Moviefone Editorial

Tag: batman-forever

  • Best Val Kilmer Movies

    Val Kilmer in 'Tombstone'. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
    Val Kilmer in ‘Tombstone’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.

    Val Kilmer was one of the greatest actors of his generation.

    Kilmer passed away on April 1st, 2025 after a long battle with cancer and leaves behind a resume of legendary performances in such iconic movies as ‘Top Gun‘, ‘The Doors‘, ‘Tombstone‘, ‘Heat‘, and ‘Batman Forever‘.

    In honor of the late actor’s passing, Moviefone is counting down the 20 best films of Val Kilmer’s impressive career.

    Let’s begin!

    20. ‘The Island of Dr. Moreau‘ (1996)

    Marlon Brando in 'The Island of Dr. Moreau'. Photo: New Line Cinema.
    Marlon Brando in ‘The Island of Dr. Moreau’. Photo: New Line Cinema.

    A shipwrecked sailor (David Thewlis) stumbles upon a mysterious island and is shocked to discover that a brilliant scientist (Marlon Brando) and his lab assistant (Kilmer) have found a way to combine human and animal DNA—with horrific results.

    2479

    19. ‘The Real McCoy‘ (1993)

    Karen McCoy (Kim Basinger) is released from prison with nothing but the clothes on her back. Before being incarcerated Karen was the bank robber of her time, but now she wishes for nothing more than to settle down and start a new life. Unfortunately between a dirty parole officer, old business partners, an idiot ex-husband, and a new partner (Kilmer) she will have to do the unthinkable in order to save her son.

    1081726

    18. ‘The Salton Sea‘ (2002)

    After the murder of his beloved wife, a man (Kilmer) in search of redemption is set adrift in a world where nothing is as it seems. On his journey, he befriends slacker Jimmy “The Finn” (Peter Sarsgaard), becomes involved in rescuing his neighbor Colette (Deborah Kara Unger) from her own demons, and gets entangled in a web of deceit full of unexpected twists and turns.

    10998

    17. ‘The Saint‘ (1997)

    Simon Templar (Kilmer), is a thief for hire, whose latest job to steal the secret process for cold fusion puts him at odds with a traitor bent on toppling the Russian government, as well as the woman (Elizabeth Shue) who holds its secret.

    3596

    16. ‘The Ghost and the Darkness‘ (1996)

    Sir Robert Beaumont (Tom Wilkinson) is behind schedule on a railroad in Africa. Enlisting noted engineer John Henry Patterson (Kilmer) to right the ship, Beaumont expects results. Everything seems great until the crew discovers the mutilated corpse of the project’s foreman, seemingly killed by a lion. After several more attacks, Patterson calls in famed hunter Charles Remington (Michael Douglas), who has finally met his match in the bloodthirsty lions.

    1095418

    15. ‘Willow‘ (1988)

    Warwick Davis in 'Willow'. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
    Warwick Davis in ‘Willow’. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

    The evil Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) hunts the newborn princess Elora Danan (Ruth Greenfield), a child prophesied to bring about her downfall. When the royal infant is found by Willow (Warwick Davis), a timid farmer and aspiring sorcerer, he’s entrusted with delivering her from evil.

    11211

    14. ‘Thunderheart‘ (1992)

    An FBI man (Kilmer) with Sioux background is sent to a reservation to help with a murder investigation, where he has to come to terms with his heritage.

    6290

    13. ‘Val‘ (2021)

    For over 40 years Val Kilmer, one of Hollywood’s most mercurial and/or misunderstood actors has been documenting his own life and craft through film and video. He has amassed thousands of hours of footage, from 16mm home movies made with his brothers, to time spent in iconic roles for blockbuster movies. This raw, wildly original and unflinching documentary reveals a life lived to extremes and a heart-filled, sometimes hilarious look at what it means to be an artist and a complex man.

    fw53WXhqqs9pyYdxSKzcU2

    12. ‘Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans‘ (2009)

    Terrence McDonagh (Nicolas Cage) is a New Orleans Police sergeant, who receives a medal and a promotion to lieutenant for heroism during Hurricane Katrina. Due to his heroic act, McDonagh injures his back and becomes addicted to prescription pain medication. He then finds himself involved with a drug dealer who is suspected of murdering a family of African immigrants.

