History Main / BatmanAndRobin

* ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' -- a 1997 film, involving Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy.

* ''Serial/BatmanAndRobin'': A 1949 movie serial consisting of fifteen chapters.
* ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'': A 1997 film, involving Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy.

* [[Characters/{{Batman}} The superheroes]] [[Comicbook/{{Robin}} themselves]].

* Serial/BatmanAndRobin: A 1949 movie serial consisting of fifteen chapters.
* Film/BatmanAndRobin: A 1997 film, involving Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy.

* [[Characters/{{Batman}} The superheroes themselves]].

[[redirect:Film/BatmanAndRobin]]

[[quoteright:260:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/owmypooreyes.png]]
[[caption-width-right:260:[[SarcasmMode Notice the subtleties in the neon lighting, and the daring colours Schumacher has put on to offer]].]]

-> "''Hi Freeze, [[CallBack I'm Batman]].''"
--> -- '''GeorgeClooney''', as Batman, complete with HeadBob

The film that [[FranchiseKiller put Batman]] [[AWorldwidePunomenon on ice]], metaphorically and literally.

After the box-office success of 1995's ''BatmanForever'', a sequel was inevitable. Audiences that gave ''BatmanReturns'' [[HurricaneOfPuns the cold shoulder]] for [[DarkerAndEdgier its darker tone]] eventually warmed up to ''Forever'' for its LighterAndSofter take on the Batman mythos. What did Warner Bros. do for this sequel? It secured an AllStarCast, turned the camp UpToEleven, and threw a cool $125 million budget behind the film's production. They also rushed the production schedule and put most of the emphasis on toy-friendly promotional tie-ins. What came out of this situation is a film that many people [[SnarkBait love to hate]] to this very day.

Director JoelSchumacher has largely been blamed for temporarily freezing the Batman franchise with this movie, though he himself blames the [[ExecutiveMeddling cold-hearted executives]], who pushed him to to get the film out as fast as possible in order to capitalize on the success of the previous film -- pressure that resulted in a rushed script from otherwise-acclaimed screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, a script that Shumacher was very unhappy with (in many cases, it [[RecycledScript duplicated entire sequences and plot points]] from the previous film). To his credit, while pointing out these problems, Schumacher has also noted that as the director, it was ultimately ''his'' film and ''he'' bears the final responsibility for how it turned out.

Oh, yes, the plot. Right, we're getting to that. [[IncrediblyLamePun Chill out.]]

Mr. Freeze (ArnoldSchwarzenegger) opens the film as a diabolical [[HurricaneOfPuns pun-spouting]] madman that is stealing diamonds across Gotham; he comes across the duo of Batman (George Clooney) and Robin (Chris O'Donnell) for the first time during his crime spree, but manages to elude the Dynamic Duo. Meanwhile, in South America, botanist/chemist/environmentalist Pamela Isley (UmaThurman) is caught up in a MadScientist's plan to create a SuperSoldier named Bane (Jeep Swenson and Michael Reid [=MacKay=]). Isley is killed when she objects, but various chemicals spilled upon her manage to resurrect her, giving her both a KissOfDeath and a mental breakdown in the process. Taking the name Poison Ivy, Isley doesn't seem to mind about Bane being a SuperSoldier any more, and she heads off to Gotham with Bane in tow to take revenge on corporate America -- specifically, Wayne Enterprises (even though they were funding her research to help the environment). Ivy uses a special LovePotion to make every man in Gotham, including Batman and Robin, fall for her to further her plans -- and later joins forces with Freeze to TakeOverTheWorld (even though freezing every living creature on the planet would prove deadly to the ecosystem ''and'' result in the death of plant life; you'd think a former enviromentalist would know that).

Also imporant to note: Batman has a [[MemeticMutation Bat Credit Card]].

To its credit -- what little there is to give it, anyway -- the film did help discredit the old stereotype that a {{superhero}} production has to be as suitable for kids as the old AdamWest ''{{Batman}}'' [[Series/{{Batman}} TV series]] (if only by ''reductio ad absurdum''); most superhero television shows created after this travesty raised themselves to at least the TV-PG rating.

