With the Batman franchise looking decidedly tired, Caped Crusader Mark 3 was introduced in the shape of George Clooney, who was at the height of his ER popularity, in an attempt to pep up the flagging formula. The rugged former TV medic doesn't disgrace himself in this wild special-effects extravaganza that is as close to a cartoon adventure as director Joel Schumacher could get. There's a decidedly two-dimensional Arnold Schwarzenegger as a heavily accented Mr Freeze, while Uma Thurman gave birth to a million copycat hairstyles as villainess Poison Ivy. Schumacher piles on the action, but this is still the least satisfying entry in the series.

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.