NICK'S PICK: 5 Good things about the BATMAN & ROBIN movie

Somewhere out there, a geek has come across the title of this article and has passed out due to Nerd Rage. Hello: My Name is Nick! And allow me to go clarify my statements before someone revokes my Nerd Cred: the 1997 film BATMAN & ROBIN is a terrible, TERRIBLE movie: Clooney was bland as Batman, Bane was turned from an actual threat into a brainless goon, the cinematic style had gone from "gothic" to "campy" to "so flamboyant even the gayest of nerds would commit a hate crime," etc. The fourth movie in the beloved 90's Batman "saga", director Joel "They're called comic books not drama books" Schumacher helped to make BATMAN & ROBIN one of the worst comic movies to ever grace the silver screen. While he may take the brunt of the blame now, let's not leave out the Execs over at WARNER BROTHERS who were more interested in selling toys and Happy Meals than putting together a decent film. That would explain why flavor-of-the-month actress Alicia Silverstone was put into an ill-fitting costume and randomly tossed on screen as BATGIRL. Or why the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, plays a bad-pun spouting, freeze-gun totting, blue-tinted ROBOCOP MR. FREEZE. BATMAN & ROBIN is so bad that George Clooney still apologizes for it! But every cloud has a silver-lining, as the saying goes, so I rewatched the movie and tried to find some things to salvage this mess. Here is what I found...

1. "This is why Superman works alone."
This is early on in the film. After the opening credits and a quick montage of our heroes changing into their Bat gear(Bat Nipples...), we see a quick exchange between the Dynamic Duo about the Bat Mobile:

Robin: I want a car. Chicks dig the car.

Batman: This is why Superman works alone.

This scene surprisingly does quite a bit in such a short time. It establishes character: Robin is light-hearted and a bit more rebellious, Batman is a loner still adjusting to having a sidekick, and the Bat Mobile is made of win! It is funny, with a nudge and a wink to the fans without being cloying to the audience. But best of all, it establishes a greater DC Universe by mentioning another superhero. A decade later, IRON MAN would do something similar by introducing Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. along with teasers for Captain America and the Avengers.   

This is also the best scene in the movie... Yup. Five minutes in and Batman has blown his Bat-Load.

 2. The Evolution of Robin
As far as character arcs go, Robin is the one that stands out. By the time BATMAN & ROBIN rolls around, Dick Grayson appears to be taking to the superhero gig rather well. He still has a jovial sense of humor but has matured and grown into a hero of his own. Unfortunately, Batman still treats him like a child. The two butt heads until Robin finally leaves to become his own hero.

These events should sound familiar to comic fans as this is similar to how Dick Grayson's Robin became Nightwing. Don't believe me? Compare the Robin costumes from BATMAN FOREVER and BATMAN & ROBIN. Take away the cape(and Bat-Nipples) and you've got Nightwing! Not sure why they didn't commit to Robin's evolution into Nightwing. I'm going to assume they wanted the tone to be happy, so no drama between the Bat and the Bird. Bet they still made Nightwing toys for the movie... money-hungry jerks...

3. A Dying Alfred(?)
I love Alfred Pennyworth. I love him as much as I love Batman. Hell, I might love him more than Batman himself. He is the backbone to the Batman legacy. Bruce's main confidant. And while I like Michael Caine's portrayal in the Nolan trilogy and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr's superb voice work in BATMAN: TAS, Michael Gough will always be my Alfred-Of-Choice. So the concept of his passing was a sound idea. He had been a surrogate father figure to both Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. His death would force the two of them to either come together in a time of need or deal with the loss by going their seperate ways... of course he didn't die, now did he? No, Arnold Schwarzenegger was clearly a scientist(No, seriously) who had a cure for Alfred. So the Dynamic Duo stayed together and were joined by Chunky Batgirl who was just...there. But for a moment, Alfred's circumstances looked dire. And in that instance I grieved just a little... Rest in peace, Michael Gough.

4. Hey, Remember Coolio?
Hey, remember Coolio? Yeah, he was a thing during the 90's. Let the records show: "Gangsta's Paradise" was awesome! What does this have to do with BATMAN & ROBIN? A valid question, seeing as how his cameo in the film lasted 2 seconds and he doesn't appear to be on the soundtrack. Hmm... Man, was "Gangsta's Paradise" the shit!

5. It Was a Godawful Film That Killed The Franchise
Sorry, Batman Fanatics, no matter how much "Prep Time" he has, even Batman loses at times.

How is it that BATMAN & ROBIN's failure is a good thing? Good question. For starters, it set the standard of what makes for a bad comic book movie. While not the worst comic book movie ever made(Trust me, I've seen my share), it does everything on such a bad level that it becomes the example we use to critique a franchise. Miscast actors, characters who don't resemble their comic counterparts, plot points that go nowhere, blatant product placement, bad writing, the list goes on. If THE AVENGERS or THE DARK KNIGHT or SUPERMAN sets the standard for quality comic-to-film adaptations, than BATMAN & ROBIN sets the example for those that are scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Second, it ended the Burton/Schumacher film saga before it could get any worse. As the film began getting negative responses, WARNER BROTHERS was already planning another movie. This one would introduce Scarecrow and would also be the return of the Joker!(Apparently somewhere in BATMAN RETURNS there is a newspaper headline that states the Joker has returned. But since nobody noticed it and he was never brought up again, I'm going to assume it was less teaser and more random set design.) But the movie was doomed from the start as it was clearly trying milk the bat for all it's worth(Ewww, bat milking). Before production was even getting started, the execs at WARNER BROTHERS were already pimping out Batman to promote a walk-on movie role contest for OnStar(Seriously? How is the location of the Bat Cave secret if OnStar knows where it is?) They were also looking for the return of Tim "I don't read comics" Burton to direct the franchise. Considering what Burton accomplished when left to his own devices on BATMAN RETURNS(The Penguin is a mutant raised in the sewers? Catwoman has magic 9 lives zombie powers? Rocket-wielding penguins and a Rubber Duckie car?) I'm kind of glad we didn't get to see his interpretation. As much as I liked the first two Burton directed Bat films. I can't imagine Helena Bonham Carter dressed as a creepy mutant crow that causes nightmares.

Lastly, it gave our hero a chance to comeback to life(creatively speaking). I love the Batman films of the 90's, but by the time BATMAN & ROBIN came to be the franchise had run it's course. It was time for a change. And while some of the proposed film prospects were abandoned(An adaptation of THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Clint Eastwood as an elderly Batman? Could you imagine that?) we did strike a win with Christopher Nolan(director of MEMENTO, INCEPTION, and everything full of win), who for the first time brought the origin of the Caped Crusader to life on the big screen in BATMAN BEGINS.

"Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up."

That is the mantra of BATMAN BEGINS. And it seems like a fitting one for a movie that followed Schumacher's last Batman flick: after taking a fall in the box office, Batman needed to get back in the fight. And boy did he ever!

Speaking of, the final movie in the Nolan Trilogy, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, comes out July 20! Can't wait to see how Batman picks himself up after taking the fall for Harvey Dent's death.