This film's [[JustForPun cold]] critical reception (earning the nickname ''Batman On Ice'' from critics) and weaker (but still ultimately successful) box office returns ended the Burton/Schumacher era of ''Batman'', leaving the franchise in limbo. It would be eight years until Christopher Nolan's ''BatmanBegins'' resurrected the Batman on the big screen.

The film is not to be confused with Serial/BatmanAndRobin, the sequel to the first Batman film ever made (Film/TheBatman), or the GrantMorrison comic series of the same title. Nor the FrankMiller series ''AllStarBatmanAndRobin'', which is equally as bad but for entirely different reasons.

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!!This film provides examples of:
* AllStarCast
* AlternateDVDCommentary: A RiffTrax has been made, with all the gags submitted by fans of the site. This was also the first of the Batman films DVDPodblast took on.
* AdaptationDyeJob: Batgirl is a blonde here rather than a redhead. Of course, this Barbara is also Alfred's niece, instead of Jim Gordon's daughter, so she's not ''exactly'' the same character.
* AssholeVictim: Doctor Woodrue
** The two guards Ivy killed to spring Freeze.
* BadassCreed: The ending, between Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy.
--> '''Mr. Freeze''': "Surprise. I am your new cellmate, and I've come to make your life a living hell. Prepare for a bitter harvest... winter has come at last."
* BatmanColdOpen: [[IncrediblyLamePun Surprisingly]] averted.
* BeamMeUpScotty: Contrary to popular belief, Mr. Freeze never said "[[TheSimpsons Ice to see you!]]", not even once, in the movie. Although he does make ''every single other'' ice-related pun you could possibly imagine.
* BillingDisplacement: ArnoldSchwarzenegger is the top billed actor, not the one playing Batman. This is the ''second'' time it happened in the quadrilogy, with Jack Nicholson getting top billing in the 1989 film.
* BigBraToFill: Batgirl, definitely. Poison Ivy to a lesser extent, as Uma Thurman actually has a decently sized bust line, but her tall and skinny figure is ''way'' off the curvaceous comic-book version.
* BigNo: Robin delivers one when Batman disables his Redbird controls out of concern for the "Boy" Wonder's safety.
* {{Bizarrchitecture}}: The Gotham Observatory is situated at the top of a giant fortress wall, with a statue holding up its hand...to hold the observatory.
* BondVillainStupidity: Mr. Freeze, despite being armed and fully powered, actually goes so far as to say "I'll kill you next time!" when Batman is stopped, panicked, and off-balance, ''and right after he has just shot Robin anyway''. The question of "Why not just shoot him now?!" is never addressed.
* BrainUploading: In one very confusing bit in a movie full of them, it turns out that Alfred has his brain already uploaded to the Bat-Computer. While this may seem prudent considering his imminent death, we are given no hints about this beforehand and it's only to justify Barbara having a pre-made Batgirl suit ready for her.
* BreakawayPopHit: Music/TheSmashingPumpkins' "The End Is the Beginning Is the End" was far better received than the movie was and even won a Grammy. It was also nominated for Worst Original Song at the Razzies, but it was likely just picked because it was the lead song on the soundtrack of one of the biggest box office bombs of the year.
** "Foolish Games" by Jewel, the best selling single of 1997, was released as the third single from the soundtrack, months after the film had been laughed out of theaters. It wasn't written for the movie and appeared first on her 1995 megahit record ''Pieces of You'', but if it wasn't for the soundtrack, it wouldn't have been released as a single.
*** The Smashing Pumpkins later did a slowed down version called "The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning" which was hugely popular after being used in the trailer for ''{{Watchmen}}''
* {{Camp}}: Following in the footsteps of the previous film, ''Batman Forever'', and turned UpToEleven. It backfired spectacularly, and completely discredited the idea of a silly, light-hearted superhero flick.
* CardboardPrison: Arkham Asylum, as usual. For starters, at least according to the last scene, the cells are ''[[{{Squick}} unisex]].''
** That was probably a special arrangement made by Batman. [[UnfortunateImplications Not that this makes it any better.]]
* CardCarryingVillain: Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy.
* CharityBall: Batman and Robin has attended it.
* ClothingDamage: The chemical cocktail that Pamela Isley falls into not only turns her into Poison Ivy, it tears up her formerly frumpy clothes to make her sexier, naturally leaving enough clothing to keep her PG-13.
