Batman @ 80: Every Batman Movie Ranked From Worst to Best

Arguably the most popular comic-book hero ever, Batman has managed to stay relevant for decades. Be it in live action movies, animations or comic books, fans and readers can’t seem to get enough of The Dark Knight. Ultimately, Batman is immortalized by millions all over the world, even more so than his comic book counterpart and eternal frenemy, Superman.

As the character turns 80, we’re going to take a look at how the Caped Crusader has fared on the big screen. There have been hits and misses, bat nipples (more on that later) and leather butt straps. Let’s take a look at the best and the worst of Batman on the big screen.

Batman and Robin (1997)

Was there any doubt? The bat nipples were just inexcusable and the tone of the movie was quite disrespectful to the character. Even though the cast contained the likes of George Clooney as Batman, Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze, the movie fell flat in every aspect. The storytelling was as bad as the dialogue, which was as bad as the costume.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Batman Forever (1995)

A blonde Bruce Wayne. That’s what audiences were treated to with Val Kilmer’s portrayal of The World’s Greatest Detective. The cast again was littered with talented actors and actresses, yet the movie failed. The movie gave us fan-favorite villains like Jim Carrey’s The Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones’ Two-Face. Perhaps the problem started when director Tim Burton was replaced by Joel Schumacher.

Justice League (2017)

A hot mess is what this movie was. Following the debate surrounding Dawn of Justice, this movie was meant to seal the argument in DC’s favor yet it thrust the DCEU further down into mediocrity. The movie floundered in more ways than one. Each superhero was great in their own right, from Superman to Aquaman, Cyborg, and Flash. With the only two exceptions being Batman and Wonder Woman. Batman was watered down pretty hard and all the reasons we’ve come to love the no powered superhero were missing. A huge disservice to the character.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Suicide Squad (2016)

Granted, it wasn’t Batman’s movie but he did appear in it. And if we do say so here at TV Movie Fix, he looked badass. Everything taken away from his character in Justice League was on show in his short cameo. A shame the rest of the movie couldn’t be as good.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

This movie divided critics and fans down the middle. Critics hated it, from the tone, the color palettes, the dialogue and everything else. Fans, on the other hand, loved it, at least most of it. Objectively speaking, the first half of the movie was hardcore and moved on well but then came the second half. It was pretty obvious that the DCEU was trying to play catchup to the MCU. To do this, they shoehorned as much as they could into the movie in anticipation for 2017’s Justice League. This was a very bad mistake. Because as soon as the movie moved away from its story focusing on Batman trying to take down Superman, to bringing together the Justice League, the movie fell apart. A few bright spots though, we got to see Ben Affleck’s badass portrayal of Batman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Batman: The Movie (1966)

This movie knew what it wanted to be and that is the biggest compliment to it. From those Bat-brows to the exaggerated exploits of the Dynamic Duo (Batman and Robin), this movie a tongue-in-cheek humorous homage to Batman. Humor isn’t something fans usually associate with Batman, thus it is a great compliment that this movie was campy fun but didn’t rub audiences the wrong way. It wasn’t made to be taken seriously and thus it delivered a very good and dare I say it, funny Batman movie that will remain timeless. The shark leap anyone?

William Dozier Productions

Batman (1989)

The biggest criticism of this movie is that the villain overshadowed the hero. Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of The Joker is without a doubt seminal in the creation of villains in today’s superhero movies. Batman, though, was no slouch. His portrayal by Michael Keaton was simply sublime. This movie became a phenomenon that took over the world and Tim Burton’s vision of the Caped Crusader was clear from the start. This was the Batman we should all take seriously, this was the Batman that meant business and did things never before seen on the big screen. He was grim, gothic, he swooped from rooftops, perched behind gargoyles and he was vengeance.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Batman Returns (1992)

The second installment of Michael Keaton’s Batman delivered and even better than its predecessor. This was the vision of director Tim Burton manifest. Fans got the almost perfect Penguin, played by Danny DeVito and without a doubt the best Catwoman we’ve seen in Michelle Pfeiffer. Batman Returns was dark and brooding and gave audiences the first Batman to battle two foes at once with much bigger consequences.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Batman Begins (2005)

If there was ever a perfect introduction to a superhero, this is it. We all know the backstory of Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) but Batman Begins allows fans to empathize with our hero for the first time. We feel his pain, anguish and ultimately, his resolve to fight crime. We see how his parents are murdered then we watch him strive to save the city he loves from the kind of people who gunned down his parents. Bale’s performance as the Caped Crusader has to be acknowledged and praised. Nolan delivered a gritty, globetrotting origin story, defying expectations while channeling the haunting world of a classic film noir. A perfect start to a trilogy.

Warner Bros. Pictures

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Follow-ups to great movies are usually very difficult, see Blade: Trinity, Saw III, Superman III, Spider-Man 3, Ocean’s 13 and the list goes on. The Dark Knight Rises, however, is a perfect culmination and end to a trilogy. If only The Dark Knight wasn’t that bloody good, this movie will be number one. What works in this movie is seeing a beatdown and battered Bruce Wayne/Batman. He lost the woman he loves, his city hates him and when he does return, he is defeated rather easily by a new menace, Bane (Tom Hardy). But we all know Batman doesn’t stay down so when his city is on the verge of annihilation at the hands of Bane, he does what he only knows how to. He rises, pun intended. Enlisting the help of criminal, Selina Kyle aka Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) to save Gotham. Hathaway it should be added, gives a near-perfect portrayal of Catwoman. In the end, Batman saves his city and becomes immortalized, as he should.

Warner Bros. Pictures

The Dark Knight (2008)

Hands down the greatest comic book movie ever made, period. Make no mistake about it, without The Dark Knight, there’s a big chance there won’t be a massive DC Extended Universe in the big screen. The late Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker won the actor a posthumous Oscar award. Making Ledger the only actor to ever be nominated or win for playing a comic book character, that record stands till this day. This movie is that damn good. If you were to watch it without having any knowledge of comic books, you would be stunned.

“You either die a hero or you live long enough to become the villain.”

The Dark Knight set the standard for movies to come to say the least of its importance. Director Christopher Nolan invented a new kind of superhero movie—a dark, complex, unforgettable and realistic crime thriller, with a plot grounded in post-9/11. As sequels go, it doesn’t get any better than this. Special praise has to go to Aaron Eckhart playing Harvey Dent, who later becomes Two-Face. As comic book movies go, The Dark Knight is the most accurate and close to real-world happenings you would ever see.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Special Shout-Outs

There are other Batman animated properties that deserve to get a special mention. Granted these aren’t live action movies but they more than make their case to be seen on the big screen. They include but are not limited to Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman: The Killing Joke, Justice League: Doom, Batman: Under the Red Hood, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (Part 1 & 2).