There are a lot of comic book projects that people will say are among the worst. One of them is 1997’s Batman and Robin. The movie starred George Clooney as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Arnold Schwarzenegger as Victor Fries, and Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy. This film was goofy and, considering the people involved, poorly acted. However, none of that is what made this movie bad and Uma Thurman’s comments sum it up perfectly.
While on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Clarkson says that her kids are “obsessed” with Batman and Robin and love Poison Ivy. At the 2:39 second mark of the video above, the Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill actress responded, “It’s the one that was actually made for children.” As much as this writer would love to believe what was said, there is a hint of sarcasm in what she said. Nevertheless, her comments explain everything wrong with that project.
The first two Caped Crusader movies post-Adam West had a more serious theme to them. They were darker, more violent, and had adult themes. The third movie (Batman Forever) was sillier but maintained some seriousness. Batman and Robin went all in on the hijinx. Everything from bad puns, wax lips, and corny one-liners were used. The only thing missing was the “Bam! Smack! Pow!” action bubble sound effects. It would make sense that this movie was written for kids. However, the video below adds doubt to this.
That scene was too sexy and violent to be marketed to children. This isn’t the only part with blatant and hidden sexual moments. Poison Ivy spent the entire auction seducing and touching men to get what she wanted. There’s also the part where Freeze reacts to Nora’s death. Those are two situations too mature for children to understand. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean Uma Thurman was wrong.
Tons of kids’ movies have scenes that can be considered too suggestive for younger audiences. That won’t stop parents from taking their kids to see it. PG-13 doesn’t mean much and sometimes the higher rating is due to a few extra curse words (that kids probably hear and say every day). and a butt being shown (something shown in kids' cartoons). Plus, movies like Shrek have thrown adult moments into movies for older people to laugh at. Maybe this is just another example of that.
In the end, Uma Thurman was right. This movie was marketed to the wrong people. Had this been promoted as a kids’ movie or a comedy, people would look at it differently. This writer has watched Batman and Robin a bunch and enjoys it every time. Not because it’s a great movie by anyone's standards. It's an entertaining project that people shouldn’t take seriously. Lines like “The Iceman cometh!” and “What killed the dinosaurs? The ice age!” show that this is something you shut your brain off to enjoy. Otherwise, you may end up with a...brain freeze (not sorry).
Have you watched Batman and Robin? Was it as bad as everyone says it is? Let us know on the Bam Smack Pow Blue Sky, Instagram, and Twitter.