This is hands down the worst film ever made in the history of the existence of the universe. There have been some bad films made but this is a travesty. It is hard to believe that money was spent to make this. It could have been used on something else (charity I suppose). I was 12 when I went to see this and it broke my heart. Batman was my favorite comic book and character when I was a kid and this film broke my spirit. The excellence of the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton films are long gone. The dark emotional center and development of the hero and the villains is sidelined for action sequences, action sequences and some more action sequences, some of them incorporating the worst CGI and model work ever seen on film.
The casting itself had to the potential to make a good film. George Clooney could have made a great Batman (square jawed, popular with the ladies), the only thing going against him being that can be too laid back (maybe with a better script he could do the darker material). Uma Thurman is perfect for Poison Ivy. She is a good looking yet quirky actress, but you wouldn't know it by the emphasis on camp context and innuendo in this film. Arnie is maybe a little miscast as Mr Freeze, but he does well getting a chance to use some 'great' puns, but someone who can come across as more evil would have been better. Then there is Chris O'Donnell and Alicia Silverstone as Robin and Batgirl. Let's just say more charisma can come from a line of fridge freezers with nothing in them. The only decent performance comes from Michael Gough as Alfred, only one of two actors to have appeared in all four films. His performance is wonderful in this otherwise mess of a film.
The blame for this disaster can be laid at the hands of Joel Schumacher. His direction misplaced and his intentions misguided. He may have redeemed himself with Phone Booth, but he will always be the man who destroyed Batman in my eyes.
The casting itself had to the potential to make a good film. George Clooney could have made a great Batman (square jawed, popular with the ladies), the only thing going against him being that can be too laid back (maybe with a better script he could do the darker material). Uma Thurman is perfect for Poison Ivy. She is a good looking yet quirky actress, but you wouldn't know it by the emphasis on camp context and innuendo in this film. Arnie is maybe a little miscast as Mr Freeze, but he does well getting a chance to use some 'great' puns, but someone who can come across as more evil would have been better. Then there is Chris O'Donnell and Alicia Silverstone as Robin and Batgirl. Let's just say more charisma can come from a line of fridge freezers with nothing in them. The only decent performance comes from Michael Gough as Alfred, only one of two actors to have appeared in all four films. His performance is wonderful in this otherwise mess of a film.
The blame for this disaster can be laid at the hands of Joel Schumacher. His direction misplaced and his intentions misguided. He may have redeemed himself with Phone Booth, but he will always be the man who destroyed Batman in my eyes.