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Ironically Arnie's Performance Raises This above Batman Forever

posted 3 years ago by FootOfDavros (8717)
10 replies | jump to latest

Just finished going through the four pre Nolan films.

Post Burton they're pretty garbage however, despite the common belief that this is the worst, ironically Arnie's Performance as Victor Fries probably puts this above Forever.

Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey are just unrelentingly bad and Uma Thurman in this one is so hammy she makes Gotham's Fish Mooney look subdued.

The tragedy of Victor Fries' wife is pretty much the only thing of substance in either film. More scenes of Arnie in non Freeze outfit and not cracking puns and this film could have been ok (apart from Clooney, O'Donnell, etc) Makes you wonder how a Burton Freeze film would have turned out...

[–] Sidha108 (2737) 3 years ago

Uma Thurman (especially below the waist) is amazing in this movie!

[–] Kowalski (79202) 3 years ago

I LOVE ARNIE AND HIS ICE PUNS...BUT I HAVE HEARD FROM MORE SERIOUS BATMAN FANS THAT THEY TOTALLY BUTCHER THE DR FREEZE/WIFE STORYLINE/LOVE STORY.

[–] FootOfDavros (8717) 3 years ago

Weird thing was that for years I thought the classic pun was "Tonight a freeze is coming to Gotham" whilst delivering my finest Arnie impression.

Anyway, re-watching the film I was eagerly awaiting the line when I get "Tonight's forecast a freeze is coming"!

It was a total shock. Either another clear example of the Mandela effect or I'd simply completely forgotten the line from a film I'd only seen once years ago. Definitely one of the two...

[–] acidraindrop (3055) 3 years ago

You can't be serious lol. If we ignore the cartoonish antics of Jones and Carrey, we have much better substance in Forever with the burgeoning relationship between Batman and Robin, Bruce and Chase, and frankly, this is may be one of the closest instances we see of the detective side of Batman (I love the Nolan trilogy too but we didn't really see that aspect there; I don't care what Nolan said about TDK, nor do I have any respect for that bullet reconstruction montage lol)

I also really like Kilmer's rendition of the tortured Bruce Wayne.

[–] FootOfDavros (8717) 3 years ago

Absolutely serious.

In ignoring Jones and Carrey you are also ignoring the fact that there's no decent quality adversaries to give the film any substance.

O'Donnell's performance is pretty awful, plus it's pretty hard to get past why this clearly in his 20s stubbly guy is being taken in by billionaire Bruce Wayne.

Kilmer however definitely gives a way better performance than the wooden Clooney.

Neither are good films but I was struck by finding this one not to be the absolute howler in comparison to Forever that I'd had in mind.

[–] pioneergrrrl (2412) 3 years ago

Schwatzenegger probably could have done good with a Burton-type screenplay....remember he had been in action films and terminator 2 comes off almost gothic. with the robot from the first now trying to help save humanity.

it's a shame that he ended up with this mess instead. He really didn't deserve this.

[–] Ace_Spade (9661) 3 years ago

See, I think everybody was doing what they were asked, it's just that the cornball direction they took it makes it goofy. But it's not like Thurman and Jones weren't being asked to do as they did. It is a shame that they didn't give us something a bit deeper, especially given the potential with Fries' story.

B&R is a bad movie, but does contain one of my favourite Batman moments of all-time, weirdly enough. It's the conversation between Alfred and Bruce where Alfred points out, "For what is Batman if not an effort to master the chaos that sweeps our world? An attempt to control death itself?" and Bruce replies, "But I can't? Can I?" and there is such truth and vulnerability and insight in those moments about these characters and who they are and their relationship. It's masterfully done. It's like it crept in from another film.

[–] TMC-4 (20495) 3 years ago

I to this day, don't understand why Mr. Freeze was written the way that he's written in this movie. Admittedly, my first main exposure outside of the comics to the Mr. Freeze character was through Batman: The Animated Series. They of course, do use elements of BTAS such as Victor Fries' tragedy backstory relating to his sick wife. But all of that is derailed by the insistence of him acting like a cackling, cheesy, punster.

https://illgetdrivethru.com/2020/07/31/why-is-batman-robin-considered-the-worst-batman-movie/

[–] FootOfDavros (8717) 3 years ago

The setup for Mr Freeze was better done in Gotham as well. Sadly they never really developed his character well there though after his first couple of episodes.

[–] mikethemartian (7005) 3 years ago

I remember after Batman Forever came out in 1995 there was a story in the entertainment news that Patrick Stewart might be cast for Freeze. I think they also mentioned Julia Roberts for Ivy.