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List Price: $19.98 | | Label: Warner Home Video
Salesrank: 20539
Released: October 22, 1997 |
| Our Price: $16.80 |
| Used Price: $2.07 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
The Caped Crusader and Robin battle Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy. Uncle Alfred is dying and his niece comes to help and becomes Batgirl.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 21-OCT-1997
Media Type: DVD
Description of Batman & Robin:
Following Val Kilmer's portrayal of the caped crusader in Batman Forever, the fourth Batman feature stars George Clooney under the pointy-eared cowl, with Chris O'Donnell returning as Robin the Boy Wonder. This time the dynamic duo is up against the nefarious Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who is bent on turning the world into an iceberg, and the slyly seductive but highly toxic Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman), who wants to eliminate all animal life and turn the Earth into a gigantic greenhouse. Alicia Silverstone lends a hand as Batgirl, and Elle McPherson plays the thankless role of Batman/Bruce Wayne's fiancée. A sensory assault of dazzling colors, senseless action, and lavish sets run amok, this Batman & Robin offers an overdose of eye candy, but it is strictly for devoted Bat-o-philes. --Jeff Shannon
Batman & Robin Reviews:
Better than "The Dark Knight" and "Batman Begins" COMBINED 
2009-12-15 - I feel this film was far superior to both "The Dark Knight" and "Batman Begins" combined. I honestly don't understand all the negative criticism toward this brilliantly-conceived, spectacularly put together film. Not only was Batman and Alfred and Commissioner Gordon and Robin and Batgirl and Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy in it, but so was Bane.
The director, Joel Schumacher, had entered Hollywood years earlier with dark (too dark for my tastes) hits such as "Falling Down" and "The Lost Boys", but in those films he did not truly meet his potential to tell stories that exist in a more unrealistic, fantastically campy setting.
The first film in which he showed his true potential was with Batman Forever. I remember seeing this in the theater, enjoying Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones dancing around as the Joker and the Joker, respectively, and thinking "this isn't gay enough." Even with the obvious homosexual under- and over-tones of the film, it just didn't go all out like you could tell it wanted to.
It was with Batman & Robin that Joel Schumacher truly made his mark. Taking the campiness of the 60's tv series and "turning it up to 11", Schumacher redefined how far the Batman characters could be twisted and manipulated to fulfill his own ideas of what defines entertainment.
Who could resist Poison Ivy's (played with a gleeful monotone and deliciously decadent innuendo by Uma Thurman!) charms? Her wooden personality would win me over any day of the week!!! Joel Schumacher truly understands what men desire in a woman. And the tension between Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson (Batman and Robin) was palpable!!!!!
Bane was a laugh-riot as the lovable thug who was so dumb he repeated to himself "bomb....bomb....bomb..." with each bomb he was placing for Poison Ivy (near the end of the film). And I love that they worked him in as the stupid thug of Poison Ivy!!! What other purpose could Bane serve in a Batman movie?
Mr. Freeze was a hoot with his puns!!!!!! I can't say enough about him!!!!!
Commissioner Gordon (played ferociously by Pat Hingle) is a stodgy old man (just like in the comics) who is a far better actor than Gary Oldman and shows far more acting range with his limited screen time.
Speaking of noteworthy acting, Alicia Silverstone's scenes had me weeping when I saw this film. I'm a tough, big dude but her performance phycially brought me to tears. WOW!!! They are utterly amazing. Did you know she wasn't even nominated for an Oscar for her role as Barbara Gord-- I mean...Alfred's...niece?
Joel Schumacher is a better director than Christoper Nolan, Steven Spielberg, and Stanley Kubrick combined, and the proof is Batman & Robin.
After a long time...
2009-11-28 - I watched this movie today...after not having seen it for MANY years.
I thought it was a fun way to spend a few hours. George Clooney looks GREAT..and that is enough for me!
The most horrible movie I've ever seen... 
