Photo: Batman (1989) Courtesy DC Universe PR
Holy Batman celebration! Batman 89’ turns 30-years old this year and it’s time to take a look back at the best live-action Batman movies.
There’s no comic book hero with more iconic movies than DC Comics’ Batman. In 1966, it was Batman: The Movie which saw the first live-action iteration of Batman on the big screen. In the decades which followed, DC would go on produce several additional live-action Batman inclusive films including many hits… and a few rare misses.
Batman is a comic book icon and fans will argue he’ll beat anyone with the right amount of prep time. Bruce Wayne, the playboy billionaire, runs the conglomerate, Wayne Industries by day; when the city darkens, he puts on the cape and mask as the Dark Knight, protector of Gotham.
The tone of Batman differs from his DC counterparts like Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Green Lantern, to name a few. The brooding nature and tragic story of a child who witnessed the murder of his parents makes him unique.
Despite being a billionaire, his tragic origin and the fact that he’s human makes the character feel relatable. He’s fighting for his people during the darkest hours of the night to take back his city from corruption. Bruce is cold in nature, but has shown the ability to care for others.
No, he won’t win any parent of the year awards, but he’s changed and shaped the lives of many. Even those who weren’t lucky enough to call themselves his sidekick.
Besides being a master in hand-to-hand combat, he’s wildly considered the World’s Greatest Detective. Batman has a vast world within the world of DC Comics, which is perhaps why we’ve seen so many films over the years set in Gotham and featuring the Caped Crusader.
DC understands who their cash cow is and that’s Batman. Fortunately, fans have proven they may never get tired of seeing him as long as the stories are great with the character just as popular today as he was back in 1939.
The Dark Knight will rise again in 2021 thanks to Matt Reeves’ The Batman starring Robert Pattinson. However, before we indulge in yet another Batman film, it’s time take a look back and rank the various live-action Batman films which have graced our screens in the past decades!
10. Batman & Robin (1997)
A little over two decades ago, the worst Batman film to date debuted. The cast starred George Clooney as Batman, Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy, Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl, Chris O’Donnell as Dick Grayson and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze.
While the “universe” concept didn’t exist just yet, continuity was a problem as director Joel Schumacher’s follow-up to Batman Forever didn’t feel like a sequel. Instead, it felt like a totally different movie – which, to some degree, hurt the film. It was muddled and felt long with two different stories told.
Early on there was Mr. Freeze and then Poison Ivy’s story. They eventually teamed up and took on the Bat-family.
The script’s cheesy one liners were paying homage to the Adam West series, but they didn’t go over well.
If you want to see a live-action Batgirl, she’s not in this movie — Silverstone was largely forgettable. Meanwhile, O’Connell, who reprised his role as Dick Grayson, couldn’t replicate his magic from the previous film. For what she was, Thurman’s Ivy wasn’t bad – though she wasn’t great either. When it comes to acting, this was Schwarzenegger at his best, believe or not.
The film was panned by critics as a cheesy, over the top gag — figuratively speaking. It also doesn’t help the film’s popularity when the man behind the mask trashes the film often.
Schumacher’s second attempt was worse than his first which is saying something. Batman & Robin was an easy decision as the worst of the ten Batman movies, so was the second film on our list…
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.
Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures via WB Media Pass/ Justice League
8. Justice League (2017)
With a new threat on the horizon, Batman was forced to recruit more heroes to help save the day: Enter the Justice League.
Justice League‘s Batman had a sense of hope thanks to Superman sacrificing himself for humanity. As such, he was understandably different from the version Zack Snyder introduced in Batman v. Superman.
Some parts of Justice League were dark and some were more lighthearted in tone and color with Whedon trying to take what he did in The Avengers and implement it into a world vastly different from the MCU.
The one liners were funny – who can forget Batman’s response of, “I’m rich.” when Barry asked him what his superpower was? – and the banter throughout the film didn’t hurt at all. However, there were too many cringe worthy moments and it felt like there were too many chefs in the kitchen.
Trying to force Batman into a relationship with Wonder Woman was not well received and the infamously horrid joke from Cyborg after defeating Steppenwolf wasn’t necessary.
It also didn’t help the villain was vague and had no real motive for why he invaded Earth.
Batman was great in the film and those who wanted something a little less brooding got what they wanted. Nevertheless, the movie didn’t live up to expectations with fans are still clamoring for Warner Bros. to release the Snyder cut.
7. Batman: The Movie (1966)
Having this film placed this far down on the list may seem disrespectful to some. However we must remember this was just a cinematic version of the Batman we had on television.
There wasn’t anything more or less amazing than what we’ve seen from Adam West’s Batman and Burt Ward’s Robin and the film’s campy nature undoubtedly served as an inspiration behind Joel Schumacher’s later films.
