Batman & Robin (1997)

Batman and 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

Bottom Rated Movies #58 | 10 wins & 21 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 Gordon
John Glover	...	Doctor 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 / Bane

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 | pheromones | repeat sequel | supervillainess | good man | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for strong stylized action and some innuendos

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Warner Bros. [United States]

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 USA:

$42,872,606, 22 June 1997, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$107,325,195

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$238,207,122

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

In Ivy's lair, Robin is much more focused and careful around Ivy than he is previously, even refusing to kiss her until she cooperates and proves she can be trusted. This shows that he's taken precautions against her and is no longer as in love with her as he seems to be.

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Goofs

When Poison Ivy takes off the gorilla suit and falls, her head is pointing towards Batman and Robin. But when she is caught, her feet are pointing towards Batman and Robin.

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Quotes

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

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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 Gotham: Wrath of the Villains: Mr. Freeze (2016)

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Soundtracks

Snow Miser
Written by Jules Bass and Maury Laws
Performed by Dick Shawn (uncredited)

User Reviews

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.