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Toys on Film: Batman Forever (1995)
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Riddle me this, riddle me that, what do we think of this version of the bat? We're back with another edition of Toys on Film, this time diving into 1995's record-breaking bat-blockbuster, "Batman Forever." We're joined by friend of the pod Chris Raimo to talk about the movie, it's cultural impacts, and of course, all the toys and product tie-ins!
Follow Chris on Instagram @plasticvampireart or visit him online at https://plasticvampireart.com/home.html
Thanks to @battlearmordad on Instagram for the retro Kenner catalog scans
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Intro and other voices by Joe Azzari
https://www.instagram.com/voicesbyjoe/
Theme Music is "Game Boy Horror" by the Zombie Dandies
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Transcript
Introduction to Adventures in Collecting
00:00:03
Speaker
Are you ready kids? Get your parents permission, check your mailbox and grab your shopping cart. It's time for the Adventures in Collecting podcast. I'm Eric.
00:00:15
Speaker
And I'm Dave. Welcome to Adventures in Collecting. Where we talk toy news, culture and hauls. Along with our journeys as collectors.
Toys on Film Segment Launch
00:00:27
Speaker
Hello, everybody, and welcome back to Adventures in Collecting Toys on Film. Two minutes later. Toys on film.
00:00:40
Speaker
I wish we one one of these days we'll have the budget to get somebody to do a parody cover of that for us. One of these days. Dave, you're in an interesting location for this episode.
00:00:50
Speaker
Yeah, I'm in the Batcave. I, uh. Did some parkour off and um gymnastics, some trapeze work off the fourth floor to get down here.
00:01:04
Speaker
Well, if you did that, you must have also done ah some laundry and and dried your clothing in a very interesting manner before.
Premise of Toys on Film
00:01:13
Speaker
Some martial arts laundry.
00:01:17
Speaker
um So this is ah it's been a while since we've done toys on film. I think the last time we did this was Terrifier, maybe. I think that was the last one of these we did.
00:01:28
Speaker
um Yeah, we did the Terrifier franchise. Oh, yeah, we did that after Turtles. That's right. Yes. Yeah. ah But if if this is your first ah Toys on Film experience with here with Adventures in Collecting, what we do is we take a movie, ah movie film for theaters that ah has an amazing toy background. So whether that's ah you know toys in the movie itself or in this case,
00:01:54
Speaker
um Batman Forever being a ah an extremely toyetic movie with tons and tons and tons of toys um for it, supporting it, celebrating it.
Movie Analysis Approach
00:02:06
Speaker
ah So we'll go through the movie. We'll go through some film facts. And then, of course, we'll ah we'll talk about the toys. Yeah, we won't we won't go like beat by beat through the movie because that's. gets um that's that's been the one kind of consistent theme in every episode of these where a we don't remember everything or we remember remember it in the wrong order. Correct. nobody wants to hear my my or Eric Eric's. um What's it called? um
00:02:39
Speaker
us arguing about what happens in what order, or what happens in what order, but we also don't need like the Andy Dwyer interpretation of yes, like what happens when they can't watch the Pawnee City Council debate on Parks and Rec.
Introducing Guest Chris Ramo
00:02:58
Speaker
Well, ah we have we do have a guest with us ah this time around for Toys on Film. We have a friend of the pod who happens to be... First time out for a Toys on Film.
00:03:09
Speaker
Yeah, we've never we've not had a guest for for for Toys on Film. But ah we are excited to have him back on the show. wait, Eric, don't bury the lead. Oh, okay. I won't bury the lead. You know what I'm going do instead with the lead?
00:03:21
Speaker
I'm going to... um Dr. Death tonight. I'm OK. I'm going to hold the lead. I'm going to thrill the lead. I'm going to kiss the lead and I'm going to kill the lead.
00:03:32
Speaker
Yeah, I don't have a Val Kilmer shirt, so we're the next best thing. My good night and good luck Broadway shirt. So welcome back. Clooney. But welcome back to the show. Artists neck neck, a packaging designer, um Batman Forever expert.
Chris Ramo's Batman Forever Journey
00:03:49
Speaker
Chris Ramo. Hey, you guys. He's back. I'm Chris. Holy rusted metal, Dave. It's Chris Ramo. This is from a rose.
00:04:01
Speaker
This metal, it has holes in it. rusted. It's full holes. Holy. Oh. So, ah yeah, Batman Forever. Chris, ah you know, before we we kind of dig into it here, um you're you're a ah ah self-proclaimed Batman Forever obsessive collector.
00:04:20
Speaker
I might be the only super fan slash collector there is. or At least amongst my friends. A lot of them are like, how how how is that one of your favorite? be like It just hit me at the right time at the right age. That's that's exactly where I am.
Val Kilmer's Batman Impact
00:04:35
Speaker
it is. It is not. We'll we'll talk. we'll We'll rank maybe where this is in our in our Batman cannons at the end of this. But like. Truthfully, like when I think of Batman because of the age I was and the the soundtrack and everything that was happening all at once, like I think of Val Kilmer. So when you know he passed away recently, we're recording this April of 2025. He's he's only ah left us a few weeks at this point.
00:05:02
Speaker
um But i when he passed away, the first thing I thought literally was like, oh, man, my Batman's dead. Yeah. So it just hit me. So I went to his greatest role, a.k.a. Doc Holliday, but also great. But he's Batman.
00:05:20
Speaker
He is Batman.
00:05:22
Speaker
Chris, yeah, I would say i i was 10 years old when this movie came out, so it was like and Jim Carrey was in it and I was a massive Jim Carrey fanatic, too. So it' was like, oh, my God, Batman and Jim Carrey together. This is give be the best movie of all time.
00:05:38
Speaker
Yeah. And I and I was eight. So i was I was right behind you. So I was. I 15. So like, you know, we're all around my
Camp and Uniqueness in Batman Forever
00:05:47
Speaker
age. Yeah, we kind of see like in in just getting into high school, like the writing was on the wall for the series for my age group.
00:05:57
Speaker
Well, yeah, you knew where it was. And also you were old enough at that point to know kind of where it was headed.
00:06:04
Speaker
I'm sure. Well, you know, the it's it's a campier movie than the than the previous two. But that's not a bad thing. Batman has been has been very campy over the years. So absolutely. You know, um this is just kind of par for the course for the the Dark Knight.
00:06:20
Speaker
I actually remember liking it a lot more than other people a 15 year old.
00:06:28
Speaker
um As a 44 year old, it is.
00:06:34
Speaker
ah movie that I watched today. How dare you? Yeah, no, I actually I apologize. Like I actually do like it. It's for me there. It gets a little long in the tooth in the middle.
00:06:50
Speaker
And then kind of.
00:06:54
Speaker
After like. After fighting, like, you know, the Joker and Penguin and Catwoman and Christopher Walken for some reason. Like. You put some respect on Max Schreck on this podcast, Dave. Yeah.
00:07:10
Speaker
Hey, he's not the he's not the first made up character for the movie. So um but. No, I love that. Like Batman Returns is my hat is, was and always will be my favorite of this.
00:07:23
Speaker
But like, I like Val Kilmer a lot. Knowing what we now know about the making of the movie and what could have been like that movie is in there.
00:07:39
Speaker
But they cranked up some like almost they tried to like on Batman Returns it. Well, right, because there was that huge backlash with Batman. And I feel like the end is like hella anticlimactic.
Nostalgia vs. Critique
00:07:52
Speaker
Like it doesn't for what's going on. It's just like, oh, yeah, here's I'm going to do the anti Spider-Man and like I'm break this thing and we're done.
00:08:04
Speaker
Well, I mean, to your point, right, there was a lot of backlash coming off of Batman Returns where it was very dark. It was a very, very, very dark movie that was marketed towards kids. I mean, as the sequel to Batman.
