Batman and Robin

As a teenager, this movie was more fun. Nowadays, I can tell it is poorly made because of the approach that director Joel Schumacher and Warner Brothers took. While some parts of "Batman and Robin" entertain, the majority of it doesn't nearly live up to "Batman Forever". This movie suffers from the same problem that we saw in "Batman Returns" because the style that was introduced in its predessesor has been taken way too far.

The best element of this movie is the casting of Arnold Schwarzenegger (future governor of California) as Mr. Freeze. Arnold is known for one liners & cheesy puns and the filmmakers took full advantage of this (probably a little too much). It is rumored that the final scene between him and George Clooney was filmed just after Arnold had underwent open-heart surgery. Most of movie's good points happen at the start of the film. I love Batman's entrance into the museum. Even before the phrase "Hi Freeze. I'm Batman" is finished being spoken, Freeze cocks his gun. Then Batman swoops into action. The timing of that moment is so much fun. As a Canadian, I get a kick out of Freeze's hockey thugs. My favorite joke in the whole movie is Freeze leading the sing-along in his lair. His thugs are too cold to sing and another thing that makes it funny is the fact alone that it is Schwarzenegger. I love how he gives up trying. Another great moment from Arnold is when he says "Hi!" at the observatory. It seems so happy. For the first time in a Batman movie, we have a redeemable villain. Unlike other bad guys, Freeze is obsessed to accomplish something good but goes about it in an evil manner. This provides a way for Batman to turn him from evil. Poison Ivy however didn't work as a villain. Uma Thurman's performance pre-transformation was pretty good to contrast the babe that she would become and her costume in the first scene also helped with this but I can't say much else positive about this character. While Ivy poses a threat to Batman and Robin because of her pheromone dust, this doesn't entertain past the first viewing. At least the surprise of the rubber lips works the first time you see the movie. I would have loved Demi Moore as Ivy because she was considered to play this character. The conflict that threatens to split the Dynamic Duo concerning trust is resolved when Robin has to practice what he preaches. Robin wanted Batman to trust him but he has come to understand that he must trust Batman too. I enjoy some campy moments in this show such as the fact that Batman's credit card is good thru "forever". Another great scene is when Batman uses a neon drink tray to block a punch from a thug and later, when another thug tries the same trick, Batman easily punches through it. Clooney's blunt "Good night" gets a laugh. I love how in the criminal property locker at Arkham, we see the outfits of the Riddler and Two-Face. Unfortunately, this camp in "Batman and Robin" was cheesy whereas it was fun in "Batman Forever". There is a sincere attempt to create drama but it contrasts the camp so much that the whole film is out of balance. The only drama this movie has is the subplot of Alfred dying but the previous film had two dramatic subplots. The flashbacks that Bruce has are important because we have to realize that we have taken the character of Alfred for granted. We must hope for his recovery. Batman has done all he could to save others but he can't save Alfred. We get a great performance from Michael Gough in the last half of the movie. I enjoy the moment when Alfred fails to get the door and Bruce fully accepts Alfred's apology because it's "the first time it's happened in 30 years." Bruce is seems to be saying to Alfred "I think you deserve to dose off after such faithful service."

Now we come to the major mistakes of "Batman and Robin". First off, Batgirl doesn't work. I think the character would have been so much better if she was Barbara Gordon like in the comics. The Julie Madison character doesn't work in the movie either. She has no story purpose and doesn't undergo any character change. There isn't any chemistry between Freeze and Ivy mostly because their personas clash. Two-Face and the Riddler were both fanatical while the two villains in "Batman and Robin" have very different personalities and facades. Bane is less intelligent than in the comics. This movie portrays him like a wrestling zombie and I bet that upset some fans. At least the next decade gave us a much better live action portrayal. There is a huge plot hole in the climax in that we didn't see how Batman recorded Ivy's confession of killing Nora Fries. It would have been easy to show some kind of device he deployed. He is Batman after all; he has the technology. George Clooney is my least favorite Batman. In this movie, more so than in "Batman Returns", Bruce Wayne seeps through the cowl and I prefer Batman as a superhero instead of as a man in a suit. Even though Batman and Bruce Wayne are the same person, they are supposed to be different sides of a personality. Funny enough, you would think that Christian Bale is the only actor who has both played Batman and become an Oscar winner but Clooney also got an Academy Award later in his career. The best reason to have Clooney play this role is because he easily looks like a millionaire. As Bruce Wayne, he does pretty good but not as Batman. There is no contrast between the two personas as I said. Director Joel Schumacher purposefully tried to create a cartoony atmosphere unlike for "Batman Forever". This was the wrong approach in my opinion and Warner Brothers was mostly to blame as they pushed for a family friendly movie. It is far from what Tim Burton did in the first movie. As for the Batman of the 60's, that version did not apologize for its camp because it was intentional but "Batman and Robin" was a serious attempt at the superhero genre gone seriously awry. John Dykstra's special effects for Batman and Robin" are extravagant but maybe over the top. As a fun fact, Andrew Adamson was another visual effects supervisor on this film and on "Batman Forever". He would later direct the first two films of the "Shrek" and "Narnia" franchises.

The movie used to be fun for me when it came out. I guess the reboot and my time in university have changed me. Sure Arnold is entertaining and the camp has its moments but the drama from "Batman Forever" is all but gone. For disappointed fans, Warner Brothers would redeem themselves a few years later with the help of director Christopher Nolan.

3 Stars