Siskel & Ebert: Batman & Robin

Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert review the superhero mockery known as "Batman & Robin"
This movie is sooo bad, it took Batman 8 years to return to the big screen.
Nothing belongs to me

[@markula_4040]

Batman & Robin feels more like a live action stunt show at an amusement park than an actual movie.

[@lenzino7383]

A shame Siskel never got to live to see the Dark Knight Trilogy, I would have loved to see his opinion on those films!!

[@sha11235]

I think he would've put Dark Knight as the best film of 2008.

[@brucesnow7125]

lenzino7383 well, Roger got to see them and he loved them, so that's nice.

[@ilovebrandnewcarpets]

Agreed! I just said the same thing on another Batman movie.

[@gracemartin72]

Don't Forget Jurassic World and Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom, I too would Have Love to see His Opinion on Either of those two Films, also D-Me 3, The Jungle Book (2016), Sing, the 2016 Version Of Pete's Dragon, Maleficent, etc. etc.

[@Patrick19833]

@@gracemartin72 I would like to see Ebert's opinions on those films too. He died before those movies come out too.

[@patrickmichaellangan576]

I just love hearing Siskel and Ebert complain about what they don’t like in a movie, even if I disagree with them.

[@PorzyRants]

Mr. Boomer bruh this movie is a guilty comedy it’s a bad movie

[@mikoaj5002]

@@PorzyRants they didnt mean for this movie lol

[@luckymerciless]

All I can say is: Thank you Christopher Nolan for saving the franchise. Though I have a soft spot for Batman Forever.

[@nyk3334]

But not the first two? They’re comicesque.

[@filmshoot472]

I agree with that. I liked batman forever because even though it was more campy than the first two movies, it still has its dark moments and comic book elements to it. My favorite of the original series is Batman returns i love that movie.

[@cyberpimp29]

Its also trash

[@freddiemartin699]

Christopher Nolan movies sucked! Even the Joker character was dumb. Every time he would talk, it was like he was smacking his lips. Was the Joker talking or eating.

[@brithaddenhadden8383]

nolan is one of the worst director's ever ! he has not made one good film !

[@samusaran181818]

LMAO I like how Siskel thinks that Poison Ivy should of caused some itching. I think that's a good idea, actually, maybe the comic book creators can take that idea to another level

[@sha11235]

Probably because poison ivy makes you itch.

[@TheVarietyVendor]

Makes chicks itch and dudes spank

[@philipzamora4259]

sounds like an STD to me.

[@JenniNoMercy]

That's not a power. That's undiagnosed crabs

[@sha11235]

The poison she does give is when she kisses someone.

[@Jamal3.87]

"Tim Burton is another level of filmmaker than Joel Schumacher." Amen to that Gene.

[@710moose8]

Tim burton is such a hack Joel made better movies overall LOL

[@lyndonchastain3181]

@Swen Dumbo is better than every single Schumacher movie

[@yuothineyesasian]

@Swen The Lost Boys, Falling Down, Flatliners are all great films. Schumacher's vision for Batman was what the studios wanted but not the fans. A horrible misstep on his part and one he has taken the blame and apologized prodigiously for.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

@@yuothineyesasian I never saw Flatliners but I have seen Lost Boys and Falling Down and both films are middle of the road at best. Schumacher never made a great film. At best, he directed competently crafted Hollywood features.

[@mikoaj5002]

Both of them made okay crowdpleasers, theres not much diffrence between them except their style lol, i dont get you guys. Quit being so nerdy about schumacher lol. I would rather be a guy who made 20 bad films in a row, but still polite and decent human being than Hitchcock who... is exactly the opposite.

[@One21Jiggawatts]

"Its poison ivy, why was nobody scratching?" hahaha. I love these guys.

[@cyberpimp29]

One of the only movies I ever walked out on. When they slipped on ice, clicked their heels and out popped "Bat Skates", I said hell no and left the theatre

[@Xayjohns]

I wish Gene could've seen The Dark Knight Trilogy.

