Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Old Housekeeper (Alfred) figure from Mars Toys

Honestly I don't know if I've ever been so excited about a figure before. It sounds crazy but I've seen a lot of Batman, Robin, Two-Face, Riddler, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson figures.

But this figure from Mars Toys is something pretty rare - an Alfred Pennyworth figure specifically based on Michael Gough. I know Mattel did one a while back and McFarlane are including one with the Forever Batmobile - but they were 6 inch scale this is 1/6 scale and it's exquisitely detailed and furnished.

I can't really fault it. The thing that made me HAVE to buy it is of course the silver tray with the food that Alfred offers Dick when he shows up on his motorcycle. What an amazing touch.

I hope Mars Toys do more  - a Kilmer Bruce Wayne? A Chris O'Donnell Robin in leather jacket?

I see they are doing a Two-Face next year but I already got the TruboToyz one. Who knows? I may have to sell that and get the Mars version.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - White Suit Riddler figure from Funko Pop

Pleased to say that the 85th Anniversary of the Batman character has meant that Funko have released some new Schumacher movie figures. We've got a white suit Riddler and a cloaked Poison Ivy.

Very surprised they've made these considering they are new sculpts. The last Batman Forever figures they released were some cheaply made, hydro-dipped versions of the original Riddler and Two-Face.

As usual Funko have done a good job at capturing the details. The cane has the little skull on the end, the suit is shiny, the hair is pinky and flipped up. Love it but surely we need a Chris O'Donnell figure. Maybe that will come next year for the 85th Anniversary of the Robin character???

A double dose of thoughts, insights and observations at seeing Batman Forever on the big screen

Well, I managed to get out and see Batman Forever at the cinema and it was absolutely brilliant. I always get a little bit of trepidation rewatching the film in case my feelings have shifted but I'm pleased to say it played as well now as it did back in 1995 when I was 11.

It's such a different experience seeing it at the cinema. The surround sound really amplified the Goldenthal score and the clarity and size of the screen meant you could take in all the details and colour.

I've rounded up some of my thoughts in the video below.

But wait, there's more! I've recently struck up a friendship and found myself with a new partner. I'll let him introduce himself...

Hope you enjoyed these videos. If you managed to catch it at one of these one-off revival screenings or just have some cool memories from back in the day, let us know in the comments either here or on the YouTube videos.

The complete Batman Forever merchandise list

Someone asked me the other day if I had a list of all the Batman Forever merchandise that's out there so I started putting together this list. 

It's still a bit of a work in progress and I'll be updating over time.

I'll try and get photos of everything too but for now, this is everything I know about.

If there's anything you think I'm missing, let me know in the comments.

Toys and action figures (vintage) - pre 2000

Ultimate Batman - 15" Scale (Kenner) (with Powerful Batarang Weapon, Detachable Flowing Cape, Batman Forever Movie Costume, Battle-Ready Stance, Bat Emblem Display Stand) 

Action figures 2-packs (Kenner)

Guardians of Gotham City- 2-Packs

Riddler & Two-Face- 2-Packs

Action figures Deluxe (Kenner)

Deluxe Batman (Attack Wing) (with Power-Flex Attack Cape)

Deluxe Batman (Laser Disc) (with Flashing Color "Laser" Launcher)

Deluxe Batman (Lightwing) (with Electra-Glow Wings and Lightning Launcher)

Deluxe Riddler (Talking) (with 3 Real Movie Phrases!)

Deluxe Robin (Martial Arts) (with Ninja Kicking Action and Battle Weapons)

Action figures Series 1 (Kenner)

Batman (Blast Cape) (with Assault Blades and Launching Attack Cape!)

Batman (Fireguard) (with Spinning Attack Cape Action!)

Batman (Manta Ray) (with Firing Sea Sled and Pop-Out Breathing Gear!)

Batman (Night Hunter) (with Claw Glider Wing and Night Vision Goggles!)

Batman (Sonar Sensor) (with Flying Disc Blaster and Pop-Up Sonar Scope!)

Bruce Wayne (Transforming) (with Quick-Change Bat Suit and Battle Blades!)

Dick Grayson (Transforming) (with Crime Fighting Suit and Sudden-Reveal Mask!) - 3 variants of this with black cape, gold cape, and no eyes

Riddler (Trapping Brain-Drain Helmet) (with Trapping Brain-Drain Helmet!)

