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Batman & Robin

Batman & Robin

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $17.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Disgraceful, shameful, very not good!
Review: This movie is absolutely DISGUSTING. It seeks to turn what was once the powerful Dynamic Duo that would instill fear into the hearts of villians into the Batman and Robin comedy hour, with the not-action-star George Clooney playing Batman and Chris O'Donnell returning as Robin.
Coming out on the heels of Batman Forever, which was rather impressive, I expected it to be great what with the prestigious cast. But, after repeated viewings, I absolutely despise this movie.
First of all, George Clooney makes a horrible Batman/Bruce Wayne. Let me explain something here; Bruce Wayne is not a normal person. He is a crazy guy who dresses up as a bat and beats up bad people. He is not a comedian and he is not a cheerful guy; he has a dark edge, and George Clooney cannot convey dark edge in this movie.
Second of all, Batman and Robin seem to be assuming soap opera role, what with their irritating "Why can't you trust me?" [stuff], and Robin eventually becomes stupid with his, "I don't need you, man!" dramatic acting.
Third complaint: Puns puns puns! The very harmless-looking Mr. Freeze, played by the goofy Arnold Schwartzenegger, shells out MORE than his fair share of ice puns, which not only lessen my enjoyment of the movie but give me the urge to shove a pencil in my eye.
Fourth complaint: The atmosphere. How can you take this movie seriously? Everybody is acting goofy; the darkness present in the classic first one is no more. This movie is a joke. The plot is ridiculous. Poision Ivy seeks to protect the environment while Mr. Freeze seeks to freeze the world... and these two form a partnership... makes sense, doesn't it?
Do yourself a favor; don't watch this movie.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Joel Schumacher was thinking with the wrong head . . .
Review: I bought this film on dvd ... I had seen it in its original release in theaters, and was VERY (to put it mildly) disappointed - actually, more like disgusted - with what Schumacher and WB did to the Batman franchise. I didn't like "Batman Forever" -- Jim Carrey's hammy overacting worked my nerves to the bone -- and now wonder why each of the Batman films has been worse than the one before it. I had only bought this one because there are about ten minutes of it that I DO enjoy watching, mostly scenes from the beginning with Uma Thurman.

"Batman and Robin" revolves around Mr. Freeze (Arnie) and Poison Ivy (Uma, in a campy performance that, I must admit, gets more watchable each time I put the movie on) and their plot to turn Gotham City into an icy morgue. Evidently Freeze is ticked because his wife if cryogenically frozen with Stage Four MacGregor's Syndrome and he needs to find a cure - he's stealing diamonds to power his freeze-suit and to put toward a power source to help his wife, and The Caped Crusaders are cramping his style. Poison Ivy just wants mankind to stop killing Mother Earth, and plots a scheme in Gotham City to have the flora and fauna take back what's rightfully theirs.

Okay, so first question: If Freeze intends to FREEZE Gotham City/the planet, how the heck can Poison Ivy's plants survive?!??!?! And how can Poison Ivy's plants take over the earth if the earth if frozen?!?! There is NO reason for these two "Super-Villains" to be working together!!! DUH!!

Second question: Since when is Fatgirl - oops, I mean Batgirl - since when is she Alfred the butler's niece?! My stomach was already turning by the time this plot point reared its ugly head - when it did, I wanted to gag. Also, Alfred has been harboring a secret throughout the entire movie - he is ill! Furthermore, he has Stage One MacGregor's Syndrome! Eek! Oh, wait - COINCIDENTALLY ENOUGH, that is what Freeze's wife has, but she's in stage four -- do I smell a HUGE and contrived plot point here??

Well, beware, because the movie is full of them.

But what got to me most during this live action cartoon with its badly-edited fight scenes, hammy acting, and poorly-written and flat jokes, was Joel Schumacher's libido. Between the close-ups of the anatomically-correct Batsuits, complete with nipples and firm butts and ripped abs, we as the audience are also subjected to quite possibly the horniest vision of Gotham City ever to be put on film. Semi-nude, well-chiseled and ripped male statuary seems to abound in Gotham City, so much so one would think there wasn't a straight male in the entire town. Even the Batmobile, destroyed in the previous "Batman Forever," is turned into a phallic symbol within the first 5 minutes of the film --

No wonder Robin claims "Chicks dig the car." I'll bet Schumacher took a ride or two in it himself.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Make it Stop! MAKE IT STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (zero stars)
Review: ............NOOOOOOOOO!!!! This series even further demises than before!! This could be the worst movie I have ever seen. Wow. Talk about COMPLETLEY losing all of the edge, the darkness, and the evil that was found in the first two films. I'd rather watch "Pearl Harbor" five times in a row...

