Neon Gotham: The Schumacher Version "Batman Forever" is a project where the franchise made a sharp tonal shift. After Tim Burton's dark, almost gothic fairy tales, Joel Schumacher arrives — and turns on the lights. Lots of lights. Gotham no longer drowns in darkness; it blazes with neon as if it were a giant nighttime amusement park. And, strangely enough, it suits the film. The new Gotham is an odd mix of grimy alleyways, skyscrapers, and an almost comic-book vibrancy in everything. It's unrealistic, at times even excessively so — but that's the whole point. This is no longer Burton's depressive city; it's a vivid, almost acid-bright backdrop for a superhero show. There's something genuinely enjoyable about watching it — the eye catches the details, the lighting, the deliberate theatricality of it all. The film's main attraction is, of course, Jim Carrey as the Riddler. He doesn't merely play a villain here — he stages a one-man show. His Riddler is a concentrated burst of mugging, manic energy, and Carrey's signature physicality. At times it feels like he's about to burst right out of the frame. It's a very particular take on the character — comic-book to the extreme, teetering on the edge. And yet there's a genuine sense of menace beneath the madness. He's funny and dangerous at the same time. A villain like this could only exist in a film with this kind of aesthetic. The film is hardly modest when it comes to its cast of characters, either. There's Robin, Two-Face, and a whole host of familiar faces from the DC universe. The story revolves not only around yet another confrontation, but around Bruce Wayne himself — his old traumas, his doubts, his attempt to make sense of who he is. The film tries to show that beneath the mask is not just a hero, but a man carrying the weight of his past. Yes, it's presented in a fairly straightforward way, but the attempt to add inner conflict is felt. And importantly, all the heroes and villains come across as vivid and memorable thanks to the performances. Everyone shines: the new face of Batman Val Kilmer, the aforementioned Jim Carrey, a charismatic Tommy Lee Jones, a luminous Nicole Kidman, a solid Chris O'Donnell, and Michael Gough — irreplaceable as Alfred in this universe. For all its visual flash, "Batman Forever" never quite becomes an empty spectacle. The plot has several moves that genuinely bring the story to life. The relationships between the characters are a meaningful part of the narrative. And when that's paired with such lush visual presentation, you get a film that's easy to watch and that lingers in the memory precisely because of its style. And its music — an essential component of this project, courtesy of Elliot Goldenthal. This is a very different Batman. Not the one Burton had conditioned us to expect. Gotham got louder, brighter, occasionally even too much so. But that's the whole point of Schumacher's vision — he doesn't continue the old line; he creates his own. And as an independent take on the Dark Knight myth, "Batman Forever" works. Divisive? Absolutely. But boring? Never. 8 out of 10