Batman & Robin

Batman & Robin is the fourth installment in the comic book-inspired film series initiated by Tim Burton, and the second directed by Joel Schumacher. Released in 1997, it starred George Clooney as Batman and Chris O'Donnell returning as Robin, and introduced Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone), a niece of Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred (Michael Gough). The villains in this movie are Poison Ivy, played by Uma Thurman, Mr. Freeze, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger (who received top billing for this film), and Bane, played by Jeep Swenson. Unlike the previous 3 films, Tim Burton had no involvement with Batman & Robin whatsoever.

Plot Summary
New troubles have arisen in Gotham City. First, there's a new super villain in town: Mr. Freeze, a former doctor whose blood is laced with cryogenic liquid, causing him to be cold in look and feeling who plans to freeze Gotham until he gets the money needed to finish finding the cure for a mysterious disease that has stricken his wife. Second, Poison Ivy, a villainess with luscious lips full of venom, has arrived in Gotham with her hulking servant, Bane, with plans to team up with Freeze and prepare the way for genetically enhanced plants. Third, Ivy has caused a rift between the partnership of the Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder. And finally, Alfred, Batman's trusted butler, has developed the same disease that Freeze's wife has. It is in this time of need that a new partner, Batgirl, steps forward to help the two rid the city of evil once more.

Cast

 * Arnold Schwarzenegger (top-billed) as Mr. Freeze/Dr. Victor Fries: Based on the original story established by Batman: The Animated Series, a mutated scientist intent on blackmailing the funds needed to save his wife. This version was prone to making puns related to cold weather and temperatures (e.g., "You're not sending me to the cooler!", "Let's... kick some ice!", "What killed the dinosaurs? The Ice Age!").
 * George Clooney as Batman/Bruce Wayne: The crime-fighting protagonist of the franchise. In an interview with Barbara Walters, George Clooney claimed that he played Batman as "gay." However, within the fictional context of the film, Batman becomes engaged to his girlfriend Julie Madison, and is also tempted by Poison Ivy.
 * Chris O'Donnell as Robin/Richard "Dick" Grayson: Batman's sidekick is shown as an apparent amalgamation between the characters of Robin and Nightwing. He is also depicted as being unhappy in his role as a sidekick.
 * Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy/Dr. Pamela Isley: A mutated eco-terrorist out to green Gotham City. Has a poison kiss, pheromones, and a gorgeous body.
 * Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl/Barbara Wilson: A new interpretation of the Batgirl character, similar to the comics' Barbara Gordon who in this film is the niece of Alfred Pennyworth.
 * Jeep Swenson as Bane/Antonio Diego: Rather than being the devious, intelligent villain of the comics, he was a mindless thug who served as the sidekick and protector of Poison Ivy, and was barely even capable of speech.
 * Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth: Bruce Wayne's butler, often a father figure to Wayne.
 * Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon: The head of police in Gotham City.
 * Elle Macpherson as Julie Madison: The love interest of Bruce Wayne.

Response
The film was neither a critical nor a financial success. It was mocked for the poor script, and over-extending the campy attitude (comprised of smirky one-liners, blatantly ludicrous stunts, and ultra loud sound effects) of its predecessor, Batman Forever.

In his review of the film, critic Leonard Maltin found that "the 'story' often makes no sense" and that the "action and effects are loud, gargantuan, and ultimately numbing" however he gave the film 2 1/2 out of 4 stars. Author Mark S. Reinhart added by saying "The combination of Batman & Robin's terrible script, ridiculous costuming, garish sets, uninspired direction, etc. made the film into the appalling dump heap that it is. " Michael J. Nelson, in Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese, says "Batman & Robin is not the worst movie ever. No, indeed. It's the worst thing ever. Yes, it's the single worst thing that we as human beings have ever produced in recorded history."

Even director Joel Schumacher has admitted to not being proud of his work, despite any earlier statements to the contrary. Not only did Schumacher criticize the movie, but so did Batman & Robin executive producer Michael E. Uslan, who said "In my estimation - you're not making movies, you're making two hour infomercials for toys. And that's sad. Because, if a filmmaker is allowed to just go out and make a great film, I believe you will sell toys anyway." It is often jokingly referred to as the "Rocky V" of batman films.

On the Internet Movie Database, the film received nearly universal negative user reviews, and in a MSN Movies article on superhero movies, the film was ranked as the worst to date. The film was considered the 88th best (out of 94) comic book movie made by Rotten Tomatoes in 2007. In particular, criticism was heaped upon the design of the Batsuit, which, like in the previous film, features nipples, and the closeup shots of the caped crusaders while donning their costumes.

Published financial figures indicate that the movie was made on a budget of $125 million. Batman & Robin opened at #1 at the box office, and had an opening weekend of $42 million, which were two of its very few successes. However, over time, its popularity slipped, (possibly when put in competition with The Lost World: Jurassic Park, another summer film, which became a huge financial success) and the film collected only $107 million domestically — less than any other Batman film — and $131 million abroad. Studios usually expect summer movies — particularly those in a highly successful series — to earn more profit than that, and Warner Brothers temporarily suspended the series after four live-action films.

The film was derisively dubbed Batman on Ice by critics for a scene in which Batman and Robin inexplicably have retractable ice skates in their boots while battling Mr. Freeze's henchmen on an icy floor in the opening sequence. George Clooney was himself severely embarrassed by the film, saying "I think we might have killed the franchise."

