Batman & Robin (1997) Movie Review

Batman & Robin is a 1997 American superhero film based on the DC Comics characters Batman and Robin.

It is the sequel to the 1995 film Batman Forever, the fourth and final installment of Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series. The film was directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Akiva Goldsman.

The film stars George Clooney replacing Val Kilmer as Bruce Wayne/Batman while Chris O'Donnell reprise his role as Dick Grayson/Robin alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Uma Thurman, Alicia Silverstone, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, and Elle Macpherson.

The film tells the story of Batman and Robin as they attempt to prevent Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy from freezing all mankind to death and repopulating the earth with mutant plants, while at the same time struggling to keep their partnership together.

It is also to date the only live-action film appearance of Batgirl, portrayed by Alicia Silverstone, who helps the titular characters fight the villains.

Warner Bros. fast-tracked development for Batman & Robin following the box office success of Batman Forever. Schumacher and Goldsman conceived the storyline during pre-production on A Time to Kill, while Kilmer decided not to reprise his role over scheduling conflicts with The Saint.

Schumacher had a strong interest in casting William Baldwin in Kilmer's place before George Clooney won the role.

Principal photography began in September 1996 and finished in January 1997, two weeks ahead of the shooting schedule.

Batman & Robin premiered in Los Angeles on June 12, 1997, and went into general release on June 20.

Making $238.2 million worldwide against a production budget of $160 million, the film was a critical failure and often ranks among the worst films of all time.

It is also the lowest-grossing live-action Batman film to date. Due to the film's poor reception, Warner Bros. cancelled a sequel, Batman Unchained, and rebooted the film series with Batman Begins in 2005.

One of the songs recorded for the film, "The End Is the Beginning Is the End" by The Smashing Pumpkins, won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards.

After Batman & Robin’s overwhelmingly negative reception, the cast & crew (most notably Clooney & Schumacher) would frequently disown and apologise for the film over the course of years since its release.