Ranking The Batman Movies

Secondly, these are just my opinions. I get everyone has their own different version of Batman that they prefer. The ones that are the most hated have their diehard fans while even the ones that are the most loved have their diehard haters. At this point, you should know which Batman is your Batman and which one is not. I’m just going with the rankings of how I see the quality of the Batman films.

I also will say when it comes to my overall feelings of all sixteen movies, just note that I think #1-4 are near perfect, #5-8 are really great, #9-10 are solid, #11-12 are mixed bags, and #13-16 are real legit stinkers. For the most part, I like more Batman movies than I dislike.

So please, if you disagree, don’t get upset and even feel free to let me know your rankings in the comments below or even on Twitter or Letterboxd. Without further of do, here we go!

16.) Batman: The Killing Joke

Yes, the worst Batman movie ever released in cinema is in fact not Batman & Robin. While Killing Joke might not as cause anywhere near as much impact on pop culture as B&R did, this is probably the one theatrical Batman feature released that feels like the most waste of time. Even the worst of the Schumacher and Snyder flicks had at least one element or two that worked in their own rights. This is what happens when you try to adapt source material in a faithful matter but don’t actually know or believe in the story that your material was originally telling.

The first half an hour of the picture is terrible beyond words with the way it treats Batgirl and not being important to everything else whatsoever. And there’s the rest of the movie that does nothing more but go into great lengths to just how dated the original storyline is and makes it’s mere existence feel like a mistake. The animation is slow and lifeless, the voice acting is phoned in and poor, and the dialogue that might have fit well for a comic book novel DOES NOT translate well into a motion picture whatsoever. When not even Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill’s iconic voices as the Caped Crusader and Clown Prince of Crime can save your movie, something has gone seriously wrong!

This is a perfect example how sometimes being too faithful to the source material can be just as bad as being unfaithful towards it. An adaption is an adaption for a reason and that’s something that Killing Joke doesn’t get whatsoever! It’s absolutely depressing that Conroy and Hamill’s final time together had to end on an absolute whimper!

15.) Justice League (2017)

It’s unbelievable how not only the first ever live-action Justice League movie doesn’t work, but it has to be one of the most lifeless, dull, and forgettable superhero movies ever made. The course correction from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is so painfully obvious on screen with out-of-place reshoots and edits that are downright embarrassing. It’s like the equivalent of a superb Japanese anime getting butchered in the English version by 4kids, filled with unnecessary editing, censoring, and scripting to make it more “kid” friendly, even if it doesn’t make much sense in context and hurts the overall quality of it.

This came across as more of a straight-to-dvd Avengers knock-off that you would find in a bargain bin at the Dollar Store than an actual Justice League movie. A handful of moments are cool in their own right and is is nice to see Henry Cavill represent a bit of Christopher Reeves here (despite it making no sense in the context of the universe) but it’s incredibly unforgiveable just how cheap, hollow, and unmemorable this whole experience is.

When even a remix of Danny Elfman’s iconic Batman theme can’t win me over, you know your movie has failed!

14.) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

I’m still in awe how you take a crossover like Batman and Superman and make it so long, dull, and joyless. The plot is a convoluted mess no matter which version you watch, with the conflict between Batman and Superman being so incredibly ridiculous that it could have been avoided if the two just simply talk to each other. It’s a film that wants to comes across as the most grand and ambitious movie every made, but when you look deep into it, this movie actually doesn’t have much to say on anything it’s talking about. Other than trying to cram two to three movies worth of material into one film, there’s nothing really risky or daring about Dawn of Justice, with it’s so-called themes that have been done much better in plenty of other superhero films.

Ben Affleck is fine as Batman and there’s a few standout moments here but that’s nowhere near enough to save this turd. Even the ultimate edition which some claim “saves” the movie is really just has more of the same problems, save for being slightly better editing and pacing. If there is a clear difference between ambition and aimlessness, then Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice certainly strikes the finest line yet between those two definitions with results that fit more of the latter than the former.

It gets a slight edge over Justice League (2017) because it does at least feel like a fully realized vision of a filmmaker but that is no where near enough for me to claim it’s good or even should be praised because of that. It’s a movie so bad that it arguably killed the DCEU before it even got a chance to get going! Sorry but I’m not a fan whatsoever!

13.) Batman and Robin

Despite writing up a blog piece somewhat defending this movie as NOT the worst thing ever made along with tons of retweets/likes of my tweet about how it’s pointless to still be upset over this movie existing, that still doesn’t change the fact that Batman and Robin is still a very bad and just plain awful movie. I do at least put it above the first few on the list because this is a movie you can at least watch and laugh at how terrible it truly is, unlike those where watching it is just a miserable experience.

