This article comes fromDen of Geek UK.
Joel SchumachersBatman Foreverwas a divisive movie, to say the least.
Its intriguing to hear, then, that the original cut ofBatman Foreverweighed in at 2 hours 40 minutes.
Would the original version ofBatman Foreverbeen a better movie?
What they, and some enterprising YouTubers, uncovered suggests a more interesting movie.
Some cut scenes played even larger roles than that, and couldve made the overall film feel very different.
It feels so much closer tothe vision of Tim Burtons previous two films.
A whole subplot about the red book also ended up on the cutting room floor.
He falls down a hole, sees a huge bat, and hatches the plan to become Batman.
But in the longer cut of the film, there was more to it than that.
Those seven words would shatter young Bruces life.
The guilt would consume him.
Additionally, a brace of lines alluding to Batman being a killer were also cut from the movie.
Two-Face wouldve called him one in the helicopter, and a TV report would have suggested it too.
In a clunky way, maybe, but foreshadowed nonetheless.
But dont worry; Bruces guilt would have been resolved in the end.
In this shaken up state, he remembers his life as Bruce, but not his time as Batman.
Here, Bruce realizes that its not my fault after all.
Its beginning to look a lot like the powers that be cut all the darkest material, isnt it?
You may not agree with it, but the logic gels with the whole approach they were taking.
If anything, it might make matters worse: a film that contains both a thrusting Carrey yelling JOYGASM!
and an angst-ridden guilt storyline would be a film with one hell of a tonal disconnect.
The finished film feels consistent, even if that translates to consistent annoyance for some viewers.
So, the original ending toBatman Foreverwould have paid an obvious homage to the films that came before it.
But for reasons unknown, the decision was made to have Batman and Robin running towards the camera instead.
Id certainly like to see that initial cut of the movie.
Alas, its probably a bit late for an extended cut DVD now…
Thanks toBatman On Film.
