Carrey becomes the star of the film, a master at his peak who can make even Batman himself take a backseat to what he’s doing. It’s hard to know where the character ends and the actor begins. By allowing this, the Riddler splits in two, the comic version and Carrey’s hyper comedy, coming back to meld into something familiar yet completely original.
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He let Carrey loose with free rein to go over the edge and make the character his own. Most of these movies had Christian Bale for the Batman role.
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It’s harder to do that with The Riddler and Schumacher seemed to know it. Batman Forever (1995) Batman and Robin (1997) The Dark Knight Trilogy (20052013) Batman Begins (2005) The Dark Knight (2008) The Dark Knight Rises (2013) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) The first Batman movie was based on its television series. Nicholson was superb as the Joker, but there was always just that tiny bit of holding back, of keeping him sinister without becoming unrealistic. One wonders how Tim Burton would have handled the character. He is a theatrical gimmick with his speaking in sinister riddles, and his dress of green suit, green bowler hat, mask, and a cane shaped like a question mark are the epitome of comic book villainy. Edward Nygma has the maniacal personality of the Joker, but somehow cranked up even higher. If camp was what they were going for, the Riddler is the perfect villain for that. One of the few things that Schumacher for sure got right was the portrayal of the Riddler. To give a performance that differs from what fans know can be challenging enough, but in Carrey’s case, to lean into what we know and expect, to conform to the boundaries of such an exaggerated character, but also to bring in your own personality to help make the role your own, is perhaps even more challenging. This isn’t some lighthearted comic book movie here.ĭano is great in his portrayal in this new version of the Riddler, but it also brings an added respect for what Jim Carrey did as the Riddler in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever. Reeves himself has said that he modeled this take on the Zodiac Killer. With the long dirty coat and the creepy mask, Paul Dano’s version looks more like a terrorist. Gone from the Riddler is the over-the-top brightness. SVGs are preferred since they are resolution independent. The latter has received a lot of attention for the changes he has undergone from the character we have known in past interpretations. Batman must battle a disfigured district attorney and a disgruntled former employee with help from an amorous psychologist. Now that Matt Reeves’ The Batman has been released, we have gotten to see his take not only on the Caped Crusader, but on Catwoman, the Penguin, and the Riddler.