Batman and Robin (1997)


The fourth installment of the Batman series was a big disappointment to most fans. Following the huge success of Batman Forever, the movie was a box office disaster in the eyes of its producer's. Full of special effects and lacking in plot, the movie was enjoyable to hard core Batman fans, but was recognized as being a terrible movie in general. George Clooney stepped up to fill the boots left empty by Val Kilmer, and was a decent replacement. Given the right script his performance could have rivaled Michael Keaton, but with the dialogue full of corny one-liners he came across very badly on screen. Returning was Chris O'Donnell as Robin, taking the character to an even higher degree of whining. Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze and Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy were compelling to watch, but lacking in substance. Once again due to poor scripting. In addition, the movie added Batgirl to the scene, played by Alicia Silverstone. Her performance was marginal, but understandable due to what was given to her. Bane, played by the late Jeep Swenson, is thrown in as well as Dr Jason Woodrue(John Glover). As a very underscripted, non - essential love interest there is Julie Madison played by Elle Macpherson. The other large problem with the film is the sheer number of people in it. With this many characters there is no room to develop any of them. They can only be introduced and swept along as the movie continues. Accompanying the film's release there was a marking strategy unlike anything before. The merchandising tactics of Batman Forever seemed minor compared to the huge sales attempt for this movie. Unbelievable amounts of merchandise was released, and most of it was poor quality. After the release of the film the Batman franchise was re-examined to determine if it should continue. Hopefully this action will make Batman 5 a better addition to the series.

Cast List:
George Clooney -- Batman/Bruce Wayne
Arnold Schwarzenegger -- Mr. Freeze/Victor Fries
Uma Thurman -- Poison Ivy/Dr. Pamela Isley
Chris O'Donnell -- Robin/Dick Grayson
Alicia Silverstone -- Batgirl/Barbara Wilson
Michael Gough (I) -- Alfred Pennyworth
Pat Hingle -- Commissioner Gordon
Elle Macpherson -- Julie Madison
John Glover -- Dr. Jason Woodrue
Jeep Swenson -- Bane
Directed by: Joel Schumacher



Plot:
The underlying theme of the movie deals with how does Bruce Wayne deal with the current losses he is facing, now that he has come to terms with his past losses. In the film Alfred is dying from a rare disease that has no cure. Dick Grayson has become fed up with Bruce's rules and they begin to fight with each other. Bruce's girlfriend gives an ultimatum of marriage or she is leaving him. On top of the personal problems Bruce is facing, there are two new villains trying to destroy Gotham City. Mr Freeze is participating in crime sprees to acquire the diamonds he needs to keep himself frozen, and to complete his freezing ray. Once the freezing ray is complete he will hold Gotham City ransom to get the money he requires to continue his research for the disease his frozen wife suffers from. He joins up with Poison Ivy, an environmental extremist who wants to rid the Earth of all humans so that her plants can rule. The interesting thing that is shown for both of the villains is that they both started out with noble causes and have taken the wrong course of action to fufill their goals. Poison Ivy adds to the tension between Batman and Robin by infecting them will pheremone dust, causing them to fight for her affection. In order to overcome the odds he faces Batman acquires the aide of Batgirl. Barbara Wilson, Alfred's niece comes to help him when he is sick, and finds out the secret of Batman and Robin. She decides to become Batgirl and help out. Bane is thrown in as Poison Ivy's bodyguard and strong man. With all of these characters it is impossible to accurately describe the plot of the movie, but one thing can be said - more is not always better.



Pics:
Here are some pics from Clooney's flight as the bat:

George Clooney as the Caped Crusader
Clooney again as the Dark Knight
Clooney, Chris O'Donnell as Robin, and Uma Thurman as the object of desire
O'Donnell as Robin with Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr Freeze
Arnold freezes well..
Uma Thurman as the seductive Poison Ivy
Thurman again as the wild Ivy
Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl
Clooney on the promotional poster
Schwarzenegger as the promotional Freeze
Thurman as the promotional Ivy
O'Donnell as the promotional Robin
Silverstone as the promotional Batgirl

Information about this movie can be found at the Internet Movie Database at: Batman & Robin(1997)

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