Batman Forever is the most underrated Batman movie — and it's streaming now on Paramount Plus

Often written off as the franchise’s neon fever dream, Batman Forever deserves far more respect than it gets

The general consensus on Batman Forever has come a long way since Joel Schumacher gave the Caped Crusader latex nipples in 1995. At the time, the film and its 1997 follow-up were viewed as a campy bastardization of the franchise that failed to capture the gothic darkness of Tim Burton’s adaptations. Three decades later, however, most fans are willing to admit that Schumacher’s take on the genre has its place in the pantheon of great superhero filmmaking. However, I’d like to take this re-evaluation one step further with a bold statement: Batman Forever is far more faithful to the spirit and mythos of the comics than it’s ever been given credit for, and Schumacher probably understood the Dark Knight better than Burton ever did.

Now wait a minute, before you start demanding to see my head impaled on the gates of Wayne Manor, hear me out. And if you haven’t watched Batman Forever in a while, do yourself a favor and revisit this underrated classic, which is streaming now on Paramount Plus (alongside 1989’s Batman, Batman Returns, and Batman & Robin).

Batman Forever follows Bruce Wayne (Val Kilmer) as he faces a two-pronged assault on Gotham from the vengeful former district attorney Harvey Dent, akaTwo-Face (Tommy Lee Jones), and the egomaniacal genius-turned-madman Edward Nygma, aka the Riddler (Jim Carrey). As their schemes spiral, Bruce confronts the childhood trauma fueling his crime-fighting obsession along with the unexpected responsibility of taking in the young, orphaned acrobat Dick Grayson (Chris O’Donnell), who soon steps into the role of Robin. With Nicole Kidman as Dr. Chase Meridian, adding both psychological insight and romantic tension, Forever blends cartoonish superhero stylings with serious, character-driven stakes. It’s goofy, sure, but there’s a serious undertone that grounds the story, too.

Tim Burton’s Batman films were dark and gritty when they first came out, but upon rewatch, they’re almost as campy as their 1966 Adam West predecessor. You’ve got Joker dancing to Prince, Bruce Wayne hanging upside down when he sleeps, Batman legitimately killing people in slapstick fashion, and my least favorite moment in the character’s history: Michael Keaton’s “let’s get nuts” scene. It’s all very not dark and very un-Batman.

Burton’s vision of Gotham City felt subversive because of his signature style, which leans into the macabre and highlights misunderstood monsters. 1989’s Batman presented the darkest version of the hero that general audiences — those not reading the comics — had ever seen. Yet, when compared to the challenges Batman faced in the comics, his on-screen actions were often exaggerated, sometimes veering into wacky.

Meanwhile, Batman Forever respects the source material in ways Burton never did. Burton has gone on record saying he doesn’t read comic books. Schumacher embraces the relationships fostered between Batman and his villains. In Batman Forever, Two-Face’s origin is briefly, but faithfully touched on in the film. Just like in every first origin story, acid is thrown on Harvey Dent’s face in court, which scars his profile and drives him to become a villain. Not even Christopher Nolan embraced the character’s origin as closely as Schumacher did. It shows reverence for the source material in an era where superhero films were being made by directors who didn’t even like the books they were adapting.

Instead of trying to dress up his set pieces as timeless, gothic locations, Schumacher brings Gotham into the 21st century and replaces the timeless look with something more futuristic and intentionally campy. Instead of overcoats and pistols, henchmen wear colorful ski masks and wield shotguns with LED barrels.

What holds Batman Forever together, ultimately, is its Batman, played here by Val Kilmer. As Wayne, Kilmer exhibits the Playboy charm associated with the character, something Keaton never really captures in Burton’s films. Keaton feels every bit as much of an outsider as the Joker, Penguin, or Catwoman, figures who exist on the fringes of society. Kilmer, meanwhile, dons the Wayne persona more convincingly.

Schumacher seems to understand Batman better, too, at least in one key way. In Burton’s version, Batman casually mows down enemies, shoots bullets, and even equips the Batwing with rocket launchers. In Forever, the Caped Crusader stays true to his comic book counterpart and avoids killing. And when Robin’s parents die, it’s a genuinely tragic moment that drives the story forward, rather than serving as a disposable spectacle the way casualties often do in Burton’s movies.

I’m not saying the Burton movies are bad, or that anyone should feel guilty for enjoying them. But they can be tone-deaf at times, and Schumacher managed to course-correct some of those clashing themes. The Forever director taps into Batman’s comic history to create campy moments that still feel true to the characters, while Burton relies on his own stylistic flourishes. That gothic, timeless aesthetic is undeniably appealing (it even inspired Batman: The Animated Series). It contributes to the darkness associated with Batman, but it’s ultimately surface-level, serving the director’s vision more than the fans or the source material.

Batman Forever was the first Batman movie to truly embrace the hero’s comic-book roots, using them to shape its story and build a world that actually feels drawn from the comics. For that alone, it deserves far more credit than it currently gets.