Batman and Robin
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 Behold the film that froze off the Burtonverse and the ill fated Schumacherverse to death.
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"There is no defeat in death, Master Bruce. Victory comes in defending what we know is right while we still live."
— Alfred Pennyworth
Batman & Robin is a 1997 American superhero film distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, which tells the story of Batman and Robin's attempts to stop former scientist and decathlete Mr. Freeze and his new running mates, Poison Ivy and Bane. Along the way Alfred's niece, Barbara Wilson, discovers the true identities of the Dynamic Duo and joins them as Batgirl to thwart the evil threesome.
Being preceded by Batman Forever, Batman & Robin serves as the sequel to the film, and is the fourth/final film in the Batman Motion Picture Anthology. The film was a box office bomb, being panned critically for it's tonal shift from the prior movies, as well as it's predatory nature; being used as a marketing vehicle to sell toys. Plans for a sequel titled Batman Unchained (which would have been the true final installment) fell through after the critical failure and commercial failure of Batman & Robin, and Warner Bros. spent the next 8 years trying to put Batman back on the big screen.
Throughout the years and the release of other DC movies that are much, MUCH worse, the film has been revisited by some and has since become a cult classic, mostly due to it's campy nature but also it's heartfelt attempt at telling a genuine story about Bruce Wayne's issues with trust and control.
Plot
While Batman and Robin fail to stop Mr. Freeze from stealing a large diamond from the Gotham Museum, mad scientist Dr. Jason Woodrue shows off serial murderer Antonio Diego being turned into the brutish Bane. When botanical scientist Pamela Isley finds out, Dr. Woodrue tries to have her killed in her lab, only for her to turn into the seductive Poison Ivy and kill him in retaliation. She takes off with Bane to Gotham City to meet Bruce Wayne.
Back in Gotham, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson recap Mr. Freeze's origin and discuss Bruce's lack of trust for Dick. Not long afterwards, Alfred's niece Barbara Wilson arrives in Gotham, said to be staying for a few weeks. Pamela Isley arrives at the Gotham Observatory and confronts Wayne with her plan of botanical preservation, however Bruce rejects her plan as it involves the deaths of millions. Batman sets a trap for Mr. Freeze, which is interrupted by Poison Ivy who seduces the Dynamic Duo with her pheromones. After Mr. Freeze makes off with the gems, Batman stops him and captures him. When the duo arrive back at the Batcave, they break out into an argument over Batman's control and trust issues, as well as his perceived jealousy of Robin for Poison Ivy being more into him than Batman.
Soon afterward, Freeze breaks out of jail, with help from Ivy and Bane. Later in the night, Dick catches Barbara racing motorbikes to raise money to help treat Alfred's illness. Bruce reveals that Alfred isn't just sick; he's dying from Macgregors' Syndrome, stage one. Alfred tries to reach out to his brother, Wilfred Pennyworth, but to no avail. Batman and Robin storm Mr. Freeze's base and find out his wife, Nora Fries, has the same disease as Alfred, only in a later state. Poison Ivy seemingly kills Nora by terminating the power to her cryogenic chamber, as well as driving more animosity between Batman and Robin, causing the latter to exclaim he wants to end the duo's partnership.
After Ivy tells Freeze of Nora's supposed death, Mr. Freeze aims to wipe out the entire world; leaving him, Ivy and Bane as the sole survivors. When Ivy hijacks the Batsignal to get Robin, Bruce and Robin's tensions peak once more, however Bruce calms Robin down by pleading with Robin to trust him, explaining in broad strokes that he was right about Bruce's trust issues. After the two leave, Barbara discovers the Batcave and dons her own suit, now christening herself as the vigilante Batgirl. Together, the three take down Poison Ivy and head to fight Mr. Freeze.
After the trio stop Mr. Freeze, Batman reveals that Nora was saved and is still alive. The comforted Mr. Freeze gives up his reign of evil, agrees to continue his research in Arkham Asylum and gives Batman the cure to the first stage of Macgregors' Syndrome. He is made cellmate to the now-imprisoned Poison Ivy and threatens to make her prison life hell. After being cured, Alfred joins the Dynamic Trio, and the four make their partnership official.
