Batman & Robin (1997)

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

20 June 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime

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 | Sidekick

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)

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) | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | Chile:TE | Ireland:PG (re-rating) (2009) | 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:

Dr. Jason Woodrue appeared in DC Comics as another plant themed super-villain, as himself and as The Floronic Man.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When we first see Dr. Pamely Isley (Poison Ivy), she says, "Drats! My experiments to mate the Dendrobium orchid and the South American rattlesnake have failed again!" The orchid shown is a Paphiopedilum (slipper) orchid, not a Dendrobium.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

Soundtrack:

The End Is the Beginning Is the End

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.