Batman & Robin (BD)

You will be hard-pressed to find a more vocal proponent of filmmakers having to respect a comic book's source material in order to make a creatively successful comic book film than me. When I look at a comic book film, I look at what to expect from the character and the plot and how the filmmakers and actors intend to keep to the mythology of the characters that have already been created.With Joel Schumacher's BATMAN AND ROBIN, Warner Brothers Studios basically decided that aside from the most basic of characteristics, EVERYTHING in this film is up for grabs. And in that anarchy, Schumacher, stars George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Uma Thurman, Chris O'Donnell, and Alicia Silverstone somehow ended up creating what I think is easily the most entertaining of all of the pre-Nolan Batman films.If you watch some of the special features on this disc, or listen to the commentary track, one of the first things that Schumacher admits is that they had no script, and not just before they started shooting, but WHILE they were shooting. The studio's mission was to create as many toys to sell to young boys and girls as they possibly could, hence some of the most ridiculous action set pieces ever committed to celluloid. They wanted a glowing Batmobile, a sleek Redbird (Robin's motorcycle), a bizarre tank for Mr. Freeze... and they wanted to sell toys and action figures for girls too, hence the inclusion of Batgirl and Poison Ivy. So they called Akiva Goldsman, who is inexplicably an Oscar winner (for writing A BEAUTIFUL MIND) since he's one of the biggest hacks in Hollywood, and they gave Schumacher somewhat free reign as far of the look and feel of some of the sets. It's obviously hearkening back to the Adam West/Burt Ward BATMAN television show era at points, but has some incredibly bizarre and over-the-top set design that includes seemingly dozens of statues throughout Gotham City that stand well over 100 feet. The film's budget was around $125 million, suggesting that they wanted to go VERY big, or they might as well have not even bothered. Well, Schumacher didn't seem to want any of that budget to go to waste, and of course, that included Schwarzenegger's salary for the film, which was in the $25 million range. This was pretty much the death-knell of his big-budget career aside from the final TERMINATOR film he appeared in.This film was also the death-knell of the BATMAN franchise for a few more years, so whatever your thoughts on this film might be, you should be thankful it exists merely because it ushered in the age of the Nolan DARK KNIGHT films after it seemed like nothing could revitalize this franchise.Truth be told, this is not a particularly good film, and it's an awful Batman film in terms simply of the zeitgeist of even 1997. When the soundtrack to the film is populated with songs by R.E.M. and Smashing Pumpkins, this is a sign that people weren't looking for a zany, fun comic book caper, but that's not necessarily the reason this film was a commercial failure, but to be certain, it was a big reason. And people had been whining since Tim Burton left the franchise anyway. They wanted their Batman to be not just dark, but RELENTLESSLY dark. While some of what Burton did reflected the current era of the comic in terms of design, it failed completely in character. And while Schumacher didn't exactly improve the status of the franchise, he did add enough sensibility to allow yourself to be entertained by his efforts (even if it's unintentional and/or groan-worthy like so much of the terrible dialogue in this film). The film, while still being dark (or underlit, in some cases), has an added element of pop to the picture. You're not just looking at grimy and dilapidated alleyways and ultra-gothic set design as was the case in almost every frame of Burton's directorial efforts. There's a conspicuously heavy use of neon in both this film as well as BATMAN FOREVER, which brought Schumacher to the franchise, as well as an over-use of blacklight.The performances range from decent (Michael Gough as Alfred, who, with Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon were the only two actors who stuck around for all four of the original films) to silly (Clooney, who, according to legend did actually play the character of Bruce Wayne as gay) to downright awful (Everyone else...). But they're really only awful if you look at them as three-dimensional characters. This film is a huge cartoon, and like most kids cartoons, the surface of the character is all you get. Also, if you look at the surface, there is literally no reason for this film to be rated PG-13. It has no more violence than you would see in a Bugs Bunny cartoon, it has no profanity, it has no nudity, but the reasoning for that PG-13, other than the obvious marketing ploy to get the kids and their parents in the seats, is as far as the character of Poison Ivy is concerned, as played by Uma Thurman (who obviously saw a few Mae West films in order to find her character), her dialogue is packed with obvious and totally ridiculous double entendres. There's a fairly high amount of sexuality in this film in regards to Ivy, particularly in her character's psuedo-strip tease when her character is first revealed in Gotham's Botanical Garden benefit. There also seems to be an undercurrent of homoeroticism throughout the film with the presence of Poison Ivy to create the rift in the "partnership" of Batman and Robin, as well as Bruce's fiancee Julie Madison (supermodel Elle MacPherson, whose role, while being a nice nod to Bruce's first love in the comics, was little more than a cameo) to offset the old argument of Batman and Robin being, as Dr. Fredric Wertham once put it in his 1950's cryptofacist interpretation of comic books SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT, the "ultimate homosexual fantasy relationship".And then, there's Silverstone as Barbara/Batgirl. The inclusion of the character, again, was more to sell toys and give some fan-service than to give a good reason for the character to exist in this world, but the casting of the character could not have been more moronic. Let me get this straight: Instead of being the daughter of Commissioner Gordon, she's Alfred's niece whose mother is British; she grew up in England AND went to a British boarding school, yet somehow, she's an American teenager. How does that work? But then, if someone was to actually offer a logical explanation for ANYTHING in this film, I'd be either very impressed or very suspicious.So after all this, why do I still rate this film 5 out of 5 stars? Because of everything I've just written. This film is so gloriously excessive, so delirously goofy, so amazingly awful that it seems to me that there is a microscopic element of subversiveness to the whole production. They seemed to want the franchise to die off. Really, how could anyone be expected to turn in wuality work when the whole film is being dictated by the studio suits and the merchandising people?No one involved could seriously have watched this film and said to themselves, "This is some of my best work" and still be considered sane. Schumacher and company went so far off the rails into self-parody and self-destruction that no one could really have seen themselves getting a lot of Hollywood work after this film, which also brings a level of anarchic glee for me. It'd be another few years until Clooney found his breakout role; Schwarzenegger went into politics for some reason; Thurman smartly kept her friendship with Quentin Tarantino alive and still remains a mainstay of independent cinema; O'Donnell is trying to keep some kind of career solvency alive through television and Silverstone is really nowhere to be found. Schumacher continues making films, but they're largely regarded as hacky, and that's not unfounded, but he's still in the business.BATMAN AND ROBIN is really kind of a perfect example of how not to make a Batman film, but still ends up being the most entertaining film of all of the pre-Nolan Batman films. That either speaks volumes about this film, or about its predecessors.

