Batman and Robin Blu-ray Director Commentary includes apology to fans

[trunksvegeta187]

Im listening to the commentary for Batman & Robin(because I cant stand the dialogue from the movie itself) and the whole time it seems like Schumacher is subtly apologizing for the movie, its pretty funny actually, hes making excuses and saying why sequels arent always a "good" idea.

[pjasonOH]

I guess that doesn't surprise me.At least that means he's not oblivious to the fact that it's a bad movie.

[Sussudio]

.....yep.

[Beast]

Originally Posted by trunksvegeta187

Im listening to the commentary for Batman & Robin(because I cant stand the dialogue from the movie itself) and the whole time it seems like Schumacher is subtly apologizing for the movie, its pretty funny actually, hes making excuses and saying why sequels arent always a "good" idea.

It's less an apology and more an explaination.

Since the studio basically forced the more campy stuff, so they could sell toys.

[trunksvegeta187]

doesnt make up for the ******* dialogue

[Afrobean]

Originally Posted by trunksvegeta187

doesnt make up for the ***** dialogue

And the dude is the director, not the writer.

Yes, some blame is due for him, but he's not the one that killed it. If the writing had been better, it probably could have been on about the same level as Batman Forever.

[HumanMedia]

Originally Posted by Afrobean

And the dude is the director, not the writer.
.

And as the director he can have some or all of the dialog rewritten multiple times if necessary.

[trunksvegeta187]

Originally Posted by HumanMedia

And as the director he can have some or all of the dialog rewritten multiple times if necessary.

thank you, the director has creative control, even over the script

[Petra_Kalbrain]

HAHAHA... this makes me wonder if he decided to make the film extremely bad ON PURPOSE in order to prove a point to the studio that their influence on a project isn't always such a good idea. If the studio is so adamant about the merchandising being such a heavy part of the presentation, then the presentation is going to blow goats!

Studio executives should stay out of the way of the artist!

[RazMansReality]

^ I had never thought of that but that's very true, I agree with you!

[PCiAM]

Originally Posted by Afrobean

And the dude is the director, not the writer.

Yes, some blame is due for him, but he's not the one that killed it. If the writing had been better, it probably could have been on about the same level as Batman Forever.

I agree. While Joel's Batman films are truly inferior, I think he's mostly a scapegoat. Sure, much of the content of the films rest on his shoulders as the director, but I don't think the abominations that were the last two films (and the temporary death of the Batman franchise) should be blamed solely on Joel. Of course since he's the director, he's the scapegoat, but some forget that Joel is a truly skilled director who's made some good films.

In fact, the bosses at Camp Warner should be more blamed for the fact. After Burton's two films, much of the audience complained that his films were too dark. That combined with Warner Bros. wanting the films to appeal more towards children for marketing purposes (action figures, marketing, etc), can be moreso blamed than Joel. The studio told him what they wanted, and he did it more or less. Sure, he didn't have to accept the job, but I'm sure it was a pretty hefty paycheck, something we all would have considered.

I just got done watching the making of Batman Returns documentary in which Tim Burton said he went into the studio bosses' office at Warner to pitch his next Batman idea (after Batman Returns had already been released) and the Warner Bosses subtly began encouraging him to take on other projects. Burton actually asked point blank "you guys don't want me to make another Batman?" The documentary also stated that a lot of kids left crying after Batman Returns--another reason WB wanted to lighten the material. Of course we all know it didn't work out, but Joel Schumacher gets most of the blame mainly just because he's the director. Sure, Joel can be blamed for not respecting the original comic material (maybe he never read them... he can't be hated for not being a Batman fan), but he pretty much delivered what the studio corporate bosses asked for.

[djluis2k6]

Because you personally didn't like a movie, it doesn't make it a bad movie. I personally enjoyed both Batman Forever and Batman & Robin way more than any other Batman movie, including the ever so hyped up Dark Knight movie.

[MTRodaba2468]

Originally Posted by PCiAM

I agree. While Joel's Batman films are truly inferior, I think he's mostly a scapegoat. Sure, much of the content of the films rest on his shoulders as the director, but I don't think the abominations that were the last two films (and the temporary death of the Batman franchise) should be blamed solely on Joel. Of course since he's the director, he's the scapegoat, but some forget that Joel is a truly skilled director who's made some good films.

I agree with you that he tends to be a scapegoat when it comes to B&R. He's done some good films (right of the top of my head, Phone Booth and Tigerland were good; I think he needs to stick to lower budget projects).

