Carrey's Riddler

Started by The Dark Knight, Tue, 4 Nov 2008, 07:56

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Im glad someone understands and agrees with me! :)


I have given a name to my pain, and it is BATMAN.

I?m a fan of Jim Carrey. Still one of the funniest men alive. The man was a superstar and drew crowds to cinemas. He had a really solid run. A really solid era. Film after film for four years, he worked hard. Take a look, pretty iconic films now.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
The Mask (1994)
Dumb and Dumber (1994)
*Batman Forever (1995)
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)
The Cable Guy (1996)
Liar Liar (1997)
The Truman Show (1998)

*Batman Forever is NOT a good film, but it was made in his heyday. And as I explain in previous posts in this thread, I?m not as down on his performance as much as other aspects. Jim Carrey was merely doing what Jim Carrey does.

I think his golden age has pretty much disappeared, though. And the iron has since gone cold. And that?s a shame. I think he has always been consistent. It?s just the quality of the productions waned.

I liked his role in The Grinch. Me, Myself and Irene was alright.  Bruce Almighty was a step in the right direction to recapture the old magic. I liked A Series of Unfortunate Events, but not on the same level as the films in his four year run. And Fun with Dick and Jane was passable, sort of going through the motions.

I don't think Carrey is a complete spent force but I do agree he hasn't done anything amazing since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.  My other favourites of his are The Truman Show (probably his best film), The Mask, the underrated The Cable Guy and Man on the Moon.

However, I thought Dumb and Dumber was overrated, The Grinch was a bit of a mess and Me, Myself and Irene was atrocious.

His other films have been more hit and miss, including Ace Ventura which can be spectacularly funny on occasions, but more often than not leaves me going "what the heck was that?"

As for Batman Forever, I still maintain that he was one of the best things about that film and probably the main reason to watch it.  Although I don't dislike it as much as Dark Knight, I agree that the film was a let-down but Carrey still made it watchable for me.
Johnny Gobs got ripped and took a walk off a roof, alright? No big loss.

I was looking forward to seeing Robin Williams as The Prince of Puzzlers. But he took too much time deciding so they gave the role to Carrey...Robin would have made the character more psychological rather then comical.

I thought he was great. Still like him. I know everybody wanted Robin Williams at the time but the way Jim Carrey moves as The Riddler twirling his cane and such was great stuff. Never boring to watch. I doubt Williams could've done that kind of thing.

I also liked they made him into a stalker type character. I felt he was a real maniac type. A lot of comic writers script The Riddler as a B-list villain these days because of the so called "silly riddles and puzzles". I don't think they regard him as a serious major Bat villain anymore. Which is why we often get the boring physical bad guys who are mutated freaks poppin up more. At least the filmmakers attempted to try and make him a viable threat again.

But both Carrey and Richard Pryor (Superman III) suffer the same issues. Both are quite great with acting seriously. I still wouldv'e liked to have seen a lot more of this in either film.

I said in this thread that I had a soft spot for this Riddler, and I pretty much still do. I appreciated the energy Carrey lent. Whether or not he went overboard with it (this is Jim we're talking about), I think characters that lend colour are a good thing, especially in comic book based films. Characters with a spark to their personality.

His performance was perfect for the style and tone of this film. I also like his interplay with Jones' Two Face. If one accepts that this was never meant to be a "dark" Two Face, their scenes together are pretty funny.

Quote from: SilentEnigma on Tue, 14 Aug  2012, 12:18
His performance was perfect for the style and tone of this film. I also like his interplay with Jones' Two Face. If one accepts that this was never meant to be a "dark" Two Face, their scenes together are pretty funny.

It's not my favourite interpretation of two face but it does represent a version of him; maniacal and joker-like. And Carrey is a hoot as the Riddler.

Carrey recently said that he'd love to return to the Batman film franchise if he were given the chance. I believe he is capable of playing Riddler again, but one who is more obsessive compulsive than being a cartoonish stalker. He can play in more serious roles and still come across as a little amusing without going over-the-top like he normally does.
QuoteJonathan Nolan: He [Batman] has this one rule, as the Joker says in The Dark Knight. But he does wind up breaking it. Does he break it in the third film?

Christopher Nolan: He breaks it in...

Jonathan Nolan: ...the first two.

Source: http://books.google.com.au/books?id=uwV8rddtKRgC&pg=PR8&dq=But+he+does+wind+up+breaking+it.&hl=en&sa=X&ei

Quote from: The Laughing Fish on Mon, 22 Dec  2014, 12:33
Carrey recently said that he'd love to return to the Batman film franchise if he were given the chance. I believe he is capable of playing Riddler again, but one who is more obsessive compulsive than being a cartoonish stalker. He can play in more serious roles and still come across as a little amusing without going over-the-top like he normally does.

The truman show is the only time he's ever mixed drama with comedy. Though Bruce Almighty is the best example of him playing a character which he could channel into the riddler (other than Batman Forever) his character had obsessive traits while remaining humorous and did have a vengeful side (he was the protagonist but he did antagonize other characters).

The number 23 he was good as a borderline insane character if they went the serious route.