[@Patrick19833]

Yeah he would have loved those movies. I think he might have liked BvS too, but not as much as The Dark Knight trilogy. I think Ebert would have hated BvS though.

[@KevinMuller5]

Filmed in chicago, done as a crime drama, and ledger..yeah, he wouldve loved it

[@jonnybirchyboy1560]

Those movies are trash

[@Alex30]

@@Patrick19833 Ebert died before BvsS was released.

[@thriller2rayne]

It's a shame Gene never got to see the Nolan trilogy. Would really love to hear his perspective on em.

[@allanavalos4379]

thriller2rayne he got to see Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight

[@dailydoseofsunshine2319]

allan avalos uhh..no. He died in 99'

[@jonnybirchyboy1560]

Nola trilogy is trash

[@maskedmarvyl4774]

"Let's kick some Ice!" "Stay cool, bird boy...." "You're not sendin' Me to the coolah....." Bat credit card. That's all you need to know about this "film".....

[@wolfman8325]

So....it's awesome?

[@danielmcgarel5105]

MaskedMarvyl Somebody’s a Nostalgia Critic fan!

[@blackpeter70]

"Ice to see you..."

[@shawnattwells5355]

A BAT CREDIT CARD!!!??

[@MarkPollard-yx8qg]

Don't mention the bat credit card and never leave the cave without it

[@CCharmanderK]

Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb.

[@Ithro-Ithrozovich]

I miss both of these guys and up until recently, I at least knew that I could read completely honest reviews from Ebert. Even when he was dead wrong, he stuck to his guns and he was entertaining as hell. Ironically these two were giants when it came to entertainment. I would rather watch their worst reviews than some of the stinkers they sat through. Thanks for all the hours of good times, Siskel and Ebert.

[@chriszweig8219]

Too be honest when mr freeze wants to bring his wife back to life, I feel pity for him

[@warriormanmaxx8991]

@Chris Zweig - re: "Too(To) be honest" = 1. Are you not honest all the time? 2. Or only when using that meaningless phrase?

[@davejohn3600]

This was the first movie I actually considered walking out of. I was hyped to see it too.

[@Patrick19833]

It's sad that this is the last Batman movie that Siskel ever saw.

[@VoyageOne1]

That's the reason why I love" Batman and Robin" so much. So bad it's good

[@mmmfloorpie]

Gene was really not a fan of Joel Schumaker. In the St. Elmo's Fire review he said that Schumaker has never made a film he respected and that he almost killed Lilly Tomlin's career with The Incredible Shrinking Woman lol.

[@officialgoogleyoutube]

I'm honestly with him on that one. I can't say I hate him because he does seem like a really nice guy, but he's a creative abyss.

[@wickedlateok1697]

Schumaker has made several good movies, it’s just that his bad movies are more popularly bad than his good movies are good. Same with Michael Bay. For good Schumaker films, check Falling Down, Tigerland, Phone Booth, Lost Boys, Flatliners, and Cousins. Even DC Cab is good in an entertaining way.

[@qw000pz]

Schumaker has claimed to have had sex with over 1,000 people and you have to give him that.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

The only decent film he ever made is Falling Down.

[@maxpax7389]

Phone Booth and Falling Down were good. Visually his movies are fine, but the rest is like a gay version of Michael Bay.

[@scottyunitedboy2925]

I think Ebert makes a good point around the 2.35 mark where he says that it's often more about the villains in Batman films than the hero himself. I often think that reactions to Batman films are very much linked to the villains and/or the actors playing them.

[@jackedsamurai772]

I remember seeing this when I was five years old and liking it... yeah I was stupid as a little kid

[@who-ny5oe]

Well we were kids so children whould watch anything

[@youngbuck8496]

The Tim Burton bat man was.way better than.this movie

[@CineMasterDamian]

@FUTURE DCEUWARRIORZLIFE Dude you serious?

[@Dylantomasi]

Batman Returns is a sweet movie.