Production
Development
With the box office success of Batman Forever in June 1995, Warner Bros. immediately commissioned a sequel. They hired director Joel Schumacher and writer Akiva Goldsman to reprise their duties the following August, and decided it was best to fast-track production for a June 1997 target release date, which is a break from the usual 3-year gap between films. Schumacher wanted to homage both the broad camp style of the 1960s television series and the work of Dick Sprang. The storyline of Batman & Robin was conceived by Schumacher and Goldsman during pre-production on A Time to Kill. Portions of Mr. Freeze's backstory were based on the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Heart of Ice", written by Paul Dini. Goldsman, however, expressed concerns about the script during pre-production discussions with Schumacher.
While Chris O'Donnell reprises the role of Robin, Val Kilmer decided not to reprise the role of Batman from Batman Forever. Schumacher admitted he had difficulty working with Kilmer on Forever. "He sort of quit," Schumacher said, "and we sort of fired him." Schumacher would later go on to say that Kilmer wanted to work on The Island of Dr. Moreau because Marlon Brando was cast in the film. Kilmer said he was not aware of the fast-track production and was already committed to The Saint (1997). David Duchovny claims he was considered for the role of Batman, but he joked the reason they did not cast him because his nose was too big. Schumacher originally had a strong interest in casting William Baldwin in Kilmer's place, but George Clooney was cast instead. Schumacher believed Clooney could provide a lighter interpretation of the character than Michael Keaton (in Batman and Batman Returns) and Kilmer. The shooting schedule allowed Clooney to simultaneously work on ER without any scheduling conflicts. In the documentary Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of The Dark Knight, Schumacher said he was given the mandate by the studio to make the film even more "toyetic" even when compared to Batman Forever.
Ed Harris, Anthony Hopkins, and Patrick Stewart were considered for the role of Mr. Freeze, before the script was rewritten to accommodate Arnold Schwarzenegger's casting. Schumacher decided that Mr. Freeze must be "big and strong like he was chiseled out of a glacier". Schwarzenegger was paid a $25 million salary for the role. Mr. Freeze's armor was made by armorer Terry English, who estimated the costume cost some $1.5 million to develop and make. To prepare for the role, Schwarzenegger wore a bald cap after declining to shave his head and wore a blue LED in his mouth. His prosthetic makeup and wardrobe took six hours to apply each day. Thurman took the role of Poison Ivy because she liked the femme fatale characterization of the character. Alicia Silverstone was the only choice for the role of Batgirl.
According to Schumacher, during the scene in which the costumes of the Riddler and Two-Face are seen, he originally planned to put Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze escaping from Arkham Asylum while many other villains saw them from their cells. The scene was not included in the final film.
Filming
The original start date was August 1996, but principal photography did not begin until September 12, 1996. Batman & Robin finished filming in late January 1997, two weeks ahead of the shooting schedule. The film was mostly shot at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California.
When comparing work on Batman Forever, O'Donnell explained, "[...] First movie, things felt much sharper and more focused, and it just felt like everything got a little softer on the second one. The first one, I felt like I was making a movie. The second one, I felt like I was making a toy commercial." He also complained about the Robin costume, saying it was more involved and less comfortable than the one he wore in Batman Forever, with a glued-on mask that caused sweat to pool on his face. According to John Glover, who played Dr. Jason Woodrue, "Joel [Schumacher] would sit on a crane with a megaphone and yell before each take, 'Remember, everyone, this is a cartoon'. It was hard to act because that kind of set the tone for the film." Production designer Barbara Ling admitted her influences for the Gotham City design came from "neon-ridden Tokyo and the Machine Age. Gotham is like a World's fair on ecstasy." Rhythm and Hues and Pacific Data Images created the visual effects sequences, with John Dykstra and Andrew Adamson credited as the visual effects supervisors.