From it’s over-the-top characters, cheesy one-liners, campy action, and it’s outlandish overacting, B&R is no doubt one of the best disaster pieces that has ever been released in theaters. It’s not just “so bad it’s good”, this movie help refined “so bad it’s good”. Everyone and their mother has picked this movie apart and for good reason. While I still make the case that this is a watchable bad movie as oppose to an unwatchable bad movie, it’s still a bad movie regardless.

Even a couple of moments that do work with the way they were intended (Bruce and Alfred’s conversation makes me tear up every time) can’t save it for the sheer amount of brilliant terribleness that is the big picture. At the very least, this movie’s failure and own existence eventually led to many other good Batman and superhero movies to be made. I guess that’s something.

12.) Batman Forever

Most of the problems with the Joel Schumacher movie I just mention are also present here, albeit not quite as bad. Cheeseball dialogue, cartoonish characters, arcs that feel unearned and don’t really make any sense, and villain performances that is so hammered up that you wonder if Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones were just being as awful as possible just because they could. That being said, this movie does at least nail the look, feel, and atmosphere of Gotham City in a way that no other Batman has had to this point.

For a famous setting that has been often portrayed as mean, gray, and bleak, it’s refreshing to see someone step it up and breath some actual life into it, even if it doesn’t quite match with how the character of Batman is usually interpreted as. It’s bright, light, and colorful blends perfectly with the bright and colorful criminals that scatters throughout the film that makes this look like paradise for the bad guys in Gotham. Every once in a while in a movie, it’s perfectly okay to make a bad place look good.

It’s still mildly entertaining in it’s own right and it’s certainly the exact kind of movie that WB wanted over the backlash of Batman Returns being “too dark”, but everything is treated too much like a joke here that it’s so hard to take anything happening to the characters seriously.

11.) Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders

Easily the most inconsequential Batman movie to ever be released in expanded theaters (heck, 99% of the world probably forgot that this actually came out in theaters), but it’s still got some charm that the original 60′ series and the 66′ movie had.

The voice work from the cast can sound very rusty (You can just tell how poor Adam West had trouble with most of his line deliveries), should have had some tightening towards the climax, and I can’t help but wonder with the idea of multiple Batmans in one movie could have unlock the potential of endless memorable memes or at least prior Batman VAs coming together could have made this DC’s version of Spider-Man: No Way Home. (Yes, I get this is suppose to be low budgeted and was originally straight-to-dvd, but I still can’t get that out of my head.)

That being said, it’s still exactly the kind of campy, over-the-top Adam West adventure as you could imagine can exist in 2016. It’s doesn’t try to be anything more or anything less than that but sometimes that’s okay. Especially with the recent Batman and DC flicks that came around that same time that was pretending to be anything BUT simple, I think being simple in the case of Return of the Caped Crusaders was more than good enough.

10.) Batman (1966)

Batman contains something that I really miss nowadays with big franchise movies, it being the exact movie that itself wants to be and not the audience. You couldn’t make a Batman movie like this in 2022. Not just because it doesn’t meet the standards of filmmaking today (whatever that consists of) but it wouldn’t meet the standards of what the fans and audience expect out of Batman.

If this movie came out today, it would get torn to shreds by everybody and many of the cast and crew would be chase off of social media. However, this movie came out in 1966, not 2022. There was no social media to speak off or high standards to reach with this character or series. It was an actual thing and because of that, it could be anything it desired to be.

I can’t say it has hold up very well whatsoever but the fact there was an actually movie called Batman in 1966 makes it as big of an accomplishment as what Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan did for their own respected versions in at the times those films was released. Long live Adam West!

9.) Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Because we live in some dark and twisted form of an alternate universe, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a real thing now. Truth be told, even if you remove yourself from the toxicity that is the Zack Snyder fanbase (I won’t blame you if you can’t!), it’s actually not that bad and there’s plenty of positive this time around, along with some negatives.

The first half is way too stretched out for it’s own good, feeling like Snyder is trying to get every single little frame of work that he desired in there regardless if it actually serves a purpose. There’s also the final fifteen minutes that feels more like a collection of post credit scenes rather than an actual epilogue. But everything in between that is pretty solid. There’s good action set pieces, a nice score, memorable visuals, and some good character interactions between all of the Justice League members, with Wonder Woman and Cyborg being the standouts. It’s also refreshing to see a Zack Snyder superhero movie to where the superheroes actually feel like superheroes, feeling as if he just ditched the ego-filled mindset and just set out to make a damn good Justice League movie that most people could enjoy.