[@youngbuck8496]

FUTURE DCEUWARRIORZLIFE Get Off the Crack Nigga

[@josevilla7688]

I agree Tim Burton Batman is better.

[@gigicassel1804]

I still feel that Batman Returns was really underrated. Yeah the first one was great but I really loved Batman Returns. Danny DeVito as the penguin Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and in my honest opinion Michael Keaton was one of the best Batman's

[@CMWaters910]

Siskel summed it up perfectly for me. The problem with this movie isn't really that it's campy. I would have accepted another campy version of Batman if it was fun and energetic. This is far from that. For something so silly, colorful, and over-the-top, it's shockingly boring.

[@AlanSmitheeman]

Precisely! The movie didn't know which way to go. The 1960s BATMAN movie got campy done right!

[@bareknuckles2u]

Ugh...I remember going to see this at the repertory cinema for cheap. I didn't expect it to be a classic, but I at least expected to be mildly entertained. NOPE! Instead, I felt for the first time that a couple of hours had been taken from my life that I wouldn't get back! And believe me, my life ain't no grand journey. This movie was just that bad!

[@girliboi]

i'll never not be confused by the fact that robin is introduced in 'batman forever' while batgirl is introduced in 'batman & robin'.. . i will literally mix these two films up til the day i die.. . i mean i guess at the time audiences wouldn't have been confused, but 25+yrs later it just hits bass-ackwards.. .

[@Xanatos21]

Joel Schumacher ruined Batman with the atrocious Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. Ironically, I liked both films as a kid, but now that I'm an adult, I realize how godawful they really are and honestly don't know what I was thinking back then. The first two Tim Burton entries (Batman and Batman Returns) were great, but it's just a shame that Schumacher had to step into the directing chair and ruin everything at the time. Thank goodness Christopher Nolan successfully brought the franchise back to its dark and gritty roots with his Dark Knight trilogy.

[@Jerrylang1970]

I actually like batman forever more than batman returns

[@angelcorral8529]

I just found this out recently but did you know that batman and robin almost had a sequel called batman triumphant and know we know why it got cancelled

[@SNARC15]

Still remember my (at the time) boss telling me his thought of this movie. "Biggest waste of $7 I ever spent!"

[@HXTPJH]

The closest I have ever come to walking out of a film.

[@JohnSmith-qn3ob]

2/4 stars?? 2 questions, what are they smoking and where can I get some?

[@Arthaslepeureux]

I think they give this rating because how bad it is that it's actully funny to see this piece of shit. As for me, this pile of garbage is hilarious.

[@JohnSmith-qn3ob]

M Chambers That actually makes a lot of sense

[@Patrick19833]

I think they were way too kind to this piece of crap. It's much worse than they thought.

[@a.graham7979]

50% is a failing grade. It's a bad movie but it's not the worst of all time. It's at least visually interesting at some points.

[@sha11235]

I hated Chris O'Donnell as Robin.

[@warriorv9359]

O'Donnels culo

[@sha11235]

I thought he was too much of a pain in the ass.

[@gorrow1990]

Wow, they went easy on this movie. 2 stars is very generous for a film that would go on to end the Batman movie franchise for 8 years.

[@connorbrennan4233]

That is what could make it (don't hate me) better than BVS, as the filmmakers of Batman and Robin knew they were being sillier with that film, whereas the filmmakers of BVS thought they were making a serious drama that said something, but it was ultimately stupid, depressing, and immature.

[@connorbrennan4233]

Your insult is uncalled for, sir. What makes you so high and mighty?

[@Tropcopter]

I love seeing Zack Snyder's drones get triggered. Hands down the most petty, childish and deluded fanbase in film

[@connorbrennan4233]

Tropic Moon Agreed. I can't believe they would actually put up with his pretentious superhero movie pieces of shit.

[@sha11235]

They didn't know it was going to end there.

[@samuelbarber6177]

“Good-looking bore” Gene Siskel, the savage

[@Onmysheet]

2 stars? GTFO!

