History Film / BatmanForever

* AwardBaitSong: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMD2TwRvuoU Kiss from a Rose]]" by Music/{{Seal}}, although it wasn't written for the movie (it's from his self-titled album released the year before). Schumacher served as director of the music video.

** Besides the villains, Bob Kane's widow Elizabeth as Gossip Gerty, Gotham's resident Joan-Rivers-[[UpToEleven up-to-eleven.]]

* AwardBaitSong: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMD2TwRvuoU Kiss from a Rose]]" by Music/{{Seal}}. Schumacher served as director of the music video.

** Dick attracts a couple of curious hookers while joyriding in the Batmobile. These ladies of the night are played by the nineties R&B group En Vogue.

** Gossip Gerty is portrayed by Elizabeth Sanders, Batman co-creator Bob Kane's wife.

Bruce Wayne/Batman (Creator/ValKilmer) is battling Harvey Dent[=/=]ComicBook/TwoFace (Creator/TommyLeeJones), a struggle that gets tougher when Edward Nygma[=/=]ComicBook/TheRiddler (Creator/JimCarrey) enters the picture, as both have personal vendettas against the Bat for the former and Bruce Wayne for the latter. Bruce finds an ally in orphaned acrobat [[ComicBook/{{Robin}} Dick Grayson]] (Creator/ChrisODonnell), who discovers his secret and becomes Robin with the initial intent of taking revenge against Two-Face, who killed his family. As a sub-plot, Bruce deals with a budding romance with psychiatrist Dr. Chase Meridian (Creator/NicoleKidman), something that naturally causes some problems because of his double-life.

* WhooshingCredits: And logo, too.

* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: Dick and Two-Face have had [[ItsPersonal a very personal enmity against each other]] in the comic books but it was based around Two-Face brutally beating Dick at a young age when he was still Robin. Here, they have a different personal enmity, based on Two-Face murdering Dick's parents.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: A common complaint regarding the Schumacher films was trying to work in as many villains and good guys as possible (apparently trying to top the 3 villains in ''Returns''), often with little rhyme or reason.

** Batman is introduced gearing up, and then standing next to Batmobile, ready for action. Then Alfred asks him if he'd like to take a sandwich with him (a pretty blatant product placement tie-in ["[[GutturalGrowler I'll get drive-through]]" was ''on every channel'' in 1995], but still in-character from Alfred).

* BrokenAesop: Bruce spends the entire movie telling Dick he can't kill Two-Face because it's wrong and won't fix anything. Finally, towards the end, Dick (as Robin) learns his lesson and saves Two-Face from dying even though it means getting captured. [[spoiler:And then ''Batman'' kills Two-Face anyway.]]

*** Though it is notable that he makes no effort to try catching him, either via grabbing or grapnel. He might have been out of grapnel lines after his final rescue, but you'd think Batman would at least try a lunging grab, especially since Two-Face just inferred on his final line that he and Bruce knew each other personally ("Thank you Bruce, you've always been a good friend").

** Earlier, [[CoversationalTroping The Riddler explained to Two-Face]] ''why'' he shouldn't just shoot Batman:

** Earlier, The Riddler explained to Two-Face ''why'' he shouldn't just shoot Batman:

* BroadStrokes: The film's connection to the prior installments. Batman, the Batmobile, Wayne Manor and Gotham itself look drastically different from their appearances in the Burton films, but none of the changes are acknowledged onscreen apart from Batman's new attitude toward crimefighting. There's no direct references to the events of previous films, as all {{Call Back}}s are veiled (such as Chase hinting at Catwoman) and when Bruce discusses his past, he makes no reference to the fact that his parents' killer was the Joker (''Forever'''s flashbacks to the Waynes' murder are new footage and do not include Napier's partner) and are vague enough that they could be construed as referring to a Joe Chill-esque figure instead (dialogue implies he was the first person Batman ever killed, which was not the case in [[Film/Batman1989 the first film]]).[[note]]This would have been decisively averted by the planned ''Batman Triumphant'' film, which would have seen Nicholson return as Joker in hallucinations.[[/note]] There's also no reference to Batman being framed as a criminal in ''Returns'', though this could be explained by Penguin's machinations having been exposed and Batman's role in saving the children from his plot.

* BroadStrokes: The film's connection to the prior installments. Batman, the Batmobile, Wayne Manor and Gotham itself look drastically different from their appearances in the Burton films, but none of the changes. There's no direct references to the events of previous films, as all {{Call Back}}s are veiled (such as Chase hinting at Catwoman) and when Bruce discusses his past, he makes no reference to the fact that his parents' killer was the Joker (''Forever'''s flashbacks to the Waynes' murder are new footage and do not include Napier's partner) and are vague enough that they could be construed as referring to a Joe Chill-esque figure instead (dialogue implies he was the first person Batman ever killed, which was not the case in [[Film/Batman1989 the first film]]).[[note]]This would have been decisively averted by the planned ''Batman Triumphant'' film, which would have seen Nicholson return as Joker in hallucinations.[[/note]] There's also no reference to Batman being framed as a criminal in ''Returns'', though this could be explained by Penguin's machinations having been exposed and Batman's role in saving the children from his plot.

The movie is [[LighterAndSofter brighter, and the tone is softer]], but other than that, it is considered to still be an entertaining film. One of the elements it's praised for is trying to further explore the character of Batman, giving him an arc the previous films lacked. Kilmer's Bruce Wayne is generally comparable next to Keaton, but some fans have argued that he has a better build and physical resemblance to Batman -- in fact, Bob Kane himself thought that Kilmer was the best Batman yet. Chris O'Donnell was a strong choice as Dick Grayson, [[CompositeCharacter mixing in elements]] of both the older Nightwing and the Jason Todd Robin.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: According to the latest science, there is no precedent for acid damage causing root follicles to grow electric purple hair, so this was likely an aesthetic choice made by Schumacher in keeping with the film's color scheme.

* FashionableAssymmetry: Two-Face's scarred side wears a single fingerless glove, along with a second wristwatch.

* BlatantLies: When Dick claims to the gang he confronts that he’s Batman. After they laugh it off he shouts that he just forgot his suit.

* FingerlessGloves: Two-Face's scarred side wears one, along with a second wristwatch.