While this is not today's Batman, the throw back style of this movie made it worth the rental price. My daughter and I watched and laughed through the movie. That to me is priceless!

When Bob Kane introduced Batman to the world in 1939, he introduced a dark, brooding vigilante who was just as likely to kill his prey as arrest them. This Dark Knight would last untill the introduction of Robin...In 1940.That's right, Batman's "dark" period lasted about eleven issues, something "purists" seem to forget. Kane and Finger may have created a dark brooding figure, but they sure seem to have enjoyed the more lighthearted Caped Crusader a lot more, seeing that this version of The Dynamic Duo would last through to the 1970's. Even then, when the wonderful Denny O'Neil took the series in a more mature, detective oriented direction, it wouldn't be untill Miller's Dark Knight Returns that the "dark" Batman would be viewed by fans as the "true" Batman.But the simple fact is, there is no "true" Batman. Batman has been interpreted many different ways over the years, each with their own pros and cons. Adam West's Batman is not The Dark Knight's Batman is not The Lego Movie's Batman, yet they are all undeniably Batman. And it must be said that Batman in the comics has spent far more time with bigger than life villans and cheesy puns and one liners than without. This movie doesn't spit on the image of Batman as so many would have you believe, it embraces one of the many views of the Batman, one perhaps sadly neglected in our cynical and jaded times.Frankly, I find the Batman of this and "Forever" to be closest to the source material. Tim Burton's Batman was fun, but also a psyco killer. Nolan's Batman tries too hard to be "realistic", something a man in a bat suit can never fully achieve. Not to mention the fact that the timeline of "Rises" seems to say Bruce was Batman maybe a year and a half total. This I find less forgivable than a Bat-Credit card. In this movie, we have a Batman who's been Gotham's protector for years. The citizens seldom see him, but know he's out there and sleep better for it. The police know they can rely on him (perhaps too much) and criminals fear him. He operates in the shadows, but will come into the limelight when it's in his city's interests. This may not be the gritty Batman of the 90's on, but it is Batman nonetheless. A lighter knight, but as entertaining in his own right despite, or even because of that lightness.It's often reported that director Joel Schumacher would remind the actors "Remember everyone, this is a cartoon." Usually this is given as a sign that the film was doomed to fail. But for most of his history, and clearly the part of Bat history this draws from, Batman WAS a cartoon. A glorious, irreverant and most of all FUN cartoon. I've read comics from the 40's, 50's and 60's, and I can easily see the museum ice skating scene, the rocket surfing escape and even the chairity ball battle taking place there. Even Bruce Wayne's girlfriend in this one is Julie Madison, harking back to the 40's Golden Age comics. Somebody did his homework!If this movie's reputation has kept you away, open your mind and give it a try. If you have not seen it in ages because it wasn't the "real" Batman, take a look at the Dark Knight Detective's long, rich history and give Batman and Robin another chance.

When you watch this film you just need to let go and have fun. It falls into the so bad it's good range, and at the same time reminds me of what would happen in the 1960's T.V. series. It could have been better, but it fits in where the series was going after the first 2 Tim Burton Batman films. Have fun watching it, and a have a laugh as dark and gritty Batman is no here in this film.

I'm not sorry for liking this film. There are some "not so good" parts (c'mon you have to be used to that by now in the 2000's!) but overall not a bad flick. I think I like the comic book "feel" of the movie. After all, these are just comic book characters - shouldn't they be acting like that?? If you don't think so then you and I are worlds apart in how we look at "entertainment". Really love Uma as Poison Ivy and Arnold does a great job as Mr. Freeze (he was actually supposed to play Two-Face in Batman Forever but had to drop out. When the Riddler visits Two-Face in his lair look at the face of the giant relief behind them on the wall - it's Arny!). I believe we sometimes ask too much of our comic book movies - they're not supposed to be Lawrence of Arabia my friends.

I grew up with this film all through my childhood into my early teen years and being that young I loved it.The action sequences looking at them as a 25 year old now are actually rather impressive.I also learned good ol Arnie was paid a very small $25 Million (!!) for his role of Mr Freeze...my goodness that is an extraordinary amount.Uma Thurman as Posion Ivy was a hoot & too some extent a femme fatale for sure.The acting of course was way over the top whilst the dialogue made me chuckle as the connotations implied are naughty to say the least!But I'm giving this a full 5 star rating is based on the many times I enjoyed it whilst forgetting about normal life throughout my childhood...escapist, action-packed & camp superheroics!

OK, there's not a lot I can say about this film that hasn't been said already. It's bad, very, very bad. It is full of garish visuals, hilariously atrocious dialogue, truly terrible acting with a plot that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, but....here's the thing, for two hours of just pure, brainless dumb fun it's great.Batman and Robin fall way short of Batman and Batman Returns and is much worse than Batman Forever, but I can still watch it over and over again. Its my personal film of ''So Bad it's Good.''

Batman and Robin albeit slated by the critics, is actually one of my favourite Batman movies and i really find it thoroughly great fun and entertaining, even funny! Arnold Schwarzenegger puts in a great performance as Mr Victor Freeze, and Uma Thurman did well as Poison Ivy. Its a cool movie for sure, please give it a chance and dont listen to the critics!

Awful movie but a classic at the same time, it has action cheese drama, its Like Hollyoaks/Crossroads if the Batman Tv show was made into a 90s movie. the 4K Blu-ray is flawless as I quality, it a must have for a cult classic collector.

I was delighted with this blu ray/4k.the sound and picture quality on both was excellent.