[@Jerrylang1970]

That's being generous

[@Onmysheet]

MrMeathead812 This film doesn't even deserve any generosity.

[@connorbrennan4233]

+Onmysheet Yep. I would rate it half a star.

[@Xander_P.G.K]

Onmysheet ONE STAR

[@MaskedMarvyl]

"You're not sending ME to da coolah!" To this day, I think he should be shot for saying that.....

[@thatguyoverthere11]

Pretty much everyone has a franchise-killer that only mildly annoys them, and everyone has one that they're leading the charge against, which in Siskel and Ebert's case was Jaws: The Revenge.

[@dbreiden83080]

0:43 I am sure the walkouts came right around the time Barbara is becoming Batgirl.. I did see this in theatres, on opening weekend.. No walkouts that I recall but plenty of people wondering "WTF was that" on that way out..

[@samuelbarber6177]

I liked Batman Forever, I hated this. I liked Batman ‘89, I hated Batman Returns.

[@knightsonofjack]

I think this movie actually gets better with time. If you take it for what it is, basically a live action version of Adam West Batman/ Saturday morning cartoon, it's kinda fun. It's not a great movie but it's refreshing to go back and see how different movies were in the 90s.

[@VoyageOne1]

I think Roger secretly enjoyed it more than he dared to admit. You should see his review of "Red Sonja"

[@cjanke5572]

the movie wasn't that bad. It suffers from goofy writing, an over stuffed plot, too many villains, to many CGI effects.

[@pyrobison2002]

That actually sounds pretty bad

[@virusts]

Its pretty amazing how many films Joel Schumacher got to make. He just didn't give a shit about this franchise. Siskel and Ebert were just overly nice about this review.

[@DasJoppe]

These guys are awesome.

[@MatthaiosVaf]

Not the most negative review considering it's considered one of the worst movies ever made. Personally I love all the cheesiness of it. One of those "so bad, it's good" movies.

[@SalemGhassanHanna]

If you take his Batman films off his CV, Schumacher's directorial resume was pretty amazing. Falling Down and A Time To Kill are two of the best films of the mid-90s and I will die on that hill.

[@NSGhostbusters]

" *STAY COOL BIRD-BOY!* "

[@LordMalice6d9]

Tommy Lee Jones as Two-face was just a poor mans version of Nicholson's Joker in Batman 89.

[@noahstewart5054]

Well, I agreed what Gene and Roger said about "Batman & Robin". There were too many action sequences, the script was underwritten, the special effects, and the story was too much. But, however... I had to admit, I kind of liked "Batman & Robin", a little bit. I think Gene and Roger were too hard on it. I thought George Clooney as Batman was... okay. Not a bad choice, but okay. His voice does match up. As for the others, Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze was fine. Chris O'Donnell as Robin was pain in the ass, but still supportive. Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy was kind of phenomenal. And of course, Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl was also not a bad choice, but she was pretty supportive as well. There were some funny moments in the film, like, Batman pull ed out a Bat-credit card. Sure, the movie was totally panned when it came out on the big screen in June 20, 1997. It received mostly generally negative reviews from critics and audiences when it was criticized for its toyetic and camp approach and its homosexual innuendo. The box-office made $238.2 million worldwide against a production budget of $160 million, as a big-office disappointment. It is also the lowest-grossing live-action Batman film to date. Yes, I know. "Batman & Robin" is still the worst Batman movie ever made. But I can't the feeling about the characters. I liked the ending where Alfred gets cured, Barbara join Bruce and Dick as partners, and as Batman, Robin, and Batgirl, they running forward towards the screen. Now I don't think "Batman and Robin" was the worst Batman movie. It really was, but I think it's a very decent film as more Of a guilty pleasure than people give credit for it. And I didn't think Joel Schumacher did a terrible job making it. He did pretty well done. Sorry, Gene and Roger, but I did enjoyed "Batman & Robin" better. So thumbs up for me. Batman & Robin (1997) 3/4 👍

[@40Pacino]

Dude if you watch the animated series, Freeze was awesome. He didn't make stupid one liners or puns. He was serious, distraught, separated from humanity. Arnold is a good action hero (Predator, Terminator) but he was wrong for this character. In fact the whole approach to Freeze was wrong.

