D-

"My how the mighty have fallen". Those were the exact words one of my friend said to me after we saw Batman & Robin. Till this day, in regards to the original franchise of films, truer words had never been spoken. This film was like a swift blow to the head. It was mind numbingly bad and it truly turned the character into a joke. It takes what worked in Batman Forever and injects it with a lethal does of childish antics that makes for a truly terrible experience. I actually sat through this again recently so I could review it with a fresh perspective and my mind has not changed about the film. It is a disaster and all I have to say is thank God for Christopher Nolan.

The plot of the film is virtually non-existent. Sure there is motivation behind what Mr. Freeze is doing but the script doesn't take the situation seriously so neither do we. There isn't really anything poignant about Poison Ivy. She's there to look sexy and drive a very annoying wedge between Batman & Robin. Speaking of this union, Robin is more annoying this time around. He loses all the charisma he had in Batman Forever. He comes off as a spoiled brat and because of this Batman comes off as more of a overbearing father figure rather than a super hero. The chemistry between the reminiscent of the 1960's TV series which worked then but certainly falls flat now. The only story that remotely works is the one involving Alfred's illness. It's the only heart the film has and since we've seen this actor in 4 films now, it's hard not feel some sympathy. In fact this story line seems a bit out of place since it's the only serious one within the film.

I watched the behind the scenes special features on this DVD and I've decided that Joel Schumacher being blamed for the failure of this film is a little unfounded. Sure, he's the man behind the camera so in theory all blame falls on him but he's also working for a studio. This is a huge studio film so I'm sure they get a lot of say so in what direction the film goes in. Batman Forever was a huge box office hit, even more so than Batman Returns so Warner Bros told Schumacher to really make Batman & Robin for the kids. That means cheesy dialogue, a colorful landscape, cartoonish violence, and scenes that feel more like toy commercials rather than legitimate pieces of film. Chris O' Donnell even says on the DVD that when he did Batman Forever he felt like he was doing a film, but when he did Batman & Robin he felt like he was doing a toy commercial. This film is a classic example of a studio getting greedy and caring more about the financial aspects of all the product tie ins, rather than making a genuinely good film.

The acting is bland and I really don't think I can blame the actors since the script is just incredibly awful. George Clooney has admitted doing this film was a mistake and that he was wrong for a part but I will say I could by him at least as Bruce Wayne. George Clooney has the looks and charisma to pull it off and in a better film I think he would've got more credit for it. His Batman is another story. He basically plays him as Bruce Wayne in costume. Doesn't change his voice and doesn't give him a distinct personality. It's safe to say he's the worse Batman of the series.

Chris O'Donnell is a victim of bad dialogue. His Robin is annoying at best and never seems to escape that stereotype. It's unfortunate because he showed promise in Batman Forever but none of that is realized here.

Then there are the villains. They are both a disaster but at least one of the actors seems to be having fun with the part. Arnold Schwarzenegger is just wrong for the part of Mr. Freeze. He doesn't have the emotional chops to pull off the more serious aspects of the character and he gives the character his signature one liner approval which is a huge mistake. How many ice puns can one take? I'm sure he did this one for the paycheck and from what I read, he got paid a hefty penny. Uma Thurman doesn't have much to work with as Poision Ivy but out of everyone in the film she was the only one I had fun watching. She manages to make the character sexy in some weird way and she seems to be having a good time with all the camp. I could be in minority but she's the only reason I didn't give this thing an F.

Then we have Alicia Silverstone who was already passed her prime after the 1995 success of Clueless. First of all, Batgirl is a shameful addition, only added to bring in a female audience. Silverstone also does nothing with the role since it's vastly underwritten and even when she finally gets into costume, it doesn't elicit enough excitement to even make the audience care.

The action sequences are all cartoony. The opening ice skating fight is especially laughable and seems lifted right from the 1960's show. This is the first time the action scenes have not been exciting, in fact they make you laugh more than thrill you. The world in which these scenes take place is too hard to believe. It was a little much in Batman Forever as well but I think in that film they found a balance to make it somewhat realistic. In Batman & Robin you feel as if you're watching a really bad cartoon. Nothing in this film feels genuine or real.

I could write more about what went wrong here but I think we all know. 1997 was the death of Batman as we knew it but thankfully in 2005 Christopher Nolan decided to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch. He righted all the wrongs and in 2008 he just blew it out of the park with The Dark Knight. Writing about Batman Begins and The Dark Knight will be a true delight because I'm happy to say that Batman has become significant again in the world of film and he finally has some films that does him justice. It's best to just forget Batman & Robin and just head over right to Batman Begins

D-

Trivia:

The Batman costume weighed 90 pounds; with the material being rubber, the entire body suit weighed 50 pounds plus a 40-pound piece rubber cape attached to the headpiece.

The Batgirl costume weighed 50 pounds.

The Robin costume weighed 50 pounds the same as the bat girl costume.

The Mr. Freeze costume weighed 75 lbs.

Anthony Hopkins, who was one of Joel Schumacher's other choices for Mr. Freeze, was also considered for the role of Alfred in Batman Begins (2005).

