(Also, those latex batsuits might be controversial, but 23 years later, we’re still talking about them.) - Jake Ericįour words: Jim Carrey’s Riddler pajamas. The superhero genre has a historically queer subtext that Joel Schumacher made explicit to a mainstream global audience. Costumes are oversized, overdone, and often bedazzled. Schumacher got his start in fashion and costume design, and it shines through with the comic book aesthetic. Batman & Robin’s aesthetic reflected the style seen in Silver Age Batman comics. Everything is big, bright, lavish, and somewhat whimsical. Joel Schumacher’s Batman movies were very much an homage to the 1960s series and that’s evident in the production design. Though Burton’s films matched the thematic tone of the groundbreaking Denny O’Neil comics, Schumacher matched them in style. Joel Schumacher opposed that with an array of colors and art deco architecture that soared into the sky (helpfully accomplished with a frequently floating camera). Tim Burton was fascinated with the gothic identity of New York and made the city spring from the ground as if hell itself had awakened. From the building-sized statues that dot Gotham City to Poison Ivy’s technicolor hideout, these movies are packed to the brim with incredible window dressing. Joel Schumacher wanted his Batman movies to feel like cartoons, and the sets were a big part of that. The world this Batman lives in feels just heightened enough to be surreal, but still grounded enough to make be relatable. To celebrate his work in the DC universe, Inverse’s entertainment team reflects on some of the best, most memorable, and goofiest moments in Joel Schumacher’s Batman movies.īarbara Ling’s production design took Schumacher’s vision of maximalism and color and brought it to life through a return to the old school methods of matte paintings and miniatures.
Schumacher died Monday, and the world stopped to remember the loud, unapologetic visionary that was Joel Schumacher. (If you’re still a hater, check out this video.) The result? Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, two of the most polarizing superhero movies ever made. He directed Brat Pack movies, musicals, and, for two fantastic movies, he took the reins of the Batman franchise. Joel Schumacher was never one to do things by halves.
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