The Hollywood actress recently spoke out about her role with Poison Ivy from Batman & Robin, an iconic villain she played in 1997. Her work in Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin cemented its place in pop culture, particularly as the stylised take on the terrorist and plants enthusiast. But the movie itself – still a financial success – was generally despised as campy and overly stylized, and so its reception mirrored part of Thurman’s mixed experience with it. While discussing her view of her role in the movie, she has been able to share a glimpse into her take on this often-criticized film for the fans.
With regard to campiness in Batman & Robin, Thurman reflected on how she took things lightly when talking about it with Total Film:. She said, “It’s made for kids,” noting that while the movie has its share of over-the-top characters and flashy outfits, as well as its flashy set pieces, it was not a subversive deconstruction of the Batman brand, but rather something of an attempt at a lighter shading to draw a wider family audience-and that factor often taints the performance and atmosphere of movies based on comic books.
The way in which Poison Ivy was embodied by Thurman-of such great costume designs as well as a character that was seductive-remained an accolade to the very comic book style itself. Although the movie did not win complete critics, her image has been considered a cult classic, and portrayal since then is considered an outstanding favorite representation of the DC villain. In retrospect, she said she savored the theatricality of Poison Ivy. “The movie is both a challenge and fun to do, in terms of the intermix of fantasy and camp,” she said. “It is different from the dark realism people expect in Batman films these days, but I think it has its own charm.”.
Since Batman & Robin, the comic book films have started to inch toward realism and complexity; however, Thurman’s ruminations imply she doesn’t regret her unique take on Poison Ivy for one second. Her words echo the sentiment felt by most fans: a longing for a time when superhero films deviated into more playful avenues towards their characters instead of gritty realism.
While Batman & Robin is not high on the list of cinema classics, there is an aspect that remains one of the legacies of the film, and that is Poison Ivy. Of course, though, Thurman would always be lovable for choosing commitment to the character’s flair rather than looking for herself.
