Batman & Robin

Gotham City faces a chilling threat when the cryogenically powered Mr. Freeze joins forces with Poison Ivy, a dangerous eco-terrorist with plans of her own. As Batman and Robin struggle with their growing conflict, Bruce Wayne also faces a personal crisis involving Alfred. With Batgirl entering the fight, the heroes must put their differences aside before Freeze and Ivy can destroy Gotham.

Batman & Robin is one of those movies where you can almost hear the studio saying, “Make everything bigger.”

The sets are huge. The costumes are shiny. Gotham is covered in neon. Mr. Freeze has an ice gun, an ice suit, and enough ice jokes to fill a freezer. Then Poison Ivy shows up, Bane starts grunting, and suddenly Gotham feels less like a dark city and more like a giant toy commercial.

George Clooney is fine as Bruce Wayne, but the movie never gives him much room to make Batman feel like a real person. Chris O’Donnell gets more emotional material as Robin, mostly because Robin is tired of being treated like the kid in the room. Their arguments are supposed to give the movie some heart, but a lot of it gets buried under all the noise.

Arnold Schwarzenegger looks like he is having a great time as Mr. Freeze. That’s probably the best way to watch him here. The character has a sad story involving his wife Nora, but the movie keeps throwing jokes at him until the tragedy gets pushed into the background. Some of the ice puns are so bad you start waiting for the next one just to see how much worse it can get.

Uma Thurman goes completely over the top as Poison Ivy, and honestly, that fits this movie better than playing it straight. She knows exactly what kind of movie she’s in. Alicia Silverstone joins the mess as Batgirl, while Michael Gough gives the film some much-needed warmth as Alfred.

Barbara Ling’s production design is probably the thing I remember most. Everything is enormous and colorful. The motorcycles, costumes, buildings, weapons and computer effects all scream 1990s comic book. It looks expensive. It just doesn’t always look like Batman.

The biggest problem is the script. There are too many characters, too many subplots, too many jokes, and not enough room for any of them to breathe. Mr. Freeze wants to freeze Gotham, Poison Ivy wants to wipe out humanity, Batman and Robin are fighting with each other, Alfred is dying, and then Batgirl arrives.

That’s a lot of movie.

Batman & Robin isn’t a good choice if you’re looking for the darker Batman that came later. But if you enjoy ridiculous comic-book movies, old-school camp, or just want to see what happens when a superhero movie throws subtlety out the window, there’s some fun buried under all that neon.

Dr. Victor Fries, a scientist trying to find a cure for his terminally ill wife Nora, is transformed into the cold-dependent villain Mr. Freeze after an accident in his laboratory. Now dependent on a special suit and diamonds to survive, Freeze turns to crime to continue his work.

Batman and Robin eventually come into conflict with Freeze, but their partnership is already becoming strained. Robin is tired of living in Batman’s shadow and starts making decisions on his own.

Meanwhile, scientist Pamela Isley is betrayed and nearly killed by her employer. After being transformed into Poison Ivy, she develops dangerous powers and becomes determined to take revenge on humanity. She joins forces with Bane and eventually breaks Mr. Freeze out of Arkham Asylum.

Ivy uses her powers to manipulate Robin and create more tension between him and Batman. At the same time, Bruce discovers that Alfred is seriously ill with MacGregor’s Syndrome.

Barbara Wilson, Alfred’s niece, arrives at Wayne Manor and eventually discovers the Batcave. After learning Batman and Robin’s secret, she becomes Batgirl and joins them in their fight.

Freeze and Ivy eventually put their plan into motion, threatening Gotham with a massive freeze. Batman, Robin and Batgirl must work together to stop them while Bruce searches for a way to save Alfred.