Robin (Hydro Claw) (with Aqua Attack Launcher and Diving Gear!)

Robin (Street Biker) (with Launching Grappling Hooks and Battle Staff!)

Two-Face (with Turbo-Charge Cannon and Good/Evil Coin!) 

Action figures Series 2 (Kenner)

Batman (Batarang) (with Spinning Batarang and Radar System!)

Batman (Ice Blade) (with Quick-Deploy Ski Sled and Blade Runners!)

Batman (Neon Armor) (with Snap-On Armor Shield)

Batman (Night Flight) (with Bat Attack Action)

Batman (Power Beacon) (with Light Force Suit and Flashfire Weapon!)

Batman (Recon Hunter) (with Missile-Firing Surveillance Drone)

Batman (Solar Shield) (with Heat Deflection Cape)

Batman (Street Racer) (with Missile-Firing Pursuit Cycle)

Batman (Wing Blast) (with Sudden-Alert Bio Wings)

Riddler (Question Mark Bazooka) (with Blasting Question Mark Bazooka)

Robin (Skyboard) (with Missile-Blasting Pursuit Vehicle)

Robin (Triple Strike) (with Multi-Cannon Slinger)

Action figures Target exclusives (Kenner)

Target exclusive Bruce Wayne (with Snap-on Crimefighting Armor and Side Swords)

Target exclusive Riddler (Capture Brain Drain Helmet)

Target exclusive Robin (Tide Racer) (with Deep Dive Gear and Sea Claw Launcher)

Action figures vehicles (Kenner)

Batmobile (with Light-up Chassis and Firing Long-Rand Missile!)

Batwing

Robin Cycle

Triple Action Vehicle Set

RC Batmobile (wired)

RC Batmobile (wireless)

Action figures playsets (Kenner)

Wayne Manor Batcave Compound playset + UK variant has cardboard extension for batcave area

Batcave Playset

Diecast vehicles (Kenner)

Die-Cast 5-Pack Vehicle set

Die-Cast Batboat

Die-Cast Batmobile

Die-Cast Batwing

Die-Cast Two-Face Armored Car

Mini figures and playsets (Bluebird)

Batcave Power Center - Mini Playsets

Batmobile Power Center - Mini Playsets

Riddler Power Center - Mini Playsets

Mini Batboat - with Robin, Riddler, Batman

Mini Batsub - with Batman, Riddler (white suit), Robin

Toys and action figures (modern) - post 2000

Mattel Multiverse Panther Suit Figure

Mattel Multiverse Alfred (with Michael Gough head)

Jada Batmobile 1:32

Jada Batmobile 1:24 (with figure)

Eaglemoss Batmobile (+ magazine)

Eaglemoss Batboat (+ magazine)

McFarlane Batman Ultimate set - including 6 modern Batman movies Batmen plus batsignal with replaceable bat symbol

McFarlane Batman 

McFarlane Robin 

McFarlane Riddler 

McFarlane Two-Face 

McFarlane Nightmare Bat (Build a figure)

McFarlane Light Up Batmobile with Alfred figure

McFarlane Glow in the Dark Batmobile

Beast Kingdom Sonar Suit Batman figure

Beast Kingdom Batmobile pull back car

Hot Toys 1/6 scale Batman

Hot Toys 1/6 scale Robin

Statues

Applause 3" PVC statue set

Applause Batman statue 12"

Applause Robin statue 12"

Applause Riddler statue 12"

Applause Two Face statue 12"

Applause Batman vs Riddler

Applause Robin vs Two Face

Applause Leaping Batman

Funko Pop Batman

Funko Pop Riddler

Funko Pop Two-Face

Funko Pop Riddler (Art series)

Funko Pop Two-Face (Art series)

Funko Pop Riddler (White suit)

Funko Bitty Pop Batman

Funko Bitty Pop Riddler 

Funko Bitty Pop Two-Face 

Cosbaby Batman and Robin set

Cosbaby Two-Face and Riddler set

Cosrider Batman and Batmobile 

Iron Studios Mini Co Batman

Iron Studios Mini Co Robin

Iron Studios Mini Co Riddler

Prime 1 Studios Batman (Panther Suit)

Prime 1 Studios Robin

Prime 1 Batman (Sonar Suit)

