Batman & Robin (1997) Review

Title: Batman & Robin
Year: 1997
Director: Joel Schumaker
Country: US
Language: English

Near the end of his wrestling career, Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura defied Vince McMahon's wishes and starred alongside California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator (1987). In that film, Ventura had "no time to bleed."  This movie would spark a lifelong friendship, and a collaboration that would span to more films; The Running Man (1987) and, perhaps less notably due to the part being a small cameo, Batman & Robin.(1997).    

Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) wants to cool the Earth. Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) wants to make the world more green. These are the terrible forces that Barman (George Clooney) and Robin (Chris O'Donnell) must stop.  

Joyless nerds have ranked this is "the worst comic book movie ever made" and while it's no...uh... (*thinks of a comic book movie that can be taken as serious art) Black Panther? I feel that this campy, goofy as all hell movie IS  a fun, worthwhile watch. There aren't many films with this cartoon-meets goth- visuals and it's fun to see the villains represented by their set design. Mr.Freeze has a palace that looks like a snowglobe, Poison Ivy looks like she came off the set of Little Shop of Horrors. 

Audiences often complain about the amount of puns in Batman & Robin, neglecting to point our that Marvel movies do the same thing with varying degrees of success. I'd rather have Mr.Freeze tell me it's "ice to meet you" than sit through whatever Thor's dialogue was in Endgame.  No comic book movie will get an Oscar for its screenplay. Batman & Robin is compelling because it's a visual & audible spectacle, even though many scenes (such as Batman fighting hockey goons) can be the movie equivalent of a train crash. 

"What killed the dinosaurs?"
"The ICE age!"

Alright everyone, chill. Batman & Robin is far from being the ideal Batman movie, but if we view it as a descendant of the silly 1960's Adam West show, rather than the more serious version of the caped crusader then perhaps we can find more enjoyment out of it. I was 6 when this film was released and boy, did Uma Thurman's depiction of Poison Ivy leave an impression on me.