Batman & Robin

Directed by Joel Schumacher
1997, Warner Bros. Pictures
2 hours, 5 minutes

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

What can be said about Batman & Robin that hasn’t been said before? Its awfulness is as iconic as it is entertaining. Maybe it’s the slew of campy movies I’ve watched recently, or my familiarity with the movie, but rewatching this wasn’t as bad as I expected. It’s definitely not good, but the campy, colourful aesthetic and stilted dialogue does have their charm from time to time. I can also appreciate that Schumacher leaned into the ridiculousness of comics instead of trying to make something gritty and real. At times uncomfortable, often annoying, Batman & Robin still manages to have some really interesting design choices. The film is pure 90s bullshit, and I can’t help but love it. The only thing I’d seriously criticize would be how commercial the whole venture feels. It’s clear that, at this point in the Batman film series, marketing toys to children was of great interest to Warner Bros. Pictures. There were just too many vehicles, costume changes, and gadget close-ups for it to be anything but an extended commericial aimed at children.