Rethinking my Worst Movie Ever

My wife and I caught Batman & Robin on television the other day and decided to watch it. Ever since it came out, I've always maintained that this is my least favorite movie of all time, not only because it was so disappointing but also for nearly killing the Batman franchise. (And yet again why we are so thankful to Christopher Nolan. Hail Nolan! Hail!) It was truly bad.

Sitting down to watch it again, I am struck that this movie is even worse now than when it came out, partly because of the Nolan films. The dialogue is still utterly atrocious, the acting too over-the-top, and the villains terrible representations of their comic book counterparts. (Especially Bane.) And yet, while watching it, I realized something, a truth that so many others have discovered while I stubbornly nursed this decades old grudge: it's actually a fun movie to watch in a so-bad-it's-good kind of way.

I am no stranger to this phenomenon: films made in earnestness that failed so hard they became awesome for other reasons. Plan 9 From Outer Space. Manos:The Hands of Fate. Most Nicholas Cage movies. They develop a cult following because of their stupidity and are, in fact, celebrated because of it. Such movies were the bread-and-butter of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and are still a huge part of Rifftrax. Bad movies can be fun in the right context.

Three Best and Worst Live-Action 3D Movies

I think we can all agree that 3D is now officially a thing. It comes and goes every decade or so and is usually a passing gimmick, but this time it seems to be here for the duration. For now.

When it comes to animated movies, the 3D is usually pretty good, at least from a visual standpoint. However, live action is a whole different animal (probably a lemur) and it’s a lot more hit and miss. And when it misses, you’re sitting in the theater wearing silly glasses wondering whether paying almost double for tickets was really worth it.

My focus is on the 3D itself, as that’s the point of seeing one of these films. I’m there for the spectacle, as are many of you. Thus, this one time I’m going to give other factors a pass.