Matt Reeves‘ The Batman finally hit theaters last month, and was welcomed with rave reviews. A large portion of the acclaim went to Paul Dano‘s performance as classic Batman baddie The Riddler, who was reimagined for the film as a sadistic serial killer hell bent on exposing the many crimes of Gotham’s elite.
However, not everybody is over-the-moon about the antagonist’s new portrayal, and the list of those with mixed feelings apparently includes a rather famous former Riddler himself. In a recent interview with British outlet Unilad, promoting his upcoming film Sonic the Hedgehog 2, superstar Jim Carrey revealed that the darker tone of Dano‘s villain was not exactly his cup of tea:
I’ve not seen it. It’s a very dark version. I have mixed emotions about it. To each his own and all that. I love [Paul Dano] as an actor, he’s a tremendous actor. I do worry. There’s a spot of worry in me over gaffer-taping people’s faces and encouraging people to do the same. Some sickos out there that might adopt that method…I do have a conscience about the things I choose…I know there’s a place for it, and I don’t want to criticize it, but it’s not my kind of thing…it’s very well done, those movies are very well done.
Jim Carrey
Carrey became the third person to bring Riddler to life on screen in 1995’s Batman Forever, which starred Val Kilmer in the title role with Tommy Lee Jones as fellow rogue Two-Face. That film was infamously campy, as director Joel Schumacher took over the franchise and reintroduced some of the lighthearted goofiness of the 1960s television series.
Riddler’s plot in Forever was not to violently murder anyone, but instead to steal their intelligence with an improbable, convoluted doohickey. Though he doesn’t agree with the disturbing nature of the latest Batman film, it is nice to hear the Canadian comedian still give praise to Dano‘s acting ability and give lenience towards other’s enjoyment of the movie.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 releases in theaters on April 8th.
Source: Unilad
