Akiva Goldsman

The Riddler and Two-Face both hate Bruce Wayne and Batman respectively, so they team up to take them down, not knowing they're one in the same. Batman also takes a sidekick in the young Robin.

Ugh. What hope I had for this film coming in. After the pretty stout Tim Burton duology of Batman films, I was hoping that at least some of that stylism and flair would carry over, and in the first few minutes, my hopes were realized... only for them to fall by the wayside once we met the villains. Val Kilmer's Batman is solid enough, and I didn't really mind Chris O'Donnell as Robin, aside from him being a bit too old to be a brand-new Robin, but this film's iterations of Two-Face and the Riddler are poor. Honestly, Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones could do pretty solid versions of these characters in another movie (although knowing that Robin Williams was up for the Riddler does disappoint me a bit). The adaptation of the villains here is just so gratingly annoying that I found no enjoyment whatsoever -- the fact that this film has 1 star and not half of one is just a dying hope that this isn't the worst that movies can get. It just can't be.

Story: F
Acting: D-
Design: C
Music: C
Content: B

Content Notes: Comic superhero violence throughout and 5-10 uses of milder profanity.… (more)

Batman and Robin butt heads as they face the combined forces of Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy, while a new caped crusader, Batgirl, enters the fray.

Batman and Robin, admittedly, is not a good movie -- the 2 stars are evidence enough for that. Nevertheless, I was quite surprised to come to the realization that I enjoyed this a fair bit more than its predecessor. I think that partly had to do with the fact that I was going into Batman Forever with the hopes that it would carry on some of Tim Burton's style, but that was quickly discovered to not be the case. Here, I was prepared for all the silliness out of the gate, and it sure brought it. And while it was stupid... at least it was stupid in a fun type of way, and not as grating as Forever was with its awful versions of the Riddler and Two-Face. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Uma Thurman, while not "great," are fine as Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy, and I honestly didn't hate George Clooney as a more campy Batman. By no means is this supposed to try and make this out to be a good movie -- it's just a good bad movie.

Story: D+
Acting: D+
Design: C+
Music: C
Content: B

Content Notes: Superhero comic violence throughout, and a handful of mild profanities. Poison Ivy's inclusion also leads to some sensual moments.… (more)