There’s still some faults from the theatrical cut that are carried over here such as Steppenwolf being so terribly BORING! However, this is certainly an improvement over the theatrical cut and should most certainly be considered the actual definite version of Justice League. I might not call myself a fan of Snyder’s input on DC but I’m at least glad he got to finish what he started after having to originally step down due to the tragic death of his daughter. Can we please move on with our lives now?!

8.) The LEGO Batman Movie

You could make the argument that The LEGO Batman Movie is the Batman movie that feels like the culmination of all the other Batman movies that have come before it along with the hit tv shows.

The key trick that LEGO Batman pulls off is making all it’s spoof nature and commentary that doesn’t come across as lazy, spiteful, or talking down to its audience. It’s able to be a self parody while always having something new and meaningful to say. It’s able to deconstruct it’s main title character but also show a full side of him that has been hinted at in the past but makes it come into full fruition now. It’s able to make fun with it’s material without actually making fun of it. It’s able to make everything Batman while also making Batman everything. I guess what I’m trying to say is, EVERYTHING IS BATMAN!

Not necessarily Batman’s most memorable picture and honestly could have done without the Lego gimmick this time around but this is still a very fun ride regardless.

7.) The Batman

The big overall question that everyone wants to know is if The Batman is the best Batman movie ever made? Well, it really depends on the kind of Batman that you want and hope to get out of this new movie. We have gotten so many different incarnations of the caped crusader in the past and nearly every single one of them has their fans of some sort. In my opinion, it’s not quite the best Batman movie or even my personal favorite one but still a damn solid one nonetheless.

There are some flaws that hold it back a bit. The inspirations that Matt Reeves clearly has taken from other Batman stories and David Fincher movies are quite noticeable, a third act sequence that should feel more impactable than it actually is, and a sequel tease near the tail end of the film that will likely have your eyes rolling. The strengths of the movie, however, should not be cast aside. The acting is all stellar here (Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Paul Rino, and Colin Farrell are all perfect in their roles), there has never been a more effective and accurate Gotham City-like atmosphere displaced on the big screen, and a Batman film that put more focus on the detective aspect, even if Batman is still FAR from being the World’s Greatest Detective in this. Plus, anyone that claims that Michael Giacchino’s instantly iconic theme is not in their head immediately after the movie is lying through their teeth.

Perhaps it’s because I’ve grown more accustom to filmmakers doing their own unique thing with the characters that one movie that feels more in line with the actual source material than one the director put Batman in their own unique sandbox is what makes The Batman come across as more conventional compared to some of the others one. However, conventional doesn’t mean the same as bad. The Batman is a really good movie that while doesn’t break any new ground, it does tick off most of the right boxes of what I (and imagine others) would view as a proper Batflick.

6.) Batman Begins

Batman Begins was an absolute revolutionary when it came out back in 2005. Not only did it revived the Batman franchise that seemed long dead for eight years, but it help set the foundation that properties surrounding superheroes and comic books can in fact be taken more seriously and still be really good.

Even if the second half isn’t quite as good as the first half and the action leaves a lot to be desire but those problems can easily be forgiven with the way this movie is able to accomplish everything else. It gives us an incredibly engaging Bruce Wayne in Christian Bale’s iconic turn as this iconic character along with providing a satisfying origin story that stands as one of the best ever put to screen in superhero movie form.

While it’s impact didn’t feel all the way felt until around the arrival of it’s sequel The Dark Knight three years later, this film’s importance to the Caped Crusader along with the sub-genre should not go unnoticed. Even before Marvel got their universe with Iron Man, it was this terrific first entry from Christopher Nolan that got the ball rolling with just how good a modern superhero movie can be.

5.) Batman (1989)

The original Tim Burton, Batman was quite an accomplishment in 1989. Introducing the character of Batman on the big screen that would define a new generation of moviegoers and Batman fans. As it’s own film, it still holds up incredibly well but it isn’t perfect by any means.

Side characters such as Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Dent aren’t given much development time, it’s quite inconsistent as to whether or not Batman should kills his enemies or not, and there are times where so much focus is put on the Joker that you can argue that it takes away from the actual titled character of the film. But I do think when it comes down to the core conflict and the way both the hero and villain are portrayed here, it makes for a rather unique, interesting, and personal conflict between the two pairs. Just because anyone can be a hero doesn’t mean that anyone can not also be a villain as well.

Tim Burton might not have captured the Batman and Joker from their original roots but he did help create original roots of his own that made the film for the better and leave the impact that it has today. If it wasn’t for the success of this film, who knows if Batman would be anywhere near as popular as he is now.

