What do you actually LIKE from the Schumacher films?

[Dark Knight Detective]

THIS IS A WARNING: TAKE IT FROM ME DO NOT WATCH 89 THEN B&R IT HURTS YOUR BRAIN.

Yes indeed, no doubt about it.

[The Dark Knight]

It's very frustrating. To think they started with Burton's Batman89, and progressed to Batman and Robin. That is one massive shift in tone and quality. Quite sad considering where the series started, and how it should have continued.

[Dark Knight Detective]

It's very frustrating. To think they started with Burton's Batman89, and progressed to Batman and Robin. That is one massive shift in tone and quality. Quite sad considering where the series started, and how it should have continued.

This is exactly why I separate Burton's Bat films from Schumacher's. Keep the masterpieces away from the series with an atrocity (B&R).

[Joker81]

Me too!!!

And why not, just like I seperate the 1960's film and Nolans films.

[Paul (ral)]

I have to say in B&R i loved those little moments where the camp was put to one side - mostly the moments with Bruce and Alfred and the flashbacks to Bruce as a child. Michael Gough, as always, was great in those moments.

[Dark Knight Detective]

I have to say in B&R i loved those little moments where the camp was put to one side - mostly the moments with Bruce and Alfred and the flashbacks to Bruce as a child. Michael Gough, as always, was great in those moments.

Indeed.

I actually liked the moments when Freeze is with/thinking about Nora. Reminds me a lot of how he was in B:TAS (including when he makes the wind-up device with the ice figure in Arkham) . A sad shame that he wasn't like that throughout the whole film, though.

[Paul (ral)]

yeah that too. actually, i'm just after flicking through B&R on the ol' PS3 

[Azrael]

It's very frustrating. To think they started with Burton's Batman89, and progressed to Batman and Robin. That is one massive shift in tone and quality. Quite sad considering where the series started, and how it should have continued.

It's like there are three series of Batman films (or: two series of Batman films and one series of Batman movies/summer toy commercials), each comprising two entries.

[Dark Knight Detective]

Forever's opening scene was pretty kickass, especially when Batman surprises & apprehends Two-Face's thugs. Plus, it showed some of the best moments from TLJ's Two-Face in the film, which were his monologue & when he shot his pilot without laughing. I wanted to see more of that from him.

[johnnygobbs]

Batman Forever

- Val Kilmer made a convincing Bruce Wayne
- Michael Gough gave a reliably dignified performance as Alfred regardless of some of the poor dialogue he was given ("Can I persuade you to take a sandwich with you sir?"  )
- Jim Carrey was still quite funny as The Riddler, and had a few memorable lines ("Now that's an entrance!  The difference?  Showmanship!")
- Chris O'Donnell was surprisingly effective as Robin
- Nicole Kidman was convincing as an intelligent psychiatrist
- Drew Barrymore gave a saucy performance as Sugar
- The daytime scenes gave the audience a glimpse of the Police Headquarters, and the business quarter of Gotham that we didn't get in the other films
- Wayne Manor seemed more convincing as Bruce's home than it did in the other films (it helped that it was one of the few times the manor was filmed in a US location)
- The story strand dealing with Bruce's guilt and trauma concerning his parents' murder was extremely effective and quite poignant
- The sequence in which Two-Face and The Riddler invade Wayne Mansion was well-directed (ignoring the fact that Alfred was portrayed as a bit of a dummy for letting them in to begin with), and I like the fact that unlike some of the other Bat-women, Chase wasn't a bimbo and actually put in a few punches against the henchmen (although it's a pity she gave up as soon as Bruce was knocked down)
- Elliot Goldenthal's score, although not as strong or as iconic as Danny Elfman's, was nevertheless almost as memorable and pretty decent considering the hard act he had to follow
- U2's best song 'Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me' and Seal's 'Touched by a Rose' are probably the best non-Prince songs in the Batman series

Batman & Robin

- Michael Gough once again excelled as Alfred
- Arnold wasn't a bad choice as Mr Freeze, and the brief scenes in which he reminisces about his wife are quite effective and touching - like Dark Knight Detective stated, these scenes seem to be directly inspired by B:TAS, and all the better for being so
- John Glover had a very distinctive look as Dr Jason Woodrue, which I think would work well for the comic-books
- Uma Thurman was effective as the meek, nerdy Dr Pamela Isley (if less so once she actually became Poison Ivy)
- Poison Ivy's costume was well-conceived and closely mimicked the comic-book/animated series designs
- Elle Macpherson, Vendela and Vivica A Fox were all very sexy in their respective if brief roles
- Arkham Asylum had a very striking look, and I liked the in-joke reference to Two-Face and The Riddler during the shot of the asylum's storage room
- There were some good artists on the soundtrack like The Smashing Pumpkins, Jewel and Bone, Thugs and Harmony.  Even R Kelly provided a reasonably decent tune (although not all the tracks were featured in the film itself).

That's pretty much it - the biggest pity is that some very talented people including Clooney, Tommy Lee Jones, Thurman and yes, Schumacher all underperformed (or over-acted in the case of Jones and Thurman) in these films.