[@531chaz]

I loved this movie. It's like a meta version of the 60s Batman movie. I was laughing at just how bad it is.

[@twstf8905]

First movie I ever walked out of the cinema while watching! It really sucks! 🤣

[@tthomaselli2]

"So far, so good.; Too bad we're only 10 minutes in.".; Fail!

[@ukhistorian]

I loved Batman(1989) Dark Knight and Batman Returns.

[@oscarxp25]

2 stars? Too much...Thank God we got Nolan to give Batman his balls back

[@DomoniqueStewart3936]

I HATED THAT MOVIE CALLED "BATMAN & ROBIN" WITH ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, GEORGE CLOONEY, UMA THURMAN, CHRIS O'DONNELL & OF COURSE, ALICIA SILVERSTONE.

[@virusts]

Two Stars?!?! They were too nice on this.

[@bigbabysld]

I remember going to the movies one day and I had a choice BATMAN & ROBIN or MY BEST FRIENDS WEDDING...guess which dumbass move I made?

[@ScrubmanLowell]

Roger Ebert was too mean to the Tim Burton Batman movies and too nice to the Joel Shumacher Batman movies. 'nuff said.

[@178laaleros]

i bet siskel would have liked batman begins :(

[@40Pacino]

@SonicThunderBYG Does it matter what order? Cause I would say watch this first (get the hard part out of the way) and then watch Dark Knight (to restore your faith in humanity and in cinema)

[@michaelpaoneproductions]

what, no mention of the bat credit card?

[@MovieBuff757]

I know this movie gets a lot of hate, but it's a guilty pleasure of mine because it was the first live-action Batman I saw when I was a kid back in the early 2000s. Also when I was a kid I had a crush on Uma Thurman's Poison Ivy lol.

[@titusmccarthy]

I think Ebert hated every Batman movie (except Phantasm) until Batman Begins when he said they finally got it right.

[@jonathangreene4562]

Roger Ebert didn't like any of the first four Batman movies, but loved Christopher Nolan's take on him in the Dark Knight Trilogy.

[@ronaldshank7589]

I have to admit-Part of me liked the Batman movies from 1989-1997. .to a point. However, it just seems that these movies, from 1992 on, kept pushing the boundaries for over the top content to more ridiculous levels, as each successive movie came out. It's like the Nightmare on Elm Street Series-Ol' Freddy Krueger just got sillier and sillier, until you no longer saw him as being serious with his victims. It literally became pathetic!!!

[@Aenygma_]

@NickFury182 A BAT CREDIT CARD !?!??!!?!? ?!? AHARGAHGARH GARHGAARHGA *psychotic rage*

[@callumzezohan]

Awful movie, forever is a guilty pleasure for me.

[@seanstoutgamer]

I think the reason Roger Ebert didn't put much effort this go around is because he just didn't care until Batman Begins. I love Tim Burton but the guy really is style over substance. My most favorite of his films are Beetlejuice and Sleepy Hallow. As I'm getting older I seriously prefer Nolan's over Burton's.

[@Jbaxter85]

"You sit looking at dazzling effects yes but you still feel bore," siskel got that right, I was bored out of my mind watching the film because action sequences are dull, the story was dumb & cast members were awful except Uma Thurman as poison ivy but she should've cause everyone scratching when she spreads poison. Tim Burton is better than Joel Schumacher in Batman films. I enjoy first two with Michael keaton. Give it one 🌟 star.

[@ItsAlimonda]

2 stars? That's very generous of them.

[@saulschlapik6818]

You had to take it for what it really was: a throwback to the TV show. Uma Thurman was just as sexy as Julie Newmar.