2009-10-25 - Oh dear God. For something that started out so very promising, this series took one hell of a tumble with this dreck. I sat in the theater staring at the screen in complete disbelief as a game of ice hockey with "Mithtah Fweeze" and his goons - and Batman and Robin trying some seriously stupid quips as ice blades shoot out of their feet - and it just got worse from there.
George Clooney's constant head bobbles just do not work in the BatSuit, and Chris O'Donnell is possibly the most annoying teenage dork since Revenge of the Nerds. Alicia Silverstone's soliloquy to Poison Ivy about "chicks like you give women a bad name" is some big-time hypocrisy, as we were treated to her butt cleavage and breastplate closeups that have become the hallmark of Joel Schumacher. Uma Thurman I won't even discuss because her portrayal just makes me throw up in my mouth. And Arnold Schwartzeneggar...shame on you. What a hideous, ludicrous portrayal, Mr. White Christmas/Mr. Snow.
Bad acting, bad lines, bad everything. Don't even bother. Utter garbage.
Camp 
2009-10-15 - After the success of Batman Forever (why that one wasn't called Batman & Robin I'll never know) the studio gave Schumacher the go-ahead for a fourth film. Tim Burton is no longer involved so any elements of dark, emotion driven characters are gone. Instead we get over the top acting and characterizations. While the backstory of Mr. Freeze is pretty much taken from the comics who got it from B:TAS classic episode Heart of Ice (even the whole scene of him carving his wife out of ice and making a snow globe is lifted from that episode's last moment) and Poison Ivy being a semi eco-terrorist (again taken from the animated series), the way they're played is off. Freeze is supposed to have no emotion except towards his wife, the idea being that after his accident, all emotion has been "frozen" within him. Schwarzenegger plays him like he was played back in the sixties, with ice puns abound. Though I will give him credit, when he talks about wanting to save his wife, I can believe it. Thurman is downright horrible as Poison Ivy! She has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, though whoever did her costumes I congratulate (though the hairstyles are abysmal). Bane gets no justice here at all. While the other two had some elements taken from their animated counterparts, he is ignored. Instead of the super-genius muscleman from his debut in the comics (including breaking out almost every super-villain out of Arkham AND deducing the Bat-Cave's location and Batman's secret identity) he is merely played as an idiot who can only speak in one word sentences. Now on to the heroes; Chris O'Donnell is his usual winy self as Robin. George Clooney is a joke as Batman (how can you go from younger actors (Keaton and Kilmer) to a guy with gray hair, it makes Batman look old). Clooney's admitted this film was a bomb (this was also before Clooney became an over-rated movie "star"). Alicia Silverstone's Batgirl is not the daughter of Commissioner Gordon (who has hardly featured in any of the films) but is instead Alfred's niece from London (though an accent can't be found) and her interpretation is again horrible. Michael Gough's Alfred is the only redeeming quality. And Mr. Elliot Goldenthal provides another poor score (pretty much tracking all the music for the previous film for this). This review's two stars are only for my love of Batman and the fact that the animated series has had this much impact on the comics and films.
Batman & Robin: A Short Review
2009-10-10 - I know this particular Batman movie was an attempt to make the francise more fun, and perhaps aim more towards children. Unfortunatley, the approach was extremely corny and brain-numbing. This is probably one of worst movies ever made. I have a very open mind, and like a lot of movies that some people don't like at all, however even i could not like this one even a little bit. I watched it twice and that was enough. Some examples of why: Arnold Schwarzenegger is completely misused and underused and given some of the most corny lines and dialoge. Mr. Freeze and Batman could of had some very good scence's together if it was done right, however they were wasted. Nipples on the hero suits? Why? George Clooney as Batman? What the hell happened to the Batmobile? George must have done it for the paycheck. I like all these actors, and their talents were completely wasted here. I also think this movie hurt Chris O'Donnell's career, for a while.
Luckily, Warner Bros. decided to give the francise a rest for a while and restart with Batman Begins, and then The Dark Knight. Which are both incredible improvements over this. Anyway, this is a movie you have to watch for free somehow, in order to judge weather you want to purchase it or not. It's your call.......
