Re: Something Bothering you?
Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 11:19 pm
I'm bothered by how much more awesome Batman Forever could have been.
Now, I like the movie. It's my second favorite of the original four Batman films. But there was so much stuff taken out of the film, it was taken down by about three levels in coolness. These are the deleted/alternate scenes that could have made the movie a whole lot better than what it was (taken directly from wikipedia):
* The escape of Two-Face from Arkham Asylum. Rene Auberjonois had more scenes filmed here, playing Doctor Burton but his role was reduced to a cameo in the final film. He encounters the escape with the psychologist killed and hanged in Two-Face's cell with his blood smeared on the wall, written as "The Bat Must Die." This was supposed to begin the picture but producers decided this was far too dark for a family audience. As this was cut, it made the editing of the final film somewhat muddled to the fans of the original script as later scenes were re-arranged. This scene appears in a rough edit on the Special Edition DVD. Segments of the scene also appears on the U2 music video "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me."
* The construction of NigmaTech was more in-depth. There were scenes shot, that appear in publicity stills of Edward Nygma with a hard hat helping with the construction of his headquarters on Claw Island. This scene does not appear on the new Special Edition release but is shown in the sticker album published by Merlin Collections.
* Sugar and Spice, played by Drew Barrymore and Debi Mazar, try out Nigma's device during the montage when The Box goes on sale. They are seated with The Riddler and Two-Face on the couch where Chase is handcuffed later in the film. This scene appears in the comic adaptation but not in the final film.
* The most known deleted scene involved further backstory and darkness to the film which many people, including screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, believed would have improved the quality of the film considerably. It involved Bruce waking up from his gun wound to the head from Two-Face, temporarily wiping a part of his memory. He has forgotten his origin and life as the Dark Knight. Alfred takes him to the batcave, which has been destroyed by The Riddler. They stand on the platform where the Batmobile was and Alfred says "Funny they did not know about the cave beneath the cave." The platform then rotates downward to another level where the sonar-modification equipment is kept, from the special batsuit to the hi-tech weaponry. Bruce then discovers the cavern where he first saw the image that would make him become Batman - A giant bat. The bat appears and Bruce raises his arms and the shot shows that they are one. Bruce now remembers who he is and goes with Alfred to solve the riddles left throughout the film. Akiva admitted the scene was very theatrical on the Special Edition DVD and felt the scene would have made a difference to the final cut. The bat was designed and created by Rick Baker, who was in charge of the make-up of Two-Face, played by Tommy Lee Jones. This scene appears in a rough form on the Special Edition DVD and is briefly mentioned in the comic adaptation.
* The original ending was an homage to the first film. When Alfred drives Doctor Chase Meridian back to Gotham she asks him "Does it ever end?" Alfred replies, "No, Doctor Meridian, not in this lifetime..." The Bat-signal shines on the night sky and Batman is standing on a pillar looking ahead. Robin then comes into shot and joins his new partner. They both leap off the pillar, towards the camera. A rough edit of the first half of the scene appears on the Special Edition DVD, but not in its entirety. The sequence with Batman and Robin at the end of this scene appears on a teaser trailer for the video game, which is on the VHS release of this film, released in the UK on December 3 1995.
It's a good thing these were on the special edition DVD's.
Now, I like the movie. It's my second favorite of the original four Batman films. But there was so much stuff taken out of the film, it was taken down by about three levels in coolness. These are the deleted/alternate scenes that could have made the movie a whole lot better than what it was (taken directly from wikipedia):
* The escape of Two-Face from Arkham Asylum. Rene Auberjonois had more scenes filmed here, playing Doctor Burton but his role was reduced to a cameo in the final film. He encounters the escape with the psychologist killed and hanged in Two-Face's cell with his blood smeared on the wall, written as "The Bat Must Die." This was supposed to begin the picture but producers decided this was far too dark for a family audience. As this was cut, it made the editing of the final film somewhat muddled to the fans of the original script as later scenes were re-arranged. This scene appears in a rough edit on the Special Edition DVD. Segments of the scene also appears on the U2 music video "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me."
* The construction of NigmaTech was more in-depth. There were scenes shot, that appear in publicity stills of Edward Nygma with a hard hat helping with the construction of his headquarters on Claw Island. This scene does not appear on the new Special Edition release but is shown in the sticker album published by Merlin Collections.
* Sugar and Spice, played by Drew Barrymore and Debi Mazar, try out Nigma's device during the montage when The Box goes on sale. They are seated with The Riddler and Two-Face on the couch where Chase is handcuffed later in the film. This scene appears in the comic adaptation but not in the final film.
* The most known deleted scene involved further backstory and darkness to the film which many people, including screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, believed would have improved the quality of the film considerably. It involved Bruce waking up from his gun wound to the head from Two-Face, temporarily wiping a part of his memory. He has forgotten his origin and life as the Dark Knight. Alfred takes him to the batcave, which has been destroyed by The Riddler. They stand on the platform where the Batmobile was and Alfred says "Funny they did not know about the cave beneath the cave." The platform then rotates downward to another level where the sonar-modification equipment is kept, from the special batsuit to the hi-tech weaponry. Bruce then discovers the cavern where he first saw the image that would make him become Batman - A giant bat. The bat appears and Bruce raises his arms and the shot shows that they are one. Bruce now remembers who he is and goes with Alfred to solve the riddles left throughout the film. Akiva admitted the scene was very theatrical on the Special Edition DVD and felt the scene would have made a difference to the final cut. The bat was designed and created by Rick Baker, who was in charge of the make-up of Two-Face, played by Tommy Lee Jones. This scene appears in a rough form on the Special Edition DVD and is briefly mentioned in the comic adaptation.
* The original ending was an homage to the first film. When Alfred drives Doctor Chase Meridian back to Gotham she asks him "Does it ever end?" Alfred replies, "No, Doctor Meridian, not in this lifetime..." The Bat-signal shines on the night sky and Batman is standing on a pillar looking ahead. Robin then comes into shot and joins his new partner. They both leap off the pillar, towards the camera. A rough edit of the first half of the scene appears on the Special Edition DVD, but not in its entirety. The sequence with Batman and Robin at the end of this scene appears on a teaser trailer for the video game, which is on the VHS release of this film, released in the UK on December 3 1995.
It's a good thing these were on the special edition DVD's.