* CompositeCharacter: An odd case of Mr. Freeze being a composite of the ''BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' interpretation that brought the character out of obscurity and the [[Series/{{Batman}} 60s TV series]] that originally named him. Someone decided it would be a good idea to mix the [[TearJerker tragic]] backstory of the former with the cackling, pun spouting mad scientist of the latter.
** Bane here is closer to a character from the comics named Ivan, later known as Ivor. Like the Bane, Ivan doesn't speak much except for short and simple sentences. The scene where Ivy disguises herself with a wig and Bane/Ivan drives her from the airport comes from 1981's ''Batman'' #339. Just like Bane, Ivan is turned into a powerful half man, half plant (as evidence in 1982's ''Batman'' #344)) that's enhanced with a formula that is based on Ivy's (which she developed to create carnivore plants).
** Barbara Wilson/Batgirl is a composite of Barbara Gordon and Alfred's niece, Daphne (who first shows up in 1969's ''Batman'' #216).
* ContinuityNod: A quick eye will spot the uniforms of The Riddler and Two-Face in the closet at Arkham Asylum, a nod to their ''Batman Forever'' incarnations. Meanwhile, there's a callback to the previous film's "Chicks dig the car" line.
** A more subtle callback to ''Forever'' can be found in the infamous Bat Credit Card scene. Take a close look at the card - its "good through" date is Forever.
* ConvectionSchmonvection: Mr. Freeze is trapped by an [[HollywoodScience "ice beam"]] in Arkham Asylum, however it only seems to work in the area immediately surrounding his bed.
* ConvenientlyCellmates: At the end, former partners Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze are put in the same cell.
* CosmopolitanCouncil: The super serum auction has one of these, each displaying their own [[NationalStereotypes national stereotype]].
* CostumePorn: Perhaps literally.
--> '''JoelSchumacher''': "I had no idea that putting nipples on the Batsuit and Robin suit were going to spark international headlines. The bodies of the suits come from ancient Greek statues, which display perfect bodies. They are anatomically erotic."
** The metallic armor Mr. Freeze sports also counts - There were only two of them, handmade by a Tinsmith with individual working pieces and weighing in at about ''[[BeyondTheImpossible one-hundred pounds each!]]'' There were likely pragmatic reasons for casting ArnoldSchwarzenegger... ''somebody'' [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower had to wear this thing.]]
* CrazyPrepared: How prepared is Batman? He has pop-out ice-skates in his boots and a Bat-zamboni to drive around in.
* CrowdHockey: Literally, when Mr. Freeze is trying to steal a giant diamond and the heroes and henchman play actual hockey (complete with sticks and skates) to get it back.
* CrusadingWidower: Mr. Freeze.
* CutLexLuthorACheck: Mr. Freeze decides to build a giant freeze ray out of several dozen very large and valuable diamonds in order to hold the city hostage for money rather than, well, fencing the diamonds over the black market.
** Or perhaps sell the schematics of his fully operational ''freeze ray'' for a [[IncrediblyLamePun cool]] couple of million.
** [[FridgeBrilliance Or perhaps he could take the ransom, and ]] ''[[FridgeBrilliance then]]'' [[FridgeBrilliance dismantle it and sell the parts? Or even the whole thing to someone else with world domination plans.]]
** '''OR''' maybe just market the cure for stage one of Mac Gregor Syndrome, which would further fund the research to combat stage two and/or inspire other medical scientists to help seek a cure for it, which was [[EpicFail the entire motivation behind getting the ransom money in the first place.]]
* DeclarativeFinger: "You LAWYE!"
* DesignatedGirlFight: It's brought up in the AgonyBooth website's recap that Batgirl's presence may be (besides {{merchandis|eDriven}}ing) so ''somebody'' could actually fight Poison Ivy, all because of this trope. The male good guys were incapacitated in Ivy's lair.
* DespairEventHorizon: Mr. Freeze, at least thrice:
** After Ivy fools him into thinking that Batman pulled the plug on his cryogenically frozen wife. ("If I must suffer, humanity will suffer with me!")
** After Batman defeats him in hand-to-hand combat, smashing his protective glass helmet (without which he will die) and leaving him lying on his back and [[WeakenedByTheLight cringing under a beam of sunlight]]. He decides to kill Batman along with himself, pressing a button on his glove that triggers the bombs that Bane had earlier placed around the observatory and screaming "FREEZE IN HELL, BATMAN!"
** And once more after the bombs fail to kill anyone, including himself. [[CryForTheDevil ("Go ahead....Kill me too....just as you killed my wife.")]]
* DidNotDoTheResearch: Much like ''BatmanForever'', this film has a very loose grasp of actual gravity, physics, and astronomy.