    36149

    11. ‘Top Secret!‘ (1984)

    Popular and dashing American singer Nick Rivers (Kilmer) travels to East Germany to perform in a music festival. When he loses his heart to the gorgeous Hillary Flammond (Lucy Gutleridge), he finds himself caught up in an underground resistance movement. Rivers joins forces with Agent Cedric (Omar Shariff) and Flammond to attempt the rescue of her father, Dr. Paul, from the Germans, who have captured the scientist in hopes of coercing him into building a new naval mine.

    14674

    10. ‘Top Gun: Maverick‘ (2022)

    Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in 'Top Gun: Maverick.' Photo: Paramount Pictures.
    Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.

    After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of TOPGUN graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards), aka “Goose.” Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.

    O4JnepzWxR6VN8UGckHE45 8S4kFgOV

    9. ‘True Romance‘ (1993)

    Clarence (Christian Slater) marries hooker Alabama (Patricia Arquette), steals cocaine from her pimp, and tries to sell it in Hollywood, while the owners of the coke try to reclaim it.

    8234

    8. ‘Batman Forever‘ (1995)

    Batman (Kilmer) must battle a disfigured district attorney and a disgruntled former employee with help from an amorous psychologist and a young circus acrobat (Chris O’Donnell).

    1369

    7. ‘Real Genius‘ (1985)

    When teenage geniuses Mitch Taylor (Gabriel Jarret) and Chris Knight (Kilmer), working on an advanced laser project, learn that the military wants to use it as a weapon, they decide to thwart the plan.

    16305

    6. ‘The Doors‘ (1991)

    The story of the famous and influential 1960s rock band and its lead singer and composer, Jim Morrison (Kilmer).

    4240

    5. ‘Spartan‘ (2004)

    Val Kilmer in 'Spartan'. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
    Val Kilmer in ‘Spartan’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.

    U.S. government agent Scott (Kilmer) is assigned to rescue the daughter of a high-ranking government official. As willing as he is to bend the rules to get things done, though, Scott is shocked to find that others are willing to go even further to protect a political career.

    15845

    4. ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang‘ (2005)

    A petty thief posing as an actor (Robert Downey Jr.) is brought to Los Angeles for an unlikely audition and finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation along with his high school dream girl (Michelle Monaghan) and a detective (Kilmer) who’s been training him for his upcoming role…

    24734

    3. ‘Heat‘ (1995)

    Obsessive master thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the ability and the dedication of the other even though they are aware their cat-and-mouse game may end in violence.

    60592

    2. ‘Tombstone‘ (1993)

    Legendary marshal Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell), now a weary gunfighter, joins his brothers Morgan (Bill Paxton) and Virgil (Sam Elliot) to pursue their collective fortune in the thriving mining town of Tombstone. But Earp is forced to don a badge again and get help from his notorious pal Doc Holliday (Kilmer) when a gang of renegade brigands and rustlers begins terrorizing the town.

    8714

    1. ‘Top Gun‘ (1986)

    (L to R) Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in 'Top Gun'. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
    (L to R) Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in ‘Top Gun’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

    For Lieutenant Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Tom Cruise) and his friend and co-pilot Nick ‘Goose’ Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards), being accepted into an elite training school for fighter pilots is a dream come true. But a tragedy, as well as personal demons, will threaten Pete’s dreams of becoming an ace pilot.

    6941

  • ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Heat’ Actor Val Kilmer Dies Aged 65

    Val Kilmer in 'Spartan'. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
    Val Kilmer in ‘Spartan’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.

    Preview

    • Val Kilmer has died at the age of 65.
    • He was famous for many projects including ‘Top Gun’ and ‘The Doors.’
    • Kilmer was also part of the select number who have played Batman.

    Val Kilmer, a talented actor known for his boyish good looks but chameleonic abilities, has died. He was 65, and had been diagnosed with throat cancer several years ago.

    George Cosmatos, who directed Kilmer in ‘Tombstone,’ told the L.A. Times this about the actor in 1993:

    “He works harder than most actors to make it look believable. He’s in the ranks of the great actors in America like Pacino or De Niro.”