Uma Thurman’s performance in the film received mainly negative reviews, and critics made comparisons between her and actress Mae West. The New York Times wrote about Thurman, "like Mae West, she mixes true femininity with the winking womanliness of a drag queen." A similar comparison was made by the Houston Chronicle: "Thurman, to arrive at a ’40s femme fatale, sometimes seems to be doing Mae West by way of Jessica Rabbit."

Legacy
The impact of this film was multifold. Joel Schumacher found his reputation all but ruined, and Warner Bros. was the focus of much derision for producing the film.

With the possible exception of Arnold Schwarzenegger, all the principal performers involved lost credibility for some time as serious actors. George Clooney has gone so far as to say that he will refund the money of any fan he meets who paid to see the movie. Another remark made by George Clooney regarding the film is that the film killed the franchise. However, Uma Thurman's career has since rebounded, thanks to roles in Kill Bill and The Producers. Clooney would make his major comeback in successful directing for Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Good Night, and Good Luck, as well as starring in Three Kings, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Ocean's Eleven and its sequels, and finally winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Syriana.

Schumacher himself would return to grittier films, and eventually redeemed himself with the acclaimed Phone Booth and The Phantom of the Opera. Writer Akiva Goldsman would go on to write other flops like Lost in Space, before he rebounded with 2001's A Beautiful Mind, for which he received an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

It has since been argued that the film's dismal failure was, in the long run, a boon for comic book films, as the comedic angle taken to the source material by the makers of the film was so unpopular that other filmmakers would be encouraged to treat the source material with more reverence in their own films. This arguably ended the influence of the 1960s Batman television series' campy tone in favor of Richard Donner's more respectful approach to superheroes as with the first Christopher Reeve Superman movie. This attitude has led to successful and acclaimed film adaptations such as Blade (1998), X-Men (2000), Spider-Man (2002), Batman Begins (2005), and Superman Returns (2006).

Batman & Robin marked the end of the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher era of movies. Likely due to the film's poor reception, all future Batman movies were cancelled, and the franchise was put on hold for nearly eight years. A new Batman franchise was launched in 2005, with Batman Begins, a darker film that was both critically and financially successful ($366 million worldwide gross as of 09/04/2005), with no continuity to Burton's and Schumacher's movies. George Clooney did not participate in the project and was succeeded by the much-younger Christian Bale, who was widely praised for his portrayal of both Bruce Wayne and his alter ego.

On October 18, 2005, Warner Bros. released a new deluxe DVD for the movie with commentary by Schumacher. The commentary has gotten attention for Schumacher's candid comments on how he was forced to put in gadgets for the toy companies to make, his confession that he went too far trying to make the movie more kid-friendly than the previous films, but nonetheless defended script-writer Akiva Goldsman saying: "If you don't like the film, blame the director."

On the BBC show Fully Booked, presenter Sarah Vandenbergh interviewed Joel prior to the release of the film in June 1997 and asked if a sequel would be possible. Schumacher said, "If the audience likes this one, if they want another Batman, then yes we will do another Batman. I would be very interested."  This was never to be due to the response from critics and the fans of this film.

Soundtrack
Despite the overwhelming negative publicity the film received, its soundtrack became very popular and was well received. The soundtrack included songs by R. Kelly, Arkarna, Jewel, Goo Goo Dolls, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, and The Smashing Pumpkins, whose song The End is the Beginning is the End rolled over the movie's closing credits. Three songs from the soundtrack became top-ten hits in the United States; Jewel's contribution, a radio-mix version of Foolish Games, as well as Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's Look Into My Eyes and R. Kelly's Gotham City. There was never an official release of Elliot Goldenthal's score to the film, aside from the brief suite on the song album, but bootleg copies are in fairly wide circulation.

Track listing

 * 1) The Smashing Pumpkins - The End Is the Beginning Is the End (5:08)
 * 2) Bone Thugs-n-Harmony - Look Into My Eyes (4:28)
 * 3) R. Kelly - Gotham City (4:56)
 * 4) Arkarna - House On Fire (3:24)
 * 5) R.E.M. - Revolution (3:04)
 * 6) Jewel - Foolish Games (4:00)
 * 7) Goo Goo Dolls - Lazy Eye (3:46)
 * 8) Lauren Christy - Breed (3:05)
 * 9) Soul Coughing - The Bug (3:09)
 * 10) Moloko - Fun For Me (5:08)
 * 11) Meshell Ndegeocello - Poison Ivy (3:33)
 * 12) Eric Benét - True To Myself (4:41)
 * 13) Elliot Goldenthal - A Batman Overture (3:35)
 * 14) Underworld - Moaner (10:17)
 * 15) The Smashing Pumpkins - The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning (4:58)

References to other media

 * Just like in the previous movie, at the end, the heroes are shown running in front of the Batsignal.
 * One of the bikers calls another Spud, possibly a reference to The Dark Knight Returns.
 * Superman gained brief mention in the beginning of this film.
 * Footage from the Rankin-Bass film The Year Without a Santa Claus can be seen in Mr. Freeze's hideout.

Home video
Batman & Robin was released on VHS and Laserdisc in October 1997. Batman & Robin was given a "bare bones" DVD release in 1997. The main menu featured background music while the only extra feature was a synopsis of the film. However, in 2005, the newest feature film, Batman Begins, caused Warner Bros. to release a two-disc special edition set of all four Burton-Schumacher films in Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997.