O'Donnell said that despite hanging out with Schwarzenegger a lot off set and during promotion for the film, they never worked a single day together; this was achieved with stand-ins when one of the actors was not available. Stunt coordinator Alex Field taught Silverstone to ride a motorcycle so that she could play Batgirl.
Why It Freezes in Hell
- The main reason for Batman & Robin's negative reception is its tone, being overly campy and juvenile with the amount of puns and jokes though out the film, which is a far-cry from the previous Batman films which are known for their dark and mature tones.
- While it is true that the previous films did have their fair-share of humorist moments and tones here-and-there, those were usually few and far-between and never went overboard with their lighter moments.
- Misleading title: Despite it being called Batman & Robin, they don't team up that much here, instead it focuses more on Bruce taking care of a sick Alfred, while Dick has a relationship with Alfred's nephew, Barbara.
- Because of the success of Batman Forever in regards to merchandising, this film was made to sell even more toys and Happy Meals, and this is made apparent with large amount of characters and vehicles present in the movie.
- According to some sources, executives from both Warner Bros. and McDonalds were watching over the editing process, with the latter checking on the script to make sure it fit their needs.
- Most viewers will often levy criticism against Mr. Freeze's overabundance of cold and ice themed puns, which can be seen as annoying due to the sheer amount of them. Given his backstory, it can also be said they diminish the tragedy of Mr. Freeze.
- In all fairness, heroes and villains can have scenes of humor while having a tragic backstory, but in the case with Mr. Freeze who's backstory is about him trying to save his wife from an incurable disease and is shown to be quite traumatized by said reason, it's very jarring to watch.
- While his Bruce Wayne is seen as a good performance, George Clooney's tenure as Batman leaves something to be desired, as he sounds rather bored and phones in his line delivery. George would consider Batman & Robin one of his worst performances.
- The character of Bane is often seen to be the worst adaptation of the anthology (next to Tommy Lee Jones' Two Face), as he's portrayed as an idiotic brute who speaks in grunts and one word responses, instead of the tactical mastermind who systematically broke Batman as seen in the comics.
- Numerous oddities, plot holes, and inconsistencies, including but not limited to:
- Mr. Freeze can somehow smoke a cigarette, which goes against the state of his altered biology.
- Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy does not seem very compatible as partners because he wants to freeze the world and she wants plants to roam the world. Plants cannot survive in freezing temperatures.
- Ms. B. Haven shows no ill effects from wearing a skimpy outfit in Freeze's frozen hideout.
- After Mr. Freeze takes out two vials with a blue liquid in them, we see that they fit perfectly into Alfred's IV stand in the Wayne Manor. Unless they were both made by Wayne Enterprises, it's not possible to fit it in the IV stand that perfectly.
- During the chase at the beginning of the movie, Mr. Freeze freezes Robin before he can snatch the diamond but chooses to spare Batman by saying he'll kill him later, which is idiotic since nothing is stopping him from doing to Batman what he did to Robin.
- There's a pointless scene where we see the Riddler and Two-Face's outfits at the Arkham Asylum from the previous film and speaking of Two-Face, isn't he supposed to be dead?!
- Batman and Robin appear at an auction instead of as their actual selves, which is strange since they usually only show up when a crime is going down.
- During a scene where Batman, Robin, and Batgirl are on their vehicles and are being pursued by Freeze's henchmen, she's wearing a mask that looks hideous on her, but as soon as they reach the museum, she takes it off (supposedly because Alicia Silverstone didn't want to wear it due to how awful it looked on her).
- There's one scene that features rubber ice on the car; no joke, there's actual rubber ice on the car!
- Robin may be seen as overly whiny and irritating, due to his constant complaining about Bruce's jealousy and trust issues.
- However, this criticism can be handwaved when it's revealed that Robin has genuine issues with Bruce (due to the latter's issues with trust and control) and he was also being manipulated by Poison Ivy's pheromones.
- The very infamous "Bat Credit Card" scene.