Martinson’s film featured Catwoman, Riddler, Penguin, and Joker with the four Batman Rogues teaming up to take over Gotham in a way that only works for this movie.
Catwoman disguises herself as a Russian (Soviet) journalist with an insanely long name, unbeknownst to Batman who ends up falling for Catwoman’s Russian persona. Penguin successfully schemes his way into the Batcave using a disguise of his own, but things quickly unravel for the rogues.
The bad guys end up losing after Batman’s genius kicks in and he identifies their scheme. There’s even a message about giving people the freedom of free will from Batman.
This version of Batman hasn’t exactly held up well. It’s almost unfair to compare the film to more recent titles since Leslie Martinson’s Batman: The Movie was the first to his the big screen. Batman: The Movie is still funny, though, and it doesn’t waver from what it is throughout the film.
6. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
At the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con, Zack Snyder used Harry Lennix to announce which comic inspired him to write Batman v Superman. It was a chilling moment as Lennix approached the podium, removed his glasses and said:
"“In all the years to come, in your most private moments, I want you to remember the one man who beat you!”"
The lights dimmed, and the room erupted, and the hype train continued to roll as it was revealed Snyder’s inspiration for Batman v Superman came from The Dark Knight comic.
In that comic, an old Batman infamously defeated Superman. Ben Affleck’s casting polarized fans, so did the movie that established what fans would call, the DCEU.
Batman v Superman was a 2016 blockbuster despite the lackluster reviews which concluded with a 28% Rotten Tomatoes score. Based on Rotten Tomatoes’ count, fans weren’t so tough with 63% loving the film, understandably so.
Ultimately, the film did what Zack Snyder wanted to. It gave fans a Batman for his world with a palpable resemblance to The Dark Knight Returns’ comic book version.
Batman’s “no killing rule” was thrown out the window as he rampaged through bad guys. Despite the three-year wait, there wasn’t a lot of time invested in Batman. It felt like two different movies with potential for greatness that wasn’t achieved.
Photo: Batman Returns Courtesy DC Universe PR
5. Batman Returns (1992)
Kicking off the top five Batman movies is Tim Burton’s 1992 follow-up that almost never happened. Warner Bros. tapped Sam Hamm as the film’s writer and wanted Tim Burton to direct. For that to happen, Burton needed creative control — fortunately he got it.
Burton didn’t like Hamm’s approach and brought on Daniel Waters and eventually Wesley Strick to clean up some dialogue issues. The result saw Batman Returns sneaking onto an Academy Award ballot.
With a budget of just $80 million, Warner Bros. more than doubled their production budget with the film grossing $162 million. The film saw Michael Keaton return as Batman with Christopher Walken, Danny DeVito and Michelle Pfeiffer joining the cast as Max Shreck, Penguin and Catwoman, respectively.
The film was a villain centric goth fantasy that differed, yet familiarized with the comic it was based on as evident by the majestic resurrection of Selina Kyle after she was pushed out the window by Max Shreck.
Selina was an unassertive woman who overcame an oppressive male-chauvinist boss (Shreck) to become the feminist anti-villain Catwoman. This was the unquestioned origin story of Catwoman but, DeVito’s Penguin was the focus of the film: a deformed underground man who rose from poverty to become a crime lord.
He was convinced by Shreck to rise from the shadows and run for mayor. After Gotham rejects him as a freak, Penguin opts to kill the first-born sons of Gotham.
Keaton’s Batman served as a beckon of hope that never shines. He’s not able to stop Catwoman from murdering Shreck. Nor was he able to bring Penguin to justice.
It wasn’t a perfect Batman film, but it was a story done in a style that only Burton could pull off. A great movie that can never be duplicated, nor should it.
4. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises cultivated an all-time great trilogy. The follow up to 2008’s The Dark Knight delivered in face of lofty expectations set by previous films.
After eight years away, Bruce was forced to return as Batman. This time he battled a man with a political agenda: Tom Hardy’s Bane.
A man born in the world’s most dangerous prison, The Pit, Bane rose to become a valued member of the League of Assassins. His mission? To liberate the people of Gotham from the false ideology created by the city’s hierarchy.
As expected, this wasn’t just a comic book story. Bane wasn’t the juiced-up version of himself seen in past iterations, but rather the mask he wore helped prevent the pain from injuries he sustained climbing out of The Pit.
Fans also got a chance to see Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle’s romance play out in the film. Anne Hathaway silenced critics who slammed the casting with an amazing portrayal as Catwoman. Selina and Bruce’s ideologies differed from one another as Bruce’s efforts of heroism weren’t an admirable trait in the eyes of Selina.
Although we didn’t get to see Robin in Nolan’s trilogy, we got Robin John Blake who embodied the character through and through. After discovering the truth about Dent’s death, it was officer Robin who convinced Bruce to come back as Batman.