00:08:19
Speaker
And, um you know, that was during a time when, you know, you had all of kind of like the the anti-rock music movement was was still kind of going on. Parental advisory stickers like all of that was very top of mind for a lot of people. So, yeah, I think.
00:08:34
Speaker
to a degree and we got some really cool toys out of out of this movie so i mean to to a degree i think they did probably i level things out so that way it was a little more kid appropriate but i remember liking it more but i also think like i think the first act rules and then like it gets it starts to
00:08:58
Speaker
Like once you hit the back end of act two into act three, it's like, OK, this is it's a little. Well, it's a little long. OK.
00:09:10
Speaker
We've all we've all got opinions. know Chris and I will disagree with you vehemently as we're sitting here going like I could watch this right now. i It gets better and better every time I watch it. So I don't know what you're talking about. I'm I'm literally right there with you. I could.
00:09:24
Speaker
This is this movie is like is a comfort meal for me. And it has been for a long time. Like when I'm in a bad mood or like. I'm I have a project that I know I'm gonna to be working on for a while and I want like something in the background and that something is not Star Wars.
00:09:40
Speaker
It's Batman forever. Like I like it. It's it's fine, though. It's it's I and I'm the person who was on here like a couple months ago going, oh, this movie is way better than I remember. it And I remember Mark was like, no, it's not. And I'm like, oh, man, Mark was kind of right.
00:09:57
Speaker
No, Mark. ah Mark just shares your opinion. This is very subjective. So before. No, i I thought it was I i remember it. being I remember enjoying it more.
00:10:11
Speaker
Yeah, then I did the last time I watched
Batman Forever in Theaters Again
00:10:15
Speaker
it. Did you see it when they re-released it in the theater? I did. I I did, too. I brought my son, who's a massive Batman fan, and he was almost 10. And that's when I saw the movie. And it was like this whole circle of life moment of like, I saw this movie when I was 10 to theater.
00:10:32
Speaker
Now i'm taking him to see in the movie, except we were the only two people in the theater this time where in 1995, that place was like crazy slammed. Yeah, yeah, So it's probably one of the first Batman movies I've shown him, which I know is completely sacrilegious, but it was like a it was like an easy, easy way in. You know, it is. It is. Well, I mean, it's it's got it's but you get you get a little bit of the right. Like it's that tweener between Batman, Batman Returns and Batman and Robin like Batman and Robin is you know, other than like maybe kissing is like a kid movie like you get. There is no darkness to Clooney's Batman at all. Like he is just or acting.
00:11:12
Speaker
Yeah, it's it is. He is just like he just exists. This is a watchable movie. It's a it's a very watchable movie. Like I'm not going to tell you it's bad. It's just I remember it being a lot enjoying it a lot more.
00:11:26
Speaker
Well, let's before before we dig into the actual movie itself and, you know, some of maybe our favorite moments and stuff from it. um Dave, you have some some film facts for us Yeah, i do.
00:11:37
Speaker
About Batman Forever. Yeah. My notes are from um sourced from Wikipedia and Rotten Tomatoes. um Just to give credit to.
00:11:50
Speaker
Wherever that's going to go. moes always source your site, your sources. um So as you can see on the poster, the movie was released on June 16th in the year 1995. It was written by Lee Batchelor, Janet Scott Batchelor, and Akiva Goldsman came in and kind of tightened things up at the end.
00:12:11
Speaker
um Directed by the late Joel Schumacher. um His first Batman film in of two it had a budget of one hundred million dollars um
Box Office Success
00:12:24
Speaker
domestically. It made one hundred and eighty four million dollars, three hundred and thirty six point five three million dollars worldwide.
00:12:32
Speaker
um So very, very successful run um had a fifty two point eight million dollar opening weekend, which was the highest opening weekend of all time, surpassing Jurassic Park.
00:12:45
Speaker
Wow. um It was it held that for two years until The Lost World came out. I didn't realize it beat Jurassic Park back in the day. Wow. It was also the highest superhero opening weekend of all time until the year 2000 when X-Men came out.
00:13:05
Speaker
I was the first film to gross $20 million dollars in one day. gee and it was the second highest grossing film in the United States in 1995 behind Toy Wow. behind toy story wow Wow.
00:13:21
Speaker
That was impressive. Yeah. 30. So, so, wow. And it just dawned on me. And we've said it several times, 1995. So this movie turns 30 in two months. God, I don't like that.
00:13:37
Speaker
I mean, one month ago I turned 44. I don't like that, but couple of days ago I turned 40. Wow. wow Happy birthday. This movie came out like, what, 10 years ago? So, you know, whatever. Yeah. Yeah.
00:13:50
Speaker
The 90s. Those were 10. That was 10 years. Yeah. ah Pain. Of course, the stars of the film. Val Kilmer is Bruce Wayne and Batman.
00:14:03
Speaker
Of course. Tommy Lee Jones, Two-Face taking over for Billy Dee Williams um in the Harvey Dent role. ah Jim Carrey is the Riddler. um Among the other...
00:14:15
Speaker
people who were talked about for being Riddler. Originally, Robin Williams was up for the role. I think Robin Williams is Robin Williams is one of those actors who part of his legacy will be the roles he almost got.
00:14:30
Speaker
yeah Because there's a bunch of stories with it. Like, wasn't he supposed to be Hagrid in like the, the, uh, Harry Potter movies too at one point. That's out of my yeah knowledge base.
00:14:41
Speaker
But yeah, there there was he's he's had a bunch of situations like that where he's like almost been a character. Man, him as as the Riddler in that movie. Interesting. ah Nicole Kidman, um Dr. Chase Meridian, made up for the movie but eventually used in the comics in the New 52 era. And one of my first crushes.
00:15:02
Speaker
Hey. Who didn't love Chase Meridian? Come on. She was great. Yeah, she's she's a great character. um Chris O'Donnell, of course, as um Dick Grayson and a.k.a. Robin.
00:15:17
Speaker
um Now we could talk about what originally was going on with Robin later on i guess. No, it's just now. Yeah, now's the time. So we we talked about so about Tommy Lee Jones replacing Billy Dee Williams as. Yeah, who was. so So when um and this is just kind of common knowledge, when Tim Burton was going to make the third Batman movie originally, he gave them an idea that was kind of off the wall with Scarecrow and Riddler, I believe, were the villains.
00:15:48
Speaker
But like. Harvey Dent was going to be involved. I but i think he wanted Harvey Dent back in Batman Returns and Warner Brothers wanted the Penguin. um Really wanted the Penguin.
00:16:01
Speaker
So they went throughout. They went. um So the the whole idea was the hope that getting Billy Dee Williams back. But prior to that, Robin was originally supposed to be a mechanic.
00:16:18
Speaker
that helps Batman repair the Batmobile um after it was messed up in Batman Returns. And Robin um was going to be played by Marlon Wayans, who had signed a two movie deal to do two and three.
00:16:38
Speaker
Interesting. um So he still gets paid for Batman Returns.
00:16:45
Speaker
It's wild. Like if when Batman Returns airs or is screened or whatever the case may be, when they sell a DVD, when they sell a digital copy, um Marlon Wayans still gets residuals.
00:16:57
Speaker
Wow. It's wild, right? I had no idea. And that's also why the figure kind of the from Batman Returns kind of looks like Marlon Wayans.
00:17:08
Speaker
It does in that ah the the here I'm trying to find a picture of it I can pull it up they they they you know clearly changed the um
Marlon Wayans as Robin Question
00:17:19
Speaker
you know the skin color of Robin but like the head is Marlon Wayans now that I'm looking at this thumbnail here let me see if I can if I can pull this up on screen yeah when I had initially learned like that story about the making of the movie I was like Yeah, like that's Marlon Way 100 percent. It's more interesting.