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Holy Megaton Bomb,Batman!
Review: In one of the worst comic book adaptations in recent memory,director Joel Schcmacher effectively destroyed the Batman francise,caused a slump in sales of Batman comic books,and CDN.The film is so horrible,it made the direct-to-video Marvel films(The Punisher,Captain America)look like genius in comparison.The film is so cheesily contrived,it made Howard The Duck look like Star Wars.The film's dialogue is so bad it makes Jean Claude Van Damme's dialogue look like it was written by Quentin Tarantino.But enough venting.Here is exactly what's wrong with this film. 1:The characters.Tim Burton's Batman(1989)and Batman Returns(1992)each featured a manageable three core characters(Batman,Joker,Vicky Vale,and Batman,Catwoman,Penguin,respectivly).Batman Forever(1995)had five(Batman,Robin,Riddler,Two-Face,Chase Meridian).B&R had the most(Batman,Robin,Batgirl,Mr. Freeze,Poison Ivy,Bane,Alfred,Julie Madison).While some film franchises do succesfully add characters(Star Wars,for one)it is due to the fact that the characters are familiar.With all of these characters venting their excess baggage,it's impossible to get any feel for the characters. Which brings me to... 2:Faithfulness to the source medium.Bane was supposed to be the most deadly Batman villan of all,paralyzing Batman from the waist and temporarily ending his crime fighting career.Instead of being Batman's intellectual and physical superior,he is reduced to a monosyllabic buffoon in the movie,who's dialogue consists of "bomb...bomb...bomb"(or,pehaps he was referring to the box-office totals).Batgirl was supposed to be Commissioner Gordon's daughter,who originally wore the costume for a Halloween party.Here,she's Alfred's niece who becomes Batgirl after finding a CD-Rom with the Batman secrets on it.Don't even mention the fact that Bane uses the "Super Soldier Serum"(does the name "Captain America" ring a bell?)! 3:Overall tone.Apart from the characters,the film has nothing to do with the current issues of Batman being put out or the first two films.Gone is the dark,gothic tones of the comics and the Burton movies,replaced by the gaudy,campy tone of the 1960's TV show with Adam West.Both Shumacher and WB failed to realize that comic books have since grown up,and so has the moviegoing public. 4:Dialogue.Instead of intelligent speech,we're subjected to stupid one-liners:"Let's kick some ice!","How about slippery when wet?","Stay cool,birdboy!""Kill the heroes!","It's the hockey team from hell!"An Adam Sandler movie has smarter dialogue than that! 5:Action sequences.Schwarzenegger and Clooney were given thirty pound costumes that severly resticted their movement and made fight scenes virtually impossible.So,in lieu of real fight chorerograghy,the audience is given quick editing to give the illusion of a fast and furious fist fight.NOT!Sloppy editing is no substitute for real fight choreograghy. 6:"Humor".Batman flashes his credit card and says,"Never leave the cave without it!".Robin repeats a line from the previous film,"Chicks dig the car!".Mr. Freeze gives Batman a cure for a disease and says,"Take two and call me in the morning".Batgirl finds Batman's secrets,to which Robin comments,"I guess were going to have to kill her".This was intended to be humorous,I merely groaned.The two times I laughed was when Dr.Fries(played by Arnold Schwarzenegger)falls off a ledge into a liquid vat and screaming on the way down,and when Batgirl(played by Alicia Silverstone)starts fighting with Poison Ivy(by Uma Thurman).Unfortunately,I don't think those was intended to be funny. 7: Marketability over substance.Sure enough,the film cost over $120 million to make,much was used to pay the big named actors astronomical salaries.It had a hot soundtrack with tunes by the then-big thing Smashing Pumpkins.It had Happy Meal plug-ins,a theme-park ride, and a bunch of t-shirts to be made from.But with that much money,they could have made a much better movie. 8:The gratuious crotch,rear,and breast shots.There are two unnecessary sequences where Batman and Robin(at the beginning)and Batgirl(near the end) are getting into costume.The camara focuses on butts,crotches and breasts caused me to STOP enjoying the film.As soon as I saw Chris O'Donnell's and George Clooney's vinyl covered butts on screen,I felt the need to run away screaming from the theatre.Unfortunatly,I would have had no way of getting home if I did(was with family at the time).Surely enough,I was not the only one who felt this way,as poor reviews and suicidal word of mouth promptly sunk this film's box-office grosses,causing it to barely recoup its budget and marketing costs,and causing WB to consider dumping the franchise.Later on,Joel Schumacher would go on to blame the movie's box-office failure on the "unpoliced internet" and on the die-hard comic book fans who didn't embrace the lack of faithfulness to the original source medium.George Clooney would later blame himself for the destruction of the Bat-franchise.Judging on who the two lead players of the movie choose to lay blame,the one the audience can lay blame on is obvious.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: awesome movie
Review: this movie is very cool. It has a lot of action scenes a good storyline, and great special effects. They portray batman as a cool guy which he is and the actors did a good job. All in all, this is the best batman movie since batman forever and the best super hero movie next to spider-man.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Holy Dud, Batman!
Review: For now, anyway, the Batman movie franchise is dead, and this movie is what killed it. So let's all bow our head and pay our respects to the death of Batman with a moment of silence...

Okay, that's enough. After wasting over 2 hours on this movie, I would rather not give it any more time than it deserves.

It would be impossible to fit in this review everything that was wrong with this movie, so I will just hit on the worst of the worst instead.

George Clooney as Batman?????? No offense to Mr. Clooney because I do believe that he is a good actor, but only in certain roles. Unfortunately, the role of Batman was not for him. He made a great Bruce Wayne in my opinion (maybe the best of the three actors), but he wasn't able to make Batman as dark as he needed to be. Mr. Clooney's coyness shone through the costume too much for us to believe it.

Too many new characters: In this movie, we meet Bane, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, Batgirl, and the mad scientist who created Bane. This was way too many new characters for us to take in. Unfortunately, it came at the cost of developing Alicia Siverstone's characters of Barbara and Batgirl.

Terrible special effects: The two special effects voted the worst in my book were (1) the fire that Poison Ivy sets in the Brazilian laboratory were she was killed and reborn, and (2) the scene where Robin is struggling to free himself from vines underwater. This second one was just plain sloppy on the movie's part. At one point during the scene, Robin comes up for a breath and goes back under. The problem is, you can see that his going back underwater is only a reversal of the footage of him coming up out of the water for a breath. And even the footage of him coming up out of the water at that point was the exact same footage of his second coming out of the water at the end of his struggle. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.

Since I am a firm believer of trying to always say something good about a film, I will use these words to praise Chris O'Donnell (Dick/Robin) and Alicia Silverston (Barbara/Batgirl). Of all the actors and acting in the movie, these two were the most fun to watch and the only reason this movie didn't get a one star rating from me.

Maybe the franchise isn't dead after all. If we can just convince them to make a Batgirl & Robin movie, people just might be willing to watch it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not as bad as I remembered
Review: I recently purchased Batman Returns to finish out my collection and while I was at it, decided to watch all the Batman movies again. When I saw Batman and Robin in the theaters in '97, I thought it was terrible and that Clooney killed the franchise. Actually, while this movie has its laughable and ridiculous parts, it really wasn't that bad. Clooney was better than Val Kilmer. Put it this way, I'd rather watch Doug Ross play Batman than Iceman.

Really, what killed the franchise was what ends everything else, success. The effort to outdo each installment led to increasingly ridiculous plots and casting, which eventually turns an audience off. Chris O'Donnell and Alicia Silverstone are two examples of lousy casting and worse acting. Plotlines such as riding a rocket 30,000 feet into the air and then falling back into Gotham with just your cape are not only ridiculous, they're stupid; as is freezing an entire city and then thawing it in 60 seconds.

Still, Uma Thurman is the best villain since Jack Nicholson's Joker and well, Arnold is Arnold even if Mr Freeze is just Arnold in make-up. Alfred is also every bit as endearing as Q is to James Bond. While B&R was no blockbuster, and Clooney was no Keaton, it's not a bad way to pass two hours on a rainy day.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: It should be illegal to make movies as bad as this one
Review: ...other[s] ...have blasted this movie for the pile of dung that it is [and] everything that's wrong with it ...

However, I would like to bring one quote from this movie to the attention of anyone who's thinking about watching or even worse, purchasing it. When Mr. Freeze apparently has a change of heart at the end of the movie, his last words to Batman are: "Take two of these and call me in the morning." And Schwarzenegger's Austrian accent makes it even more laughable, mind you.

Now, if you're still interested in seeing a movie with a script that a 10-year old child could have come up with, make sure you wear a disguise when you go rent/purchase it.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Holy Smokes, Batman! This film is a BUST!
Review: Joel Schumacher, a painfully average director with a dubious track record (St. Elmo's Fire, Flatliners, A Time to Kill, and Flawless), siphons the dark edge Tim Burton brought to the first two Batman films. While the first two movies recall the darkness of the original comic book, Shumacher's Batman films recall the campiness of the 1966 TV series, and that's not a good thing. In addition to the wooden performances, "Batman and Robin" is jam-packed with an overly busy plot. There was so much going on in this movie I went dizzy. It takes no psychic to figure where this review is heading: "Batman and Robin" is a bloated mess that should be avoided.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Freezing Entertainment!
Review: "Hell hath frozen over Gotham City!" The fourth entry in the 'Batman' franchise is chic, quick and furious. Warner Bros. Pictures have brought together the most endowed cast for the best 'Batman' movie ever. It was brilliant how Batman and Robin played ice hockey with a diamond. YES! Mr. Freeze (Schwarzenegger) is a true divinty force in this monumental motion picture. I don't know how many times I have to say that! George Clooney is stiff, but stylish and Chris O'Donnell is pure dim-witted as the slow sidekick who just needs to leave the city! Uma Thurman was perfect as the infuriating Poison Ivy. I don't even want to talk about Alicia Silverstone. I was rapturous when Mr. Freeze froze Gotham City, the people on the streets and the dog urinating on a fire hydrant. YES! Schwarzenegger is a messiah.


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