--> '''Mr. Freeze''': "What killed de dinosaurs? [[CriticalResearchFailure DE]] [[TheAhnold EYES]] [[LargeHam EHDGE!]]!"
** For another example, it's impossible to scream with frozen lungs, just like just about every other lung related aliment.
* DoubleEntendre: Half of Poison Ivy's dialogue. And all of George Clooney's during his promotional work.
* DoubleStandard: Both in universe and in audience reactions, in regards the presence and absence of "bat-nipples" in the character suits.
* DullSurprise: Alicia Silverstone's reaction to everything. George Clooney also doesn't show a lot of variety in emotion, mostly because he seems to realize what kind of movie he's in and [[BoredOnBoard acts accordingly]].
* DumbMuscle: Bane.
* EfficientDisplacement: Early in the film, Robin crashes through a wall in his motorcycle, leaving a hole in the shape of the movie's Robin logo.
* EvilIsHammy: In typical Batman fashion.
* EvilMakeover: Poison Ivy. Apparently knocking a nerdy scientist into an undisclosed combination of chemicals will cause her to turn into a hot chick.
** To be fair, this is ''{{Batman}}''. Half the villains he fights were created when someone fell into chemicals or had chemicals spilled on them.
* {{Fanservice}}: Batgirl suiting up with prominent shots of her crotch, boobs, and ass. Though strangely, despite most people expecting it, her costume is the only one to not have the "bat nipples" (or at least not nearly as prominently), likely due to concerns over the film's rating. The suit-ups of the men include their manly chests and their manly sculpted butts, so there's enough suit-up service to go around.
* FeatherBoaConstrictor: Poison Ivy when she revives at the start of the film.
* FormFittingWardrobe: Including the nipples.
-->'''Poison Ivy''': There's something about an anatomically correct rubber suit that puts fire in a girl's lips.
* FloatingHeadSyndrome: The primary poster as seen above.
* ForTheEvulz: Mr. Freeze seems to fall into this at times. It's about the only explanation for choosing to spare Batman after freezing Robin early in the film.
* FranchiseKiller: Killed the TimBurton / JoelSchumacher Batman franchise, anyway, though a license like ''Batman'' never completely dies.
* FreakLabAccident: The origin for both Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy, although the latter wasn't really an "accident."
* GaiasVengeance (The human version): Poison Ivy, eco-terrorist.
* [[GirlOfTheWeek Girl of the Picture]]: Unlike the other three films, in which Bruce's Girl of the Movie was a main character for that film, Julie Madison is a minor character who exists entirely to create minor tension as Bruce deals with Poison Ivy's pheromones infecting him outside of battle. Bruce's extreme reluctance to marry her led to many jokes by comic fans that she was a beard. She was supposed to have a bigger part, including being murdered by Poison Ivy late in the film, but her scenes were cut from the script.
* {{Glamour}}: Poison Ivy.
* HarmlessFreezing: Played straight, though a confusing example early in the film has Robin frozen solid and Mr. Freeze telling Batman he has eleven minutes to save him... yet despite this, Robin is perfectly fine when defrosted.
** One of the few rules in this movie is that you seem to be perfectly fine for 11 minutes, but will [[ExactTimeToFailure instantly die at 11:01]]. [[InferredHolocaust Those poor security guards in the museum]]... And judging by the GCPD's competency thus far, those poor people Batman put Gordon in charge of thawing...
* HollywoodPudgy: While the ''film'' averts this by never pointing it out, Alicia Silverstone had noticeably put on weight since her fame peaked, and the press had a field day with it at the time of the film's release.
* HollywoodScience: Loads of it.
* HoYay: Undertones of it are pretty much undeniable between the title characters. Supposedly, George Clooney retroactively claims he played Batman as gay (although it seems more of a TakeThat against said undertones than anything with truth in it).
--> '''Dick Grayson''': You're just saying that so I can't kiss her, is that it?\\
'''Bruce Wayne''': Listen, Dick, it's a poisonous kiss.\\
'''Dick Grayson''': A poisonous kiss? You don't understand. She understands how I feel.\\
'''Bruce Wayne''': She has clouded your mind and you're not thinking straight.\\
'''Dick Grayson''': I ''am'' thinking straight. For the first time in a long time.
* HumanPopsicle: Mr. Freeze's wife.
* [[HurricaneOfPuns Blizzard of Puns]]: Any scene with Mr. Freeze - ice puns are the majority of his dialogue.
** Poison Ivy and the Dynamic Duo don't exactly use them sparingly, either.
* AnIceGun: Of course, given that Mr. Freeze is also...