00:17:42
Speaker
Interesting. So that gives us an idea of what the costume would have looked like, too. And in returns, potentially. Potentially, because that not all of the figures in that in that in that Batman Returns counter wave were screen accurate. Of course, the penguin penguin being. don't know. I don't know. Repainted superpowers.
00:18:01
Speaker
He was like the whole thing was he wasn't going to be in the movie very long. They were just establishing the character. So he was going to be in like.
00:18:10
Speaker
Like, like mechanic, like. He was going to be mechanic. Yeah. Yeah. yeah Interesting. Very bad head is 1000 percent. Marlon, what if you like take a find your figure, take a close up look at it, that's like, oh, wow, that is.
00:18:29
Speaker
i still have that one. but Yeah, that one's downstairs. so I'll have to have to take a closer look at that. I never knew that until me and Blaine were in a toy store and he was like, oh, I have to get this Robin. He's like, do you know, this was supposed to be Marlon Williams. Like, what are you talking about? And then he showed me like all the details and everything. And I was like, I and i never knew that until he told me that.
00:18:51
Speaker
hmm. That's crazy. Yeah. And like they cut him out at like the 11th hour.
Ed Begley Jr.'s Death Scene
00:18:59
Speaker
Wow. Like right before they started filming?
00:19:02
Speaker
Pretty much. Damn, that's crazy.
00:19:06
Speaker
um Getting back to the cast of Batman Forever, um Drew Barrymore is Sugar. ah Debbie Mazar is Spice. um Michael Guff back is helfred and pat hengle back as back Commissioner Gordon.
00:19:23
Speaker
um There is a cameo by Ed Begley Jr. He is um Jim Carrey. He's Edward Nygma's boss. at Wayne Enterprises brutal death yeah it goes like a brutal death in that movie but it's also like such a like Tom and Jerry one too like if you think yeah I mean it's it's it's a cartoon death but like applied to somebody who's actually taped and roped up to a rolling chair and thrown out of a yeah however high window that wasn't ah effectively a waterfall turbine system it's but it's brutal
00:20:01
Speaker
That's a big kahuna. um man
00:20:06
Speaker
If that's how I go, that's that's why I want somebody to yell if that's they're going to kill me. That's the last thing I want to hear. Perfect. good to my I will say there's like the thematically. And this is one of the things I very much appreciated.
00:20:20
Speaker
Like you could really apply thematically like. Riddler's scheme to now. And it's devastatingly accurate. and Oh, yeah. i shouldn That was that was a that was a an evergreen.
00:20:35
Speaker
Yeah. lot And that's one of the things like for me that absolutely like works is like this is as some would say, it happens on a daily basis without like Riddler vision, but it's it's also the thing that I thought was really clever about it.
00:20:52
Speaker
Going back, honestly, as an adult, three movies like the motivation of the villain is like. Has aged very well, like in the sense of.
00:21:05
Speaker
Oh, yeah, that's still like modern. I mean. It's still modern stuff. If you without getting too kind of into the weeds and coloring the conversation one way like it's well, it returns as modern as hell, isn't it?
00:21:24
Speaker
With with the exception of the version of the Riddler we got in the the Arkham games. Yeah. I thought this was a really clever twist on the Riddler that made him more than just like a guy that tells riddles.
00:21:38
Speaker
Yeah. And like ties people up. And if you can't solve riddles, he hurts them. Like I didn't need him to be hush like he was in the. Yeah. Whatever that was. Yeah. um Yeah. In the Batman.
00:21:50
Speaker
i was too dark. Yeah. Like waste of a good character. You are. As Dave, you just put it. You already have a character that is that character. You could have just used that one instead of making that one Riddler for some reason.
00:22:02
Speaker
um But you know, like this was a cool this was a cool balance of like. making him a little bit like more like science, which was also like a ah very a thing of the time, you know, like but still having like call.
00:22:16
Speaker
Yeah. Having like 90s villain that was like tied in with technology and stuff like that, like that was like very much so a thing of the time that ended up becoming an evergreen thing. But um he still got some of those riddles thrown in. And of course, all the letters he was sending to Bruce, which I thought were were brilliant, still are brilliant. Yeah, that's that was cool.
00:22:36
Speaker
um i like It is a very 66 like. Solution, but yep, no. Film was nominated for three Oscars.
00:22:48
Speaker
um Best cinematography, best sound and best sound effects editing. It did not win a single one. What a shame. um So now there I mean, I feel like sound and sound effects editing.
00:23:02
Speaker
For sure. um You also don't have the I feel like the score is not as strong. With it not being Elfman. So the score might not be as strong.
00:23:16
Speaker
I don't want to jump ahead to the soundtrack. If you're so if you have still have more film facts, Dave. I still have two more, but. But let's let's talk music for a second, because while the score, you know, that that outside of like the main theme that I'm sure is playing in all of our heads right now, like not the 89 theme, the like and and and the new. Yeah, the new Batman theme. basic That that theme is is Elliot Goldenfall, by the way, did the score. I thought I wrote that down and I did not.
00:23:47
Speaker
This soundtrack rips. It does. Soundtrack rips. It rips. It has one of my favorite covers of it of of all time on it. um What? Smash It Up?
00:23:59
Speaker
Smash It Up, which is ah the Offspring covering The Damned. i absolutely love that cover. um And then your two like big... pop hits off of this where you two's hold me, thrill me, kiss me, kill me.
Soundtrack Highlights
00:24:13
Speaker
um And ah of course, seals kiss from Rose, which iconic, just absolutely iconic music video. every Bad days is a good track, too. Yep. That is a good one. Yeah.
00:24:27
Speaker
Method Man had a ah special rap for the Riddler, which again was is probably the most 90s thing on this. ah The most 90s thing on this soundtrack is Method Man rapping about the Riddler, and that's on the same album as U2, PJ Harvey, Brandy, and Seal.
00:24:47
Speaker
So that's the thing. I'm saying lot. There's a lot of mid-90s banger acts. Sunny Day Real Estate. Making cuts to this.
00:24:58
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, there's there's there's some really good stuff on this. Mazzy star off of fade into you like there's yeah, yeah, this is that album sold. I don't have the how many millions of copies it sold, but I'm sure.
00:25:13
Speaker
oh yeah, I'm sure it went multi. It was a multi platinum vehicle for sure. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. But this is a great soundtrack.
00:25:22
Speaker
So there is a work print preview slash director's cut um that exists. Now, the original one had 50 minutes of additional footage. Whoa. um That is more. my My guess is it's like more of an assembly than anything else, um because one of the rumors was that they shot two versions of a lot of dialogue scenes.
00:25:48
Speaker
in order to see if they can go darker or comedic. Got it. So like the original cut, the guy is like, it's hot acid in the in the vault. Like that's not in this original cut.
00:26:04
Speaker
OK, that you're you're referring to the the the the security guard with the hearing aid. Yes. OK, it's boiling acid. Like some of that stuff is is not in this.
00:26:15
Speaker
um As if acid wasn't bad enough. Yeah, it needs to be. I've seen that movie too many times. Why? Why? Why not? Might as well be boiling.
00:26:26
Speaker
um There also also a um I don't know what they they call the cut. that Some people call the Schumacher cut the Schumacher cut. Yeah. um That is, I think, about 20 minutes longer.
00:26:45
Speaker
um it is definitely darker and more serious, like it's missing some of this dialogue that we're talking about. ah It includes the nightmare bat deleted scene um and a couple other ones.
00:26:59
Speaker
um It is in the hands of a few people, including one, Kevin Smith, um who show who has shown it, I believe, twice at the Smog Castle Cinema in at Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey.
00:27:13
Speaker
The first time was in July 2023, and i believe he has teased showing it again. He's just trying to kind of figure that out, what that looks like.
00:27:24
Speaker
But the anniversary, like he yeah for the anniversary, that would be amazing. That would be amazing. And I would go immediately. I think all of us would be there. Yeah, it's literally down the highway for me. So I would definitely go.
