Batman & Robin (1997)
Last Watch Date - February 22, 2026
Total Times Watched - At least 5, probably more
Comments
George Clooney, THE BEST BATMAN, hates this movie and constantly apologizes for it. I also saw Joel Schumacher apologized for it multiple times. Uma Thurman and Arnold Schwarzenegger, however, did NOT.
Here's the thing with these movies. After watching them all back to back, the actors and their performances really make or break it. The tone isn't really THAT starkly different between them. The music is pretty similar. They're all a bit silly. But in THIS one, you have the best Batman who has the most interesting personality and characteristics. You have Robin played by Chris O'Donnell as a feisty sidekick who adds some pretty decent conflict into the movie outside of strictly "this woman character that Batman wants to bang is making him confused." (Although obviously that exists too). And really Uma Thurman is my favorite Poison Ivy / villain in all of this series. She's super hammy but it really works!
Alicia Silverstone (Batgirl) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (Mr Freeze) are fine enough in their roles, but don't really make me feel good or bad about it.
This movie returns the nipples to the suits, EXCEPT Batgirl which is funny to me. Of all the ones that would've made sense with nipples, they left them off the female. Well, whatever. You get some more Joel Schumacher butt close-ups of Batman and Robin (and eventually Batgirl) too. Also a bunch of crotch shots of Batman and Robin. I'm surprised that stuff made the cut. GET IT, THE CUT? GOOD ONE.
Visually, this movie is VERY similar to the last one. It makes sense because it's Schumacher again and a short two years apart. The villains have similarly inept henchmen, but Freeze and Ivy are infinitely more fun to watch than Two-Face and the Riddler. Oh yeah, Bane is in this one too! But he's mostly quiet. This is much better than whatever they were thinking for the Tom Hardy verison of Bane.
The only real complaints I have about this movie are the cheap strobe effect for Mr Freeze's gun and the slapstick whistles, swoops, and bonks that they played over some of the action. It was still silly without them, but those sound effects moved it into Tom & Jerry territory. So unnecessary.
Recommended?
This is the best one of these movies I think. It's goofy but it's fun. The villains are entertaining. There's hockey!