Bruce’s goal was to inspire Gotham to fight and he did, sacrificing himself to save the city. In the end, there was a symbolic passing of the torch as he handed the Batcave over to Robin.
Photo: Batman Begins Courtesy DC Universe PR
3. Batman Begins (2005)
In Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan brought a version of Batman we’d never seen with the film putting Batman in a world that didn’t feel like a comic book.
Instead, it asked the question, “What if Batman existed in the real world?” with Superman 1978 inspiring Nolan’s style – a style which has since unquestionably inspired other comic book movies and shows.
The uniqueness of Christian Bale’s Batman was that he wasn’t a creation of his villain. Nor was he a one-dimensional hero. On the contrary, he was a man of many faces who wanted to inspire good.
The opening scene illustrated the hellacious lengths Bruce Wayne went to, in the pursuit of self-discovery. While away, he’s trained by a member of a radical terrorist group, The League of Shadows. Their leader, Ra’s al Ghul (Ken Watanabe) plans to destroy Gotham City.
Upon his return home, Bruce finds allies in Commissioner Gordon, ADA Rachel, Luscious Fox, and of course Alfred. Together they take on the corrupt Falcone family and try to stop Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) from a releasing a toxin that will force the citizens to turn on one another.
Batman Forever, while financially successful, left the Batman franchise in a bad spot. Thankfully, Nolan was able to help a hero emerge from the stigma. Having an all-star cast of elite actors that included Michael Cain, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes, and Gary Oldman didn’t hurt. Batman Begins birthed a trilogy that has yet to be topped by any other comic book franchise.
Photo: Batman (1989) Courtesy DC Universe PR
2. Batman (1989)
Tim Burton’s take on Batman was transformative with the controversial and now iconic casting of Michael Keaton. In this dark tale of Batman, Burton and writer Sam Hamm told a different, albeit effective, tale of Batman — tossing aside the reference points that existed in the comics in a unique style that contrasted with the 60s take.
A city run by corrupt politicians and crime lords with the GCPD in their pocket, Gotham needed hope. The hope they received wasn’t in the form of shining beckon, but in the form of a “bat-like” man who struck fear into criminals. Bruce Wayne as Batman was a mad man in the mad world of Gotham.
There was no Commissioner Gordon to aid in this fight or stop this murderous hero. Yup, Batman’s no killing rule didn’t exist in Burton’s film, but that wasn’t the only change. The person responsible for his parent’s murder, wasn’t Joe Chill. Instead, Burton opted to intertwine the lives for mortal enemies, making it so that Joker (pre-acid bath) killed Bruce’s parents.
This version of the Joker set the bar, but doesn’t have the same ideologies of Christopher Nolan’s Joker. Jack Nickelson’s Joker doesn’t have any ideologies, rather he truly indulges in the killing. It’s evident by his creepy smile and sadistic laughter.
Unlike the relationship Christopher Nolan develops in The Dark Knight, Batman and the Joker aren’t co-dependent on one another in Batman. There isn’t a moral button Joker can push as Burton’s Batman has none so – leading him to kill the Joker. Burton stripped away the essence of who Batman is, leaving Gotham (and audiences) with a morally gray hero.
Photo: The Dark Knight Courtesy DC Universe PR
1. The Dark Knight (2008)
It’s not hyperbole to say that The Dark Knight changed the culture of the superhero genre.
As the predecessor to The Dark Knight Rises, Batman was a secondary character in a way as Nolan opted to shift the focus to everyone else in Gotham including hotshot attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) and of course, Heath Ledger’s Joker.
Controversy surrounded the film from the moment the late Ledger’s name surfaced as Joker. Sadly, he’d never see the performance that made him a household name or witness his Joker’s legendary status.
By the time this film arrived in theaters, fans had an idea of what they wanted from Batman and Joker. What we got was a masterful tale of two co-dependent men who couldn’t survive without one another. Joker was the star from the opening scene which saw him orchestrate a bank robbery. Unlike Jokers of the past, Ledger’s Joker didn’t have palpable history.
No one knew who he was or where he came from, as evident by his many takes on the permanent smile scarred onto his face. Joker’s paradoxical reasoning behind his violence was that anyone, including Batman, could become like him.
His point was proven by inadvertently turning a political hero, Harvey Dent, into the diabolical sociopath Two-Face. Batman bore the responsibility of Dent’s death, making him a wanted criminal and sending him into the shadows until Bane forced him to emerge once again in The Dark Knight Rises.
With an all-star cast, Nolan reshaped a genre with a film that reigns as the greatest live-action Batman film of all time and arguably one of the best superhero movies of all-time as well.
Do you agree with our rankings of the live-action Batman movies? Which Batman movies would you have ranked higher or lower? Share your thoughts and personal rankings in the comments section!