Batman & Robin (1997)

User Rating:

3.4/10   

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writers (WGA):

Bob Kane (Batman characters)
Akiva Goldsman (written by)

Release Date:

20 June 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Fantasy

Tagline:

Strength. Courage. Honor. And loyalty. On June 20, it ALL comes together...

Plot:

Batman & Robin try to keep their relationship together even as they must stop Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy from freezing Gotham City.

Plot Keywords:

Freeze | Batman | Gotham | Plant | Ice

Awards:

5 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	Mr. Freeze / Dr. Victor Fries
George Clooney	...	Batman / Bruce Wayne
Chris O'Donnell	...	Robin / Dick Grayson
Uma Thurman	...	Poison Ivy / Dr. Pamela Isley
Alicia Silverstone	...	Batgirl / Barbara Wilson
Michael Gough	...	Alfred Pennyworth
Pat Hingle	...	Commissioner James Gordon
John Glover	...	Dr. Jason Woodrue
Elle Macpherson	...	Julie Madison
Vivica A. Fox	...	Ms. B. Haven
Vendela Kirsebom Thomessen	...	Nora Fries (as Vendela K. Thommessen)
Elizabeth Sanders	...	Gossip Gerty
Jeep Swenson	...	Bane
John Fink	...	Aztec Museum Guard
Michael Reid MacKay	...	Antonio Diego

Also Known As:

Batman 4 (USA) (working title)
Batman and Robin (USA) (alternative spelling)
Batman & Robin (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Batman & Robin (France) [fr]
Batman & Robin (Greece) [el]
Batman & Robin (Brazil) [pt]
Batman & Robin (Finland) [fi]
Batman és Robin (Hungary) [hu]
Batman a Robin (Czech Republic) [cs]
Batman et Robin (Canada: French title) (TV title) [fr]
Batman i Robin (Croatia) [hr]
Batman i Robin (Poland) [pl]
Batman in Robin (Slovenia) [sl]
Batman ja Robin (Estonia) [et]
Batman ve Robin (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Batman y Robin (Spain) [es]
Betmen i Robin (Serbia) [sr]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for strong stylized action and some innuendos.

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) | Ireland:12 | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Netherlands:6 (re-rating) | South Korea:All | USA:TV-PG | Brazil:Livre | Australia:M (TV rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12/9 | France:U | Germany:12 | Italy:T | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 (certificate #35367) | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:10 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The film did so poorly in the box office that Warner Brothers canceled the fifth Batman film, "Batman Triumphant". Had the film been made, the main antagonists would have been the Scarecrow, the Man-Bat and Harley Quinn (for this story, Harley Quinn would have been the Joker's daughter instead of his on-and-off lover; and at the time, Madonna was being considered for the part) and a prolonged sequence would have involved the effect the Scarecrow's fear gas has on Batman: a return of the Joker (with Jack Nicholson making a cameo).

Goofs:

Plot holes: Batman shuts down Robin's motorcycle because he doesn't think Robin can make the jump between the statue and the roof of the nearest building, yet the much-heavier Batmobile and Freeze's tank-like vehicle make the jump with ease.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Robin: I want a car. Chicks dig the car.
Batman: This is why Superman works alone.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: That 90's Show (#19.11)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

The End Is the Beginning Is the End

Quite Possibly the Worst Movie Ever

Don't get me wrong, the old Adam West Batman TV show was certainly funny, and given the times, a more accurate representation of what Batman was trying to be wouldn't have succeeded nearly as well. But the show still betrayed all the emotion and grimness of Batman's themes.

In Batman & Robin, Schumacher seems to be getting back to those roots. He treats the entire Batman franchise like a joke. Even if it was funny, this would be betraying the name of Batman. But here, seeing as it's NOT funny, it only succeeds in becoming the worst of the Batman movies, and, arguably, the worst films ever created. And I'm taking into account Plan 9 From Outer Space, Gigli, and You Got Served.

George Clooney just plays George Clooney. Which is the road he usually takes, but this suave, dashing, and charming Batman seems more like Mystery Men's Captain Amazing than the crimefighter of legend.

There's Chris O'Donnell, the angst-ridden Robin trying to break out of Batman's shadow. The only thing he ever really does is act like a child.

Alicia Silverstone. Wow. I seriously wonder what makes someone say, "Hmm, who should we get to play Batgirl . . . I know! Alicia Silverstone!" No offense to Alicia, but she's out in right field on this one. Her tough-girl performance is sprinkled with reminders of her Clueless days. But all that aside, she actually does very little.

Now, onto the villains. Uma Thurman, who we know CAN act, is hamming it up to ridiculous proportions. First, when she's playing the nerdy Dr. Pamela, she exaggerates that to a level I thought impossible. And then she inexplicably turns into an extremely sexualized villainess whose plan, by the way, would kill all the plants she advocated protecting.

Arnold seems like the worst possible choice for Mr. Freeze. I mean, of all the Batman villains I could see him playing - Bane, for christ's sake - Mr. Freeze is not on that list. He possesses none of the emotionless, calculated, and cold (no pun intended) sociopathy which makes Mr. Freeze such a good character.

And then, all that aside, they're handed ridiculous catch phrases and cliches they're expected to say with any level of sincerity? At one point Mr. Freeze says "chill out." Of all the ways it sounds, menacing is not among them.

Seriously, I'd have more respect for Schumacher if I discovered that he hated Batman, and had intentionally ruined it with this garbage. Then, this might actually be just his own personal joke. Instead, it borders on a travesty of good cinema. I only wish that 0 stars was a selectable option at the imdb, for this film ALONE.