Have people softened on Batman and Robin?

[wildojinx]

Back in the day, it was seen as the absolute worst superhero film ever made. Now, while it still has its haters, talk about the film is less vicious, with Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze being noted as a highlight by many. Is the film now seen as not as bad as its reputation?

[Cyno]

It's still a horrible movie and I don't think anyone's going to call it a cinematic masterpiece or anything. But it's gotten a sort of "The Room" appeal now where the movie is so bad in silly and goofy ways that you can enjoy it ironically. Sort of an MST3k appeal.

Like, campy bad (which B&R is) is a lot easier to enjoy just to make fun of versus a bad movie where it's boring or offensive to the senses.

[FinalGwen]

I'd say it's aged better than Forever by virtue of going full campy rather than Forever's more mixed messaging of half-Burton psychological film but then having Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones running around. Not what audiences wanted at the time and even on that basis I don't know if I could call it a good film, but it's a fun one, and that counts for something.

And for what it's worth I still think both Schmacher films' version of Gotham is the best it's ever looked, exactly the kinds sprawling neon-drenched-gothic nightmare that would spawn so many supervillains, and just making it look like a more generic Chicago in the Dark Knight films kinda sucked.

[mo]

Its main competition for Batman related movies lately has been the terrible Snyder stuff, which probably helps its reputation a bit. I’ve always thought it to be stupid, but fun, and I’ll take that over those movies any day.

[Feyrhausen]

I still have no desire to ever watch Batman and Robin again. But I would much rather watch it than any Snyder Batman. Stupid silly fun is much more watchable than stupid dark depressing bullshit.

Plus from what I remember the Alfred illness storyline was well done. Except for Alfred Headroom.

[dablueboy]

I still hate it, but will gladly watch it if it ever comes on TV purely to get a kick out of Arnie’s one liners

[Red Mage Riot]

I love terrible movies, so I've never hated Batman & Robin, but yeah, I think three solid decades of "insufferably dark and grim" Batman movies makes the campy 80s/90s stuff more appealing in a way.

[Mr PONYMANIA Mr Jenzie]

Mar 3, 2023 17:19:15 GMT -5 Feyrhausen said:

I still have no desire to ever watch Batman and Robin again. But I would much rather watch it than any Snyder Batman. Stupid silly fun is much more watchable than stupid dark depressing bullshit.

Plus from what I remember the Alfred illness storyline was well done. Except for Alfred Headroom.

pity it was the EXACT SAME condition that nora had, that narked me off ... not as much as that stupid bloody credit card and the skateboots ...

but time and brain softened that

it is and still will be stupidly fun, and finishes with a hell of a set piece in the observatory!

but still the worst of the series by a long way

[tirtefaa]

Batman is a relatively flexible character and easy to adapt, so it takes a lot to really mess up a Batman movie.

And Schumacher didn't do that with this movie...but Batman Vs. Superman certainly did, so by default it can't be considered the worst Batman movie.

[BlackoutCreature]

I mean, I'm just immensely sick of Batman movies that basically boil down to Batman in a dank alley punching gangbangers and mobsters, and if there's one thing I can say about Batman & Robin it's that it is not that kind of Batman movie.

[Hit Girl]

Yes, due to Zack Snyder.

[Display Name]

I’ve always liked it more than Forever. It’s a lot funner.

[Zone Was Wrong]

I always thought of it as more of an updated version of the Adam West Batman series than anything. So in that regard it was a fine film. Just not when you compare it to just about every other Batman film before or after it lol

[ace]

I remember seeing it in theaters and right at the beginning Gordon calls Batman and says something like “there’s a new villain in town. He’s calling himself Mr. Freeze” and it was probably the fastest into a movie that I ever knew I was in trouble.

[Mozenrath]

We live in a post-Morbius world, so, kinda?

It's still probably the worst Batman film, but it's got certain charms over, say, Dark Knight Rises.

[ace]

Everything is someone else’s childhood eventually

[Celexa Bliss 54]

My take on Batman and Robin has always been that it could've been a good film. I have the novelization they put out from when I was a kid, and the story was solid. But so many of the redeemable qualities weren't present in the film. There was a whole sequence with Bruce, Julie and Ivy, for example, and Julie actually felt like a real character in the novel, rather than the living prop she ended up being in the film. I don't even think Arnold was a bad Mister Freeze, but the writing definitely dragged his performance down. Clooney was a decent Batman but a poor Bruce Wayne, imo. O'Donnell is another actor who didn't bother me, it was how they wrote him as Robin. The only casting I might have changed was Batgirl. Alicia Silverstone just did nothing for me, as far as the character goes.

Oh and maybe don't use Bane as a brainwashed grunt lol

[tirtefaa]

Mar 3, 2023 17:47:16 GMT -5 BlackoutCreature said:

I mean, I'm just immensely sick of Batman movies that basically boil down to Batman in a dank alley punching gangbangers and mobsters, and if there's one thing I can say about Batman & Robin it's that it is not that kind of Batman movie.

Probably not ever going to happen with the movies, but having a Batman show that is more centered around being a surrogate mentor to Robin would be interesting.

But yeah, I am more than sick of exclusive Batman.

Mar 3, 2023 20:41:49 GMT -5 Celexa Bliss 54 said:

Oh and maybe don't use Bane as a brainwashed grunt lol

While I don't like what they did with his character, I won't lie I liked the look of the character, especially when you compare it to the Tom Hardy version, who looks tiny by comparison.

[BlackoutCreature]

Mar 3, 2023 20:48:27 GMT -5 tirtefaa said:

Mar 3, 2023 17:47:16 GMT -5 BlackoutCreature said:

I mean, I'm just immensely sick of Batman movies that basically boil down to Batman in a dank alley punching gangbangers and mobsters, and if there's one thing I can say about Batman & Robin it's that it is not that kind of Batman movie.

Probably not ever going to happen with the movies, but having a Batman show that is more centered around being a surrogate mentor to Robin would be interesting.

But yeah, I am more than sick of exclusive Batman.

I'm just kinda sick of the "gritty, realistic" Batman. They can still be dark or moody stories, but I want to see a more fantastic Batman that explores his sci-fi elements. Have him battle foes like meta-humans or vampires or aliens, use concepts like time travel or magic, give him some unusual gadgets. He's been around for more then 80 years, there are way more stories to draw from then just him beating up mobsters. I honestly have an idea for a Batman-alien abduction movie with the Dominators as the villains that I think would be great.

[tirtefaa]

Mar 3, 2023 21:00:30 GMT -5 BlackoutCreature said:

I'm just kinda sick of the "gritty, realistic" Batman. They can still be dark or moody stories, but I want to see a more fantastic Batman that explores his sci-fi elements. Have him battle foes like meta-humans or vampires or aliens, use concepts like time travel or magic, give him some unusual gadgets. He's been around for more then 80 years, there are way more stories to draw from then just him beating up mobsters. I honestly have an idea for a Batman-alien abduction movie with the Dominators as the villains that I think would be great.

Yeah, I don't mind anything fantastic, but for whatever they're approach things through being "gritty and dark" comes off as a world of cynicism and pessimism. It's probably the reason I would welcome a Robin at this point because most of the time even the character of Batman is just depressing or bitter.