29 Years Ago, Batman Forever Nailed Bruce Wayne Better Than Any Dark Knight Movie

Summary

• Schumacher understood Bruce Wayne’s role better than other filmmakers, making him a believable and untouchable playboy.
• Batman Forever captured the early 1990s era by detailing Wayne’s celebrity status on magazine covers.
• Val Kilmer’s portrayal of Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever is fondly remembered by fans for understanding the essence of the character.

Batman has been adapted to the big screen on different occasions, and though it’s not considered one of the best movies about the Dark Knight, Batman Forever nailed the character of Bruce Wayne better than any other. As one of the most popular and beloved comic book characters ever, Batman has been adapted to other media for decades. The Dark Knight has an interesting history on the big screen with many ups and downs, beginning in the 1940s with two serial films. Batman’s first big hit on the big screen was Tim Burton’s Batman, 1989, which marked the beginning of an interesting universe.

Burton’s Batman was followed by Batman Returns in 1992, and though it’s considered as one of the greatest superhero movies ever made, its darker tone made Warner Bros. take a different route with subsequent Batman movies. Batman Returns was followed by Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, both directed by Joel Schumacher but with different actors as Bruce Wayne/Batman (Val Kilmer and George Clooney, respectively). Although not as praised as Burton’s Batman movies, Batman Forever did something better than the rest, as it understood Bruce Wayne better than any other Dark Knight movie, including Nolan’s trilogy.

Joel Schumacher Understood Bruce Wayne’s Disguise

Batman Forever Understood What Bruce Wayne’s Role Was About

Although Burton and Schumacher’s Batman movies are supposed to be part of the same universe, their takes on Bruce Wayne are completely different. As mentioned above, Batman Forever had Val Kilmer as Bruce Wayne/Batman, and it saw him trying to stop Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and the Riddler (Jim Carrey), who planned a scheme to extract information from the minds of Gotham City’s residents. In addition to that, Wayne adopted orphan acrobat Dick Grayson (Chris O’Donnell), who became his famous sidekick, Robin, all this while he also developed feelings for psychologist Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman).

In this world, Wayne was Gotham City’s playboy, he appeared on magazine covers, and was pretty much an untouchable celebrity.

Batman Forever spent enough time with Bruce Wayne thanks to Dick Grayson and Chase Meridian, as it explored his dynamic and relationship with both, but Schumacher also got the character of Bruce Wayne right. In this world, Wayne was Gotham City’s playboy, he appeared on magazine covers, and was pretty much an untouchable celebrity – and no one would have suspected that this Bruce Wayne had a double life as the city’s mysterious vigilante who dressed as a bat.

Every Batman movie has interpreted Bruce Wayne differently. Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne in Burton’s movies was an eccentric loner (which continued in Andy Muschietti’s The Flash), Christian Bale’s in Nolan’s trilogy was too unlikable (even for the characters in that universe), Ben Affleck’s in the DC Extended Universe didn’t get enough time to be properly developed beyond being Batman, and Robert Pattinson’s in Matt Reeves’ The Batman is a young and tortured soul. Schumacher truly understood the essence and role of Bruce Wayne in Gotham City, and it was more believable that no one would even suspect he was linked to Batman.

Why Batman Forever’s Bruce Wayne Magazines Perfectly Encapsulate The Movie’s Era

Batman Forever Paid Attention To Detail

These magazines are not only part of Wayne’s essence and character but also encapsulate perfectly the movie’s early-1990s era.

Joel Schumacher’s Batman movies were too over-the-top in more than one way, especially visually, but it can’t be denied that he paid attention to every detail. As mentioned above, Schumacher’s Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever was a celebrity, so much so that he appeared on the cover of different magazines, which can be seen in the movie. These magazines are not only part of Wayne’s essence and character but also encapsulate perfectly the movie’s early-1990s era. Some of those magazines call Wayne “Gotham’s Golden Boy” and praise his power and status in Gotham City, pretty much making him a role model for Gotham citizens.

Despite only playing Bruce Wayne/Batman in one movie, Val Kilmer’s performance is remembered fondly among fans of the Dark Knight. It’s undeniable that Joel Schumacher’s Batman movies have many flaws, but he got Bruce Wayne right in Batman Forever in ways that no other filmmaker has, and it was made better by Kilmer’s performance, who also clearly understood what Bruce Wayne was all about.