Batman and Robin

1997
good but could have been better

Months After The successful release of Batman Forever, Word had already spread that there would be a fourth movie. Along the way Val Kilmer left and was replaced by ER star George Clooney. Apparently Kilmer left because he didn't like the script and clashed with Schumacher during the filming of Batman Forever. Chris O Donnel, Pat Hingle and Michael Gough were joined by Uma Thurman Alicia Silverstone and Arnold Schwartzenegger.

A new villain by the name of Mr Freeze has been terrorising the city. At the same time, a mysterious woman by the name of Poison Ivy has her own plans for Gotham city. Fortunately Batman and Robin are around to keep the peace, but they are having trouble getting along with each other. Dick is upset at Bruce for doubting him and his abilities. Bruce feels that Dick is too reckless and impulsive. Alfred's niece Barbara comes to visit only to discover that he is dying of a rare disease. Could things go worse? well Ivy meets up with Freeze and together they plan to destroy Gotham. Freeze plans on covering the entire city with Ice and Ivy intends on having plants as the only citizens. Bruce attempts to patch thing up with Dick and together they take out Ivy with the help of Batgirl a.k.a. Barbara. Next they work together to undo the damage freeze has done to the city . Freeze has already covered the city with Ice. After Defeating Freeze. Batman asks for the antidote to Alfred's disease in return for a research lab to help him cure his wife who suffers from the same disease. Freeze gives the antidote and is whisked away to Arkham where he shares bunks with Ivy.

Despite the hype, Batman and Robin turned out to be the least successful of the four films. It also turned out to be the worst Batman movie as it was bashed by fans and critics alike. Schumacher's attempt to add camp was his undoing. As well, the movie was crammed with too many characters and too many visual effects. As much as this movie took a bad rap, I mostly liked it due to the character interactions. The Subplot between Alfred and the other characters was strong and stayed that way to the end. The sets were good and so were the effects. The main plot mirrored Batman Forever's . Ivy and Freeze worked well as a team and we saw a bit more of Jim Gordon, a very underused character. I didn't like the suits Seeing Batman and Robin at a charity ball was dumb and the butt shots we are better without. Overall this was an ok movie but it could have been better.

Rating: 2.5/5