    Related Article: Jack Kilmer Talks ‘Detective Knight: Independence’ and Bruce Willis

    Val Kilmer: Early Life

    Val Kilmer in the documentary 'Val'. Photo: Prime Video.
    Val Kilmer in the documentary ‘Val’. Photo: Prime Video.

    Val Edward Kilmer, part Cherokee, Irish, German and Swedish, was born on New Year’s Eve 1959 in the Los Angeles suburb of Chatsworth. His father was an aerospace engineer and real estate developer and his mother a housewife — they would end up divorcing when he was 9 — and he had one older brother, one younger.

    Wesley, his younger sibling, suffered an epileptic seizure and drowned in a swimming pool at the family home that his father had bought from Western movie legends Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. At the time, Kilmer was about to leave to study acting at Juilliard in New York; he was 17 and the youngest person to be admitted to the school’s drama division.

    Here’s what he said in a 2005 interview about that:

    “It was quite an emotional time for me, and in a way, the extremely high standards and the activity of the school I’m sure were good for me, because I was forced to really challenge myself about my very life, you know — what I believe about life and death.”

    Val Kilmer: Film Career

    (L to R) Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in 'Top Gun'. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
    (L to R) Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in ‘Top Gun’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

    After reportedly turning down a role in Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘The Outsiders,’ Kilmer broke out with the lead in 1984 spy spoof ‘Top Secret!,’ in which he played a rock star and sang his own songs.

    Following his turn as a brainy college student in the underrated, fondly remembered 1986 sci-fi comedy, ‘Real Genius,’ he became a major star, appearing with Tom Cruise in the worldwide hit ‘Top Gun.’

    6941

    He met future wife Joanne Whalley, on the set of Ron Howard’s fantasy film ‘Willow,’ and then appeared with her in ‘Kill Me Again’ in 1989. They would be married from 1988 until their divorce in 1996.

    A wide variety of roles followed; Kilmer refusing to simply coast as a handsome movie star.

    His other films included ‘At First Sight,’ ‘Red Planet,’  ‘The Salton Sea,’ and ‘Wonderland’.

    (L to R) Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. in 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.' Photo: Warner Bros.
    (L to R) Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. in ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.’ Photo: Warner Bros.

    There were also the likes of ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ with Robert Downey, Jr., ‘Déjà Vu’ with Denzel Washington, and ‘Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans’.

    A much more controversial choice was troubled dark movie ‘The Island of Dr. Moreau,’ where Kilmer tangled with both the film’s star, Marlon Brando, and director John Frankenheimer.

    Frankenheimer, the second director to work on completing the film, reportedly said this:

    “There are two things I will never ever do in my whole life. The first is that I will never climb Mt. Everest. The second is that I will never work with Val Kilmer ever again.”

    Still, many other directors were happy to work with him. He starred in Michael Apted’s Western ‘Thunderheart’ and ‘The Real McCoy’ and had a small but memorable role as an Elvis-like mentor in Tony Scott’s ‘True Romance.’

    His role as Doc Holliday in 1993’s ‘Tombstone’ was hailed one of his best performances, and in 1995, he appeared in ‘Heat’ alongside Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. For Oliver Stone, he memorably portrayed musician Jim Morrison in ‘The Doors.’

    Val Kilmer in 'Batmen Forever'. Photo: Warner Bros.
    Val Kilmer in ‘Batmen Forever’. Photo: Warner Bros.

    Kilmer took over from Michael Keaton for Joel Schumacher’s ‘Batman Forever,’ receiving mixed reviews, and was replaced by George Clooney for ‘Batman & Robin.’

    He went on to star in ‘The Ghost and the Darkness’ and the forgettable adaptation of TV series ‘The Saint.’

    After the mid-1990s, the studio roles dwindled amidst his reputation as difficult and combative, and he appeared mostly in independent films and supporting roles such as Stone’s poorly-reviewed ‘Alexander.’

    For his acting swan song, he made an emotional, impactful return as Iceman in ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ working with Cruise in one of the movie’s best scenes.

    Val Kilmer Reflects

    Val Kilmer in the documentary 'Val'. Photo: Prime Video.
    Val Kilmer in the documentary ‘Val’. Photo: Prime Video.

