Batman & Robin (1997)

Maslin embraces the film as a wild, campy costume party that suggests a Studio 54 in Gotham, praising its flashy showmanship and frenetic energy. She singles out Uma Thurman's Poison Ivy as the most showstopping character for her mocking attitude and flamboyant disguises.

McCarthy notes the film loses some altitude in the franchise, with the villains (especially Thurman) as highlights but the overall production lacking dash and excitement. He singles out the bland newcomers and sag in narrative drive and humor in the middle section.

Ebert finds the film visually impressive with strong production design but criticizes its lack of authentic core, as it prioritizes elaborate special effects over meaningful characters or story. He singles out the villains' memorable images and performances while noting the meandering screenplay and over-the-top puns.

The first half-hour offers some fun set-pieces and design, but the overstuffed plot, incessant puns and wisecracks, and lack of depth soon make it exhausting; Uma Thurman stands out as Poison Ivy while the leads disappoint.

The critic finds the film overloaded with hardware, stunts and excess that leaves no room for connection or inspiration, describing it as a relief when it ends. They single out the slick surface and repetitive action sequences that blur together without substance.

The critic lambasts the film as an overly camp, pun-filled exercise in kinky innuendo and double entendres that strays far from the source material, with a knowingness that undermines any superhero narrative.

The film is dismissed as predictably dismal pop-operatic guff with too many characters, too little plot, terrible dialogue, poor effects and uninspiring action; some fine design and game cast efforts are noted but cannot save it.

The fourth Bat-flick finds this juvenile franchise running on empty. Clooney plays Batman as an irrelevant bystander while the script recycles random elements with scant rhyme or reason.

Rabin classifies the film as a commercial and critical failure despite its box office gross, arguing it was audience-proof due to toxic word-of-mouth. He singles out the endless, clunky ice-themed puns from Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze and the garish, toyetic production design as particularly egregious.

The critic finds the film still bad but its garish, toyetic style refreshing and entertaining in 2024 compared to modern CGI-heavy blockbusters, singling out its unapologetic campiness and role in rebooting the superhero genre.

The critic calls the film a horrible mess that continues the rot from Batman Forever, with corporate control ruining the franchise. The only praise goes to some brilliant set design, while everything else is seen as a garish, edge-free disaster that served as a needed wake-up call for Hollywood blockbusters.