Title: Batman Title: Batman & Robin
Tomato Meter: 83% Tomato Meter:13%
IMDB Rating: 6.3 IMDB Rating: 3.5
Starring: Adam West, Burt Ward Starring: George Clooney, Uma Thurman
Director: Robert Zemeckis Director: Joel Schumacher
Box Office: $13 million Box Office: $107 million
Academy: n/a Academy: n/a
Year: 1966 Year: 1989
Once More, Batman slugs it out with himself here at Showdown. But before we engage in the epic rematch of Tim Burton vs Chris Nolan's vision of the Caped Crusader, we pair off arguably the two worst films in the Batman film franchises.
There is so much camp in Batman: The Movie, that one feels a need to build a fire and bring marshmallows. Yet it works. The film is a wonderful adaptation of the popular tv show, and features four of Batman's top villains, the Joker, Penguin, the Riddler, and Catwoman. While a film directed at the kids of the era, today it comes off as a comedy of MST3K proportions. With an aerosol can of Bat-Shark repellent, Batman is able to thwart a great white shark attached to his leg. Batman runs around with a loaded bomb and cannot get rid of it, running into sailors, nuns, ducks, and a marching band. Batman also points out to Robin, referring to the bar patrons, "They may be drinkers, but they're still human beings." Just classic cornball. And there is plenty of Pow, Zap, Ka-Boom action to go around.
There is so much camp in Batman and Robin, that one feels like fleeing occupied Poland. With the popular villains such as the Joker, Catwoman, Penguin and Riddler already used up in previous films in this series, Joel Schumacher gives us Poison Ivy, sensually played by Uma Thurman, a cornballish Dr. Freeze, and a retarded version of a newcomer to Batman's rogue gallery, Bane. Everything that has made the Tim Burton films successful (atmosphere, pacing, dialogue, costumes) have completely been stripped down and restructured into what audiences can only guess as Joel exercising his passive aggressive disdain towards comic book movies. Either that, or he was clearly there for a paycheck.
As both fighters enter the ring, Batman & Robin clearly have the money on their side. But don't discount the poor, struggling fighter as they have the eye of the tiger. From the opening bell Batman:the Movie is clearly dominating with its unorthodox style. Batman & Robin, being all flash and no substance, can barely defend itself, let alone go on offense. Winner by KO in round 2, Batman: the Movie.
Winner: Batman: the Movie
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