Prime 1 Bat gadget display

Prime 1 Studios Robin - Night colour variant 

Prime 1 Batman (Sonar Suit) - Night colour variant

Model kits

Revell Batman

Revell Robin

Revell Riddler

Revell Batmobile 

Revell Batwing

Revell Batboat

AMT Batmobile 

AMT Batwing

Kitchenware

Applause Colour Changing Mug Batwing

Applause Colour Changing Mug Batmobile

Applause Colour Changing Mug Batboat

Applause Batman Head mug (ceramic)

Applause Robin Head mug (ceramic)

Applause Riddler Head mug (ceramic)

Applause Two-Face Head mug (ceramic)

Applause Batman Head mug (plastic)

Applause Robin Head mug (plastic)

Applause Riddler Head mug (plastic)

Applause Two-Face Head mug (plastic)

Applause mugs - other

Dress up / Roleplay

Signal Blaster (Kenner)

Combat Utility Belt (Kenner)

Batman Rubber Mask

Riddler Rubber Mask

Two-Face Rubber Mask

Robin Rubber Mask

Butterrick costume pattern Batman

Butterrick costume pattern Robin

Butterrick costume pattern Riddler

Butterrick costume pattern Two-Face

Rubies Batman costume

Rubies Robin costume

Fast food tie-ins

McDonalds Glass Mug Batman

McDonalds Glass Mug Robin

McDonalds Glass Mug Riddler

McDonalds Glass Mug Two-Face

McDonalds Lenticular discs x 4 (Australia)

McDonalds Pop-up Cards (Australia)

McDonalds Pogs (Canada)

McDonalds Cardboard Mask (UK)

Video Games

Batman Forever The Real Game Begins (Genesis/Mega Drive)

Batman Forever The Real Game Begins (SNES)

Batman Forever The Real Game Begins (PC)

Batman Forever The Real Game Begins (Game Gear)

Batman Forever The Real Game Begins (Gameboy)

Batman Forever The Arcade Game (Playstation)

Batman Forever The Arcade Game (Sega Saturn)

Tiger Double Dose of Doom handheld

R-Zone Batman Forever

Home video/media

VHS

DVD 

UMD (PSP)

VCD

Batman Anthology DVD set

Batman Anthology Blu-Ray set

4K UHD Blu-Ray

Music

Soundtrack by various artists (CD/Vinyl/cassette)

Score by Elliot Goldenthal (CD/Vinyl)

Expanded Score by Elliot Goldenthal (LaLa Land) (CD)

Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me single by U2 (CD/Vinyl/cassette) + animated variant

Kiss from a Rose single by Seal (CD/Vinyl/cassette)

The Riddler single by Method Man (CD/Vinyl/cassette)

Books

Batman Forever: The Making of the Movie by Michael Singer

Batman Forever novelisation by Peter David

Batman Forever junior novelisation by Alan Grant

Batman Forever Kids Golden Books

Batman Forever audiobook read by Rene Auberjonois

Batman Forever TW Kids junior audiobook

Colouring book

Sticker book (Merlin)

Sticker book (Topps)

Official Magazine

Poster Magazines x 6

Miscellaneous 

Skycaps Pogs (8 sets)

Fleer Card Basic Set

Fleer Card Metal set + Flasher variants

Fleer Card Gold silhouette chase set

Fleer Card Video Game Set

Fleer Card Metal Prints

Dynamic Marketing Card Set (Australia)

Noctovision Card Set

Sticker album Merlin (UK & Europe)

Sticker album Topps (US)

Batmobile telephone from Micro Games of America

Medallion FM Radio Bat symbol

Medallion FM Radio Two Face coin

Wooden wall plaque Batman

Wooden wall plaque Robin

Wooden wall plaque Riddler

Wooden wall plaque Two-Face

Battle at the Big Top board game

Crime Fighting Card Game

Audio Tape Game

Playing Cards (Batman painting)

Playing Cards (illustrated drawings)

Jigsaws by Milton Bradley (multiple)

3-D Stand-up puzzle

Batmobile Bubblebath by Prelude UK

Batman Bubblebath by Prelude UK

Super Soaker Batmobile

Creepy Crawlers

Magic Rocks Batboat

T-shirt in a plastic Batmobile

T-shirts (vintage)

T-shirts (modern)

Phonecards

Blank Cassette tapes

Various watches by Amitron

Baseball caps

Hat and scarf set from M&S (UK)

Erasers from Noteworthy

Necklaces (various)

Straw toppers

News: Batman Forever is back on the big screen in the UK this weekend

To celebrate this year being the 85th anniversary of Batman, Cineworld and Vue cinemas are showing 7 Batman movies.

