Batman & Robin (1997)

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

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writers:

Bob Kane (Batman characters), Akiva Goldsman

Stars:

Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell

5 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Batman and Robin are back working side-by-side to stop the villains of Gotham City, but is there tension appearing between them, especially when one villainess who calls herself Poison Ivy can make anyone fall in love with her...literally. Along with Poison Ivy, the icy Mr. Freeze is freezing anything which gets in his way from achieving his goal.

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Plot Keywords:

freeze | gotham | disease | plant | illness | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for strong stylized action and some innuendos

Details

Official Sites:

MySpace page Warner Bros. [us]

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 June 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Batman 4

Filming Locations:

Courthouse Square, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$125,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$42,872,606 (USA) (20 June 1997)

Gross:

$107,285,004 (USA) (19 September 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Batgirl had a full-head costume designed for her much like Batman's (complete with pointy ears) in this movie, but it was rejected in favor of letting Alicia Silverstone's hair flow freely (except in one scene where she wears it as a crash helmet). Batgirl action figures designed for the movie reflect the full-head costume, before the toy makers were informed of the change.

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Goofs

At first when Batgirl sends her grappling hook from her utility belt, its red and bat shaped. Then when she saves Robin its silver/chrome and in a different shape.

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Quotes

Robin: Nice catch.
Batman: You break it, you buy it.

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Crazy Credits

The opening Warner Bros. logo re-shapes itself to form an ice-covered Batman logo.

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Connections

Referenced in The Nostalgia Critic: The 100th Episode: Battlefield Earth (2010)

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Soundtracks

"The End Is the Beginning Is the End"
Written by Billy Corgan
Produced by Nellee Hooper and Billy Corgan
Performed by the Smashing Pumpkins
Courtesy of Virgin Records America, Inc.

User Reviews

I ask you God, what have we done to deserve this?

This is hands down the worst film ever made in the history of the existence of the universe. There have been some bad films made but this is a travesty. It is hard to believe that money was spent to make this. It could have been used on something else (charity I suppose). I was 12 when I went to see this and it broke my heart. Batman was my favorite comic book and character when I was a kid and this film broke my spirit. The excellence of the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton films are long gone. The dark emotional center and development of the hero and the villains is sidelined for action sequences, action sequences and some more action sequences, some of them incorporating the worst CGI and model work ever seen on film.

The casting itself had to the potential to make a good film. George Clooney could have made a great Batman (square jawed, popular with the ladies), the only thing going against him being that can be too laid back (maybe with a better script he could do the darker material). Uma Thurman is perfect for Poison Ivy. She is a good looking yet quirky actress, but you wouldn't know it by the emphasis on camp context and innuendo in this film. Arnie is maybe a little miscast as Mr Freeze, but he does well getting a chance to use some 'great' puns, but someone who can come across as more evil would have been better. Then there is Chris O'Donnell and Alicia Silverstone as Robin and Batgirl. Let's just say more charisma can come from a line of fridge freezers with nothing in them. The only decent performance comes from Michael Gough as Alfred, only one of two actors to have appeared in all four films. His performance is wonderful in this otherwise mess of a film.

The blame for this disaster can be laid at the hands of Joel Schumacher. His direction misplaced and his intentions misguided. He may have redeemed himself with Phone Booth, but he will always be the man who destroyed Batman in my eyes.