Batman & Robin

Joel Schumacher cranks the over-the-top theatrics of “Batman Forever” up to 11 and then some with this garish, bizarre live-action cartoon that completely obliterates the series’ dark, brooding beginnings with a Bap! Bang! Pow! Actually, perhaps more of a Whoosh!, as Gotham City is put on ice (you can’t resist the puns here so don’t even try) by the chilly machinations of Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger), which allows plenty of opportunity for the Bat (George Clooney, managing to hit the finish line more or less unscathed) and Bird (Chris O’Donnell, not so much) to show off their own wintry gadgets like, you know, Bat-skates. Meanwhile, the Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder end up sexual rivals thanks to the seductive powers of Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman), Hell’s own Mother Nature and the plant world’s deadly agent in a plot to take back the planet (or something). Oh, and Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone) is in it, too. Reviled by Bat-fans and pretty much the rest of the human race in general, “Batman & Robin” is credited with all but completely destroying the “Batman” film series, putting the entire property in cold storage (argh!!) for eight years until the franchise was rebooted with Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins” (2005). – IFC Staff