Batman and Robin Trailer - Observations

Calling all film geeks.  Here are some observations on the BATMAN 
AND ROBIN trailer, which was shown this evening on "Entertainment 
Tonight."  Spoilers ahoy, so don't gripe if you learn something 
that you didn't want to.  If you didn't get to see it, visit your 
local Warner Brothers Studio Store.  I hear that they'll be playing 
it.  Also, of course, check this week's Warner features, such as 
ROSEWOOD and VEGAS VACATION.  And, who knows, maybe "E.T." will run 
an encore presentation on Thursday or Friday.  (Hey, they've done 
it before.)

The trailer opens on Mr. Freeze, with Schwarz sporting a chrome 
dome.  (Shaved?  Cap??)  His armor is this huge, bulky, Tin-Man-on-
steroids looking thing.  (Intentional WIZARD OF OZ reference?)  The 
scene we're shown (in choppy snippets) appears to go something like 
this:  at a gala ball, the "freeze mobile" (which looks like a tank 
with spikes and a "freeze gun") crashes the party.  Everything in-
side (the museum?) is frozen, including a few partygoers.  Batman 
and Robin arrive.  (Batman by crashing through yet another sky-
light; Robin sliding in on a motorcycle.)  Battle ensues.  Freeze's 
goons are dressed as hockey players, complete with skates.  (Robin 
notes "it's the hockey team from Hell!")  All the while Freeze is 
spouting eye-rolling one-liners.  (Like "chill!" and "cool party!")

Not as much footage is shown of Uma as Poison Ivy.  We seen an ex-
tended take of her kissing (to death?) a character that appears to 
be Dr. Jason Woodrue (of "Swamp Thing" comic-book fame).  Other 
bits have her appearing on a dance stage (?), spouting her own bon 
mots ("so many people to kill, so little time"), and, in passing, 
in scenes with Batman and Robin, and Freeze and Bane.  (Bane, cast 
here as Ivy's "pit bull," also appears at the end of the trailer, 
in a shot that has him lifting the Bat-signal off it's mountings.  
And his costume looks *great*.)

Chris O'Donnell is wearing a new costume as Robin.  (He resembles 
the Nightwing comic-book character, but with red instead of blue.)  
He's shown performing a couple of cool acrobatic leaps and in the 
scene that introduces Batgirl.  And, speaking of Ms. Silverstone, 
she's shown toward the end of the trailer.  First in Wayne Manor, 
greeting Alfred.  (Her character is Alfred's niece, I believe.)  
Then, in costume (mask and suit, but no cowl), greeting Batman and 
Robin.  (The dialogue goes something like this:  "And you are?"  
"Batgirl!"  "That's not very PC.  What about Batperson?"  "Found 
the Batcave."  "She knows who we are."  "I guess we'll just have to 
kill her.")  Was that one of the scenes that Dennis Miller was re-
portedly paid to punch up?

Finally, for Mr. Clooney, he might just be the best Bat to date.  
Good, strong jaw, but with some much-needed humor behind his eyes.  
(The best bit of the trailer has him stating, matter-of-factly, 
"this is why Superman works alone.")  He's also shown sans costume
(all black, this time.  Closer to the sonar suit, that appeared at 
the end of BATMAN FOREVER), in an intimate scene with Elle Macpher-
son, who plays yet another love-interest.  (The dialogue goes some-
thing like this:  "I'm not the marrying kind."  "I know you've got 
your wild nights."  "Wild doesn't quite cover it.")  We're also 
shown the latest iteration of the Batmobile.  An open-cab model, 
this time, with extensive neon trim.  (Intentional reference to the 
television series?)  

And there are other goodies, including a spectacular aerial shot of 
Gotham City.  I'll leave that, and other details, for the next per-
son to post...

[ The download location for the trailer is  http://www.batman-robin.com/dld/batrailer.mov ]