Batman & Robin

Batman & Robin is currently streaming in Australia on HBO Max, and in the US on HBO Max Amazon Channel and YouTube TV, and it earns its premise rather than just borrowing genre trappings. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. 5,458 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. George Clooney sets the tone, and the world-building does the rest. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on HBO Max.

Batman & Robin arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. Batman & Robin uses its genre premise as cover for asking bigger questions. Batman and his sidekick Robin attempt to the foil the sinister schemes of a deranged set of new villains, most notably the melancholy Mr. Freeze, who wants to make Gotham City into an arctic region, and the sultry Poison Ivy, a botanical femme fatale. As the Dynamic Duo contend with these bad guys, a third hero, Batgirl, joins the ranks of the city's crime-fighters. George Clooney and Chris O'Donnell lead a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. It was released in 1997. What separates Batman & Robin from lesser genre entertainment is a willingness to let the concept cost the characters something. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Viewers burned by ambitious sci-fi that could not sustain its premise should give Batman & Robin a chance. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Watch for George Clooney in particular — the performance elevates the material. Satisfying on multiple levels.