Batman and Robin
Batman & Robin (1997), Joel Schumacher’s infamous sequel, is widely considered the lowest point in Batman’s cinematic history. George Clooney takes over as Batman, delivering a performance so flat that even he has since apologized for it. Chris O’Donnell returns as Robin, joined by Alicia Silverstone’s Batgirl, while Arnold Schwarzenegger chews through every scene as the pun-loving Mr. Freeze. The film is less a superhero story and more a gaudy, plastic spectacle designed to sell toys.
The first part of the film quickly establishes its campy tone, opening with bat-nipples on the suits and ice puns that never stop. The middle section only worsens, with Poison Ivy’s cartoonish seduction subplot, endless neon backdrops, and dialogue so bad it borders on self-parody. The pacing drags under the weight of bloated subplots and shallow character arcs, making the whole movie feel like a two-hour joke.
Overall, Batman & Robin is a disaster in almost every respect. It takes everything wrong with Batman Forever and amplifies it, leaving no room for the dark, serious tone the character deserves. While some may enjoy it as an unintentional comedy, it nearly killed the Batman franchise and remains one of the most infamous comic book films ever made, though not for the right reasons.