[@johnshea7871]

No it was a sequel to Batman Forever which was a much darker movie than this though not as dark as the Burton movies and is part of the same series and was also only made to sell toys. And the reason why was because Batman Forever made more money than Batman Returns at the box office

[@purefoldnz3070]

meanwhile Ebert also hated Batman Returns.

[@jhibbitt1]

im probably one of those rare ppl that would also give it 2 stars. i feel relieved that roger ebert shares that view

[@hiattgrey9161]

I give it zero stars.

[@marciosr8504]

Uma Thurman is the only good thing about it. And the film biggest problem is not enough Uma Thurman.

[@RPG_Angie]

@NickFury182 A BAT - CREDIT - CARD ?!! *Insanity fit*

[@oobrocks]

I concur: "it doesn't matter who plays Batman," Roger

[@ASDMarauder007]

I loved this movie when I was young and did not like the first two Tim Burton films. And as soon as my brain fully developed it all changed

[@ninman58]

@nativewizard He was lucky he didn't get to watch that mess. This movie was 10 times better than Chris Nolan's batman movies. Both of them.

[@kevinfinnerty6047]

Bane should of gotten the Oscar for best supporting actor that year

[@WilliamHaywardPainter]

Notice when Ebert gives it two stars he also gives it the "V" sign, best response ever

[@sha11235]

No, he's holding up 2 fingers to indicate the number 2.

[@mat2000100]

Some days, you just cant get rid of a box office bomb!

[@filimongalogavros5301]

George Clooney believed this Batman movie could have been a lot better and with more quality .

[@paaklapi]

This is rational way to express my opinon torwards this film. Unfortunately I can only rage for hours and hours after watching this film.

[@osmankovacevic6135]

I remember liking this movie as a child

[@jlprizm]

The puns! Oh god the puns!

[@corycg9624]

I liked it I thought it was good the movie was a light hearted version of Batman just like the 60s TV Show it was never meant to be dark or real serious like the Tim Burton films or Christopher Nolan films.

[@amphitheatre]

its awful. the rifftrax however, is great.

[@Arthus850]

@ConnDevi88 don't you mean Adam West?

[@mchotti10]

Batman and Robin was an epic disaster.. lol

[@StarsDie88]

Jesus guys, chill out.

[@rossdiamondthief6627]

Unpopular opinion, but Arnold’s ice-puns still make me chuckle to this day. Just from how corny they are

[@GarnetBering93]

Did Joel Schumacher kill Batman in the comics too?

[@ReverendBenzo]

I also walked out of the theater when I saw this.

[@thatguyoverthere11]

George Clooney came off as more of a badass in The Descendants than he did in Batman and Robin. This was just a terrible movie. Alfred's dying subplot is the only thing that worked. (Actually though, Clooney does the tough, grouchy older guy so well, I almost wonder if he could pull off Bruce Wayne in a Batman Beyond movie.)

[@sivazh]

"You're not sending me to the cuuulla! Ha ha ha ha.

[@Griffami]

Ebert hated all the original batman movies, love his face When siskel said we liked the first 2 & ebert like fuck no.. I love the original 2 batmans btw, batman 1989 my favourite out of all batmans, nolan movies are better but I prefer the original.

[@nativewizard]

I really wished gene lived to see chris nolan's batman movies it's sad this was the last batman film he saw

[@tyrannosaurusburke]

Both Siskel and Ebert were too nice to this movie. They didn't mention the awful puns or the Bat-nipples for starters.

[@Senicks]

Man, these two critics are ice cold.

[@sbentsen2714]

This movie.....there are no words, carry on.

[@thebagonline2113]

Lol when Robin crashes through the wall on his bike he makes a Robin logo hole in the wall..... *facepalm*

[@lastguyminn2324]

They both liked it more than I did.

[@LordMalice6d9]

Really? I though Ebert said he liked the first Batman? His only real criticism of the 89 film was that it focused to much on the villain of the film (Joker) than on Batman.