00:27:36
Speaker
I'll be there in a couple of weeks for Dogma. So um but yeah, it's um it's really
Schumacher Cut Discussion
00:27:44
Speaker
interesting. i absolutely would love to see that. um Supposedly, it does kind of.
00:27:52
Speaker
depending on how you feel. Like there are people that'll say like it, it makes the movie better. There are people that'll say it's just like, they like the original better. I would like to see it to kind of, you know, kind of make my own judgment on it, but I would 100% pay good money to see that.
00:28:11
Speaker
Same. dito Yeah. Rotten Tomatoes. It is a 39%.
00:28:17
Speaker
um that would That would make it rotten on 71 critical reviews. The popcorn meter, which is the user reviews, 33%.
00:28:28
Speaker
Wow. Wow. Wow. And that was like 15,000. Chris, we're really in the minority here. Really, really are, apparently. i think I think it's way better than a 39%, but, you know.
00:28:42
Speaker
that This is harsh. Yeah, that's I feel like that's overly... I think that's really harsh. Yeah, I put it. I put it at like, honestly, it's like a hot six. Like for me, like it's a six out of 10. OK, I think I have i would probably have it as opposed to like the eight and nine that are the original two like.
00:29:02
Speaker
Yeah. And here's the here's the distinction, right? Like, this is my favorite Batman movie. It's not the one that I think is the best. i like Agreed.
00:29:13
Speaker
know, you can... I think people need to be able to kind of separate that. um but yeah But yeah, this this is... i mean... far and away this is my favorite batman like if you like when we were talking about before like what's oh did you go see batman forever when it was put back in theaters i've gone to see batman returns at the alamo draft house and at smod castle like yeah yeah that that is for me that is the best one i think it's my favorite too his batman returns And it's my second favorite behind this, but I, I, I do.
00:29:48
Speaker
I agree with you that is that is the best Batman movie. Like, I don't think anything has has sniffed that yet. In terms of just the whole thing, like, I think you can you can make an argument that, you know, the Dark Knight is a viable best Batman movie, but.
00:30:09
Speaker
Lego Batman Lego Batman movie too. It's one of the best. It really is. It needs to be in the conversation. It needs to be in the conversation. Um, yeah. So lets let's, let's, let's dive into this, this movie for a couple minutes here before we we hop into the toys. Um,
00:30:25
Speaker
You know, just some things that you know I remember from from seeing it. Oh, another thing that I said that i saw was drastically different in that cut. Just as we're diving into the movie is the opening is entirely different.
00:30:40
Speaker
Oh, really? It does not open at the bank. It opens that at Arkham. Oh. With Harvey breaking out or with Harvey yeah and then like the flashback to show what happened to him.
00:30:55
Speaker
So it's not just like TV footage. Interesting. Interesting. Which wild that that's TV footage like. Well, I mean, i know we were like at the advent of court TV and stuff, but like.
00:31:08
Speaker
but My thing is, he gets the acid thrown at him and it. It basically covers his entire head. He tries to block it with like a folder. And I'm like, it kind of doesn't make sense that the acid hit everything, but just distinctly went straight down the middle. Like, yeah, if you if you rewatch that, he takes like a bath of acid. Oh, yeah.
00:31:31
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. And not to mention, like the fact that what we know about, like acid and things of that nature, like he's not going to turn like bright pink.
00:31:42
Speaker
I mean, forget that. The craziest part about that scene is just the idea of Batman sitting in a courtroom. In a courtroom. just Yeah. Like he's sitting next to somebody like but like leave out yeah court.
00:31:56
Speaker
Like nobody has a problem with that. Just that's Batman's here. Yeah. Why not? Yeah, he's we've we've already like we're we're long past where like the distrust for Batman is gone. And now he's just like effectively a bailiff as well.
00:32:11
Speaker
Like. yeah he's the He's the courtroom muscle. um Well, you never know who's going to throw a cup of acid. I bet he looked at Gordon afterwards and was like, see, this is why I got to be here. This is why we have acid proof holders. I know.
00:32:25
Speaker
and should He should have been there earlier. He was running late. And now, a word from our sponsors.
00:32:36
Speaker
This segment is brought to you by our friends at Chubsy Wubsy Toys. A traditional mom and pop toy store in Little Falls, New Jersey, Chubsy Wubsy Toys brings you the best new toys from the brands you love without the hassle of pounding the pavement searching for them at larger retail stores.
00:32:53
Speaker
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00:33:05
Speaker
That's
00:33:11
Speaker
And tell them Adventures in Collecting sent you.
Soundtrack Nostalgia
00:33:17
Speaker
And now, back to the show. Yeah, so I know I mentioned it already several times, but a big part of this movie, and I think a big part of the reason why I love it so much, um is the soundtrack. Like, I just, like, I can't say it enough how...
00:33:35
Speaker
um even to this day, now 30 years later, like when I hear the opening riff to that U2 song or I i hear, you know, the opening acapella part to to Kiss from a Rose, I am i am transported back into that theater seat.
00:33:54
Speaker
like in an instant. It just takes me right back there. Like, even if it's the middle of winter, like it, all of a sudden it's hot. I'm in shorts and I'm, I'm back in that, that theater. Um, there was just something about that soundtrack and like the whole kind of audio aesthetic of it that tied in perfectly with the movie that whether it was just like where I was developmentally as a child at that point, but it is like the core of core memories.
00:34:23
Speaker
And, um, Yeah, I mean, that was just a huge, huge part of it for me. And of course, the toys, which we'll we'll get into. um I feel like that was the start to like maybe not the very first one, but certainly like one of the first major like super soundtracks of that, like mid ninety s early 2000s.
00:34:46
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Era where like every. Every movie that big movie that came out had the like, and this is the soundtrack for it. Like, yep. The summer blockbuster soundtrack.
00:34:57
Speaker
Whether it was Godzilla, American Pie, like Empire Records, everything had that like super soundtrack. Here's the here's the part you you really want. It's the soundtrack. Never mind the movie.
00:35:12
Speaker
um looking I'm looking up to see how many copies of it actually sold. It's got to be. I guess in almost trillion, and if not more. Let's see.
00:35:24
Speaker
According to Google, the Batman Forever soundtrack sold two million copies in the United States and was certified double platinum. OK, so. That was also at the time, too, when anything with a hit song on it was like automatic platinum.
00:35:39
Speaker
Yeah, that's it was just a question of how many times over. That's still a lot. Now nobody sells a million copies. Like Taylor Swift, that's it. Yeah.
00:35:51
Speaker
And only only five songs from the soundtrack were featured in the movie. so um and i should up Smash it up.
00:36:01
Speaker
Bad days. The Brandy song pops in for like a hot minute, I think. yeah yeah And then U2 ends the movie for the credits. And Seal as well. Yep.
00:36:13
Speaker
Both of them played. Yeah. And ah and while the the film did not win a ah Academy Award, ah Kiss from a Rose won three Grammys in ah in 96, including best male pop vocal record of the year and song of the year.
00:36:29
Speaker
So. Yeah. And that was due to its ah its placement on this, this soundtrack. Mm hmm. You're welcome, Seal. Yeah.
00:36:40
Speaker
That was like Seal's biggest hit since Crazy. Yeah. I mean, it's still making the money today. He was just in that Super Bowl commercial. Super Bowl commercial. Yeah. He was doing it for Mountain Dew. Weird Super Bowl commercial.
00:36:51
Speaker
He was a Seal Seal for for Mountain Dew. um Yeah. But I mean, ah other other than the music, like, and again, we'll we'll get into the toys, but it was just like I mean, the the Batman the Animated Series was already on at this point.
