I think that the late Don Simpson believed: "If something's worth doing, it's worth doing in excess." Since Don has now left this mortal plane and his former partner Jerry Bruckheimer has added a slightly harder edge to his output it's left to people like Joel Schumacher to carry out the good work. Unfortunately some things aren't worth doing and one of them was 'Batman & Robin.'
The big problem with this film is that it's just too much. Schumacher was originally brought in to liven up the Batman series after Tim Burton's darker tone in 'Returns' pushed away the kiddies. 'Forever' was a great comic book film with some marvellous style and great set pieces. It featured suitably emotional performances from Kilmer and O'Donnell and a great villain double-act from Jones and Carrey. But, like Burton before him, the success of one allowed Schumacher greater control over the next and things just got out of hand very quickly.
Gotham has gone from being a metropolis gone mad to a city that looks like everyone of its paint stores exploded at once. Everything is coated with the most garish colours ever to assault the senses on screen. The city models have so many naked male torsos involved that you'd think the designs came from a soft porn mag. And the crazy editing means that rather than leave you dizzy from the stunning visuals, you're left confused as to what the hell is actually going on.
The acting isn't too good either. Arnie tries his hardest to act but this probably results in his worse performance ever. Thurman (who you expect more from) doesn't do much better. She's neither intimidating nor sexy (the prerequisites for a female villain) and as far as her cohort Bane ... Well I've been more menaced by my toe nail clippings. The good guys don't improve matters any. Clooney is okay but looks out of place, O'Donnell goes through the motions and as for Silverstone! How they could even dare to cast her is a complete mystery to me. Gordon and Alfred get bigger roles, but who cares. They aren't the stars.
With a bad script from Goldsmith (as many cold gags as he could think of), some decidedly shaky CGI and a rip-off of every scene from 'Forever' this is a poor excuse for a film. There's nothing wrong with making an essentially plotless story. There's nothing wrong with being stylish. And there's nothing wrong with being camp. There is everything wrong with turning out a film that thinks its smart, cool and hip and isn't any of them. Kids may lap up the visual chaos but the over-15's will either get very bored or be laughing at the wrong things.
The only way forward for the series now is to go back to their roots and bring in someone like Alex Proyas or David Fincher and bring back the dark elegance and psychological horror of Batman. The problem for Warner's is that this is going to get rid of any market they had for the under-15's. Which was what B&R was about after all.
The big problem with this film is that it's just too much. Schumacher was originally brought in to liven up the Batman series after Tim Burton's darker tone in 'Returns' pushed away the kiddies. 'Forever' was a great comic book film with some marvellous style and great set pieces. It featured suitably emotional performances from Kilmer and O'Donnell and a great villain double-act from Jones and Carrey. But, like Burton before him, the success of one allowed Schumacher greater control over the next and things just got out of hand very quickly.
Gotham has gone from being a metropolis gone mad to a city that looks like everyone of its paint stores exploded at once. Everything is coated with the most garish colours ever to assault the senses on screen. The city models have so many naked male torsos involved that you'd think the designs came from a soft porn mag. And the crazy editing means that rather than leave you dizzy from the stunning visuals, you're left confused as to what the hell is actually going on.
The acting isn't too good either. Arnie tries his hardest to act but this probably results in his worse performance ever. Thurman (who you expect more from) doesn't do much better. She's neither intimidating nor sexy (the prerequisites for a female villain) and as far as her cohort Bane ... Well I've been more menaced by my toe nail clippings. The good guys don't improve matters any. Clooney is okay but looks out of place, O'Donnell goes through the motions and as for Silverstone! How they could even dare to cast her is a complete mystery to me. Gordon and Alfred get bigger roles, but who cares. They aren't the stars.
With a bad script from Goldsmith (as many cold gags as he could think of), some decidedly shaky CGI and a rip-off of every scene from 'Forever' this is a poor excuse for a film. There's nothing wrong with making an essentially plotless story. There's nothing wrong with being stylish. And there's nothing wrong with being camp. There is everything wrong with turning out a film that thinks its smart, cool and hip and isn't any of them. Kids may lap up the visual chaos but the over-15's will either get very bored or be laughing at the wrong things.
The only way forward for the series now is to go back to their roots and bring in someone like Alex Proyas or David Fincher and bring back the dark elegance and psychological horror of Batman. The problem for Warner's is that this is going to get rid of any market they had for the under-15's. Which was what B&R was about after all.