    Talking to The Hollywood Reporter to publicize ‘Val,’ the documentary about his varied career, he said the following about his career:

    “I was too serious. I’d get upset when things like Oscars and recognition failed to come my way. I would like to have more Oscars than anybody. Meryl Streep must feel pretty good, you know? It must feel nice to know that everyone loves her. It’s about being loved.”

    His memoir, ‘I’m Your Huckleberry,’ named for a line in ‘Tombstone,’ was published in 2020.

    Kilmer lived for many years on a ranch in New Mexico, where he continued to own land after selling off most of the ranch. He also painted and helped oversee theater programs for high-schoolers to perform Twain and Shakespeare.

    He doesn’t have to worry about being fondly regarded.

    Kilmer is survived by daughter Mercedes and son, Jack.

    (L to R) Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer in 1995's 'Heat.'
    (L to R) Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer in 1995’s ‘Heat.’

    List of Val Kilmer Movies:

    Buy Val Kilmer Movies On Amazon

    tgRCPL4k
  • 15 Things You Never Knew About ‘Batman’ on its 30th Anniversary

    15 Things You Never Knew About ‘Batman’ on its 30th Anniversary

    Warner Bros.

    It’s been 30 years since the world was gripped by Bat-Mania. “Batman” truly dominated the summer movie season in 1989, giving starving superhero fans a taste of a darker, more dramatic Caped Crusader. While we wait for the dark Knight to return to the big screen in 2021’s “The Batman,” learn more about the making of Tim Burton‘s epic superhero revamp.

    1. The origins of “Batman” can be traced back to 1979, when producers Benjamin Melniker and Michael E. Uslan purchased the rights to the franchise from DC Comics in the hope of making a darker movie more in line with the original Bob Kane/Bill Finger comics.

    2. The project went through numerous incarnations over the course of that next decade. At one point “Ghostbusters” director Ivan Reitman pitched a more comedic take starring Bill Murray as Batman and Eddie Murphy as Robin.

    Columbia Pictures

    3. Despite this prolonged period of development, WB didn’t officially greenlight “Batman” until Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice” became a box office success in 1988.

    4. Burton has admitted to never having read the Batman comics before being hired as director, though this is due to his dyslexia rather than an actual distaste for the source material (as many detractors have claimed). Burton has also said the 1988 graphic novel “Batman: The Killing Joke” helped him gain a better handle on the Batman/Joker dynamic while preparing for the job.

    Warner Bros.

    5. Jack Nicholson negotiated an extremely favorable deal with WB that granted him top billing in the credits, control over his shooting schedule and percentage points of both the box office gross and merchandise sales.

    6. In fact, Nicholson’s deal is considered to be one of the most lucrative in Hollywood history. He’s estimated to have earned at least $100 million from the franchise over the years, including being compensated for sequels in which he never appeared.

    Warner Bros.

    7. Nicholson may have eventually reprised his role had the series not been rebooted following 1997’s “Batman and Robin.” A planned fifth movie called “Batman Unchained” would have featured the Joker returning in the form of a hallucination caused by Scarecrow’s fear gas. That story pitch also introduced Harley Quinn as the vengeful daughter of Jack Napier.

    8. Robin Williams lobbied for the Joker role and came very close to winning the part when it appeared Nicholson would bow out. Williams’ remained bitter about losing the role for many years, even refusing the opportunity to play The Riddler in 1995’s “Batman Forever.”

    Warner Bros.

    9. Michael Keaton improvised some of Batman’s most memorable lines in the movie, including the now-iconic “I’m Batman.” The script has the character instead saying, “I am the night.”

    10. The newspaper cartoonist’s rendition of “The Bat-Man” is actually drawn by Batman co-creator Bob Kane. Kane was also supposed to have played the cartoonist, but he fell ill during filming.

    Warner Bros.

    11. To date, this is the only theatrical Batman movie to feature exactly one supervillain from the comics. Every other Batman movie has included at least two villains.

    12. Pat Hingle (Commissioner Gordon) and Michael Gough (Alfred Pennyworth) are the only two “Batman” actors to reprise their roles in all three sequels.

    Warner Bros.

    13. Sam Hamm’s original screenplay included a pre-Robin Dick Grayson. Child actor Ricky Addison Reed was cast in the role, but the character was cut when Warren Skarren revised Hamm’s script shortly before filming commenced.

