Ranking the Batman Movies

Well, I spoiled the ranking in this header image. I've been using Letterboxd more lately, in an attempt to not forget that I've watched any of the six trillion films I've seen. The above image is taken from a list I made there (click the pic for the link). Here's a quick, two-sentence per-film description of why each film is ranked where.

13. Batman and Robin (1997) -- You can look at this film two ways: Joel Schumacher loved the camp from Batman more than any other aspect and wanted to make a love-letter to it, or he HATES Batman and this is his attempt to destroy him. Either way, this movie sucks.

12. Batman (1966) -- I haven't seen this Adam West-starring flick since I was a kid, but I remember thinking it was goofy, dumb fun. Somehow, it's LESS campy than 97's Batman and Robin.

11. Batman Forever (1995) -- I'm not sure if this movie is actually better than the '66 Batman, but I think Kilmer is an extremely underrated Batman/Bruce Wayne, and at least this movie is better than and not *quite* as campy as the abysmal Batman and Robin.

10. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Ultimate Edition) (2017) -- I hated and misunderstood this film on first watch, but I am coming around to the Snyderverse after seeing Zack Snyder's Justice League, and after recently re-watching BvS, I much more value what the film is trying to do, and what it achieves, even with its bloated runtime and sometimes needlessly laborious plotting (a hypocritical criticism, given this sentence). I should note, this is Synder's three-hour Ultimate Edition cut, which is the one to watch, not the shorter, but less sensical theatrical cut.

9. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) -- I love how this animated film explores Bruce Wayne's personal life and need for a romantic partner far more deeply than any other film. I'm not quite as high on this one as others (I wish the animation was better, and the Joker just kind of jumps in and hijacks the story at the end), but I do enjoy it a lot.

8. The Lego Batman Movie (2017) -- A madcap and hilarious take on the character, that's also surprisingly deep and resonant. If you do something this irreverent and zany with Batman and want it to work, you've also got to understand and love Batman, and it's clear Chris McKay does both.

7. Batman (1989) -- A pretty solid balance of darkness and fun camp (I'll only use the word "camp" one more time on this list), with great Art Deco Gotham design by Tim Burton and his team. Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson are good, and the film is enjoyable, if lacking in depth.

6. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) -- Works better as a conclusion to the Nolan trilogy than it does as a standalone film, with a plot that doesn't make incredible sense even on rewatches, but the usual great themes from the Nolan Batman flicks, and a standout second half easily keep it afloat. Christian Bale is great as Batman/Bruce Wayne and Tom Hardy's authoritative troll, Bane, is a good foil.

5. Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) -- This is the film that not only brought me around to Zack Snyder's mythological vision for the DCEU, but to believing that Ben Affleck is a truly great Batman, convincingly portraying the character's evolution from the bitter, angry Batman of Batman v Superman to this repentant, well-adjusted one. This movie is truly epic, and I'd have it higher in this Batman movie list if it was more centered upon Batman (though he is the unifying factor here).

4. Batman Begins (2005) -- Tasked with the heavy burden of bringing Batman back on track eight years after Batman and Robin (then the last Batman entry), Nolan's first Batman film does a great job of exploring the character's origins, with Bale a natural as the adrift Bruce Wayne, and the coming-into-his-own Batman. The depth and significant thematic material of this trilogy is here from the beginning.

3. The Batman (2022) -- Writer/director, Matt Reeves manages to find a fresh take on the character here, beyond just "make it darker," as his film noir Batman explores how this young and raging Batman finds a purpose beyond just scaring and beating the hell out of wrongdoers. A visual and auditory treat with a great first time as Batman performance from Robert Pattinson.

2. Batman Returns (1992) -- What at first appears to be an exercise in dark fantasy style with a little bit of campy surface aesthetics thrown in eventually shows itself to be the deepest look into Batman's psyche to date, with a best ever Batman performance by Keaton. The film focuses on three "freaks," Batman, Catwoman, and Penguin, with a Bruce Wayne who appears as a handsome billionaire, yet sees himself as a hideously deformed figure, jealous that the grotesquely disfigured Penguin was born looking like Bruce feels.

1. The Dark Knight (2008) -- Heath Ledger's incredible performance as a Chaotic joker, who essentially acts as the polar opposite Satan to a Bale Batman that becomes a Christ figure, won a well-deserved Oscar for this legendary event of a film. Nolan is at the top of his craft, Bale is great, the themes are deeper than ever, the plot is excellent, the action is incredible, the film looks amazing; this is THE ONE, and there might never be a superhero film, let alone a Batman film, better than this one.