Your Version of Batman & Robin

[Silver Nemesis]

Ivy was originally a lab worker.

A lab worker who was mutated by the same Venom that created Bane. She was also armed with a knife and a whip.

And Batgirl barely kept up with her.

Batgirl kicked Ivy's botanical butt. That was her. She did it all by herself. Watch from the 2:30 mark.

She didn't keep up with Bane and mostly depended on Robin during the fight.

Robin doesn't do anything to defend her during that scene. And if you watch carefully you'll see it's actually Batgirl who kicks the tube from the back of Bane's mask, not Robin. If most teenage girls were grabbed around the throat by a mutant bodybuilder and lifted up against a wall, how many of them would have the clarity of mind and coordination of limb to precisely kick the weak spot on the back of their attacker's head? Especially if this was the first time they'd ever encountered such a mutant bodybuilder, and if they'd had no relevant training beforehand besides a few Judo classes.

I don't have a major problem with this aspect.

For me, Batgirl's whole initiation towards the end of the movie feels too rushed and unbelievable. A teenage girl who's taken a few Judo classes can suddenly smash through skylights, cartwheel and throw kicks like a veteran Power Ranger. All while sporting a constrictive armoured costume she's never worn before. And she can also deploy grapple lines and handle a laser gun with the same proficiency as Batman and Robin, despite never having undergone their specialist training. This just strikes me as too implausible, even by Schumacher's standards.

[Catwoman]

i would take bane and batgirl out completely, first. bane was so pointless and it made things too crowded (sorry silver, not a fan of your idea either) and its called "batman and robin." we don't need to make things even further too crowded by throwing in batgirl.

for the villains i'd make freeze more like the cartoon version that was so tragic and sympathetic and have ivy exploit that behind his back because all she needs him for is for him to freeze everything and everyone, then she can thaw it (killing him horribly in the process as he would have discarded his suit, not that she cares about any human life at this point) and start things over with her as a literal mother nature. in the end, she tells him she killed nora (instead of relying on batsy to deliver the message hismelf) and he nearly kills her by freezing her up to her neck. batman stops him by telling him nora is alive and if he kills ivy there's no way they will let him continue his research in prison, so he thaws her and punches her out, um, cold (i'm cutting most of the puns but that one just fit) and they are both sent to arkham. ivy is put in this awful concrete cell and never given any contact with her beloved plants while freeze is put in his cold cell and with private funding from bruce wayne is allowed to keep working on his research to find a cure for nora who will be kept on ice (sorry) until he is released or finds a cure, whichever comes first.

i would have batman and robin working as partners throughout the movie and save their contention and ultimate split for the fifth movie since if we're doing it my way instead of joel's we get a fifth movie lol.

I agree with removing Bane and Batgirl. Bane was pointless and butchers the character. Batgirl didn't add anything to the plot and this really should have been the film to let Robin grow especially with the partnership in peril plotline. Though one thing to consider; if you're saving Batgirl for the next film, would it not be better to do the same with Ivy? That way we could still get the heroine vs villainess fight. I'm thinking maybe I'd have dropped Ivy and added the scarecrow. Imagine the winterish nightmare they could create? Or perhaps use the mad hatter as his mind control could cause some of the effects that Ivy's love dust did. For instance he could use Gordon to hijack the bat signal and lure a trap. You could even take it a step further and have them kidnap Gordon. Introduce barbara gordon, maybe even have her act heroic out of costume the way Dick did in the previous film.

i might introduce barbara and hint that she is the replacement alongside batman when he and robin (nightwing) split in the fifth. as long as i kept nipples off the batsuits and sh*t hopefully i could have a shot at a sixth

[DocLathropBrown]

Batgirl kicked Ivy's botanical butt. That was her. She did it all by herself.

Silver, you win the internet today. Well played, sir!

And it's funny that the finale of Batman Forever almost does the same thing with Robin... no hardcore training and he's supposed to go out into a pitched battle with Batman? It would be as rediculous as Batgirl... if Robin didn't get captured almost immediately. Seriously, that's arguably laughable about Robin in BF, but it's great because it's true. He doesn't have enough training to blast into battle with people like The Riddler and Two-Face, so he'd totally get captured, or killed. It's another aspect about Robin's portrayal in the film that grounds it in reality.

[gordonblu]

for the villains i'd make freeze more like the cartoon version that was so tragic and sympathetic and have ivy exploit that behind his back because all she needs him for is for him to freeze everything and everyone, then she can thaw it (killing him horribly in the process as he would have discarded his suit, not that she cares about any human life at this point) and start things over with her as a literal mother nature.

I had a similar idea concerning the "relationship" between the two as their M.O.'s don't really mesh. The only place we differ is I'd stay closer to the ending except, I'd have a fire break out in the turkish bath and Ivy would perish trying to save her plants, Nora would stay dead (no last minute Batman saving her), and Freeze's dying act would be to give Batman the stage one antidote as a way of "restoring" the man Nora once loved.

As for Bane I would keep him as sort of  thug throughout, until we get to the end and it is revealed that he was manipulating BOTH Ivy and Freeze the entire time in order to get to Batman (at the behest of the never named mystery bidder). The final fight would not be Bats and Freeze, but Bats and Bane.

[Silver Nemesis]

Batgirl kicked Ivy's botanical butt. That was her. She did it all by herself.

Silver, you win the internet today. Well played, sir!

Nah, you win for getting the reference.

Though since we've both watched the film enough times to recognise that line, then in a way we both lose...