- Again, Batman and Robin's suits have nipples, as well as pronounced codpieces and buttocks. These design cues were allegedly taken from Ancient Greek statues. Whether this was intended to convey strength or beauty isn't exactly clear, however the presence of a muscles is a problem due to how inappropriate they can be for very young children. Depending on the intent of the costume designers, it is possible that they tried to accentuate both Batman and Robin's anatomical aspects for an adult audience.
- Very poor acting on everyone's part, especially George Clooney as Batman. Speaking of which, he was only hired as a replacement for Val Kilmer since he was committed to another movie, hence why Clooney took his place, which comes off odd since both movies feature the same director but with two completely different actors playing Batman.
- Speaking of the acting, most of the Batman fans thought that George Clooney made a poor Batman, and he himself even admitted that he really didn't like playing Batman and would not portray him again in a planned cancelled sequel. Years after starring in this film, he refuses to talk to people about how awful he felt playing Batman and most people don't blame him for being unhappy about it.
- Chris O'Donnell's acting for Robin is very poor, even worse than Forever, as he sounds like a bratty teenager and all-around moron, and his character Dick Grayson/Robin spends most of his screen-time acting like a whiny brat just like his Teen Titans Go! counterpart.
- Alfred's survival goes against the message of the film that death can't be controlled, as he survives his Macgregors' Syndrome diagnosis thanks to Batman's direct intervention.
- Like Batman Forever, the film's presence in the same continuity as the Burton films is debated. With the presence of Joel Schumacher's Batman (as played by George Clooney) at the end of The Flash, the Schumacher films have been downgraded from directly taking place afterwards to now being set in a parallel continuity which follows most of the same events of the Tim Burton movies.
- Most unfortunately of all, the film's failure in theaters resulted in Joel Schumacher's reputation unfairly being left in tatters. Schumacher's name is often associated with "campiness" when he often wanted to create relatively grounded and serious films, such as Falling Down and The Lost Boys. Joel Schumacher would direct smaller movies later on in life, such as Phone Booth and an adaptation of the Phantom of the Opera. He would unfortunately pass away from cancer on the 22nd of June, 2020.
Redeeming Qualities
- The film is a love letter to the Silver Age of comic books, as well as William Dozier's 1966 TV series Batman starring Adam West and Burt Ward.
- Depending on the viewer's exposure to more comedic superhero media, the camp can be either overbearing or delightful.
- Batman and Robin's suits receive an update, with Robin's suit in particular taking inspiration from his second Nightwing suit in the comics.
- However, unlike the comics, Robin's suit is colored red instead of blue, and possesses a cape. He also still goes by the "Robin" title.
- The side plot of Bruce's issues surrounding trust and control is as genuine as it is heartfelt.
- All of the actors do a stellar job with what they have:
- Michael Gough's Alfred brings a much needed sense of heart to the movie, tying in wonderfully with the subplot of Bruce's struggles with control and death.
- Despite his shortcomings in the suit, George Clooney plays the role of Bruce Wayne with sincerity, turning in a good performance as half of the Dark Knight.
- Uma Thurman plays the role of the seductive and maniacal Poison Ivy perfectly, giving an iconic performance.
- Bane and Mr. Freeze are both given an awe-inspiring physical presence, thanks to the Arnold Schwarzenegger and the late Jeep Swenson's impressive physical stature.
- Jeep Swenson would pass away just under two months after the movie's release on August 18th.
- Once again, the film uses CG to create an awe inspiring Gotham with impossible scale and equally impossible architecture. Even with it's relatively poor aging, it still dominates the screen with it's presence.
- The direct mention of Superman's existence is a nice little reference. Given what was happening at Warner Bros. at the time though, this line could've been an Easter egg for the Tim Burton's cancelled Superman Lives.
- To date, this is the only cinematic appearance of Julie Madison, Bruce Wayne's first love interest, as seen in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
- The film's climax was pretty epic, and the ending does end the Batman Motion Picture Anthology on a great note.
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