Most important to readers of this blog, Batman Forever will be back on the big screen for one night only.

Details for Vue cinemas (Friday 6th September) here

Details for Cineworld (Saturday 7th September) here

If you do go, please post something on social media and use the hashtag #ReleaseTheSchumacherCut

It will be great if Warner Brothers can see what demand there is for an extended cut of this movie.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Cookie Jar from Applause

This thing was a bit of grail for me. I've been looking for one of these for many years and finally found a decently priced one in eBay.

It's an enormous piece, that measure about 35cm tall and 30cm across. I can almost guarantee you NO ONE has ever used this to store cookies. However, it is a great bust of the Sonar Suit.

As I say in the video, I'm fairly certain this uses the same sculpt as the ceramic Batman head mug. The eye paint work however is much better.

Very glad to finally own this. Let me know in the comments what I should keep in it.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Batman figure from Hot Toys

Super excited to finally own one of these amazing Hot Toys Batman figures. My god are they expensive but the detail is superb.

This Batman one has some advantages over the Robin figure. For one, you get many more gadgets. The one I couldn't identify in the video I did find out later was the grapple hook that Batman fires when Claw Island starts rising into the air.

I would have love to have seen more but I guess they were restricting them to the ones he uses while wearing the Sonar Suit. Maybe if they do a Panther suit later they'll include the ones he uses during the bank heist.

Anyway, not a lot to critique. The sculpt is great and the face in particular in superb. I love that they included the ability to remove the eyes and replace them with the "Sonar Grid" ones. I think they should have been a bit more blue though.

Unfortunately, like the Robin figure, this one is also very difficult to pose in any kind of dynamic way. That's fine though, I tend to keep all my stuff in "museum poses" anyway.

Anyway, as I say in the video, lots more 1/6 scale figures to follow.

News: McFarlane Toys unveils Forever Batmobile at San Diego Comic Con

McFarlane Toys have just unveiled the light up Forever Batmobile with exclusive Alfred figure. 

Yup... it's green... for some reason. I have no idea why this is and hope the finished version will light up blue like it did in the movie. I'm not holding my breath though.

The vehicle has a button near the front of the canopy to activate the light up feature.

Presumably the canopy opens but I haven't seen that part in action. I really hope they've ironed out the issues that the Flash Batmobile had with the canopy sliding open.

Not sure if the giant fin on the top will be able to split in two like it did in the film.

Overall I think it looks solid and will definitely be picking it up - in spite of the green colour.

The Alfred figure looks really solid. Can definitely see the Michael Gough likeness there. Would be nice if he had a tray accessory or something but I doubt it will. I'll definitely pick this set up as it's unclear if they'll sell the figure separately.

Also remember, the leaked listing mentioned a second batmobile that would have a glow in the dark feature (and I would presume be without the Alfred figure). Be interested to see what that looks like.

Anyway, here's some rough photos. 

To see a video, follow this link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C95VjxKSYxu/?igsh=MW5rbXF2cjZ3MjhmeA==

News: Akiva Goldsman is trying to get the Schumacher Cut released

More news from this year's San Diego Comic Con. 

Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman was speaking at the "Producers on Producing Panel", hosted by Steve Weintraub, and was asked about the Schumacher Cut of Batman Forever.

He revealed that he has been trying, since Joel Schumacher's death in 2020, to get Warner Brothers interested in doing a polished version of "Batman Forever: Preview One" (presumably a very early test screening cut of the film - the exact contents of this cut are still unknown).

He has mentioned this "Preview One" cut before but it is unknown if this is the same cut as the one Kevin Smith screened last year at his Smodcastle Cinema. 

Akiva was very good friends with Joel and wants to revisit the film as a tribute to him.

Unfortunately the hold up is that Warner Brothers keeps changing management which resets the project back to the start. He mentioned "one administration ago" the project was close to being approved.

