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For the 1949 serial Batman and Robin, see Batman serials. Batman & Robin, directed by Joel Schumacher, is the fourth installment in the comic book-inspired film series initiated by Tim Burton. Released in 1997, it starred George Clooney in his only appearance 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.
Cast Response The film was neither a critical • 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 • Uma Thurman’s performance in the campy film received mainly mixed reviews, and critics made comparisons between her and actress Mae West. The New York Times wrote about Thurman, A similar comparison was made by the Houston Chronicle: Fans expressed disappointment at the depiction of Bane (played by the late wrestler Jeep Swenson), as a mindless bodyguard for the main villains (as opposed to the calculating and educated genius of the comics). Characters Legacy The impact of this film was multifold. With the possible exception of Arnold Schwarzenegger, all the principal performers involved lost credibility for some time as serious actors. George Clooney has gone so far as to say that he will refund the money of any fan he meets who paid to see the movie. Joel Schumacher found his already tenuous artistic reputation all but ruined, and Warner Bros. was the focus of much derision for producing the film. Alicia Silverstone, already battered by widespread media circulation about her increased body weight, disappeared from the limelight and earned a reputation as a "has been." However, Uma Thurman's career has since rebounded, thanks to roles in Kill Bill and The Producers. 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. 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. Fans of the successful animated television series, , voiced suspicions that the direct-to-video feature Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998) was delayed because of the Schumacher film. They contend that this was due to the fact that the Warner Brothers management knew it was superior to the live-action film and decided to delay it to prevent unfavorable comparisons to a film with greater financial stake. Because of this allegation and the fact that the scenes generally regarded by fans as the best in the film were largely taken from the animated series (the angle of Freeze committing crimes for the sake of saving his wife is straight from Paul Dini and Bruce Timm's show), many Batman fans were convinced that the Animated Series producers should have been responsible for the live action film series. 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), and Batman Begins (2005). Batman & Robin marked the end of the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher era of movies. Likely due to the film's poor reception, no more Batman movies were made for nearly eight years. A new Batman franchise was launched in 2005, with Batman Begins, a much darker film which was both critically and financially successful ($366 million worldwide gross as of 09/04/2005), with no continuity to Burton's and Schumacher's movies or the comics. George Clooney obviously 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 kid-friendly, and, at one point, even a flat-out apology for the entire film. Soundtrack Despite the overwhelming negative publicity the film got, 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. Track listing Trivia Sequel Originally, Joel Schumacher was slated to direct the fifth Batman movie,Batman Triumphant with George Clooney and Chris O'Donnell reprising their roles as the Dynamic Duo, and Howard Stern or Jeff Goldblum slated to play The Scarecrow. Jack Nicholson was to reprise his role as The Joker and both Madonna and Jenny McCarthy were considered to play Harley Quinn, who would make her series debut interestingly enough as The Joker's daughter rather than his lover. When Robin failed at the box office and with critics, Warner Bros. felt that the series was over and canceled the fifth installment. On the 2005 special edition of Robin, Joel Schumacher stated that after two films, he didn't have it in him to make a third Batman movie. On DVD Batman & Robin was given a "bare bones" DVD release when the medium was introduced in 1997-98 with the Main menu featuring a backround batman music and on the dvd special features it featured just Bio about the movie. 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. Features of the second Schumacher film include: See also | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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