Synopsis of Movie

“You must be new here. In Gotham city, Batman and Robin protect us ... even from plants and flowers!”

If Batman Forever was a bit lighter than its two predecessors, then Batman & Robin was practically on helium. Director Joel Schumacher and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman took this fourth installment into campy overdrive, looking much more like the 1960’s Batman TV series than the Tim Burton film of eight years past.

Chris O’Donnell made a return appearance as Robin, as did Michael Gough as butler Alfred and Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon (two of the only constants over the four-film series), but once again the face beneath the Bat-mask had changed. George Clooney was the man tapped to fill the Batsuit, but top billing again went to the bad guy—Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze. Adding even more to the mix, the film threw in Uma Thurman as the seductive Poison Ivy and Alicia Silverstone as the third member of the Bat trinity, Batgirl.

As always, things get off to a flashy start with a crime-in-progress. This time, Mr. Freeze—formerly scientist Dr. Victor Fries, he now needs to keep his body at sub-zero temperatures in order to survive—is after Gotham’s diamonds, which he needs to power his gigantic freeze ray. As it turns out, Freeze’s wife is stuck in a frozen limbo, and the only way the loving couple can be reunited is by freezing the globe. Batman and Robin battle Freeze and his hockey-playing goons, but the baddie escapes in a giant rocket.

Down in South America, mousy botanist Dr. Pamela Isley has a lab accident that turns her into the half-human, half-plant Poison Ivy. The sultry Ivy has a perfume that makes her irresistible to men, but her lips are deadly poison. When Ivy makes her Gotham debut, Batman and Robin are both smitten with her, which cranks up the already-thick rivalry between them. Ivy, meanwhile, teams up with Mr. Freeze, hoping to use him to wipe out the human race, making the world ripe for a plant takeover.

Back at Wayne manor, Alfred is starting to get gravely ill, and his niece Barbara comes to help out. Barbara is a feisty rebel, and her late-night motorcycle jaunts are a turn-on for Robin/Dick Grayson. When Barbara learns the Wayne family secret, she demands to join the club as well, donning a cape and mask as Batgirl. Together, the Bat family take on the forces of frost and flora, culminating in a cold war at the Gotham Observatory.

With so many major characters (and we didn’t even mention Bruce’s fiancée Julie Madison or the pumped-up villain Bane), there was ample room for confusion in Batman & Robin. Still, the movie delivered what the kids wanted—lots of colorful action, spiced up with jokey one-liners (“Chill!,” says Freeze). Batman & Robin may have been the least successful of the four Bat-films, but it was still an international hit.

Warner Bros. put the franchise on hold after this entry, regrouping before any plans for a fifth installment were finalized. Meanwhile, the various Batman animated series continued to delight cartoon fans, proving that the Dark Knight himself remains as popular as ever.

Movie Release History

1989 - Batman
1992 - Batman Returns
1995 - Batman Forever
1997 - Batman & Robin

Movie Sub Categories

live-action
sci-fi/fantasy
action/adventure
comedy

Movie Studio

Warner Bros.

Cast

Mr. Freeze/Dr. Victor Fries  Arnold Schwarzenegger
Batman/Bruce Wayne  George Clooney
Dick Grayson/Robin   Chris O'Donnell
Poison Ivy/Dr. Pamela Isley   Uma Thurman
Batgirl/Barbara Wilson   Alicia Silverstone
Alfred Pennyworth   Michael Gough
Commissioner Gordon   Pat Hingle
Dr. Jason Woodrue   John Glover
Elle Macpherson   Julie Madison
Ms. B. Haven  Vivica A. Fox
Nora Fries Vendela K. Thommesen
Gossip Gerty   Elizabeth Sanders
Bane   Jeep Swenson
Aztec Museum Guard  John Fink
Antonio Diego   Michael Reid MacKay
Young Bruce Wayne Eric Lloyd
Young Alfred  Jon Simmons
1st Snowy Cones Thug   Christian Boeving
2nd Snowy Cones Thug   Stogie Kenyatta
3rd Snowy Cones Thug  Andy LaCombe
Frosty   Joe Sabatino
Observatory Scientist   Michael Paul Chan
Observatory Associate  Kimberly Scott
Observatory Reporter  Jay Luchs
Observatory Reporter   Roger Nehls
Observatory Press   Anthony E. Cantrell
Observatory Guard   Alex Daniels
Observatory Guard   Peter Navy Tuiasosopo
MC   Harry Van Gorkum
Debutante   Sandra Taylor
Debutante   Elizabeth Guber
Party Guest  Jack Betts
Party Guest  Marc Glimcher
Party Guest  Mark Leahy
Party Guest   Jim McMullan
Senator Patrick Leahy  . Himself
Arkham Asylum Guard   Jesse Ventura
Arkham Asylum Guard Ralf Moeller
Golum   Doug Hutchison
Motorcycle Gang Member   Tobias Jelinek
Motorcycle Gang Member  Greg Lauren
Motorcycle Gang Member  Dean Cochran
Banker   Coolio
Spike   Nicky Katt
Tough Boy Biker  Lucas Berman
1st Cop   Uzi Gal
2nd Cop  Howard Velasco
Handsome Cop   Bruce Roberts
Doctor  John Ingle
Ice Thug Azikiwee Anderson
Ice Thug Michael Bernardo
Ice Thug Steve Blalock
Ice Thug Steve Boyles
Ice Thug David Cardoza
Ice Thug Christopher Caso
Ice Thug Mark Chadwick
Ice Thug Danny Costa
Ice Thug Simon Kim
Ice Thug Todd Grossman
Ice Thug James Hardy
Ice Thug Steven Ito
Ice Thug Dennis Keiffer
Ice Thug Stephan Desjardins
Ice Thug James Kim
Ice Thug Dennis Lefevre
Ice Thug Jean-Luc Martin
Ice Thug Cory M. Miller
Ice Thug Chris Mitchell
Ice Thug Christopher Nelson
Ice Thug Jim Palmer
Ice Thug Jeff Podgurski
Ice Thug Robert Powell
Ice Thug Chris Sayour
Ice Thug Don Sinnar
Ice Thug Paul Sklar
Ice Thug Takis Triggelis

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