In terms of what need doing, Akiva said: "There’s some visual effects that need to be finished. There would be some music that would have to be if not re-scored or rewritten. The whole soup to nuts was about a million bucks. They were on the verge of doing it and then Warner got sold again. There’s a-whole-nother DC."

This is fantastic news as it sounds like Goldsman is not only keen to see this cut released but also willing to keep pushing and actually oversee it's creation! 

I know for some this will be seem like a non-story but I think the fact that someone with Akiva's clout (remember, he's not just a screenwriter but a highly successful TV and film producer too) is willing to see this through, gives it much more of a chance of happening.

It sounds like Akiva is bidding his time, waiting for the new DCU to start up, and will then pursue the project with Warner Brothers and DC again.

Read the full Collider article here:-

https://collider.com/batman-forever-directors-cut-joel-schumacher/

Batman Forever + Batman & Robin merchandise for sale!

No, I haven't lost my mind and decided to sell my collection. Don't worry. It's going nowhere.

I have though been in touch with a fellow Batman collector called Laurent.

He is very active on Instagram and is selling a TON of Batman merchandise - from the movies, cartoons, comics.

Most interesting to readers of this blog, he has a big collection of Batman Forever and Batman & Robin merchandise.

Here are a couple of photos below show some of what he has available. Some really rare pieces. He also has a lot of carded figures too. Check his Instagram page out here - give him and follow and maybe strike up a deal.

And here's some individual posts about some of the items for a closer look. 

Batman Forever stuff:

Riddler resin kit https://www.instagram.com/p/C4TtEyQsLCT/?img_index=1

Socks https://www.instagram.com/p/ClPPcQOMX7P/

Various CDs https://www.instagram.com/p/ClMv4ysMO5a/ https://www.instagram.com/p/ClKHS7-szf2/ 

Inflatable pop bag https://www.instagram.com/p/ClKHS7-szf2/ 

Bubble bath https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjn3TAzMGkn/ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjn3vZss9uI/ 

Batman & Robin stuff: 

WBSS portraits https://www.instagram.com/p/C2lCtTwsYuD/?img_index=1

WBSS paper bag https://www.instagram.com/p/CjtMo-hMxQ0/?img_index=1

Batman study kit https://www.instagram.com/p/CjisZfBsR--/?img_index=1

Torchlight https://www.instagram.com/p/CjgZQ0xsKRj/?img_index=1

Fruit snacks https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjdx05TsCV6/

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Robin figure from Hot Toys

So I know this is a little late. I was really on the fence about picking up the Hot Toys Batman Forever figures. I'm a huge fan of vintage figures but don't tend to buy too many "new" figures. The price point of them is really high (around £175) and for a long time I felt like there was no way I could afford either of them.

Recently I got a job upgrade and the price lowered slightly on eBay so I decided to bite the bullet and get one. I'm glad I did because these are really special figures. The finish on them is spectacular as is the attention to detail. As I say in the video, this is the closest you'll get to having a tiny Chris O'Donnell in your hands.

As some have pointed out, it's not perfect. The shade of red they chose doesn't seem to match the on-screen costume (it was admittedly difficult to figure out exactly what it should be given in the film it is usually lit with strong coloured lighting).

But on the whole it is great. The other issue is the poseability. The promo shots of this have the figure in all the cool poses from the film but the reality is that the suit really bends in awkward ways when you move the arm or legs out of their default positions. It doesn't both me much as I rarely pose figure but might be a consideration for others.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review: Tide Racer Robin figure from Kenner

Well, this is it! The final Kenner figure I needed to get.

Tide Racer Robin is a Target Exclusive figure and a repaint of Hydro Claw Robin. If you liked that figure, you might like this variant. 

Don't worry my reviews will continue. I've looked ahead and won't be going anywhere for the foreseeable future. Still lots of vintage merchandise to review as well as new stuff like Hot Toys and McFarlane.

News: Beast Kingdom is making new Batman Forever and Batman & Robin figures

Beast Kingdom has previewed these 8 inch (I think) figures at the Licensing Expo 2024.

They seem to be doing the same thing as McFarlane and making a whole range of Batman movie figures from Michael Keaton to Robert Pattinson and everything in between.

Most interesting are some new figures of Val Kilmer's Batman, George Clooney's Batman and a Jim Carrey Riddler figure.

I've got to say I love the look of the Riddler (maybe even more than the forthcoming McFarlane figure). The cloth jacket and bowler hat look ace.

