Arnold Schwarzenegger’s performance as Batman & Robin's Mr. Freeze is one of the most misguided of his career, but he isn’t the worst version of the villain, and he could have been great in the role. Batman & Robin is notorious for being one of the worst comic book movies ever made. However, it’s unfortunate a villain as compelling as Mr. Freeze was then banished from Batman movies, especially since the character had been treated far worse in the past.
Batman & Robin follows George Clooney’s Dark Knight as he struggles to protect Gotham and trust his sidekick, Dick Grayson (Chris O’Donnell). Tension rises between the pair while they battle the combined forces of Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman). No character emerged from Batman & Robin unscathed, but Schwarzenegger bore the brunt of the ridicule.
However, with Matt Reeves considering a more grounded Mr. Freeze for a sequel to The Batman, it’s worth noting that Schwarzenegger’s isn’t the most ridiculous portrayal. The actor might not immediately spring to mind for the role of a scientist specializing in cryogenics, but he could have been fantastic had his talent been used effectively, like in the Terminator franchise. The overt comedy is a step too far, but Batman & Robin’s Mr. Freeze does boast a tragic backstory. The same can’t be said for the villain's second appearance in the 1960s Batman TV show, where Otto Preminger reduced him to a sleazy criminal.
Batman & Robin failed to understand what makes the actor powerful, sharing the same Schwarzenegger problem impacting the Terminator and Predator sequels. Schwarzenegger is iconic as the T-800, his innovative, stoic approach making him a terrifying and methodical killer. Terminator 2: Judgment Day turned him into a more talkative hero, but his robotic movements and deadpan line delivery were used to great emotional effect. Schwarzenegger’s T-800 gradually learning human feelings could easily have been applied to Mr. Freeze’s tragic villain. This would have echoed Michael Ansara's coolly detached voice work in Batman: The Animated Series. The Batman & Robin version was lambasted for his onslaught of ice puns, but these aren't entirely out of place. They were used sparingly in the animated show, but Joel Schumacher’s movie clearly harkens back to the incredibly tongue-in-cheek 1960s Batman. The difference is, in both cases, the comedy was played straight, unlike Schwarzenegger's performance. Yet, to his credit, he isn't as bad as acclaimed director Otto Preminger, one of three actors to play Mr. Freeze in the Adam West show.
Preminger's costume was extremely low-budget, and his bizarre trademark was stroking his bushy orange eyebrows. Although Schwarzenegger's puns quickly grew tiresome, they are at least logical, compared to Preminger describing his every action as simply "wild". As the second Freeze actor, he bore no resemblance to the sophisticated and vengeful George Sanders in season 1 and was entirely devoid of sympathy. He kidnapped Miss Iceland from Gotham's beauty pageant, in the absurd belief that, by lowering her body temperature, she would magically fall in love with him. The 1960s Batman originated several iconic villains, like Cesar Romero's Joker and Julie Newmar's Catwoman, but it struggled to adapt Freeze. Otto Preminger's Mr. Freeze was seedy and pathetic, while Schwarzenegger benefits from not straying too far from Batman: The Animated Series' 1992 episode "Heart of Ice". The Emmy-winning story transformed Freeze from a one-joke villain into a captivating, tragic character. Batman & Robin borrowed this revised origin, with Freeze determined to save his terminally ill wife.
When compared to Preminger’s lecherous Mr. Freeze, Schwarzenegger doesn't look nearly as wild. Batman & Robin is deserving of its icy reception, but Schwarzenegger is at least a physical match for the Dynamic Duo. Unfortunately, Schumacher neglected to reign in the former bodybuilder. Terminator 2’s comedy worked because the T-800 didn’t know he was funny, but Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze is a grinning comedian, undermining what could have been a gripping arc.
