This Batman & Robin 'Meta-Movie' Theory May Explain Why It's So Bad
In modern times, it could easily be argued that Tim Burton's "Batman" movies helped to pave the way for the cavalcade of superhero films that we've seen since. Arriving years before movies like "Blade," "X-Men," and "Spider-Man," Burton's films were the gold standard for comic book movies for years and are still beloved by many fans today.
That was, however, before the franchise was summarily derailed. While "Batman Forever" — directed by Burton's replacement, Joel Schumacher – was already a huge step down from the previous film, "Batman Returns," it was "Batman & Robin" that almost put the nail in the franchise's coffin. Sitting at a bottom-of-the-barrel rating of 11% on Rotten Tomatoes, it would be an understatement to say that the film was poorly received.
However, one redditor has a theory that could help to redeem the film. When u/froggysayshello asked viewers what their favorite fan theory was, u/Mr–Imp posited that "Batman & Robin" could be an in-world meta-movie. "The movie Batman & Robin was actually an in-universe movie made by people that live in Gotham City," they wrote. While we've had plenty of more meta and subversive superhero stories on the large and small screen since the comic book boom started in the mid-2000s, could this really have been Schumacher's goal with "Batman & Robin"?
Fans seem to love the idea that the movie is set in-universe
Whether this was Joel Schumacher's intention seems to be beside the point for many "Batman" fans who have thought about the theory. "That is probably the only thing that salvages that movie from being an utter disaster of a Batman movie," wrote u/ArdentPriest.
Regularly cited among the worst movies of all time, "Batman & Robin" was such a fiasco that Warner Bros. decided to reboot the entire franchise rather than continue with the series. Still, many fans evidently think that if the intention was to imagine how Hollywood would make "Batman" as a movie based on a real-life Gotham City hero, that changes everything.
"With Alfred Pennyworth playing...himself? Jokes aside, that is a stupidly elegant theory; I love it!" wrote u/DrSousaphone. Meanwhile, u/calltheavenger5 agreed, writing, "That makes more sense than the actual movie."
While it's unlikely at this point that any fan theory or reassessment of the film's value can save "Batman & Robin" from its place in the dumpster of cinematic history, takes like this one show that even a movie that has been this derided can be partially redeemed with a little bit of imagination.