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.

Plot Synopsis
The film begins with Batman and Robin stopping Mr. Freeze from a robbery attempt, but he escapes. In South America, Pamela Isley (Uma Thurman) is working under Dr. Jason Woodrue, experimenting with the Venom drug. She witnesses Woodrue use the formula to turn a diminutive convict into a hulking monstrosity dubbed "Bane". Woodrue and Isley argue over the use of the drug and Woodrue kills her by psuhing her backwards into a bench of various steriods and toxins-her remains then seemingly melt into the ground. Shortly, She rises from the wreckage and transforms into the beautiful and seductive Poison Ivy before killing Woodrue with a poisonous kiss. She finds that Wayne Enterprises funded Woodrue, thus she takes Bane with her to Gotham City, in order for him to act as her personal bodyguard. Meanwhile, Alfred Pennyworth's British niece, Barbara Wilson, makes a surprise visit, and is invited by Bruce Wayne to stay at Wayne Manor until she goes back to school.

Meanwhile, it is learned that Mr. Freeze's wife was stricken with a mysterious disease, MacGregor's Syndrome, which he is trying to find a cure for. Alfred also becomes stricken with the first stage of MacGregor's Syndrome, and is dying.

Wayne Enterprises presents a new telescope at a press conference, but is interrupted by Isley. She proposes a project that could help the environment, but Bruce declines her offer, as it would kill millions of people. That night, a charity event is held by Wayne Enterprises with special guests, Batman and Robin, and she decides to use her abilities to seduce them. Freeze crashes the party and attempts steal a diamond from the event. However, he is captured and sent to a chamber prison in Arkham Asylum, but escapes with the help of Ivy and Bane. Batman and Robin begin to have crime fighting relationship problems because of the presence of Ivy's seductive ability with Robin. Ivy is then able to contact Robin once more, but fails to seduce him. Robin becomes trapped, but rescued by Batman. Meanwhile, Batgirl arrives and fights Ivy, eventually beating her by trapping her in her own plants, while Freeze and Bane flee. Batgirl reveals that she is Barbara and knows the location of the Batcave.

Batman, Robin and Batgirl decide to go after Freeze and Bane together. By the time they get to the lab where Freeze and Bane are, Gotham is completely frozen. Robin and Batgirl confront Bane and defeat him after they manage to pull out Bane's main Venom supply tube, causing him massive withdrawal, and returning him back to his original state. Meanwhile Batman and Freeze begin to fight each other, with Batman winning in a cliffhanger battle; Freeze tries to kill Batman by destroying the telescope platform but only succeeds in crushing the weakened Bane. Batgirl and Robin unfreeze Gotham and Batman shows Freeze a recording of Ivy during her fight with Batgirl. Freeze learns that Ivy has betrayed him over the death of his wife. Ivy blamed Batman for Nora's death, but she informs Batgirl that it was her idea. Freeze is angered by the betrayal and is informed by Batman that his wife is not dead; she is restored in cryogenic slumber and has been moved to Arkham waiting for him to finish his research. Batman proceeds to ask Freeze for the cure Freeze has created for the first stage of MacGregor's Syndrome, for a friend (Alfred). Freeze atones for his misunderstanding by giving him experimental medicine he had developed. A Nearly-insane Poison Ivy is shown imprisoned in the cold beam in Arkham and Freeze walks in and announces he will make her life a living hell of winter. Alfred is eventually healed and everyone agrees to let Barbara stay at the mansion. The film ends like Batman Forever with the image of the Bat-Signal, with Batman, Robin and Batgirl appearing as if running from the signal itself towards the camera.

Cast

 * George Clooney as Batman/Bruce Wayne
 * Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze/Dr. Victor Fries
 * Chris O'Donnell as Robin/Richard "Dick" Grayson
 * Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy/Dr. Pamela Isley
 * Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl/Barbara Wilson
 * Jeep Swenson as Bane/Antonio Diego
 * Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth
 * Pat Hingle as Commissioner James Gordon
 * Elle Macpherson as Julie Madison

Individuals

 * Batman/Bruce Wayne
 * Mr. Freeze/Dr. Victor Fries
 * Robin/Richard "Dick" Grayson
 * Poison Ivy/Dr. Pamela Isley
 * Batgirl/Barbara Wilson
 * Bane/Antonio Diego
 * Alfred Pennyworth
 * Commissioner James Gordon
 * Dr. Jason Woodrue
 * Julie Madison
 * Gossip Gerty
 * Nora Fries
 * Frosty
 * Ms. B. Haven
 * Golum Gang Leader
 * Spike
 * Boy Biker
 * Banker
 * M.C. of Flower Ball
 * Eye Patched Arkham Guard
 * Arkham Guard
 * Senator Patrick Leahy
 * Margaret "Peg" Wilson
 * Mr. Wilson
 * Wilfred Pennyworth
 * Maharajah of Miranjapore
 * Superman (mentioned only)

Organizations

 * Snowy Cones Thugs
 * Golums
 * "Un-United Nations"

Vehicles

 * Batmobile
 * Bathammer
 * Batskiff
 * Batcycle
 * Redbird
 * Freezemobile
 * Studebaker Champion's (Police Cars)

Technology

 * Batsignal
 * Mr. Freeze's Cryo-suit
 * Bat heat ray gun

Weapons

 * Batarang
 * Freezegun
 * Batbomb

Locations

 * Gotham City
 * Batcave
 * Wayne Manor
 * Arkham Asylum
 * Snowy Cones Warehouse
 * Turkish Bath House
 * Botanical Gardens
 * Gotham Museum of Art
 * Gotham Observatory
 * Gilgamesh Wing
 * Gotham University
 * Oxford University
 * Miranjapore

Events

 * Flower Ball
 * Motorcycle Tunnel Run

Miscellanea

 * Macgregor's Syndrome
 * Good Morning Gotham
 * Venom
 * Super-soldiers
 * Heart of Isis
 * Nemo Gum
 * Simulator
 * Poison Ivy's Animal-Plant Hybrids
 * South American rattlesnake
 * Bat-credit card

Trivia

 * This is the first (and only one) of the four Batman movies in the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher series in which the main villain is not killed. In Batman, the Joker falls to his death; in Batman Returns, the Penguin falls to his death in the poisoned water; in Batman Forever, Two-Face falls to his death. In this movie, the only villain who dies is Woodrue (who isn't even a super-villain, more of an evil scientist). Poison Ivy is committed to the Arkham Asylum, and Mr. Freeze turns good and goes to the Arkham Asylum with his cryogenically frozen wife to finish his research, spending the rest of his time there as Poison Ivy's cell mate, "making her life a living hell of winter".

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. One remark made by George Clooney regarding the film is that it 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), Superman Returns (2006), and Iron Man (2008).

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 September 4|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.
 * When Bane was stealing Mr. Freeze's suit from the supply room in Arkham Asylum, The Riddler's question-mark fashioned costume worn in Batman Forever can be seen in the background along with Two-Face's half-suit.
 * Several bikers are wearing outfits similar to Alex DeLarge from A Clockwork Orange.

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.