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Originally Posted by djluis2k6

Because you personally didn't like a movie, it doesn't make it a bad movie. I personally enjoyed both Batman Forever and Batman & Robin way more than any other Batman movie, including the ever so hyped up Dark Knight movie.

Woah... that's a bold claim!!! If that's how you truly feel, I salute your bravery in admitting it. Hell, I enjoyed Batman Forever a fatload more than the rest of the planet, but it wasn't nearly as good as Tim Burton's OR Christopher Nolan's visions.

[Mobe1969]

Reminds me of that Simpson's episode where they get a Waterworld DVD with commentary and the commentary is just Costner saying "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry,...."

[Col. Zombie]

Originally Posted by trunksvegeta187

Im listening to the commentary for Batman & Robin(because I cant stand the dialogue from the movie itself) and the whole time it seems like Schumacher is subtly apologizing for the movie.

Originally Posted by Beast

It's less an apology and more an explaination.
Since the studio basically forced the more campy stuff, so they could sell toys.

"Apologies" or "explainations" call them what you want. No ammount of either will EVER make up for how Schumacher's Batmans suck so terribly bad.

[Gone2HiDef]

Like I just posted in the Batman Anthology thread, I'm over it with bashing the Schumacher films. I do remember watching his commentary when I watched the DVDs and was grateful to hear he "got it" that there's such a backlash to his take on it. Also, I don't believe he was a scapegoat of any kind. I think he took a creative chance as Hollywood directors are apt to do, and the fact that a whooooooole bunch of us went in droves to see Batman Forever gave him carte blanche to continue his take with Batman & Robin.

[Cadrian]

Originally Posted by djluis2k6

Because you personally didn't like a movie, it doesn't make it a bad movie. I personally enjoyed both Batman Forever and Batman & Robin way more than any other Batman movie, including the ever so hyped up Dark Knight movie.

You a 45 year old soccer mom?

I have to admit when They came out I was 11 for Batman Forever and I was 13 for Batman and Robin. Well I liked them, they were flashy, colorful, funny at times, and I loved Batman and Robins SoundTrack. (Bone Thugs) Also though at the time I read the comics, I was really pissed on how they made Bane into a pee on compared to the brutal character that he was in the comics. Considering at the time these came out my local fox was running the Old Batman TV series these were a huge step up

As I got older though and went back and watched Batman from Tim Burton, I really realized how bad these were. They were made for Kids.... Joel should not feel bad for that. Although he should have realized kids grow up... These would not be classics.

[Cplhicks]

Batman and Robin was awful. There was no excuse for most of what went on in it. I mean, Poison Ivy's ridiculous creation story was enough to kill it right there, without all the butt/crotch shots etc and other bad ideas. I mean, she sank into the ground and popped up as a supervillian! And there were cheesy plant puppets! I mean, ugh. Really, ugh.

[Beefbowl]

Originally Posted by PCiAM

I agree. While Joel's Batman films are truly inferior, I think he's mostly a scapegoat. Sure, much of the content of the films rest on his shoulders as the director, but I don't think the abominations that were the last two films (and the temporary death of the Batman franchise) should be blamed solely on Joel. Of course since he's the director, he's the scapegoat, but some forget that Joel is a truly skilled director who's made some good films.

In fact, the bosses at Camp Warner should be more blamed for the fact. After Burton's two films, much of the audience complained that his films were too dark. That combined with Warner Bros. wanting the films to appeal more towards children for marketing purposes (action figures, marketing, etc), can be moreso blamed than Joel. The studio told him what they wanted, and he did it more or less. Sure, he didn't have to accept the job, but I'm sure it was a pretty hefty paycheck, something we all would have considered.

I just got done watching the making of Batman Returns documentary in which Tim Burton said he went into the studio bosses' office at Warner to pitch his next Batman idea (after Batman Returns had already been released) and the Warner Bosses subtly began encouraging him to take on other projects. Burton actually asked point blank "you guys don't want me to make another Batman?" The documentary also stated that a lot of kids left crying after Batman Returns--another reason WB wanted to lighten the material. Of course we all know it didn't work out, but Joel Schumacher gets most of the blame mainly just because he's the director. Sure, Joel can be blamed for not respecting the original comic material (maybe he never read them... he can't be hated for not being a Batman fan), but he pretty much delivered what the studio corporate bosses asked for.

He put nipples on the Batsuit! lol.