    14. The ending was another source of many last-minute revisions. Originally, the climax revolved around an enraged Batman attacking Joker after the death of Vicki Vale.

    Warner Bros.

    15. “Batman” became the highest-grossing DC Comics movie of all time and wasn’t unseated until 2008’s “The Dark Knight.”

  • 12 Critically-Despised Movies You (Probably) Didn’t Know Were Nominated for Oscars

    12 Critically-Despised Movies You (Probably) Didn’t Know Were Nominated for Oscars

  • The 39 Worst Movie Sequels Ever Made

    The 39 Worst Movie Sequels Ever Made

  • 19 Movies You Probably Memorized Because They Were on Cable

    19 Movies You Probably Memorized Because They Were on Cable

  • Joel Schumacher Apologizes for ‘Batman & Robin,’ and Creating Bat Nipples

    It has been 20 years since “Batman & Robin” opened, and Joel Schumacher is offering an official apology “to every fan that was disappointed because I think I owe them that.” He doesn’t really owe anyone anything — but a ticket refund might be appreciated (adjusted for inflation, of course).

    The director of “Batman Forever” with Val Kilmer, and then “Batman & Robin” with George Clooney, talked to VICE about why he even made a sequel — basically, his ego — and why he’ll never live down adding nipples to the batsuit.

    “You know, I just knew not to do a sequel. If you get lucky, walk away. But everybody at Warner Brothers just expected me to do one. Maybe it was some hubris on my part. I had a batting average of 1,000, so I went from falling down a bit after ‘Lost Boys,’ to a kind of a genius with ‘The Client,’ a big blockbuster with ‘Batman Forever,’ then had great reviews with ‘A Time to Kill,’ so my batting average was good. I never planned on being, that dreadful quote, ‘a blockbuster king’ because my other films were much smaller and had just found success with the audience and not often with the critics, which is really why we wrote them. And then after ‘Batman & Robin,’ I was scum. It was like I had murdered a baby.”

    VICE quoted an old interview with Chris O’Donnell (Robin) who said, “On ‘Batman Forever,’ I felt like I was making a movie. The second time, I felt like I was making a kid’s toy.” “Batman & Robin” has an 11 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with just 16 percent of viewers saying they liked that film, vs. a 40 percent rating for “Batman Forever” and 33 percent audience approval. So, it’s not like fans really loved Schumacher’s first Batman movie, they just didn’t hate it like they did the second.

    Schumacher was asked if there’s anything he ever wanted to say to fans who went into “Batman & Robin” expecting something different:

    “They obviously had very high expectations after ‘Batman Forever.’ But perhaps it was the more innocent world in comparison, I don’t know. I just know that I’ll always go down over the nipples on Batman starting with ‘Batman Forever.’ […] Such a sophisticated world we live in where two pieces of rubber the size of erasers on old pencils, those little nubs, can be an issue. It’s going to be on my tombstone, I know it.”

    He explained that, by the time “Batman Forever” came around, “rubber molding had become so much more advanced. So I said, let’s make it anatomical and gave photos of those Greek status and those incredible anatomical drawings you see in medical books.” Fans couldn’t get over the change, among their other issues with the movie.

    Batman has been big in the news the past week, from the sad news of TV Batman Adam West’s death, to Michael Keaton choking Jimmy Kimmel for liking Spider-Man more than Batman, to John Lithgow recently saying he regretted turning down a chance to play the Joker opposite Keaton in Tim Burton’s “Batman” movie, and Will Arnett’s “The LEGO Batman Movie” arriving this week on DVD. Ben Affleck is DC’s current Caped Crusader, and he’ll next be seen on screen this November in “Justice League.”

    Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.

  • Batman’s 12 Worst Decisions: From Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’ to ‘Batman & Robin’

    Fans know Batman is the coolest hero. But even the Dark Knight can make some really bad calls – especially throughout his movie career.

    Twenty years ago today, “Batman Forever” unleashed its neon everything on audiences and made (cringe) nipples on the batsuit a reality. In honor of a movie we can’t believe we loved so much then, let’s look back at 12 of the Caped Crusader’s biggest face palms — from “Batman” to “Batman & Robin.”