The likely explanation is because it was so light (both literally and thematically), campy in tone and poorly written. This was a radical departure from how the other movies in the series had been made, as the first two in particular were very dark and gothic, and even the third movie (also directed by Joel Schumacher) was darker than this one. There are, of course, other reasons why fans and critics voiced their displeasure at the film, such as the use of various bad or uninteresting puns made by the character of Mr. Freeze, which all centered around an ice-related theme ("You're not sending me to the cooler!"). This was a great removal from the tragic undertones incorporated into his character in the early 1990s that were almost universally accepted by fans (though the backstory was still there, the campiness detached the audience from any true emotional connection). Fans were also upset over the depiction of Bane; whilst in the comics he is a very cunning strategist, in this film he is simply a mindless thug who might as well have been a generic goon. Extremely poor set designs, special effects and costumes have also been cited, along with questionable artistic choices (including giving a bluer color to Batman's outfit). Even by 1997 standards and with a 125-million-USD budget, the production values were extremely low. The acting has also been widely regarded as hollow and many of the actors (similarly to Val Kilmer's embarrassment at the previous Schumacher film) have admitted to not performing well in this film. George Clooney even publicly apologized for the film as a whole. Schumacher would also apologize for the film and cite studio interference and pressure to make the film more kid-friendly and more a showcase for potential action figures and toys. Similar situations have occurred with other media franchises, e.g. the relationships among the original RoboCop (1987) and its sequels, all of which included a toy line despite the first two films qualifying to be rated R, the first nearly overqualifying. In the Batman film series' case, most likely the studio wanted to pull back from the extra dark tone that Batman Returns (1992) established from its nearly-as-dark original; a situation similar to the relationships among the first three Indiana Jones films. Edit