The Batman Movies, Ranked

To celebrate the release of Matt Reeves 'The Batman,' we're ranking every theatrically released Batman movie.
Batman Movies Ranked

10. The Lego Batman Movie (2017)

Warner Bros.

We take Batman way too seriously. And it’s all Adam West’s fault. The 1960s television series burned short but bright. The Caped Crusader was seen as a goofy lark in the years that followed. Then came Frank Miller and Klaus Janson’s The Dark Knight Returns in 1986 and Tim Burton’s Batman in 1989. Dark, broody, adult stuff (kinda, sorta). Fans never wanted their beloved avenger to be seen as silly again, and the films that followed (after a brief slip into Joel Schumacher’s neon pajama party) were grimdark grave endeavors, the apex being Zack Snyder’s Bat-branding brawler iteration.

However, seeing Batman pushed into as hard a mindset as possible in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice freed fandom’s fear that the character would be recognized globally as a joke again. After decades of slight variations, we could let Will Arnett take a crack at the character and embrace the absurdity beating at the heart of all superhero stories.

Darkness. No parents. The Lego Batman is a punishingly funny lambasting. We take it and ask for another. Our grip on what should and should not be Batman slips a little more with each lampooning. He’s 83 years young, and he only stays that way if we allow goofballs to have fun with him now and again. (Brad Gullickson)


9. Batman Forever (1995)

Warner Bros.

When Tim Burton handed the reigns of the Bat-franchise off to go make Ed Wood, Joel Schumacher stepped in and took things in a decidedly lighter, campier direction. One that ultimately led Michael Keaton to decide that he wanted to seek more interesting roles elsewhere. It was a change that prompted a mixed reaction from critics but ultimately won over audiences with its sense of grandeur.

To his credit, Val Kilmer proved to be a solid replacement for Keaton, both as Batman and Bruce Wayne. And like Batman Returns before it, the film benefits greatly from two committed, bombastic performances from its villains — Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face and Jim Carrey as The Riddler. Proof once again that the greatness of any Batman movie relies as much on the strength of its antagonists as its protagonist. The film also benefits greatly from the searing chemistry between Kilmer and Nicole Kidman as Dr. Chase Meridian, a therapist with a strong interest in men who wear a lot of rubber.

Schumacher took big swings in production design, costuming, and cinematography, adding layers of vibrant color to Burton’s gothic base. And the film’s action soars, even if some of the computer-generated effects of the day couldn’t keep pace with the film’s many practical elements. Combine all of this with a soundtrack full of certified bangers and we’ve got ourselves a pretty good, often-underrated Batman adventure. (Neil Miller)


8. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Warner Bros.

For many (myself included), Batman: The Animated Series is the definitive take on the character. Over the course of its two seasons (three if you count The New Batman Adventures), Bruce Timm and his team constructed a perfect bridge between the character’s past, present, and future. The aesthetic owes as much to Batman’s hardboiled noir origins as it does Tim Burton’s pop goth sensibilities. The style swings wildly without ever breaking the narrative, allowing the series to slip into a multitude of tones and plotlines. As a result, The Animated Series is the full meal we’re never allowed cinematically.

After the first season’s success, Warner Bros. wanted to give the show a shot on the big screen. Mask of the Phantasm attempts its take on Batman: Year One, flashing back to Wayne’s early days under the cowl while his present-day self chases another masked nutjob offing Gotham mobsters. As we dart through its brief runtime, we observe how Wayne jettisoned his playboy persona for his Dark Knight passion. All on account of a girl. A girl with demons that rival his.

And, yes, the Joker too. You can’t do an Animated Series spin-off without supplying plenty of Mark Hamill’s maniacal laughter. Mask of the Phantasm cobbles its plot from various comic book bits and pieces, but mostly, it’s a logical extension of the show. It never quite reaches its progenitor’s heights, but coming close enough is better than most of what the cinematic franchise offers. (Brad Gullickson)


7. Batman: The Movie (1966)

20th Century Fox

Growing up, I never saw Adam West’s Batman as anything other than deadly serious. In the years before Tim Burton’s adaptation, there were not many places to turn toward for live-action superhero entertainment. The Incredible Hulk, Shazam, The Secrets of Isis, Superman — oof, that wretched Spider-Man show, and those even more abysmal Captain America TV movies. In comparison, despite its flagrant nudge-nudge-wink-wink camp attitude, Batman the series was an exuberant, bright-colored comic book explosion. And the film that jumped from its boob tube beginnings was The Avengers of its day.

The Joker! The Riddler! The Penguin! The Catwoman! All together in one diabolical plot to ransom the globe and take down the Dynamic Duo in the process. These rogues screamed treachery, but how their performers threw themselves into their parts invited a profound, gleeful response. You loved to loathe them, and while you waited for Batman and Robin to teach them a lesson or two, you never held any ill will against them. They had a purpose to play, as much as the Bright Knight and his ward did.

Batman: The Movie was a game. Not frivolous, but it was a contest where morality was tried and verified within its runtime. You and the rogues required an education on how to be a better citizen. Batman and Robin could not let you, or your parents, down. (Brad Gullickson)


6. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Warner Bros.

The Nolan brothers, Christopher and Jonathan, were once known for the meticulousness of their creations – think Memento and The Prestige – but somewhere along the line, they realized two things. One, they no longer cared about things “making sense,” and two? They discovered that audiences don’t either as long as they’re grabbed tight by everything else. The Dark Knight Rises succeeds despite itself and caps a spectacular trilogy with a terrifically emotional farewell, but hoo boy, it is a rough ride along the way.

Between the inane subplot that traps *all* of Gotham’s cops in the subway tunnels – already inexplicable as there are hundreds of exits – to the overuse of “Why do we fall?” and iffiness of Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman and the ridiculousness of a mythical prison hole sitting clearly visible about a mile outside a modern city, there’s quite a bit here that just doesn’t work, and yet… we are absolutely hooked into Batman/Bruce Wayne’s journey towards both redemption and relaxation. The film brings him to his lowest point, which makes his ultimate rise that much more satisfying. (Rob Hunter)


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