I'm less keen on the Clooney and Kilmer figures though. I don't know, something feels a bit off about them. Their heads seem quite far off their bodies.

News: McFarlane reveals close up look at Batman Forever figures in poster

McFarlane Toys have released this cool poster showing off the new Batman Forever wave of figures in more details.

Obviously it's based on the classic John Alvin poster which is really neat. I will say doing this makes it stick out even more that they didn't do a Chase Meridian figure. I've had a think about why they chose not to do her. I wonder if it's possibly because - unlike all the actors in the Batman & Robin line - Nicole didn't have a figure back in 1995 so has no pre-existing contract to base a figure off her character? Another reason is maybe that they didn't think people would be interested in the character.

Anyway, the other things to notice. We finally have a close up look at Robin, Riddler and Two-Face's facial sculpts.

• Robin looks really close to the one from the Batman & Robin line (except obviously for the mask). I liked that sculpt on that figure so I'm happy to see it return. The colour of Robin's suit is quite a bright red and doesn't really have the metallic look the movie suit had. Still it looks great. Interestingly the collar looks to be plastic but the cape looks to be a yellow fabric on the inside.

• The Riddler looks not bad. I don't love the face sculpt but it is recognisably Jim Carrey. The teeth seem really big but maybe it will grow on me. I feel the ab crunch is going to look a bit weird on this figure because there's no details on the costume to hide it.

• Two-Face is - for me - the weakest of the bunch. Don't get me wrong, the detail is great but I'm just not getting Tommy Lee Jones. The head seems quite chunky. Maybe it's one of those things where if you see it from the side or at an angle it'll look better. I can't quite tell from the way the pictures are blended but it looks like he'll have a coin in his hand.

Of course, in the background we have the Nightmare Bat (which will be the Build-a-Figure part - ie. you'll get a bit with each of the main four figures and can put it together once you have all four). Can't see too much detail on this but it looks solid. My only concern is that the figure's head will be fixed. I'd love if it could move so you can stand him face to face with Batman (and recreate that deleted shot from the film).

The other thing to note is that the Batman figure doesn't appear to have a plastic cape - it looks cloth. I assumed it would have a plastic one so it was different from the one from the Ultimate Batman set however as someone pointed out to me if McFarlane do a Forever Batmobile the figure will need to fit inside it - so it will need a flexible cape.

And that brings me to the final bit of news - well rumour - this list of forthcoming McFarlane figures has been leaked. It mentions two Forever Batmobiles. One with Alfred - I'd assume an exclusive Michael Gough figure. And one that's listed as GITD - which I think stands for Glow In The Dark. Exciting to see if this is true.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Mystery Grab Bag episode 3

Here's another episode of assorted Batman Forever products and trinkets for you to enjoy.

News: McFarlane announces a Batman Forever line

Well I think we were all hoping this would be coming sooner or later.

Finally last weekend - at Wondercon - Todd McFarlane announced that a Batman Forever 7 inch action figure line is on the way!

See the picture below. 

(Although it says Summer 2025 but apparently this is incorrect and they'll be out this year).

Some interesting things to note:-

Unfortunately we're only getting a reissue of the Sonar Suit that came out last year in the Ultimate Batman set. There's no Panther suit. However the rumour is that an exclusive Panther suit may come later (possibly with a 7 inch scale Batmobile!).

Although I can't see from the photo. I imagine the difference will be that the Batman figure will come with a molded plastic cape.

Two-Face, Riddler and Robin are the other three figures to collect. I think we all expected that given that the Batman & Robin line also had 4 figures. It's a shame the line isn't bigger - a Sugar, Spice and/or Chase figure would have been cool.

The big surprise is the choice for Build-a-Figure. It's the Nightmare Bat that Bruce keeps dreaming about in the film. This is a cool choice as it is only briefly seen in the film (poor Rick Baker who designed it). 

It's most famous for the deleted scene where Bruce spreads his arms out and stands face to face with it (which was put in the trailer).

Again, I can't tell from the photo but I hope you can move the Bat's head to recreate that scene.

I'm sort of hoping this helps a tiny bit in getting the Schumacher Cut finally released. Who knows? Every little bit helps.

Lastly, I'd recommend watching this video of Todd talking at Wondercon (skip to 15 minutes in to go to the Batman Forever reveal). 

