Batman Forever Fan-Trailer Reimagines Film In A Sinister Light

When Tim Burton tackled 1989's Batman, the DC Comics vigilante hit theaters to critical acclaim. The dark, gritty story saw Michael Keaton play the famous hero while Jack Nicholson stunned moviegoers with his now-iconic Joker portrayal. Burton kept his luck going with Batman Return, but Warner Bros. arrested themselves with Batman Forever. Directed by Joel Schumacher, the third film tanked with fans because of its incoherent, campy storyline - but one fan is trying to change that reputation. Over on Youtube, Sam Ibrahim has made a fan-trailer for Batman Forever that makes it a fairly sinister affair.

The thriller trailer begins with Val Kilmer's Bruce Wayne speaking to Dr. Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman) about a series of "love letters" he's been sent. Of course, fans know that it was the Riddler sending him sly messages, but Dr. Chase brushes off the gifts as they were sent by a whacko. However, the tone of the video changes dramatically when Jim Carrey's villainous character appears on screen. The comedic actor's charm turns sharp when a voiceover can be heard saying, "I'll make you understand."

Much of the fan-trailer's drama is created by its genius scoring. Ibrahim used Daft Punk music to heighten the video's intensity, and he chose a track from the Tron remake to amp up the action. The thudding bass and interchanging beats flow seamlessly with the creator's edit, and it makes fans' hearts beat a bit faster.

Sadly, there's little mention of Two-Face in the fan-trailer, but fans can surely understand why. The original film was lambasted because of its inability to balance the famous villains, so Ibrahim selected one to feature in this video. The footage also reimagines the entire tone of Batman Forever with its new, uncompromising vision. The Riddler is made out to be a psychotic villain on par with the Joker even, and Kilmer's Batman becomes more sordid as well. Even Chris O'Donnell's Robin becomes more appealing with his tense live-action acrobatics.

If you watch this video, you might get an itch to watch the full film again but prepared to be disappointed. While Ibrahim's fan-trailer is an excellent reimagining of the panned movie, Batman Forever is still ridiculed amongst DC Comics die-hards. The folks at Cinema Sins even took on the film with their "Everything Wrong" series; It was a brutal deconstruction to say at the least.

So, what do you think? Does this fan-trailer make you want to revisit Batman Forever? Let us know in the comments below!

The Dark Knight is back on the big screen for the third feature in the blockbuster Batman series ... now battling two supervillains simultaneously--but this time joined by his protégé, Robin, to protect Gotham City. Jim Carrey stars as criminal genius, The Riddler, and Tommy Lee Jones plays Two-Face. Together, these criminal kingpins present a threat that only the Dynamic Duo--Batman (Val Kilmer) and Robin (Chris O'Donnell)--can stop. And Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman comes to Gotham as the alluring Dr. Chase Meridian, who may steal the heart of Batman Forever.

[H/T] io9