It would be as rediculous as Batgirl... if Robin didn't get captured almost immediately. Seriously, that's arguably laughable about Robin in BF, but it's great because it's true. He doesn't have enough training to blast into battle with people like The Riddler and Two-Face, so he'd totally get captured, or killed. It's another aspect about Robin's portrayal in the film that grounds it in reality.

Yeah, they conveyed his inexperience quite well in that sequence. Another thing to point out is that Robin would have been killed by those frogmen if Batman hadn't saved him.

[Slash Man]

So I have a pretty wild idea. First of all, I think everyone before poses excellent ideas; mainly just adapting it to fit the theme set by Burton, and remain more faithful to the sources it appropriates (the comics, the show). So my idea; what if Batman & Robin was a dark comedy?

Let's be honest, it would be easier to adapt it into a comedy, as opposed to going further across the spectrum to being serious. The "comedy sequel" to a serious movie has been done successfully before. I can only think of horror instances, but there's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and especially Evil Dead II to look at. Such films are somewhat parodies, as they playfully poke fun at the previous; with Batman, there's a lot to look at. They also accentuate the comedy of the originals; Keaton, the villains, and even Alfred gave us some humor in the series.

I'd say take out the instances of drama; the Nora backstory just doesn't work in the sense of any comedy (as the original proved). Also take out the Alfred dying subplot. I actually liked that in the original, but wouldn't fit the proposed project. Finally, take on more of the 60s show. To me, that subject matter put up against the dark world creates a real dissonance. "What if the campy Batman were to exist in a real and disturbed world?" Keep Freeze with his original motivations on the comics just to show how ridiculous it would be.

Most of the cast would be fine to keep. Except George Clooney. I'd probably see Michael Keaton most likely in such a role, acting as people thought he would in the 1989 movie. Seeing him overacting could be a real spectacle.

This might be just as terrible as it sounds, but with these things, you really never know until you see it in action.

[The Laughing Fish]

This is a tough one.

Normally I'd prefer to have one main villain instead of two, but the whole idea of using Poison Ivy against Robin makes sense because she disrupts the team dynamic between him and Batman. So I'd keep her in the movie, but maybe it would've been better if she was more like BTAS eco-terrorist Ivy.

I'd obviously remove the nipple costumes, body close up shots, the crappy attempts at comedy, the dumb Schwarzenegger one liners, and I'd get rid of Bane. I'd probably just have a gigantic generic henchman i.e. the big Joker goon at the cathedral, who doesn't come across as a cartoonish parody.

As much as some people are bothered by Barbara/Batgirl being Alfred's niece instead of Gordon's daughter, it does make sense why they opted that from a narrative point of view because she helps bring Batman and Robin together. So I'd keep her the way she is, but write her a bit better in terms of personality and computer hacking aptitude.

I guess I'd cut Elle MacPherson since she's unnecessary to the plot. And Gossip Gerty should go too, she's too much of a 1950s tabloid reporter parody. She doesn't even fit in Burton's movies.

I'd also kill off Alfred....just kidding. 

To tell you all the truth, I seriously wonder if these Schumacher movies would have the negative reputation like they have today if they didn't have the overacting, bad costumes, neon lighting and bad comedy. Underneath all of the problems these movies had, they had potential to be good movies. The material including Batman putting an end to his blood-thirsty desire for vengeance while sparing Robin the same path, and the two needing to overcome each other's differences for Gotham and Alfred's sake are great ideas. Batman & Robin could have been a very good light-hearted movie under the right hands. Too bad that potential was ruined thanks to incredibly bad aesthetic choices.

[Andrew]

I think the biggest change I would make would be have Ivy not being attracted to Mr. Freeze, at least to the point of helping him try to freeze the world, mostly just like Freeze for that he could fight and get rid of Batman and Robin. Although I could still see her disliking Nora.

Not sure how to make work having Bane as a supporting character rather than the mastermind. A big but simple change would be he escapes from the laboratory on his own, then mostly monitors Ivy and Freeze fight Batman and try to figure out Batman's identity, then offers his help to the villains, with strings attached, near the end.

Batgirl had moments and could have worked ... she could have been more of an impetus to why Robin realized that he was being too reckless too and should be more trusting of Bruce, she also could have dealt more with if she really thought bike racing was a good idea and whether and why being a hero was better.

Having Chase return, especially as the love interest considers marriage, would make more sense.

[Wayne49]

If it were me, I would have first given Batman his own vocal quality and personality. That alone would have made an enormous difference. I would have removed Batgirl and Poison Ivy and redesigned and rewritten Bane to be intelligent and dueling against Freeze for control of the city while both trying to eliminate the Dynamic Duo. Instead of Alfred getting sick, I would have had Bane hurt Batman badly. Not with a broken back, but enough that Robin had to evolve into the primary hero through part of the film. Possibly even adopting the Nightwing name once Batman goes down. Batman uses his detective abilities to weave a plan to defeat both villains and returns for the finale to stand with Robin (Nightwing).

[The Laughing Fish]

If it were me, I would have first given Batman his own vocal quality and personality. That alone would have made an enormous difference. I would have removed Batgirl and Poison Ivy and redesigned and rewritten Bane to be intelligent and dueling against Freeze for control of the city while both trying to eliminate the Dynamic Duo. Instead of Alfred getting sick, I would have had Bane hurt Batman badly. Not with a broken back, but enough that Robin had to evolve into the primary hero through part of the film. Possibly even adopting the Nightwing name once Batman goes down. Batman uses his detective abilities to weave a plan to defeat both villains and returns for the finale to stand with Robin (Nightwing).

I quite like your idea how Dick Grayson could've adopted the Nightwing persona. It might've made a more meaningful arc where Grayson makes that step towards independence, as opposed to changing identities on a weekly basis as Batman implied at the start of B&R.