Anthony Hopkins was also considered for the role of Mr. Freeze.

Hulk Hogan was Joel Schumacher's third choice to play Mr. Freeze.

A new form of light foam rubber was used to make the superhero costumes. This helped the costumes weigh less than on any other Batman film, but they ripped and tore very easily.

Batgirl had a full-head costume designed for her much like Batman's (complete with pointy ears) in this movie, but it was rejected in favor of letting Alicia Silverstone's hair flow freely (except in one scene where she wears it as a crash helmet). Batgirl action figures designed for the movie reflect the full-head costume, before the toy makers were informed of the change.

The sign on a club reads "The Head Room" just before the scene in which Alfred's computer likeness talks to Barbara in a manner resembling Max Headroom.

The disease "MacGregor Syndrome" was named after producer Peter Macgregor-Scott.

During the scene where Batman and Robin bid for Poison Ivy, Batman pulls out his credit card. Its expiration date: FOREVER (a reference to Batman Forever (1995)).

Dr. Jason Woodrue appeared in DC Comics as another plant themed super-villain, as himself and as The Floronic Man.

Dr. Woodrue creates Bane with what he calls his "Super Soldier Serum". This is a reference to the origin of the Marvel Comics character Captain America. Created in the early 1940s (under Marvels's previous incarnation as Timely Comics), Captain America was Steve Rogers, a man too frail to enlist to fight in World War II. He agreed to subject himself to the Super Soldier Serum which heightened every ability and sense to the highest human limits. Of course, as these things go, the doctor who created the formula was promptly killed and Captain America would be the only Super Soldier. Despite Timely/Marvel having been a somewhat popular line at the time, Captain America was wildly succesful, rivaling Superman, Captain Marvel, Batman, and Wonder Woman in popularity.

Director Joel Schumacher first realized that George Clooney would make a good Batman after drawing the famous cowl over Clooney's face in an advertisement for From Dusk Till Dawn (1996).

In the original theatrical trailer, Mr. Freeze says the line, "Button up, boys. A storm is coming." That line is not present in the final film.

'Julia Roberts' , Sharon Stone, and Demi Moore were all rumored to be in the running for the part of Poison Ivy, before Uma Thurman was cast.

Joel Schumacher once said in an interview that if Arnold had not wanted to play Mr. Freeze, Sylvester Stallone was his second choice.

Arkham Asylum was originally "made up" by horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, to use in his stories (and was located in Arkham, not Gotham City).

In the evidence room at the prison where Freeze is held and before Bane breaks in, both the Riddler's and Two-Face's outfits can be seen.

Pat Hingle (Commissioner Gordon) and Michael Gough (Alfred Pennyworth) are the only actors to appear in all four of the Batman films.

One of three movies to feature two future United States Governors acting in the same film. Jesse Ventura, elected Governor in Minnesota in 1998, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, elected Governor of California in 2003. (The other two films were Predator (1987), and The Running Man (1987). All three of these movies featured Ventura and Schwarzenegger.)

The computer in Alfred's room is a 20th anniversary Macintosh built by Apple Computer.

In an interview the cast members were asked what item from filming they would like to take home with them. Arnold Schwarzenegger said that he would be taking Mr. Freeze's armor home, Uma Thurman said that she wanted Ivy's floral throne, and Elle Macpherson said that she just wanted a cap or something with the "Batman & Robin" logo before anyone else. When asked, George Clooney said he wanted Elle Macpherson.

During shooting, George Clooney visited his friends on the set of "ER" (1994) in full costume.

George Clooney injured his lower leg playing basketball, while shooting Batman & Robin (1997). Because of this, he needed to cut the boot off of the Bat-suit in order to wear a cast. You can tell when his leg was injured from his limping while inside the freeze rocket.

When Batgirl sneaks to the motorcycle contest, one of the gangs there are dressed like the main characters in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971). At the same time, the background song is "Fun for Me", performed by Moloko. Moloko is Nadsat (Alex de Large and his droogs' language) for Milk.

Rated 5 in Entertainment Weekly's Top 25 Worst Sequels Ever Made (2006).

Patrick Stewart and Anthony Hopkins were both considered for the role of Mr. Freeze till Joel Schumacher decided that Mr. Freeze must be "big and strong like he was chiseled out of a glacier".

The film did so poorly in the box office that Warner Brothers canceled the fifth Batman film, "Batman Triumphant". Had the film been made, the main antagonists would have been the Scarecrow, the Man-Bat and Harley Quinn (for this story, Harley Quinn would have been the Joker's daughter instead of his on-and-off lover; and at the time, Madonna was being considered for the part) and a prolonged sequence would have involved the effect the Scarecrow's fear gas has on Batman: a return of the Joker (with Jack Nicholson making a cameo).

The villainous character Bane was created by comic book writer Chuck Dixon and artist Graham Nolan.

Val Kilmer was ask if he wanted to play Batman again but by his own admission, was not interested.

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, The 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.

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 $42,872,605 in 2,934 theaters averaging $14,612 per venue, 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 $107,325,195 domestically — less than any other Batman film — and $130,881,927 abroad, for a total worldwide gross of $238,207,122, but still covering the film's budget