come to call for an attack on the mansion and even more than that, as Two-Face's thugs run after Bruce and Chase and they throw busts and other things at the thugs to try to slow them. The Riddler gets into the Batcave and throws around his own brand of grenades, and puts bombs into the Batmobile, destroying it. For Two-Face, his coin lands on the side he likes and he fires at Bruce, presumably hitting him, and Bruce falls down the stairs. At The Riddler's lair, Two-Face and Riddler play a nasty, unique game of Battleship which destroys the Batboat and the Batplane. Robin is nearly taken by a set of henchmen underwater, but Batman rescues him, firing a net onto them and then he hitches the thug-filled net to an orange buoy. Batman also is nearly shredded by a trap set for him, and fires at a large green fixture on the ceiling which explodes. One villain pursues Batman and Robin, but soon falls to his death. Reviewed January 28, 2007 / Posted February 27, 2007