He mentions two things of interest - 1) the Batman & Robin line had a "really big response at the toy fair last year and at retail" 2) he specifically notes that there "a group of you that are trying to collect the Batman movie characters" and he's "trying to deliver on that".

It feels nice to hear Todd say that. I (and I think everyone else that reads this blog or watches my YouTube channel) feel seen.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Batmobile phone by Micro Games of America

I love the design of the Forever Batmobile but I'll be honest I've got so many toys and models I don't need any more.

At least that's what I thought until I saw this Batmobile telephone on eBay. I've seen versions of the 1989 Batmobile as a phone but not the Forever one.

As shown in the video the phone lights up when you call it. Sadly it doesn't play any cool ringtones. 

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Riddler and Two Face figures from Kenner

Given that Riddler and Two Face are partners in crime in Batman Forever, it makes sense that Kenner made a double pack of figures.

These are basically just repaints of existing figures. The Riddler has a new head sculpt but other than that they aren't any different.

Two Face comes with a gold gun accessory that annoyingly my one is missing. It's based on the gun he uses to blow up the gas line and bury Batman in the subway.

These are definitely good value and perfect if you just want the most movie accurate versions of the two villains.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Solar Shield Batman figure from Kenner

If there's one thing everyone remembers about Batman, it's that he needs the sun for power.

Wait, no that's the other guy.

Oh well, as was often the case with 90s Kenner figures they went with an absolutely bonkers concept because:-

1) it sounded cool and 

2) made for a great figure.

This is Solar Shield Batman, one of the wave 2 figures. It come with some enormous wings and a crossbow (?) for his hand.

The material on the cape is particularly neat. They could have gone with just black but the metallic blue really makes it stand out. 

It took me a long while to track this one down. Glad I have it because there's nothing quite like it. Get one if you can.

Book Review: Neon Knight Forever: The Legacy of Joel Schumacher’s Batman Duology by Tomasz Zaglewski

Review by Neil Rickatson

I have to preface this review and state that I am acknowledged twice within the text of this book. I will do my best to stay as impartial as possible. 

In today’s world everyone is very quick to compartmentalise every aspect of their life. Turn everything into a binary 0 or 1. Nothing is immune. I can’t throw a virtual rock on the internet without hitting “That’s the worst movie I ever saw” or “That’s the best movie I ever saw.” There is little room for any sort of nuance. And inevitably we end up with a handful of great movies that everyone universally agrees are great, and the rest go in a pile to the side to be left untouched. 

Logic dictates that only this first pile of great movies should be written about when actually I find much more satisfaction in looking at the other pile. For years, the Schumacher Batman movies have been dragged through the mud. On release Batman Forever was seen as a slick but empty exercise in commercial filmmaking. Batman & Robin by contrast was seen as an excessive, noisy, exhausting hollow product. Comic book fans, in particular, turned to the internet and railed against both films for multiple reasons: their deviation from the comics, their humorous take on the material and their style choices. 

And here’s the thing that bothered me. They didn’t let up. At all. No one was allowed to get a word in edgeways. So the narrative has been the Schumacher movies sucked, they have zero value and they should be talked about as briefly as possible. 

Thankfully time is a healer. After almost 30 years, Professor Tomasz Żaglewski (from the Institute of Cultural Studies, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland) has taken the task of looking at both films and trying to find what their legacy is. To be clear this is not a book about the making of the films (though a little bit of that is covered here and there) but a book that examines how people thought about Schumacher’s Batman duology then and how they think about them now. 

Here is a quick overview of the topics covered:- 

Part 1 talks about the place of the Schumacher films in Batman fandom. How they are seen as being “wrong” because they did not have a dark and serious tone. How they were also out of step with where the character was in the comics at the time. It also talks about how difficult it is to pin down any kind of definitive Batman portrayal (very true) and looks at some of the various versions of Batman over the years. Some were familiar to me such as Dark Knight and Camp Knight. Others were new terms I hadn’t seen before Cute Knight, Toy Knight, Dad Knight! 

Part 2 looks in more detail at the elements around the movie. Joel Schumacher (often seen as a generic journeyman director) is viewed with a fresh lens. Seen as a director who kept coming back to “trespasser” characters and stories. There is also a look at the shift from Burton's version of Batman to Schumacher's version. Were they their own thing or was Schumacher attempting to tie both universes together? 

