I Watch Films: Batman And Robin

 

Batman and Robin

New supervillain Mr Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is terrorising Gotham with ice powers and bad puns. He needs diamonds to power his freeze suit; a cryogenic accident means he has to keep his body temperature low; and also he wants to fund his research to save his cryogenically frozen wife who has Macgregor’s Syndrome. Batman (George Clooney) and Robin (Chris O’Donnell) fight him, but he gets away after freezing Robin, who is too impetuous and Batman must save him before 11 minutes are up.

Meanwhile in a Wayne Enterprises laboratory in South America Pamela Isley (Uma Thurman) discovers her boss is using her plant research to make a super soldier serum called Venom, and uses it on a murderer to create the huge super-strong Bane. When the boss tries to kill her she returns to life as the plant-aspected Poison Ivy, kills him with a kiss, and travels to Gotham City with Bane, intending to use Bruce Wayne’s money to continue her research, which now focuses on making plants able to defend themselves from humans.

At Wayne Manor (Bruce Wayne is Batman; his ward Dick Grayson is Robin) Barbara Wilson (Alicia Silverstone), the niece of Bruce’s butler Alfred comes for a visit after being thrown out of Oxbridge College in England. Alfred has Macgregor’s Syndrome and will die of it, something he has kept from Bruce and Dick. Bruce and Dick keep their vigilante activity from Barbara; meanwhile she goes out at night to take part in illegal street racing, intending to raise money for Alfred’s cure.

Bruce goes to Gotham Observatory where he’s sponsored a new telescope; he’s accompanied by his girlfriend Julie Madison (Elle MacPherson). There he’s confronted by Poison Ivy with a proposal to help the environment, which he turns down due to it essentially destroying the human race. As various secrets come out, Julie confronts Bruce with the fact he’s not serious about their relationship (Bruce likes to lurk around Wayne Manor dressed in all black, telling Dick to be less impetuous, and brooding over giving up being Batman). They come up with a plan to put the Wayne Family Jewels on display at a charity ball to draw Mr Freeze out.

Poison Ivy crashes the charity ball, putting Batman and Robin at odds with her love pheromones. When Mr Freeze attacks it turns out he’s immune (a cold heart); he’s captured and taken to Arkham Asylum. While Dick confronts Barbara, Alfred’s illness comes to light, and Dick and Bruce argue, Poison Ivy breaks Mr Freeze out, the two coming up with a complicated plan to use the observatory to create a polar ice cap in Gotham*. With Barbara joining as Batgirl the Dynamic Trio go to try and stop them.

I said complicated, and that’s this film, with lots of bits and pieces being put in – shoved in – between the big action setpieces. The neon-drenched Gotham of Batman Forever is even brighter here. Meanwhile Wayne Manor, Bruce, and the Batcave even darker, more shadowy. Bruce is having the same doubts as in Batman Forever – should he retire, should he stop Dick from crime-fighting. And in the end he's sending both him and Barbara to college – but also letting them fight crime. Meanwhile the noble Mr Freeze causing mayhem for his wife is misunderstood, and the crazed Poison Ivy deserves punishment for her lust pheromones and poison kisses – which she’s doing after being betrayed and killed. Double standards maybe?

Also Bane is here.

Watch This: Lot of amazing action, some great looking scenes
Don’t Watch This: Superheroes and villains doing a zany and weird dance

* Mr Freeze wrongly believes that his wife Nora has been killed when Batman raided his secret base; in fact this was Poison Ivy trying to get rid of a rival; and in fact in fact this was stopped and Nora's still frozen. Anyway he wants revenge; Poison Ivy thinks that after wiping out humanity with an ice age her mutant plants will be able to colonise the world when the glaciers retreat.