* AnIcePerson: He actually made this pun, too.
* IncurableCoughOfDeath: The vaguely-defined [=McGregor's=] Syndrome (see SoapOperaDisease below) has this and general weakness as the only visible symptoms. Until death, at least.
* InformedAttractiveness: "Poison Ivy is the most beautiful woman in the world." ''Really?'' Then again, she ''was'' [[LoveIsInTheAir using her pheromones]].
* InNameOnly: Many of the new characters introduced this film, Barbara in particular.
* InstitutionalApparel: Old school stripes for everyone at Arkham.
* JuggleFu: A segment in the museum in which Batman rescues a vase.
* KissOfDeath: Poison Ivy's method of killing people.
* KungFoley: Again, in fine Batman tradition - you cannot do anything quietly in a fight scene.
* LargeHam: ArnoldSchwarzenegger and UmaThurman. See EvilIsHammy above.
* LighterAndSofter: Easily the lightest and softest film in this whole series.
* LockAndLoadMontage: Performed several times to show our heroes suiting up and even including a shot from behind of the Dynamic Duo pulling up their pants.
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Mr. Freeze's main motivation is finding a cure for his sick wife.
* MacGuffinMelee: Batman and Robin play literal hockey with a diamond Freeze is trying to steal.
* MadScientist: Mr. Freeze and Dr. Woodrue. Depending on how one wants to stretch the definition, maybe also Pamela Isley.
* ManEatingPlant: Poison Ivy seems to have one... though the movie can't make up its mind. She enters the scene sitting in it leisurely, yet when she is later kicked into the plant, she screams as it eats her. Though she [[IGotBetter later appears unharmed in prison]]...
* ManipulativeBastard: Poison Ivy, considering the fact that she manipulated Mr. Freeze into believing that Batman killed his wife.
* MerchandiseDriven: Like any superhero movie. This one also dropped at the height of the original franchise's fame, so it was practically inescapable that summer.
--> '''Poison Ivy''': I'm a lover, not a fighter! That's why every Poison Ivy action figure comes with [Bane]!
** ShowAccuracyToyAccuracy: The Batgirl and Bane figures do not look anything like the versions seen in the movie. The Batgirl figure doesn't anything like ''any'' version of the character, but instead resembles an outright DistaffCounterpart version of the movie's version of Batman. At least the Bane figure resembled the comics version of the character.
* MishmashMuseum: [[RiffTrax The Ancient Greek sculpture/Dinosaur/Big-freakin' diamond exhibit]].
* MoodWhiplash: The movies see-saws between stupid super-hero antics and bad acting, and the plotline about the importance of family, featuring Micheal Gough's touching performance as a dying Alfred. The mood whiplash is extreme.
** Also worth mentioning is a scene with ''Mister Freeze'', of all people. During a calm moment in his cell, he carves and small ice sculpure of his wife and puts together a makeshift "music box" using a large alarm clock.
* MurderTheHypotenuse: Poison Ivy, sent to retrieve Freeze's comatose wife, pulls the plug on her instead.
* MythologyGag: A reference to Superman early in the film when Batman complains "This is why Superman works alone." This was possibly an attempt to mirror a joke that referenced Metropolis in ''Batman Forever.''
** Jason Woodrue was the name of another plant-themed supervillain -- the Floronic Man, effectively an evil version of SwampThing. His presence is probably in reference ''Batman: Shadow of the Bat'' annual #3, which was published a couple of years before and established Poison Ivy's Post-''CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' origin, revealing Woodrue played a role in it.
** Julie Madison is the name of Bruce's first love interest in the Batman comics, a socialite engaged to Bruce that eventually became an actress and ended her engagement because she wanted Bruce to do more with his life than be a playboy.
* NostalgicMusicbox: In the form of a snowglobe.
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Barbara was born and raised in [[FakeBrit England]] yet never displays even a hint of an accent.
* NoticeableNipples: Possibly the biggest [[TheScrappy Scrappy]] of the entire film.
* NoOSHACompliance: The lab Mr. Freeze worked in (before becoming Freeze) seriously needs a safety inspection. He gets knocked into a vat of liquid nitrogen, which horribly mutates him, but didn't really pose enough of a risk to warrant a decent railing. And don't even get started on the electronic equipment that randomly crapped out and sent him flying into the vat.
** It gets worse-- there was a railing on the opposite side of the catwalk. But not on the side that has the vat of liquid nitrogen!
** Frankly, you could argue that nearly every building in Gotham City fits this trope, since they all appear to be much wider - even absurdly so - at the top than at the bottom and clearly can't maintain integrity in the face of even minor explosions or collisions.
* {{Oxbridge}}: Barbara studied there.
