Batman & Robin Review

Batman & Robin

Release Date: 26th June 1997 - Australia

Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures (presents)

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

(produced in association with)

Genre: Action

Rating: PG

Runtime: 125 minutes


Budget: $160,000,000

Box Office Gross: $238,259,753 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

When a new icy supervillain, Mr Freeze, plans to hold Gotham hostage and freeze the entire city, Batman and Robin must turn up the heat and stop him before he puts Gotham on ice. However, their partnership is in danger when a beautiful but deadly adversary, Poison Ivy, charms Robin, creating friction between the dynamic duo. Will Batman and Robin overcome their differences and stop Freeze from achieving his goal, while also finding a cure for their faithful butler, Alfred, who is dying of a rare disease?

Cast

George Clooney - Bruce Wayne/Batman

Chris O'Donnell - Dick Grayson/Robin

Arnold Schwarzenegger - Dr.
Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze

Uma Thurman - Dr. Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy

Alicia Silverstone - Barbara Wilson/Batgirl
Michael Gough - Alfred Pennyworth

Pat Hingle - Commissioner James Gordon

John Glover - Dr. Jason

Woodrue

Jeep Swenson - Bane

Elle Macpherson - Julie

Madison
Elizabeth Sanders - Gossip

Gerty

Vendela Kirsebom - Nora Fries
Michael Reid McKay - Antonio Diego/Bane
Eric Lloyd - Young Bruce

Wayne
Jon Simmons - Young Alfred
Joe Sabatino - Frosty

Michael Paul Chan - Observatory Scientist

Kimberly Scott - Observatory Associate
Jesse Ventura - Arkham Asylum Guard
Ralf Moeller - Arkham Asylum Guard
Doug Hutchison - Golum
Coolio - Banker
Nicky Katt - Spike

John Ingle - Doctor

Patrick Leahy - Himself (Cameo)

Crew
Director - Joel Schumacher

Based on Characters/Project
Consultant - Bob Kane
Based on Batman Characters - Bill Finger
(Uncredited)
Characters: Alfred Pennyworth & Robin -
Jerry Robinson (Uncredited)

Writer - Akiva Goldsman

Script Supervisor - Sharron Reynolds

Associate Producer/Production Supervisor -

Mitchell E. Dauterive
Executive Producers - Benjamin Melniker
and Michael E. Uslan
Producer - Peter Macgregor-Scott
Co-Producer/First Assistant Director -

William M. Elvin

Casting - Mali Finn

Production Designer - Barbara Ling
Supervising Art Director - Richard Holland
Art Director - Geoff Hubbard

Set Decorator - Dorree Cooper

Property Master - Brad Einhorn

Costume Designers - Ingrid Ferrin
and Robert Turturice

Costume Illustrator - Miles Teves

Lead Sculptor: Costume Props Department -

Jose Fernandez

Specialty Costume Elements - Tony Gardner

Makeup Supervisor - David B. Miller

Makeup Artist: Mr. Freeze - Jeff Dawn

Nora Fries and Principal Copsicles - Rick Baker

Director of Photography - Stephen Goldblatt

First Assistant Camera: 2nd Unit - Taylor Matheson

Production Supervisor - Jacqueline George

First Assistant Director: Second Unit -

John H. Radulovic

Unit Production Manager - Barry H. Waldman

Location Manager - Laura Sode-Matteson

Second Unit Director - Peter MacDonald

Second Unit/Second Assistant Director -

Bryan Altham

Supervising Stunt Coordinator -

Ronnie Rondell Jr.

Stunt Coordinator - Pat E. Johnson

Stunt Co-Coordinator/Stunt Double:

George Clooney (Uncredited) - Alex Daniels
Special Effects Coordinator - Matt Sweeney

Animatronic Effects - Tony Gardner
Vehicle Production Supervisors - Charley Zurian

and Allen Pike

Visual Effects Supervisors - Andrew Adamson,

Eric Durst, Wendy Rogers and David Stump

Visual Effects - John Dykstra and

Mark R.R. Farquhar

Visual Effects Supervisor: The Chandler Group -

Don Baker

Visual Effects Supervisor: PDI - Richard Chuang

Visual Effects Producer - Tripp Hudson

Art Director: Visual Effects - James Hegedus

Visual Effects Director of Photography: The

Chandler Group - Tim Angelo

Post Production Visual Effects Supervisor -

Nick Davis

Digital Effects Supervisor: Cinesite -

Carlos Arguellos
Effects Supervisors: Miniature Shop - Ian Hunter

and Robert Spurlock

Production Supervisor: Miniature Shop -

Kurt Williams

Studio Head: Rhythm & Hues - John Hughes

Lighting Supervisor: PDI - Craig Ring

Film Editors - Mark Stevens and Dennis Virkler

Supervising Sound Editors - John Leveque

and Bruce Stambler

Re-Recording Mixers - Kevin E. Carpenter,

Anthony Goldschmidt, Jeffrey J. Haboush,

Donald O. Mitchell and Frank A. Montano

Music - Elliot Goldenthal

Music Supervisor - Danny Bramson

Review

As a kid, BATMAN & ROBIN was my favourite movie. Unfortunately, as I got older, it felt too similar to the 1960s TV classic. It comes across as campy and childish, making this movie entirely unoriginal. It seemed as though the director was playing it safe and taking no creative risks. I cannot believe it killed the Burton/Schumacher film series and nearly killed the superhero movie genre. It had unintentional humour with Batman and Robin's suits featuring those embarrassing Bat nipples again. Complete with close-up shots of buttocks that make them look exposed, as if they were glamorous boys instead of heroic tough guys. The plotting feels inconsistent (what's the point of having Poison Ivy team up with Mr Freeze when they weren't compatible as partners?).

What made the movie worse was turning Bane, a comic book villain, into Poison Ivy's henchman. Every moment of the film, like Clooney's Batman showing his partner his Bat credit card, felt out of place because Bruce Wayne should do this, not his alter ego.

The acting is mixed. Arnold Schwarzenegger's performance as the villainous Mr Freeze is good (despite being given a poorly written script and a character who delivers bad one-liners and ice puns). I didn't want to criticise Arnold in this film because he is my favourite actor. I must maintain my integrity by being unbiased and completely honest in my reviews. George Clooney is woefully miscast as Batman, though he did well as Bruce Wayne. Chris O'Donnell was getting too old to play Robin; he was a little over the top and pushed it too far. The other actor who didn't improve in this movie is Alicia Silverstone.

BATMAN & ROBIN is my least favourite Batman movie. It put a great film series on thin ice (no pun intended) and shocked fans with disastrous results. Thank goodness! The franchise was reborn with director Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

Star rating: (1/5) Not Worth Watching

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