10 Films That Are Better The Less You Know Going In

6. Batman & Robin

Whilst ‘better’ should often have positive connotations, it should be noted that the word can also be useful as a shorthand for ‘less dreadful’, and Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin is certainly a film where the concept of dreadful is never far from the conversation.

The vague collection of colourful explosions masquerading as narrative shows The Dynamic Duo facing off against Arnold Schwarzenneger’s Mr. Freeze and Uma Thurman’s Poison Ivy, as the villains plan to freeze Gotham and populate it with mutant plants. The villains are bought to justice, and the franchise is quietly taken round the back and put to death.

To call Batman & Robin poorly received is like calling The Joker a bit of a wrong ‘un. Lambasted for its painful one liners, bare faced plugging of tie in merchandise, over the top performances and BAT NIPPLES, the film has gone down in the history books as one of the worst of all time.

For comics lovers the despair goes much deeper. Schwarzenneger is an actor more known for his cheesy one liners than emotional range, and Mr Freeze’s tragic backstory is thus squandered. Whilst Poison Ivy was as campy as the rest of the film, her character wasn’t far off accurate, but the addition of the ruthlessly cunning Bane as a mindless, hulking henchman was one alteration which could not be justified.

Knowing anything about cinema makes this film appalling. Also knowing anything about comic books makes it an abomination.