Vibrant Aesthetic Appeal
00:37:08
Speaker
You know, we're already well into that. And this felt more like a film at the time. Now looking back on it, this makes no sense. But like at the time, the the colors, the this felt like a like something that was a companion to the animated series for me, which was something else that I absolutely loved.
00:37:26
Speaker
So to see kind of some of these characters that, you know weren't in the the first two films in this in a way that was a little more kind of like approachable and marketable. um I'm saying those words as an adult. That's definitely not what I was thinking when I was eight.
00:37:41
Speaker
But, um you know, it was just that connection was there. I mean, Batman was was everything. He was. He was like also the first time. It was also the first time Gotham City was like a city. It wasn't a soundstage like therere there. were Yeah, there. That was like the first time we had locations.
Batmobile Design Love
00:37:58
Speaker
Oh, and then the one thing I do have to say, um and, you know, I'm going to bring my first prop on screen here, but. ah This guy right here is that Batmobile rules.
00:38:09
Speaker
This is to this day. This is my favorite Batmobile um favorite Batmobile design. It is is the best. you You need to help me team up against Blaine because any time I bring up that I love that Batmobile, he tells me how ugly it is. i love it. And the blue light it's like it's like rolling glowing skeleton like. it's Yeah, i like it feels like it's like the rib a rib cage. Yeah, I love it.
00:38:35
Speaker
yeah Yeah, this this was my this was my Batmobile, man. Like I loved and i like I still have my original Kenner one somewhere. Chris, yeah I have his I have the Lego. area But it does not light up, but you know.
00:38:51
Speaker
It's still still good. that's It's a great Batmobile. Like it looks like this. is That's when you could tell like, OK, we're making toys here like that. Yeah, this thing and and this, by the way, is the the McFarlane one. And it is enormous.
00:39:07
Speaker
Mine's way up there. But ah but yeah, I adore this Batmobile. It was such a it was such a unique design. the Batmobile had never looked like anything like this. All the vehicles.
00:39:19
Speaker
The Batwing was redesigned. The Batboat. Yeah. Yep. Yep. Yep. Great. Just great. Like this overall look and design of of everything in this. ah Yeah. OK.
00:39:31
Speaker
It's beautiful. Good. So good. This thing is. matt i i didn't have this as a kid. And Blaine again, I have to mention him again, was at a toy show. was Like somebody has it complete for 40 bucks. I'm like, buy it as fast as you can and bring it to me like I need this.
00:39:47
Speaker
And ah i usually have this hanging above my desk flying over protecting me. It's so good. and So, yeah. Yeah. i I loved the overall just kind of aesthetic of it. ah The vehicle design is it's a good looking movie.
00:40:01
Speaker
Like absolutely. It's a good looking movie. Yeah, that boat and that that whole scene, too, when they're playing like it does battleship and they're playing battleship. And, you know, it's it's ridiculous. But at the same time, it it feels so Batman like I don't. ah Yeah, it it feels very 66.
00:40:21
Speaker
Yeah, the two of them like, you know literally a borderline twist in their mustaches playing, you know, ah playing Battleship. And that was another thing, too. Like, you know, we I watched the crap out of those 66 reruns. Oh, yeah.
00:40:35
Speaker
On whatever. Which I think it was on the UPN. No, think it was a PIX. Yeah. Yeah. China 11. Yeah. We used to watch those reruns all the time. So like all seeing the characters act like that was.
00:40:49
Speaker
I didn't know that and I had it. That was the first Batman I remember seeing as a kid was 66. So I was like, oh, yeah, Batman's goofy, you know? Yeah. So I kind of rolled with it.
00:41:01
Speaker
Yep. Dave, what about what what what about you? What are some some memories you had from, you know, first seeing it? From first seeing I think I saw it in Seacaucus at the Lowe's and Seacaucus.
00:41:14
Speaker
Um. Which is now, I think, an L.A. Fitness or something. Used to be next to a sizzler. Oh, that's the that's still there.
00:41:26
Speaker
ah But the movie theater, when the movie, there's a movie theater like across the parking lot now. But um one of the movie theaters is a hotel and the other one's now like an L.A. Fitness. um Two movie theaters like in walking distance from each other. Both of them were Lowe's.
00:41:43
Speaker
Yeah. Um, but it's, it was one of, I was super pumped for it. You know, who was, you know, a bigger star than Jim Carrey at that point?
00:41:54
Speaker
Um, probably Nicole Kidman, to be honest, it was close, but, uh, you know, Val Kilmer, everybody had just come off of like big time movies. Like, you know, Tommy Lee Jones, fresh off of, uh, the fugitive Chris O'Donnell was like,
00:42:14
Speaker
at the height of his popularity, like everybody drew Barrymore was just coming back.
00:42:21
Speaker
Yeah. So it was.
00:42:24
Speaker
You know, it was it was definitely like the event, a big event, but, you know it was just kind of like it was weird that Batman was different because they're Batman was always like like it was Adam West for the run of Batman. Like, you know, you had Michael Keaton for two movies.
00:42:42
Speaker
um You know, Kevin Conroy was the voice of the cartoon. So like there had never been like a new Batman picking up continuity before. So that was that was weird because nobody thought Michael Keaton was going to be a good Batman until he was awesome.
00:42:58
Speaker
Like. um Man, I didn't even think about that because we're so used to like. Yeah. So used to the same guys being like, it I don't even think about it that way.
00:43:10
Speaker
Yeah, it was wild. It was it is interesting. was like seeing, you know, your favorite baseball player on a different team, you know, like it was. And then they had to sign somebody else to to to take that player's spot.
00:43:23
Speaker
You're Batman now. Yeah. Now you're Batman.
00:43:28
Speaker
But it was cool because like, you know, it was cool to finally get Robin in into the mix. Yeah, I feel like he was one of the at the time, like people wanted Robin in the movie.
00:43:38
Speaker
Yeah. When are we getting Robin? um And he got a great costume, too. Yeah, it was that current comic run. That end of film costume is it's a great costume. Very on par with the and great sideburns.
00:43:54
Speaker
Yeah, with the super good sideburns. I remember after seeing that movie telling my mom, like, need sideburns. I have to grow sideburns. She's like, you you can't. You're 10 years old. Like...
00:44:06
Speaker
And I also like that they I liked what they did with the the flying Grayson's ah like origin in that like way that that was handled was very interesting. You know, putting putting Bruce Wayne in the situation where like he couldn't be Batman.
00:44:21
Speaker
Yeah. Like what the courtroom. So, yeah, at the same time, he's trying to like decide, does he want to do this anymore? Yeah. There's always been that kind of.
00:44:33
Speaker
I always say give and take. He he literally yells, Harvey, I'm Batman. Somebody standing next to him like nobody heard this. No, no one heard it. There's chaos going on. Like, who would listen to this rich dude?
00:44:45
Speaker
Yeah, there was a bomb, Chris. Who can't pronounce circus. That part drives me nuts. I won't lie. I love the movie, but Val Kilmer cannot say the word circus. I wonder how many takes that took to get that version of circus.
00:45:00
Speaker
Yeah, the circus. But what? And as different as as his Batman is, it's like still good. Like, i yeah I definitely would have liked to have seen him continue on as Batman.
00:45:13
Speaker
but To me, no offense to Val Kilmer, I feel like the movie is just all about Riddler and Two-Face. Like, you're there to see the bad guys do stuff, and he's just there. Like, Batman just happens to be in the movie to me.
00:45:27
Speaker
Like, I feel like that was the big thing, was just like, we just need somebody to wear the suit. we already have like these two insane villains for everybody enjoy and you get Robin. So I feel like he kind of gets like left behind. If you really watch the movie, like you kind of feel like he's yeah he's he's there. It's Batman. But like you just want to see when when Riddler gets back on the screen or Two-Face gets back on the screen like.