4.) The Dark Knight Rises

You ever have that one movie that you would define as a flawed masterpiece. A film that you know deep down has problems but it’s still perfect for you anyway! That would be The Dark Knight Rises for me! The kind of film that even with it’s notable flaws, I still can’t help but feel like this is the best possible version of itself it could possibly be. The overall premise of this movie is one that actually dares to question the entire idea around the character of Batman: that perhaps Bruce Wayne being the Batman was a mistake.

And every time I watch this movie, I always go back to that one scene with Bruce getting out of the pit. When watching it, I just can’t imagine these movies being the way they are without that one particular scene. It just makes everything whole and even the things that are wrong with the movie (and even the whole trilogy) feel kinda right. Just like how that moment brings Bruce within himself to become the Batman one last time, I believe that was also the exact moment where Christopher Nolan found it within himself to direct this movie. The one moment that the Dark Knight behind the camera was able to rise once again to finish what he started.

To this day, I can’t think of many series finales that have been as satisfying as The Dark Knight Rises. From it’s scope to it’s action to it’s themes to it’s ending, I will always have a big fondness for Nolan’s final triumph with Batman and superheroes. Some might bark for this being too high on the list but, I’m still a believer in The Dark Knight Rises even if you’re not.

3.) Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

Mask of the Phantasm perfectly illustrates how Batman is not just a symbol for Gotham City but also represents a tragedy for Bruce Wayne. With losing his parents, seeing good people become evil, watching as criminals strike fear into the heart and soul of Gotham, that showcases how being Batman is difficult just like that. But it’s his tragic relationship with Andrea that shows that no matter how hard he tries, Bruce Wayne can just never escape being Batman. It’s something that will haunt him for as long as he lives. Whether it’s a personal connection or not, there will always be something that traces back to Bruce as Batman. He can never move past it, because Batman is and always will be Bruce Wayne’s destiny. He can dread it, run from it, but destiny will arrive all the same!

There are plenty of Batman movies that are more centered around the stories they tell themselves that just so happens to have Batman in it. Many have succeed, some even more so than this movie, while others have failed. But, there really hasn’t been a motion picture that show the inner turmoil of Bruce Wayne as a character and the tragic figure that Batman himself represents than with Mask of the Phantasm.

This may not be quite my favorite movie WITH Batman but, even after the release of The Batman, I strongly that this is the best movie ever made ABOUT Batman.

2.) Batman Returns

Whenever I think of the Batman movies that would make for the perfect double feature for one another and just two films that perfectly compliment the other, I think of Tim Burton’s Batman Returns and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Both films contain some of the biggest, boldest, and just plain best work of both directors filmography.

Both movies are just as much about the antagonist in terms of story, character, and themes as the protagonist, perhaps even more so. They tell incredibly groundbreaking tails of the pros and cons of the Batman legacy along with showing a Batman that is truly unrestrained and beyond his limits that serves both a story and thematic purpose. In the sense, both Batman Returns and The Dark Knight make for a great parallel with one another and terrific back-to-back featurettes. Even when looking at Returns at it’s own thing, it’s still brilliant!

Everything done with the Batman, Catwoman, and the Penguin is absolutely great, it’s shot phenomenally, Danny Elfman’s score is still iconic, and it’s arguably the only Batman picture that is able to find room for the dark, campy, realistic, and fantastical elements all at once along with stating that each one of those featurette have a place within Batman lore. As much Michael Keaton fun as it was to see Batman again in The Flash, I can’t imagine there being a more beautiful and interesting take on his version of Batman then with this movie.

1.) The Dark Knight

But yeah, no surprise to anyone, this is still the best movie with Batman ever made. I know it’s become cliché to claim that The Dark Knight is one of the best superhero movies ever, but many people said that for a reason, it is just that damn good.

What makes The Dark Knight work perfectly is how it’s an unique, distinct story about Batman being challenged mentally, emotionally, physically, thematically, and symbolically. The two other main characters throughout the picture in Joker and Harvey Dent represents both the hero that Batman so desperately wants to be along with the villain that he fears that he will one day come. It’s a Batman movie that perfectly mirrors itself with out it tells this identical tale of crime, corruption, and vengeance in the most complex and fascinating way imaginable.

Even the films’ overall minor flaws like a couple of plot holes throughout and taking place in the most generic looking Gotham City imaginable can’t take away from the amount of absolute superb filmmaking throughout the entire 152-minute long runtime. There are definitely Batman movies out there that people have liked/disliked more than others but I don’t think anyone can argue that there hasn’t been a Batman movie that has a much of an impact as The Dark Knight. From the twists and turns to it’s resonate themes to Heath Ledger’s amazing turn as Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight, even 14 years later, still stands on top.