Here we have the fourth modern
Batman film, and the one most despised and reviled by fans of the
character. Released in 1997 with high hopes for mega profits by the studio,
Warner Bros., director
Joel Schumacher brought together
Arnold Schwarzenegger as
Mr. Freeze,
Uma Thurman as
Poison Ivy,
Jeep Swenson as
Bane,
George Clooney as
Bruce Wayne/
Batman,
Chris O'Donnell as
Dick Grayson/
Robin, and
Alicia Silverstone as
Barbara Pennyworth/
Batgirl. Do you see already where things began to go wrong?
Some argue that the key to the Batman series is its unique and memorable villains. Most everyone remembers Jack Nicholson's portrayal of The Joker in the first film. Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman held how many young mens' attentions in the theater? Heck, even Danny DeVito as The Penguin was a bit of inspired casting. When casting for Mr. Freeze a number of names were batted around including Patrick Stewart. Can you imagine how glorious Patrick Stewart as Mr. Freeze would have been? Instead we get Arnold Schwarzenegger painted blue with a shaved head. There is no emotion in his performance, nor is there any element of the tragic figure Mr. Freeze is supposed to be. Yes, the character is supposed to be emotionless, but there's a different between emotionless emotion and hammy overacting. And guess who was the second choice for the role? Sylvester Stallone! Uma Thurman had potential as Poison Ivy, but the script flaws her character as her motivations and goals shift throughout the film. First she wants to save the plants, then she wants to freeze everything in ice. George Clooney seems to have been picked for Batman because he had the chin for the costume. Indeed, rumor has it that Joel Schumacher first realized that Clooney would make a good Batman after drawing the famous cowl over his face in an advertisement for From Dusk Till Dawn. Chris O'Donnell does what he can with Robin, but the wedge that the script plops between him and Batman erases any possible entertainment out of this movie. Conflict is done well if it's done right, and when two characters are best known as working together as a team, it's dangerous to split them up so soon after bringing them together. And then there's Alicia Silverstone who seems to be on hand because, as seen in some behind-the-scenes footage, the director had a crush on her. The footage in question can be seen in the Mystery Science Theater 3000 First Annual Blockbuster Review when Schumacher comes too close into Silverstone's comfort zone and proceeds to flirt with her while the poor actress cringes in disgust. These are all talented actors who have given us entertaining productions in other places, but they just weren't right for this movie, in my opinion.
Anyone who's followed the Batman saga in even little doses knows how badly the various characters' storylines were mangled in this film. Batgirl is no longer the daughter of Commissioner Gordon but the niece of Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred Pennyworth. Poison Ivy is murdered and returns from the grave with powers instead of having said powers be a natural occurance. Mr. Freeze is depicted as a fun guy who sings along to Christmas music and wears polar bear slippers. Plus there's the bizarre rendition of Gotham City. Of course this is all fiction, but does the Gotham City seen in this movie even look like a place people would want to live? There's way too many large gothic statues all over the place.
The film was budgeted at $110 million and, surprisingly, recouped by earning $107 million in the USA and $130 million overseas. It racked up another $58 million in video rentals. As far as DVDs sales go, this movie is typically one of the ones on the $9.99 rack or is even given away free with the purchase of a new DVD player. Before the film landed in theaters TBS/TNT paid a massive amount of money for the broadcast rights and now, in an effort to make up some of their losses on their investment, they often show the film several times a month, sometimes two or three times in a single day.
Bottom line: if you're looking for a Batfix spend some time with the first two films, Batman and Batman Returns, and even the animated series. Here's hoping that if they make another Batman movie, they'll get it right.
References:
IMDB entry for the film
Painfully frequent viewings of the film on TBS on those nights when I couldn't sleep
Too much thought into this horrible movie