Overview

Batman Forever was the third entry in the Burton/Schumacher Batman Films. In it Batman and Robin have to stop Two-Face and The Riddler from destroying Gotham City. The film was Joel Schumacher's first Batman film. The film was also Val Kilmer's debut as Batman, he only played Batman in one film due to him already starting on another movie by the time Batman and Robin was going into pre-production.

Plot

Batman Forever begins with a robbery and hostage situation by Two-Face (Harvey Dent, former District Attorney and friend to Bruce Wayne. A gangster threw acid at him and he was able to cover half his face, leaving only half of it scarred. He was driven mad and developed the need to make all his decisions based on the flip of a coin. Heads for good, tails for evil). After a fight with Batman, Two-Face escapes. Soon after we are introduced to Edward Nygma, a mad scientist of sorts employed at Wayne Enterprises. He approaches Bruce Wayne and with his machine that can beam television straight into a person’s brain. rejects the invention on the notion that in the wrong hands the technology could have malicious applications. This sends Nygma over the edge; he kills his supervisor and makes it appear a suicide and resigns from his post due to grief over his death.

Soon after this Bruce Wayne meets psychiatrist Chase Meridan (although Batman met her previously at the Two-Face hostage incident). Bruce invites her to a charity event held at a circus. Two-Face coincidentally crashes the event in an attempt to force the high-ranking elite to surrender Batman’s secret identity, else he will blow up the circus. He kills the Flying Graysons (an acrobat-family in the circus) while making his demands. Dick Grayson (the youngest) survives and even removes the explosive device, then returns to find his parents dead. Bruce takes Dick in and lets him stay at Wayne Manor as long as he wants. Dick, however says he is not interested, but is dissuaded by Bruce and Alfred. He then declares that he is going to kill Two-Face and get revenge on the killer of his family, and when he accidentally discovers Bruce in the Batcave he wants to become Batman’s partner.

Edward has come to blame Bruce for rejecting his invention and becomes obsessed with making him pay. He begins leaving unsigned riddles for Bruce and becomes a criminal calling himself “The Riddler”. He locates Two-Face and persuades him to become allies. Edward realizes he can use his invention to read minds and also literally the IQ of anyone who uses it. It is unknown exactly how this works, as it does not make the victim less intelligent, only Nygma moreso. Two-Face and Riddler begin a string of robberies, their goal being the mass production of Edward’s device. During a party for the success of his device on the market, Riddler reads Bruce Wayne’s mind and finds he has ‘bats on the brain.’ He deduces is Batman moments before Two-Face crashes and robs the party. Two-Face nearly kills Batman, but Dick arrives in the nick of time to save him. Two-Face and Riddler assault the Manor soon after. Riddler destroys most of the equipment in the Batcave, while Two-Face flips his coin to decide whether he can shoot Bruce. It comes up saying no, and Two-Face flips again and again until it finally says yes and he shoots Bruce, but not fatally. The two villains then proceed to kidnap Dr. Chase. Before he leaves, however, Riddler leaves Bruce one last riddle. Bruce and Alfred later solve the riddles, finding they are all together a number/alphabet riddle which spells “Mr. E” a pun on “mystery” which is a synonym for “enigma”. Bruce realizes that enigma can also be read “E. Nygma” as in Edward Nygma.

After this, Batman and the newly christened Robin attack Riddler’s island-base. They avoid his sea mines, evil frogmen and anti-aircraft beam and approach the Riddler’s hideout. The two are separated upon reaching the island. Robin finds himself facing Two-Face and defeats him. Two-Face falls over a ledge and holds on barely, pleading for his life. Robin searches himself and finds he cannot kill Two-Face, then helps him up. Two-Face takes his advantage and captures Robin with his pistol. Batman, meanwhile, makes his way to the inner part of the lair and finds the Riddler himself. Riddler then reveals Robin and Dr. Chase, both tied, gagged and caged, and offers Batman the chance to save one of them by letting the other die. Riddler is trying to destroy Batman by proving he cannot be both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Batman asks Riddler a fairly simple riddle, the answer to which is ‘bat’, and buys himself enough time to draw a Sonar Batarang and destroy the core of the system connecting all of Riddler’s machines, which is also connected directly to Riddler’s brain. The backlash of the machine drives Riddler instantly insane, however he manages to drop Chase and Robin into a pit filled with water and sharp metal. Batman manages to rescue both and swings them onto a ledge in the middle of the pit. Two-Face then appears and flips his coin, hoping to kill all three of them. Batman throws several coins up to confuse Two-Face, who cannot keep track of his own coin and loses his balance. He falls to his death at the bottom of the pit. The insane Riddler is packed off to Arkham Asylum and Chase consults on his case. Riddler offers to reveal Batman’s identity to her, but then begins raving madly that he is Batman. Bruce meets Chase outside and she informs him that Nygma is in no position to tell anyone Bruce is Batman. The end of the movie shows Batman and Robin running off to another crime.