[singlepic=987] Batman and Robin Release Date: June 20, 1997 Director: Joel Schumacher Writers: Bob Kane (Batman characters), Akiva Goldsman Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney and Chris O’Donnell MPAA Rating: PG-13 HoboTrashcan’s Rating:

It’s hard to believe this movie actually got made.

When you consider the amount of time spent making this film and the amount of people who were involved in it, it is really quite baffling. Someone had to write the script (namely Akiva Goldsman). That script undoubtedly had to be approved by the higher ups at Warner Bros. Then actors had to be cast, costumes and sets had to be designed, an entire production crew assembled and at no point did anyone stop and say, “Are we really making this movie? This movie?”

Batman and Robin killed a franchise. After the three previous, highly lucrative films, this terrible movie soured everyone on continuing that Batman series. It took eight years and the expert guidance of Christopher Nolan to set the ship right again after this train wreck.

For reasons unbeknownst to me, Joel Schumacher took over a franchise that Tim Burton had established as gritty and Gothic and turned it into a neon version of the Adam West Batman series. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Mr. Freeze, a scientist who is supposedly broken up about his sick, frozen wife, but who spends the whole movie stealing diamonds for an ice death ray and rattling off horrible one-liners like “Ice to meet you.” George Clooney, who plays Bruce Wayne/Batman, clearly checked out of this film early on in the process and seems to just be going through the motions with every unenthusiastic line delivery. Uma Thurman, who plays Poison Ivy, seems to think the film takes place in the 1940s – at least that’s the only explanation for her bizarre accent throughout the film. Alicia Silverstone, who plays Batgirl, quickly reminds you in this film why you haven’t heard the name Alicia Silverstone in 15 years.