Part 3 looks at some of the talking points around the films. The figures (which some people thought were disappointing because you couldn't get a figure that looked like they did in the film). The video games which are not beloved due to their frustratingly clunky controls. And finally… the bat nipples that featured in both films and what an overblown fuss they caused. 

The final part looks at how the duology has shifted in terms of public perception over the years. How the films were not well reviewed at the time and B&R, in particular, had a disappointing (but not disastrous) box office. To today where the films enjoy a small and loyal fandom (this is where I come in - which was surreal to read). And finally ends by talking about the online push for an extended cut of Batman Forever. 

All in all, this is a great, very knowledgeable book with a fantastic grasp of the subject. Tomasz is – I believe from the introduction – sympathetic to Schumacher’s aims and picks through both Batman movies, finding all sorts of interesting and varied subject matter. He draws on all areas of prior Batman expertise – such as Will Brooker, William Uricchio and Roberta E. Pearson. 

I must confess the whole book even made me look at both Batman Forever and Batman & Robin with renewed respect. I particularly enjoyed the second part of the book which dealt with Joel. I recently have been going through all of Schumacher’s filmography and was delighted to be shown this idea in Neon Knight Forever that there is this unified “trespasser” theme that runs through many of his films (one of his last movies was even called Trespass – how did I miss that). There’s this thinking that Tim Burton was “the artist”, and Joel was a “studio shill” but the book makes great pains to remind us that Joel did have thematic elements that interested him and with these two Batman films he did have a vision – to make a “living comic book”. It might not have been beloved by everyone but there was thought put behind it all. He was not the toy and cartoon and merchandise-obsessed man that a lot of people think he was. 

The book also reminded me of various little moments that I’d filed away and forgotten or outright missed. Such as how, even though the continuity is sketchy at best, Batman & Robin is designed to be a progression from the Burton films. Joel wanted to evolve the character of Bruce Wayne to be in a different place from the beginning of the franchise. I also chuckled at some of the old reviews and comments about both films. Gene Siskel’s review of B&R as a “a sniggering, exhausting, overproduced extravaganza that has virtually all of the humanity pounded out of it in the name of an endless parade of stunt sequences”. In some ways he’s not wrong, there’s times I watch and feel the same way (other times I just go with it and enjoy the "extravaganza" and "endless parade of stunt sequences"). 

The book also compares - or rather brings up comparisons of - Batman & Robin to recent films such as Thor: Love and Thunder and Birds of Prey. The former (which I haven’t seen yet) is an interesting comparison because the Marvel Cinematic Universe for many years has been a success juggernaut yet even I was aware that online fans had roundly eviscerated the fourth Thor movie in similar ways to B&R. Criticising it’s campy, playful, comedic tone. Neon Knight Forever begins by citing MCU boss Kevin Feige talking (in 2009) about B&R being a watermark that “demanded a new way of doing things. It created the opportunity to do X-Men and Spider-Man, adaptations that respected the source material and adaptations that were not campy.” Interesting to see that 14 years later Feige is producing a new campy, comedic superhero movie that goes against these earlier words. Perhaps camp is a necessary outlet that must be brought out every few years – a sort of cyclical event – if nothing else for a bit of variety. Perhaps there is a limit to the public’s appetite for dark, serious superhero movies. Maybe we can't keep telling the same story, with the same tone over and over again.

There really isn’t much I can criticise the book about. I would have loved for it to be a little bit longer. I also would have loved to have seen the book cover a little more on the online reaction to Batman & Robin circa 1997 - I feel it was a watershed moment when the internet started to become infinitely more important in terms of film criticism than newspapers/journals/TV. It democratised film criticism for better and for worse. Ain’t It Cool News’ review of Batman & Robin which drew comparisons of the audience feeling like “survivors of Hiroshima” was - I feel - a lightning rod for comic book fans and set the tone for the next few decades of online film reviews. 

But maybe that’s for part 2. I certainly feel there’s more to be discussed about both these films. And hopefully now Tomasz has broken the seal, others will come forward to give Schumacher’s duology their own analysis. 

I thank Tomasz for writing such an eloquent book, it has given me much to think about and I urge anyone with a passing interest in Batman Forever and/or Batman & Robin to buy a copy.

Click here for a link to Neon Knight Forever