Batman & Robin

"Batman & Robin" is the fourth Batman film in the series, and for the second time the efficient but not particularly personal Joel Schumacher is in the director's chair. George Clooney has taken over the lead from the troublesome Val Kilmer, and he does it very well, although his character is very much overshadowed by the special effects. "Batman & Robin" is a turbo-charged film that entertains extremely well and barely leaves the viewer room to breathe, but the special effects triumph at the expense of the characters. Several interesting themes are struck up, but they drown in all the bangs and crashes.

Arnold Schwarzenegger tops the cast list and plays the villain Mr. Freeze, who freezes everything to ice and becomes a willing tool of the mad, nature-loving femme fatale Poison Ivy. He is actually a tragic figure. So is Poison Ivy, who wants to destroy humanity so that nature gets another chance (you almost side with her).

The lovely Alicia Silverstone turns up as the ageing Alfred's niece Barbara and transforms into Batgirl. So gender equality is also a theme the film manages to rattle off in passing. At the same time, something of a power struggle is going on between Batman and Robin, who no longer wants to be bossed around but wants to be a proper partner. So there is a wealth of exciting themes, but as I said, they don't stand up against the breakneck pace and the gigantic array of special effects that Schumacher serves up. Spectacular, but a little too streamlined and efficient. One wishes Tim Burton back once again.