Ranking every live-action Batman movie from worst to best

Photo: Batman Forever Courtesy DC Universe PR

9. Batman Forever (1995)

Before there was Batman & Robin, director Joel Schumacher followed Tim Burton with Batman Forever. Unlike Batman & Robin, this was a direct sequel to Batman Returns — with different actors.

Val Kilmer stepped in for Michael Keaton and Tommy Lee Jones replaced Billy D. Williams as Harvey Dent. (Talk about an obvious change.)

Tommy Lee Jones did a solid job in the role of Two-Face, however, and was the comic book version of the character through and through. But he wasn’t the crown jewel of the film. That honor belongs to Jim Carrey who was excellent as The Riddler.

In the film, Ed Nygma created a device to absorb the minds of Gotham City citizens; causing him to go mad and become The Riddler. Carrey’s portrayal was iconic, but unfortunately wasn’t enough to save the film.

Moreover, Chris O’Connell’s introduction as Dick Grayson wasn’t bad at all. They told a solid story which highlighted his history. There was rebellious nature to his character that opposed Val Kilmer’s Batman and played well in the film.

The film’s biggest shortcoming was Kilmer’s inability to fill the shoes vacated by Keaton. It also didn’t help that Schumacher and Kilmer didn’t get along and Warner Bros. allegedly didn’t like Kilmer’s Year One pitch, nor were they a fan of his originally dark tone.

Consequently, Schumacher couldn’t capture the Batman magic. The film ended up being commercially successful, but it wasn’t very good.