00:45:50
Speaker
The movie's about Bruce Wayne. It's not about Batman. Yeah. but I mean, it is true. and And you do get um what what a lot of people, I think, and and, you know, a lot of people think of this suit, right? Like the suit from the end of the the film, the like sonar suit. Sonar suit. um But what's interesting is like for the majority of the movie, he's wearing...
00:46:12
Speaker
like the Keaton suit, like he's wearing the Batman, a version of the Batman returns suit with like the yellow logo. And yeah i And it's, it's just wild to think that there's been so many figures of Val Kilmer Batman and they're, they have, no one has done that yet, which I feel like is a, is a layup for, for somebody to make him in the suit that he wears for the majority of the freaking movie.
00:46:38
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. but ah But yeah, I mean, it is it is very much so an ensemble film, right? And he plays a part in it. and and ah And this, too, is like the first Batman movie where it's really that crowded.
00:46:53
Speaker
You know, there are that many, like, backstories they need to tell. um You know, you have all of, like, the side plots going on with Robin for the first time in this, that you know, when he when he hijacks the Batman.
00:47:05
Speaker
the Batmobile. um Yeah. the And the the ah the the like UV light gang. I don't understand how nobody has made those figures either.
00:47:18
Speaker
Yeah. Like they're so toyetic them and the two faces henchmen. I don't know how. Yeah. Don't you don't make those either. Yep. yeah when they When they announced the McFarlane line and they're like, oh, build a figure. I was like, well, I mean, obviously you got to do like one of those. That would be awesome. And then it was, you know, the giant bat. Yeah, it was a deleted scene. and But in my mind, like that was the the easiest way to go. Like, give us the two face henchman or, you know, the glow in the dark guy like.
00:47:45
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know. i thought it was a missed opportunity. I thought for sure. I mean, we ended up getting Alfred with the Batmobile, but I thought for sure he would have been the build a figure um or at the very least, like Sugar and Spice.
00:47:58
Speaker
Also, two awesome figures for the Batman Forever has a second wave of figures that they could have definitely have done, um including, you know, Val Kilmer in the, you know, in the the The other suit, the older suit. Yeah, would have been an awesome variant. i But yeah, it's crazy. There is so much money left on the table in terms of like toyetic characters from from that movie. the Flying Grayson suit and a.k.a. the like 70s Robin suit.
00:48:31
Speaker
Yep. Or even him in like his like jeans and like the leather jacket and stuff like that, like the Dick Grayson or even honestly a Bruce Wayne figure. I want circus two face.
00:48:42
Speaker
I love that whole insane get up. Yes. Chase Meridian. She's never had a figure. ah Also wild. I don't know how Nicole Kidman is with likeness rights, but as I say that that might be the issue there.
00:48:54
Speaker
Yeah, probably. um So, Chris, before we we move into the the the figures here, any kind of just big, big memories of the film, you know, seeing it for the first time, here you already shared that awesome story with your with your kids. But, you know, what else?
00:49:09
Speaker
I just remember being so excited to go see it and then having my mind blown pretty much and leaving the theater being like, i I need everything. I need to have everything that this movie has to offer.
00:49:21
Speaker
And I wound up rebuying a lot of that stuff and getting stuff that I didn't have when that movie came out. But ah yeah, it's just it's just near and dear to my heart still.
00:49:33
Speaker
So speaking of stuff, um, shouts to battle armor, dad at battle armor. Dad on Instagram. Um, if you are not following him and you are into vintage toys, uh, he is, he is a must follow.
00:49:49
Speaker
He collects, um old look books and wish lists and and gift guides um from from years past. And he just posts these amazing scans of them. So I reached out to him prior to us recording and he was able to provide me with some fresh scans ah from 1995. Is this from the booklet that was in like every Kenner figure? Yes, this is this is the little like Nintendo instruction booklet.
00:50:17
Speaker
yep the little so awesome um so yeah so uh as you can see you know extremely toyetic uh the the batman here in in the center the blast cape batman
Batman Forever Toy Line
00:50:31
Speaker
this was the closest we've ever gotten to val kilmer in just the regular black suit with the uh with the yellow logo but he had some sweet red accents um This was wave one. So ah the the original Riddler that that was offered was was the version that you see here with the crazy backpack and the TV screen strapped to his chest.
00:50:52
Speaker
And then ah and and two face. um Oddly enough, two face ah the the hand, the gun was molded in. So never had to worry about losing that. It came with the coin, though, and that was the coolest thing ever.
00:51:06
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I also didn't like that Riddler's arm didn't move either. Yeah, it was just permanently like like this. ah it's It's better. I'd rather if you're going to have him like have a thing, it's better the gun than that's old toy biz one that had like the coin that was bigger than his head.
00:51:27
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Like it was like a dinner plate. Yeah, it was like he was like yeah had a platter and then you turn the thing and he just it spun. Yeah, I remember I remember that. ah Then we have some ah some vehicles and accessories and some role play items.
00:51:43
Speaker
ah Chris just showed us this amazing Batmobile. And if you are a longtime listener of the ah of the show, um our first ever Christmas episode when we talked about our favorite things we ever received for Christmas, this was this was it for me.
00:51:59
Speaker
um This thing, ah truly this truly enormous. um I mean, you saw Chris holding the Batmobile before. it it just fit on one of these platforms.
00:52:11
Speaker
um There was a zip line. There was like this thing in the center that like it was like a trap that would like crush you. ah There was ah an elevator where you could put your Bruce Wayne figure in the bottom and pull up the elevator. And when you pulled it up, it revealed like a Batman at top of it. So he would change on his way up.
00:52:29
Speaker
Awesome. Yeah, this this thing was great. Yeah, that was the part that's on the ah by the stair stairs on the third. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Up here. It looks like the thing in the middle, like the thing. Is that supposed to be like when Two-Face falls at the end?
00:52:44
Speaker
Kind of. Like, it's weird that it's kind of in the Batcave, but it looks like the spikes that fall. Yeah, i think I think that was the idea, just to kind of get... you know here's as much remember as much of the movie in there as possible mine was wild too um the the bat signal blaster was also awesome it uh awesome it had a little flashlight on the bottom with a uh a screen in it so it would just you could just make the bat signal on the wall um i did not have that a friend of mine did though didn't have that
00:53:16
Speaker
And then we've got just some more vehicles here. you know, here's the Batwing again. um The Robin cycle. This thing was awesome, too. And it was the only way to get ah Robin as like Dick Grayson in street clothes.
00:53:31
Speaker
It was it wasn't a zip line cycle. Yes, it was a a pullback. Oh, no, no, no. Yeah. and It was the the zip. You pulled it out in a shot forward. You're right. You're right. um And then wing it deluxe deluxe attack wing Batman.
00:53:46
Speaker
So again, just some some really cool, like very 90s. the deluxe martial arts did not come with laundry. No, he did not come with laundry.
00:53:58
Speaker
i Again, just some more looks. i Chris, I think we got something here that maybe you want to talk a little bit more about. I have it right here. This is a grail.
00:54:12
Speaker
i mean here Let's let's switch over to this view here so that way we can see that a little better. It still works and it's very annoying. was going to say, give Chris the big. Yeah, it's I got this. This isn't my original one, but I got this for my 10th birthday.
00:54:32
Speaker
At a Chuck E. Cheese because 10 year old still went to Chuck E. Cheese in the 90s, apparently. And this this was a grill and I had to I had to reown it because it's it's so it's so cool.
00:54:43
Speaker
It's amazing. Yeah.
00:54:48
Speaker
Yeah, that thing is really cool. But yeah, that the the electronic pinball machine, the electronic pinballs were like low key, still really good. um this was awesome a friend of mine had this the the road the road race set which was you know your typical like a taiko like a yeah uh and it was just it was just cool you know you had the two controllers and it was a riddler uh car and and ah and a batmobile or i'm sorry a two-face uh car and a uh and a batmobile
00:55:23
Speaker
And then the the the Wayne Manor that just would not go away. They repainted this Wayne Manor for every everything, every single Batman release.