* PaperThinDisguise: Poison Ivy seems to think gluing things to her eyebrows is a mask.
* PerpetualSmiler: Whether he's explaining that life-long butler and friend Alfred is dying, or trying to thaw out the entire city with less than 10 minutes before they all die, it seems George Clooney was never without a grin on his face.
* PungeonMaster: Mr. Freeze gets most of these. Poison Ivy does this too, though half of hers are also thinly veiled innuendos.
* ShoutOut: In one scene, you can see gang members who wear the same outfits as the main characters from ClockworkOrange.
* SkunkStripe: Dr. Woodrue has one of these.
* SkySurfing: Early in the film, Batman and Robin ''surf debris to the ground'' when they escape Mr. Freeze's rocket. And Robin even shouts [[TotallyRadical "Cowabunga!"]]
* SoapOperaDisease: It gets a name, [=McGregor's=], but nothing else besides its fatality and multi-stage process is established. Oh, and [[{{Tuckerization}} it's named for]] [=Peter McGregor-Scott=], the film's producer, though film producers aren't usually known to be toxic.
* SomewhereAPaleontologistIsCrying: Mr. Freeze, it seems, knows [[IncrediblyLamePun absolute zero]] about what killed the dinosaurs.
* SpandexLatexOrLeather: What was the ''material'' they chose for the costumes? Go on, take a wild guess...
* SuperSerum: Venom, Bane's source of power.
* SupervillainLair: Mr. Freeze has his lair in a ''giant ice cream factory in the middle of the city in plain sight.'' Poison Ivy just takes over an abandoned Turkish Bath, but converts it into a violent garden to make it more suitable for her. And when Mr. Freeze moves in, he naturally decks out his own room in his thematic trappings.
* TaintedVeins: Bane when given the Venom injections. Poison Ivy's kisses create the same effect on the people she poisons, though as Venom was one of the things she was poisoned with, it's a similar effect.
* TakeOverTheWorld: Ultimate goal of Poison Ivy, and later the goal of Mr. Freeze with a little prodding. Let's break down the eventual plan: 1) Freeze Gotham city using a giant telescope as a laser. 2) Freeze the rest of the world...somehow. 3) Unleash a strain of carnivorous plants to 4) Unfreeze the world so Ivy and Freeze can repopulate the globe together as Adam and Evil.
** Both of them have something in common: they're {{Omnicidal Maniac}}s. Neither have a high opinion of humanity. (Well, Victor Fries does have ''one'' person he loves.)
* TestKiss: Robin lets Ivy kiss him to find out if they're really in love or if Batman's telling the truth about the pheromones and her KissOfDeath. Good thing he was wearing ''[[CrazyPrepared fake rubber lips]]'' when she did.
* ThirdLineSomeWaiting: The Batgirl plot happens, for the most part, independently from much of the film.
* UnwittingPawn: Mr. Freeze was tricked by Poison Ivy into thinking that Batman killed his wife.
* UnderwearOfPower: This is obvious in Batman and Robin. But also exclusive for the first time in Batgirl as previous versions do not feature panties on her costume.
* TheVamp: Poison Ivy. Yes, making her a [[HurricaneOfPuns camp vamp]].
* TheVillainSucksSong: "Poison Ivy" by Meshelle Ndegeocello is actually a cover of an older song, but is still fitting.
* VillainTeamUp: Repeating the previous films' formula, though with less successful results.
* VirtualGhost: Alfred to Barbara in the Bat Cave, despite not being dead.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Poison Ivy technically wants to save the environment. On the other hand, it's pretty obvious that she really just sees plants as more valuable than people and just wants a planet with all the humans dead except herself (of course). This is consistent with every other interpretation of the character as well.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The "mystery bidder" and the former tenants of Poison Ivy's hideout.
** Also, Bruce Wayne's girlfriend. She only has two short scenes, both of them are about Bruce's adherence to his bachelor lifestyle, and then she is never mentioned again and has no bearing on the plot whatsoever. The real reason she doesn't show up later in the movie is because Poison Ivy shanks her in a deleted scene.
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* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Mr. Freeze, despite being armed and fully powered, actually goes so far as to say "I'll kill you next time!" when Batman is stopped, panicked, and off-balance, ''and right after he has just shot Robin anyway''. The question of "Why not just shoot him now?!" is never addressed.

