Batman & Robin: Freeze Adds Warmth but Poison Ivy Irritates
Somewhere in the middle of the movie, Bruce Wayne reflects on his firm need for control and asks his longtime-faithful friend and servant, Alfred, for his opinion. Alfred's response is an apt one. "What is Batman if not an attempt to master the chaos that surrounds us." However, while the Dark Knight has the ability to master his own destiny, Joel Schumacher, the director of this and the last Batman movie (Batman Forever) doesn't really have the talent to master the amount of chaos that runs rampant through this latest movie featuring the caped crusader.
What we get is an offering filled with ingredients that don't necessarily compliment each other or ingredients that get completely lost in the mix. And that's too bad, because the movie begins with a terrific punch as we are introduced to two developing story lines. One is the emergence of Batman's latest superfoe, Mr Freeze, played by the imposing Arnold Schwarzenegger. His story is actually quite poignant - as a leading scientist, he has cryogenically frozen his wife who suffers from a rare disease for which there is no known cure. While trying to discover a cure, he accidentally falls into a vat of cryogenic fluid. His body mutates and now he can only survive in extremely cold temperatures. He wears a cold suit, wields an ice ray gun and must steal diamonds to not only power his suit but to complete his superweapon for reasons that are equally nefarious as they are noble. And, we also begin to see Robin's desire for more respect, more trust, and more equality in the crimefighting partnership. Perhaps a Robin signal would do? This simmering rift between the two crimefighters evolves into an interesting look into their partnership. Unfortunately, it is one of 8 different storylines…which is about 5 too many.
For example, there is also a warm piece centered on Alfred's deteriorating health, the comeuppance of Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone), the creation of another foe in the form of Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman), and Bruce Waynes's road towards possible marriage. It gets very difficult to filter out all of these stories because there is so much to explore that not enough time could be adequately given to the stories that could have made this the best of the Batman movies. There is a veritable buffet of stories and sub-plots. Additionally, we are treated to stunning visual effects and gorgeous set pieces. The gargoyles that overlook Gotham City, the menacing shadows that tease the streets below, and the stunning architecture are incredible. Those cool set pieces could go head-to-head with those in Blade Runner or the 5th Element. However, they tend to distract us from the really good stuff.
Personally, I would have preferred Mr. Freeze as the lone villain and more time devoted to Batman v. Robin instead of Batman & Robin. Also, giving more screen time to Alfred was a good move. These are the stories that could've really carried the movie. If you haven't seen it yet, but decide to, these stories are the ones that you should try to concentrate on. You can filter out the rest. Surprisingly, the alluringly kinky Poison Ivy didn't do that much to "bud" my interest as Mr. Freeze's partner in crime - she just seemed out of the mix.
Clooney makes a fine Bruce Wayne (better than Val Kilmer), who not only looks great in the Batsuit, but also possesses some depth. Ah-nold and Uma Thurman also seem to relish their roles. Chris O'Donnell (Robin) is as perky as ever, and Michael Gough (Alfred) is reliably good as Wayne Manor's caretaker. However, I was not particularly taken either way with the inclusion of Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl.
After the strong start, things start to get bogged down as all of the story lines come into play. It becomes a jungle of underdeveloped or semi-developed plots. But there is sufficient action to keep us interested in the conclusions and lots of eye candy to keep us visually stimulated. Additionally, a fairly strong ending helps to rescue this movie from becoming a frozen wasteland. Ah…style over substance ˜ a common dilemma for summer movies. But, if your idea of a good time in summer is simply to see a movie that moves, has lots and lots of combat toys and swirling action, then Batman & Robin will help you in your crusade.
Grade: B-
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews