On March 4, Matt Reeves The Batman hits theaters with Robert Pattinson taking up the cowl as the big, black bat. It’s one of the most anticipated movies of 2022, and that’s with good reason. So far, the trailers and promo material hint that we’ll finally get a Batman who is indeed a master detective, set up for a cat-and-mouse game with Paul Dano’s Riddler. In the meantime, the criminal underbelly of Gotham grows as a young Batman comes into his own.
In honor of The Batman‘s release, we thought we’d take a look back at the history of Batman movies and judge what’s come before. Here’s every live-action Batman movie, ranked from worst to best. #1 may not surprise you, but the ones in between just might. Read on to see where your favorite Batman movie lands.
11. Batman & Robin
Everything that needs to be said about this movie can be summed up in two statements: 1. Bat-nipples. 2. George Clooney will not let his wife Amal watch it because he’s so embarrassed. And that’s about all there is to say about that.
10. Justice League
In the defense of Justice League, it had a troubled production and no one expected a family tragedy that would force the exit of director Zack Snyder partway through filming. But replacement director Joss Whedon didn’t fare any better when tasked with the job of making Snyder’s dour film more lighthearted and palatable. Look, you know the story by now–troubled production, a then-troubled co-lead in Ben Affleck, a cast that did not get along with Whedon, who has had multiple charges of abuse and discrimination levied at him, a studio that knew Snyder’s direction wasn’t winning but was in too deep to make gradual changes, etc. Unfortunately, that all showed in the final theatrical cut, which was a mess of conflicting visions between Whedon and Snyder that did not match at all. Where Affleck’s Batman was a standout in Batman v Superman, he just seemed to kind of be in this movie as an obligation. But the worst sin of all, it was boring, which is the last thing a Batman movie should ever be. And we won’t talk about Henry Cavill’s CGI upper lip. We just won’t.
9. Batman (1966)
There’s plenty of fond nostalgia for the campy days of Adam West’s Batman, and while he’s better known for the 1960s TV show, there are plenty who love the ’60s Batman movie, as well. If you like that tone, then the movie is great; if you don’t, you don’t. But in today’s superhero era of complex character development, darker themes, and extensive CGI, the 1966 Batman movie looks like a shoddy, corny piece of fluff by comparison. Still, it offers a wildly different take on the doom-and-gloom of most modern Batman movies, which can be a real breath of fresh air for those in the mood for something new–well, old-new.
8. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Every Zack Snyder film certainly has its avid supporters, and Batman v Superman is no different. Credit to Snyder for trying to introduce an older, more grizzled take on the Caped Crusader, which Ben Affleck handled admirably. But this was not a great movie from both a narrative standpoint and a Batman standpoint. The infamous “Martha” resolution is still mocked today for a reason, and for a superhero who is supposed to be The World’s Greatest Detective, it was maddening that Bruce Wayne was so easily duped by Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor–a casting that presented its own set of problems. And while Snyder is known for his darker take on superheroes and the introduction of Wonder Woman provided a much-needed injection of energy, BvS was just flat-out joyless. Not a great introduction for two of the biggest fictional titans in pop culture slugging it out.
7. Batman Forever
Batman Forever is a bad movie, but to its credit, it’s one of the best bad movies you’ll ever watch. Today, we talk about how eye-popping Marvel movie casts are, but in its day, Batman Forever was the precursor to that, with a stacked cast that included Jim Carrey at the height of his game as Riddler, Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, Nicole Kidman as Dr. Chase Meridan, Chris O’Donnell as Robin, Val Kilmer as Batman, and Michael Gough, Drew Barrymore, Jon Favreau, Pat Hingle, Debi Mazar, Rene Auberjonois and more. The decision to oust director Tim Burton and bring on Joel Schumacher for a more kid-friendly movie that would move toys was certainly a choice, and one that made the studio a lot of money. But it also was the beginning of the end for that era of the Batman franchise, as the cartoonishly over-the-top Dutch angles and zany overacting that the studio wanted clashed with the darker vision Schumacher desired. And while Val Kilmer is a fine actor, his Batman just came across as lifeless compared to Michael Keaton. It’s not a great movie, but if you can understand what you’re up for going in, it can definitely be a great time. And that counts for something.
6. Zack Snyder’s Justice League
In truth, Zack Snyder’s Justice League has no business existing as a remake of a movie that was already hated by critics and audiences alike. But a global pandemic causing zero revenue from theatrical releases and a new streaming service to launch has a way of reshaping perception, and thus, Snyder got money and a crack at finishing and releasing his cut of Justice League. Compared to the theatrical cut finished by Whedon, ZSJL is fifty steps up. All of the character development that was axed in the theatrical version was put back, most notably with Ray Fisher’s Cyborg. Thankfully, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman was reestablished as a strong and powerful icon rather than the eye candy Whedon reduced her to. Affleck is also much better as Batman in this version–not as good as he was in Batman v Superman, but a veteran Batman with the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. That doesn’t necessarily make Zack Snyder’s Justice League good. At over four hours long, it’s too bloated and self-indulgent, with the best but also worst tendencies Snyder has as a filmmaker on display: bombast and spectacular visual moments, but also ponderous and weighed down by its own self-importance. And there are still a few big character whiffs. Still, you have to give Snyder credit for swinging for the fences. He didn’t connect, but the man did his thing.
5. The Dark Knight Rises
Narratively, The Dark Knight Rises certainly has its issues. It’s by far the weakest of the Christopher Nolan trilogy for a reason (as many threequels tend to be). In a way, the massive success of its predecessor meant TDKR was always destined to come up short, and it struggles somewhat with the weight of its own ambition. There are a few too many villains with their own machinations running around, and too many characters and plotlines mean that each gets tripped up at times throughout the movie. But it’s also a movie that showcases the best example of a fully-realized, evolved Bruce Wayne that we’ve ever gotten on the big screen. Nolan’s trilogy was always leading to Batman saving the city Bruce Wayne loved so much. Once that was accomplished, Bruce could ride off into the sunset and retire. Allowing Batman to stop being the Batman was as bold a choice as Nolan could have made, and it’s a testament to the strength of his character development throughout the trilogy that Batman could have been killed and it would have felt just as earned an ending as the one we got.
4. Batman
What a joy Michael Keaton and Tim Burton were in 1989 when Batman first hit theaters and changed the entire superhero movie game. Keaton was an absolute revelation in the role. Those who dismissed him as merely being a comedic actor were blown away by Keaton’s transformation as Bruce Wayne, but especially as Batman. Keaton approached the character with a curiosity and an everyman quality that grounded the film in Burton’s dark carnival world, and he contrasted perfectly with Jack Nicholson’s maniacal take on Joker. That said, Burton couldn’t quite balance the tone in his first superhero outing. At times, you can feel him struggling to balance his flamboyant sensibilities with the gritty groundedness of Batman’s crime-infested Gotham. But it was an unquestionable success. People forget that, at the time, Batman was something of a risk. The Caped Crusader hadn’t been seen on screen in decades, and the last outing was Adam West’s campy movie. But Burton and Keaton revitalized the superhero genre and arguable set the blueprint for the modern age we’re living through now. Imperfect or not, Batman was a wonder.
3. Batman Begins
From the start, it was clear that Christopher Nolan had a particular vision for his Batman story and he was doing something fresh and new. Most Batman directors have approached Batman as the real character and Bruce Wayne as merely the mask he wears to mingle in polite society. But Nolan wisely flipped that dynamic around, making his trilogy all about the character development of Bruce Wayne, with Batman being the symbolic manifestation of his character evolution. As Batman, Christian Bale is just fine, but as Bruce Wayne, he’s magnificent–and that’s the point. It lays a rock-solid foundation for the other movies in the trilogy and finally offers us a Bruce Wayne who is as interesting and layered as Batman himself. Batman movies before never spent much time exploring Bruce’s complex grief over the death of his parents, making it seem a bit ridiculous that it would drive him to become the Batman for the rest of his life. But Batman Begins dives deep into the psychology of Bruce Wayne and how complex grief and a devastating loss at a young age might shape one’s personality forever. You can feel the vulnerability in Bale’s Bruce Wayne, and spot the glimpses of the lost little boy inside. It’s not the best of the Nolan trilogy, but it’s arguably the best first entry in a Batman series.
2. Batman Returns
Batman Returns is just Tim Burton at his best, a director who in the sequel fully embraces his gothic carnival style of filmmaking. It’s a movie that drips with confidence and the bravado of a filmmaker who is going to make the film he wants in the style he wants, fears be damned. The trio of villains in the movie – Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman, Danny DeVito as Penguin, and Christopher Walken as Max Scheck – is excellent, but Pfeiffer absolutely runs away with the whole thing. Her take on Catwoman is about as iconic a superhero movie villain as it gets. It’s really saying something that the villains overshadow Michael Keaton’s Batman in this movie, because he’s as excellent as he was in the first Burton join. It’s not all just over-the-top villainy and Keaton snark, though. There are some genuinely thought-provoking thematic elements running through the gothic cartoon of a film, making it one of the most well-rounded Batman movies ever made.
1. The Dark Knight
Of course, this had to be #1 on the list. Could it be any other? Just as Batman Returns is Burton at his best, The Dark Knight is Nolan at his best, fully in control of tone, story, and an intuitive understanding of the character. It could be argued that the studio later took the wrong lessons from Nolan’s trilogy and focused solely on grimdark-and-gritty moving forward. But that would be a disservice to the actual underlying message of Nolan’s work, especially The Dark Knight. Ultimately, it’s about hope, and specifically, a hope that stems from the absolute incorruptibility of Batman. Heath Ledger is astonishing as Joker, a frenetic whirl of chaos and passive malevolence who is as much a force of nature as man. It’s this seemingly unstoppable entity that brings out the best in Bale’s Bruce Wayne and Batman alike. As a movie, it has a lot to say about power, corruptibility, and human nature. Surprisingly, despite how many interpret it on the surface, what it says about those things is more hopeful than you’d expect. The Dark Knight isn’t a movie that sees the worst in humanity; instead, it argues that most humans maintain their goodness despite being faced with the worst. And that ending? My God. Not a line, not a cut, not a shot should be changed. It’s just that perfect.
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The Batman is in theaters on March 4th.
