Batman and Robin (1997)

Directed by: Joel Schumacher

Premise: The relationship between Batman (George Clooney) and Robin (Chris O’Donnell) becomes strained when the mysterious Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) comes between them. Meanwhile, Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) plans to turn Gotham City into a frozen tundra.

What Works: Schwarzenegger is actually pretty good as Mr. Freeze. Like Jim Carrey in Batman Forever, his character is by far the best written, giving him a little bit of the sympathy that made Danny DeVito’s Penguin work for Batman Returns, and many of the screenwriter’s terrible attempts at humor work thanks to Schwarzenegger’s delivery.

What Doesn’t: On the whole, Batman and Robin is terribly cast. George Clooney is a good actor but he is out of place in this film. Putting him in the batsuit is like casting Humphrey Bogart as one of the Three Stooges; the shoe just doesn’t fit. Also miscast, despite her talent, is Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy. Although she can make crazy or campy characters work, such as The Bride from Kill Bill, the writing of her character is terrible and like Clooney she is unsuited for the role. Alicia Silverstone makes an appearance as Batgirl, expanding an already crowded cast, and she serves no narrative purpose whatsoever, except maybe to sell the toys that were released in conjunction with the theatrical release of the film. While Batman Forever managed a delicate balance of action and schlock that mostly worked, Batman and Robin upsets that balance in a grotesque display of nauseating colors, ridiculous costumes, and terrible dialogue. This film takes the camp of the previous Batman picture, which itself was borrowed from the 1960s television series, and exaggerates it to bloated levels. Nearly every action scene is a disaster of aesthetics with frantic editing that disrupts any sense of pacing or narrative, sets colored in neon vomit, and villains costumed to look like they came out of a Disney on Ice performance. While this may not sound any less campy than Batman: The Movie, Burt Ward and Adam West had self-consciousness on their side. The makers of that film knew what they were doing and had their tongues firmly in their cheeks. Batman and Robin is a joke but doesn’t seem to know that, and when it does attempt humor it just comes off as lame.

DVD extras: The two-disc special edition includes a commentary track, documentaries and featurettes, music videos, trailers, storyboards, extra scenes, and character profiles.

Bottom Line: Batman and Robin is painful to sit through; the film ranks next to Jaws the Revenge, Exorcist II – The Heretic, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace among the worst sequels to a major Hollywood film ever made. While Batman Forever and Batman: the Movie are campy but fun, Batman and Robin fumbles its way through two hours with no sense of direction or purpose.