** Barbera Wilson/Batgirl is a composite of Barbara Gordon and Alfred's niece, Daphne (who first shows up in 1969's ''Batman'' #216).

* InkStainAdaptation

* HeyItsThatGuy: Poison Ivy is created by [[SmallVille Lex Luthor's dad]] (who incidentally, also provided the Riddler's voice on ''Batman: The Animated Series'') and one of Gotham's esteemed police officers is [[JesseVentura Jesse "The Body" Ventura]]. Also, Gossip Gerty is played by Elizabeth Sanders, widow of Batman creator [[BobKane Bob Kane]].

* InkstainAdaptation

* TheOtherDarrin: Clooney is the ''third'' Batman in the this continuity, replacing Val Kilmer in ''[[BatmanForever Forever]]''.

* RecycledScript: Notice how the introduction to this film is nearly identical to ''{{Batman Forever}}'''s opening.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Poison Ivy is created by [[SmallVille Lex Luthor's dad]] and one of Gotham's esteemed police officers is [[JesseVentura Jesse "The Body" Ventura]]. Also, Gossip Gerty is played by Elizabeth Sanders, widow of Batman creator [[BobKane Bob Kane]].

Director JoelSchumacher has largely been blamed for temporarily freezing the Batman franchise with this movie, though he himself blames the [[ExecutiveMeddling cold-hearted executives]] who pushed him to to get the film out as fast as possible in order to capitalize on the success of the previous film -- pressure that resulted in a rushed script from otherwise-acclaimed screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, a script that Shumacher was very unhappy with (in many cases, it [[RecycledScript duplicated entire sequences and plot points]] from the previous film). To his credit, while pointing out these problems, Schumacher has also noted that as the director, it was ultimately ''his'' film and ''he'' bears the final responsibility for how it turned out.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Poison Ivy is created by [[SmallVille Lex Luthor's dad]] and one of Gotham's esteemed police officers is [[JesseVentura Jesse "The Body" Ventura]]. Also, Gossip Gerty is played by Elizabeth Sanders, widow of Batman creator [[BobKane]].

* HeyItsThatGuy: Poison Ivy is created by [[SmallVille Lex Luthor's dad]] and one of Gotham's esteemed police officers is [[JesseVentura Jesse "The Body" Ventura]].