00:55:35
Speaker
Like from is a great play set to though, from 89 straight through to to Batman and Robin. they That's returns. No, there was a there was an Ace Chemicals version of it, too. There was an 89 version of it.
00:55:50
Speaker
That they put out like later. I actually just acquired a returns one at a flea market for 12 bucks. ah So ah that's the one that I have. I have the returns one where the yeah the backside of it is um is the ah like the sewers.
00:56:06
Speaker
Right. I think it's. Yeah. Yeah. The penguin layer. And the the the front is like a gold paint wash on it. But ah there you can find a version of this that has. Yeah.
00:56:18
Speaker
that's for the animated series that has like pictures of the, uh, in like the back of computer as pictures of the, the, uh, animated series villains. You can find an 89 style version of it. You can find returns and, and, and onward terms was the first one though.
00:56:33
Speaker
But this that this was my favorite feature by far. Again, like you you could put your Batman in there and strap him in with a little belt and turn the little thing at the top and it would transform him from from Bruce Wayne to Batman.
00:56:48
Speaker
And you had Keaton the time. so Yeah. yeah and there there was i still have val kilmer too they made a similar similar to how they made keaton with the like strap-on batman stuff they had a kilmer that had a head that would like go back here chris has got it hang on let's here i'll i'll give you the floor again here chris These are like my favorite Batman figures for all the movies, any of them that you could dress them up. yeah I was like all in.
00:57:18
Speaker
I think you should open that right now and put it together. yeah Come on.
00:57:28
Speaker
yeah So, you know, if you had if you had that Batman or that ah Bruce Wayne, you could you could put him in the the cave. And then ah there were some really cool two packs that were issued that robin that were more screen accurate.
00:57:43
Speaker
ah so Amazing. The Guardians of Gotham City. This was the one that you had to have because this gave you the suits from the end of the movie. um The most most movie accurate. yeah Yeah. Yeah. The figures. There was no there was no Batman. That was one color.
00:58:00
Speaker
No. And there there were no there were no gimmicks with these. They didn't have the like old like um the like C ring style capes.
00:58:10
Speaker
They were there. were They were rubber capes. they They didn't have the laser dildo. They don't remember. You don't remember that from the movie? No, no, I don't remember that. Wait, wait, let's get it. Let's get a closer look at. ah Let's get a closer look at that.
00:58:25
Speaker
look Look at that. Yeah, it's it's it's ah it's ribbed for anyone's pleasure. Like the Batman figure overall is very cool. But yeah, that accessory is very questionable.
00:58:38
Speaker
It's it's something it is. um And then ah you also had ah this two pack. So you had the Riddler and Two-Face.
00:58:49
Speaker
Which was the only way to get the Riddler without like stuff on him. Yep. Yep. It was the only way to get this version of the Riddler. um And then this version of two faces actually still pretty cool. Not necessarily screen accurate.
00:59:03
Speaker
To me, it's kind of circusy. Like if you look at his suit, it kind of has the circus scene kind of vibe to it. Yeah. But again, same. pain Yeah. Yeah. Same same two face. ah This is actually I don't know what has happened to my black and black and red two face. This is the only one that I still have left. But I still you'll have this. too That's a great Riddler, too.
00:59:26
Speaker
And then the you can find that two face at any toy show for like 10 bucks. Perfect. Yeah. Keep that in mind. and the And then the the ah the WB store exclusive two pack.
00:59:40
Speaker
um Not screen accurate. Not at all. The only way to get this version of the Riddler, which is supposed to be kind of like the end of the film Riddler where he's actually in white.
00:59:53
Speaker
um
00:59:56
Speaker
Yes. So that's the only so that's the only only way to get the white one. Yeah. With this. And that's a repaint of that. Yes. Yeah.
01:00:07
Speaker
And that was the talking Riddler, right? if I remember correctly. Yeah, he he no longer talks. But I do not have that pack. I would love to have it. But in a random toy bin, I did find the Batman without his cape.
01:00:22
Speaker
So with the blue wash on it, right? He's got like a. yeah So he sits on the bat wing. Nice. Yeah.
01:00:32
Speaker
But yeah, so you had this variant of ah of the the final suit Riddler.
01:00:40
Speaker
And then that takes us through 1996, 1985, 1996. ninety ninety six nineteen eighty five nineteen ninety six I like that he's gone on like yellow Air Force ones. I didn't even notice that.
01:00:52
Speaker
I'm trying to get to the next one here. Let's go. to he out And then ah the the other thing that everyone always talks about with this were the McDonald's tie in mugs, which, of course, of course, the Tiki master down there has got.
01:01:11
Speaker
Funny story. My wife got me this for Christmas and I opened the package and there was two of each of them. And I was like, oh, you got two sets. She's like, one's for when guests come over and the other one's for your collection.
01:01:24
Speaker
So. My wife rules. She does rule. She does, in fact, rule. Yeah, and though they are they are awesome. They were 99 cents each. They are not now. I can tell that. With purchase.
01:01:36
Speaker
That was when giveaways were like... legit though we had it we had a good we really did have a good these these kids kids these days they'll never know um and then it would be a while until we would get the the only like major release of of batman in that that suit like i was saying this is we've only gotten it once and it was in the that's not great It was in the the ah signature collection of the DC multiverse towards the towards the end, ah towards the end of Mattel's run with that.
Mattel's Batman Figures
01:02:10
Speaker
um That's that's not awesome. I mean, for the time, for the time, it he he had ah kind of that Marvel Legends-esque articulation. He didn't have just like the regular kickers.
01:02:24
Speaker
um He had ball jointed hips and stuff. But but yeah, the the likeness was was not there. um It was very soft likeness. He did have swappable hands, which was fun. ah Cloth cape. But... um Yeah, it would be it would then be a few more years until we would get some new Batman Forever figures. And we got a whole build a figure wave.
01:02:44
Speaker
And I've kind of been showing some of them off as we've been talking. But I like these a lot. Yeah. So we get the Nightmare Bat as the the build a figure. And then I'll just real quick take everyone quick look at these in hand. So we've got we've got Val Kilmer, their great figure.
01:03:03
Speaker
really, really good likeness on this. Like I love. Yeah, I love the profile. The one thing about the all the Batman figures, you know, the biggest piece of feedback is that the head and cowl are are two separate pieces, you know, so he can do things like like this. You shouldn't be able to do. Yeah, he has to turn his body to do that.
01:03:23
Speaker
um We've got the Riddler. Super good, too. I really like I really like this figure. Great. I agree i have a big complaint about it, though. Which about the Riddler?
01:03:35
Speaker
Yeah. why't Why don't why? Why don't the question marks go everywhere? It drives me crazy. They do kind of just stop.
01:03:44
Speaker
Yeah, it's like wrestling gear. Like i i I know it's possible. I've seen it done on many figures where the tampos go all the way around. But you know, one reason I've I've never noticed that. I'm sorry I ruined it for you, but that's why I didn't buy it. I wouldn't buy it because I'm like, what? What is this?
01:04:00
Speaker
didn't realize that um and then we've got robin which for me i think is the best figure of of the wave by far uh great great cape on this wired wired cape it's good and it's thick it's a nice like thick wired cape the yellow on the inside um and all the detail including the nipples oh yeah uh and then two-face did not come with a a pistol i had to provide him one um It's a good figure, too. It's good.
01:04:32
Speaker
It's not bad. I love the the hand with the the coin flip kind of in motion there. It's a cool little effect. You do get swappable hands with him. so you don't i actually love the hair on It is good with the undercut.
01:04:49
Speaker
Somehow the deeper print goes all the way around. That's crazy. It does. Look at that. Everywhere. Those question marks don't.
