Columnist Kaitlyn McGarvey argues that the 1997 "Batman" film is a definite skip.
Though I would like to celebrate the upcoming release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with the rest of the world this weekend, I simply cannot find it in myself to be excited. Not because I do not like Batman or Superman and not because the trailer looks like it is going to a bad movie (because I’m sure it won’t be bad), but because I just remembered this past week that Joel Schumacher made Batman & Robin.
Batman & Robin, just to clarify, is a complete and utter disgrace to every other movie in the Batman franchise ever.
In the entire history of this column, I am certain I never have had so much animosity toward a movie. I typically try to be nice about movies and point out their good qualities, but I am struggling to find something nice to say about the strange, sad addition to the Batman series.
So, prior to the movie, Tim Burton directed the films Batman and Batman Returns. However, the latter was deemed too scary, and Burton was moved to the position of producer.
Schumacher took the position of director and created Batman Forever, which was met with a decent amount of praise from critics. However, Schumacher’s last impression on the series would not be met with such benevolence.
Though previous Batman films had brought forth characters like the Penguin, Catwoman and the Joker, Batman & Robin focuses on Batman’s feud with Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze. Though that seems like a logical progression for such a series, the way in which the plot of the movie is carried out is beyond bizarre.
The movie looks as if it was styled after a bad, 1980s Broadway production. The stylistic choices are beyond questionable. There is a part of me that wants to admire Schumacher for trying to put his own flair on the franchise as Burton did, but there is another part of me that wants to send him a strongly worded letter about why the Batsuit should not have nipples.
Senior Colten Elavsky, a self-proclaimed Batman fanatic, particularly despises the movie, but not because of any of the movie’s design choices.
“My biggest problem with the movie is with the characters. The movie did not stay true to the comics and it strayed a little bit away from the 'Batman Ideology,' " Elavsky said. "It’s just too bright and colorful. Things were just too different, this movie went too far. Also, this movie could have done a lot better job of building up a plot."
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He brings up a good point. Despite Mr. Freeze’s horrible punchlines about ice and Poison Ivy’s unfortunate “boob hair,” the plot of Batman & Robin is laughable and is surely the weakest part of the film. With plot holes galore and incredibly contrived scenarios, the cherry on the top of the movie is its flimsy conflicts and confusing dialogue.
There is nothing redeeming about this movie. I watched it so you don’t have to. Go see Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice instead.
Kaitlyn McGarvey is a freshman studying journalism. Have you seen Batman & Robin? Email her at km451814@ohio.edu or tweet @McGarveyKaitlyn.