01:04:59
Speaker
Riddle me this. Riddle me that. No, it's like Eric's Riddler suit when he was like three years old. Yeah. Maybe his mom made it for him, too. Yeah. And then ah and then Alfred. So Alfred came with the ah the Batmobile that I had on camera before. He was the pack in with the Batmobile.
01:05:16
Speaker
My one piece of feedback about ah Alfred here is like, I think we could have gone with a little bit more color saturation on his. He's it he's a bit pallid. Yeah, he's he's a ghost. but he's He is very great. He is almost in grayscale.
01:05:30
Speaker
Like, I almost think like it was supposed to be like a grayscale variant or something. um He looks not. He looks unwell. A painter. I am not so ah gray. He will he will remain.
01:05:44
Speaker
um And we've got one more ah one more figure from McFarlane at least coming ah for Batman Forever that we know of, and that is the the red Platinum Edition Chase Riddler from the the final moments of the film.
01:06:02
Speaker
um He is in the same wave as the Batman versus Superman Dawn of Justice Alfred. So is Jeremy Irons. Yeah. So Jeremy Irons and and ah there's one other question marks look like they span.
01:06:21
Speaker
Yeah, look, entirety of them. Chris, look at that. They're on the inside. They've probably got my letters.
01:06:29
Speaker
Letters multiple.
01:06:33
Speaker
Dear Todd, how dare you? I like that. And he's have to and he's got the ah he's got the the the right cane from the end of the movie, the one with the the switch on it. Yeah, a little button.
01:06:46
Speaker
Yeah. So that's that's pretty cool. um I see ah what I would want to is I'd want the swappable like mess up. Distorted face. Yeah. Yeah. would Would be. You can do it like that exists on those.
01:06:59
Speaker
Yeah, so. but ah But yeah, so this should be hitting hit done soon. It's technically, if you wanted to pre-order this, I think entertain Entertainment Earth has the case the whole case up, um which is right now the only way to pre-order this, which would get you two of this Riddler, two of the um Jeremy Irons Alfred, and then something else.
Spin Master's Tribute Wave
01:07:19
Speaker
but um I mean, I wouldn't hate having a Jeremy Irons figure. could I mean, um ah you could be prepared to own it.
01:07:35
Speaker
I'll be here all week. um And then ah and then ah lastly, we had, as as David mentioned, we had we had Mark ah from Spin Master on ah not long ago to talk about the the Batman Forever tribute wave and the fact that this only exists, which is still wild to me, but the fact that this only exists because the buyer at Target wanted them to make it.
01:07:59
Speaker
Because Batman, fantastic story. Batman Forever was also his favorite Batman movie, and he thought it was time to do ah more counter style Batman figures.
01:08:10
Speaker
You know what? Like in hindsight, and it didn't dawn on me until we were just looking at them like the barrel chestedness of those is spot on. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, they made some change they made some some changes, you know, two faces. Not he's not on platforms. He doesn't have the gun hand gun molded in ah Robin is almost entirely different from anything that they that they offered. It almost looks more like the like the paint style of the martial arts one.
01:08:38
Speaker
I will say that the the their colors, the redo of the Batmobile is really nice. They a good job with that. Yeah, that is good. I've seen yours. um And they have ah ball joints at the shoulders, so they can they can go out. and and um But yeah, so that that takes us through the toy price point on those two.
01:08:57
Speaker
Yeah, I think they're like, if you could still find them, they're all gone at this point. But I think they were like $7.99 each or something like that. Yeah. And was like old prices. The Batmobile was 20. Yeah. So.
01:09:09
Speaker
yeah so But that is a that is Batman
Final Thoughts on Batman Forever
01:09:15
Speaker
Forever. um So I think the the last thing that we should do is and it's probably obvious if you've been listening to us this far.
01:09:22
Speaker
um Do we recommend that people watch Batman Forever? Chris, why don't you go first? I think they should watch it weekly to start and then progressively get to like daily, I think.
01:09:36
Speaker
I'm also going to suggest that you watch Batman forever and you want. But most most importantly, my message is um you watch it with an open mind. So go have fun. Watch it. It's fun. That's yeah it's all that matters. Have fun.
01:09:49
Speaker
Don't don't overanalyze. It's it's a it's a silly movie and it's fun. And yeah. So Dave should should everyone watch Batman forever? Yeah, of course. I think everybody should watch all four of them.
01:10:04
Speaker
I might skip Batman and Robin, I won't lie. I got to really be in the mood to watch that. i I can't sit for that movie. I can't not good, but like, should you watch it at least once?
01:10:14
Speaker
ah So I, I will say this. I put my darling wife through a lot of things that she does not enjoy. Like she'll, she, she watches things that she will sit through things that she finds torturous.
01:10:28
Speaker
Her favorite Batman movie is Batman and Robin. who So I, I have watched that movie lately. a lot over the years that we've been together.
01:10:41
Speaker
How do the kids feel about that one? I mean, they're still like, you know, their ages. It's it's Batman. It's funny. They laugh at Bane. you know, why is being so ridiculous? Like.
01:10:53
Speaker
It's just um then being look like he's wearing one of those blow up T-Rex suits. Like I, I really don't care for that movie. I, I, I love, I will say I love Arnold Schwarzenegger in that movie. Like of course i absolutely love that version Mr. Freeze.
01:11:10
Speaker
um But yeah, I, I, I don't, I don't really care for that. Uma's not bad either, to be honest. I think all of the the villains are all fine in that movie. Yeah. Yeah.
01:11:22
Speaker
Bane, you know, but whatever. Yeah. He kind of looks, I mean, he looks, it looks like Bane, but that's about it. Yeah. That's where it ends. Yeah.
01:11:32
Speaker
Yeah. What a wasted opportunity with that character. mean, he's green for some reason, but yeah. Great. Chemicals, you know, science. Yeah. Well, this, this has been another edition of toys on film.
01:11:47
Speaker
Chris, thank you so much for, were we going to order the, uh, Oh, we're going to order the whole series. I was just going to say whether or not we recommend. Okay. I thought you were getting that was one of the things you had. No, no, no, no. I don't think we need to do that.
01:12:01
Speaker
There's so many Batman movies at this point. I think just whether or not we recommend it. and i and And I think it's understood that two out of three of us consider it to be their favorite Batman movie.
01:12:12
Speaker
Yes. Third third for me Do you want to say what your favorite? What is your? Well, you said it already. You said Batman Returns. So there we got it covered. We got it covered. um Chris, before we we we let you go and we get out of here, ah remind everybody, where can they keep up up to date with you and your awesome art and ah and your eventual Batman Forever art that you're going to start drawing after this episode?
Follow Chris Ramo's Art
01:12:34
Speaker
That's smart. That's good. I like that. ah You could just follow me at at plastic vampire art or plastic plastic vampire art dot com. Perfect. And we'll make sure we put that in the, uh, in the description as always. And, uh, I, I think with, uh, with that, Dave, it's, it's time to get us out of here. So, uh, yeah, send us home.
01:12:53
Speaker
Um, yeah, just avoid that, uh, boiling hot acid.
01:13:03
Speaker
Thank you, dear listener, for hanging out with us today. Subscribe, rate, and review us wherever you listen, and then tell your friends to do it. Thanks also to Joe Azari, the golden voice behind our intro. Our music is Game Boy Horror by the Zombie Dandies. Find more about them both in our show notes.
01:13:19
Speaker
Follow us on social media at AIC underscore podcast on Instagram and Twitter. Stop by and say hi. Show us your toy hauls and share your toy stories. Maybe we'll talk about it in a future episode.
01:13:35
Speaker
Don't try this at home. Voidware prohibited in some assembly required. Each sold separately. Not a flying toy. Consult a physician if your toy run exceeds more than four hours.
01:13:43
Speaker
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01:13:56
Speaker
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