Batman (1989) or X-Men (2000) ?

[Neil McCauley]

Both are solid films that started the franchise, a bit dated sure but still good quality overall. I think the villains and score were the best thing about this films. Which one do you prefer?

I think that X2 would have been one sided so let me know about it

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

That's actually tough. Great performances in both. Effects-wise X-Men holds up better (as I'd expect it to); but story-wise, character-wise, and for sheer atmosphere, Batman has the edge. Overall, Batman by a hair.

I prefer the sequels to both of them.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

From an artistic standpoint, Batman just blows X-Men away. Better sets, costumes, cinematography, makeup, etc. It just looks so much better, is far bigger and more epic, and has a more timeless quality to it. X-Men feels small, like an extended television pilot.

 

[Filmfreak]

It's tough because both have been incredibly influential and helped shape the genre as we know it but I'd probably go for Batman because it has aged better over the years.

 

[Web-Head]

I don't think this will be all that close a poll and judging by the early results, I might be right.

It's definitely Batman for me. It's a bit dated, but it's the better film. I wasn't born when it came out, but I think it had a bigger impact on the superhero "genre" than X-Men did. Personally, I think Spider-Man was the film that really started the early 2000's comic book movie boom. More so than the X-Men

 

[Mandon Knight]

Batman, easily.

 

[Mandon Knight]

I don't think this will be all that close a poll and judging by the early results, I might be right.

It's definitely Batman for me. It's a bit dated, but it's the better film. I wasn't born when it came out, but I think it had a bigger impact on the superhero "genre" than X-Men did. Personally, I think Spider-Man was the film that really started the early 2000's comic book movie boom. More so than the X-Men

X-Men, gave credence to the concept that those outside the 'big 3' of Batman, Superman and Spider-Man COULD be popular to a wider audience and that a 'platform' of super-hero flicks could be built to be sustainable. No coincidence that Spider-Man soon followed.

 

[Neil McCauley]

I don't think this will be all that close a poll and judging by the early results, I might be right.

It's definitely Batman for me. It's a bit dated, but it's the better film. I wasn't born when it came out, but I think it had a bigger impact on the superhero "genre" than X-Men did. Personally, I think Spider-Man was the film that really started the early 2000's comic book movie boom. More so than the X-Men

I also prefer Batman but i did like X-Men (X2 is much better) so i think it's a fair compairson.

 

[thangaran]

Batman because of the fact that the production design and physical elements have and still play such an influential role on comics. RIP Anton Furst

The performances were better as well IMO

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

From an artistic standpoint, Batman just blows X-Men away. Better sets, costumes, cinematography, makeup, etc. It just looks so much better, is far bigger and more epic, and has a more timeless quality to it. X-Men feels small, like an extended television pilot.

You took the words out of my mouth. Very apt description.

 

[Fincher]

These are two of my absolute favorite superhero movies, but Batman is #1 for me.

 

[Frodo]

I don't think this will be all that close a poll and judging by the early results, I might be right.

It's definitely Batman for me. It's a bit dated, but it's the better film. I wasn't born when it came out, but I think it had a bigger impact on the superhero "genre" than X-Men did. Personally, I think Spider-Man was the film that really started the early 2000's comic book movie boom. More so than the X-Men

I was 10 when Batman 89 came out and you're correct. Batman had a much bigger impact on the genre and on Hollywood in general than X Men did.

It demonstrated , much like Superman had a decade earlier, that these films could be taken seriously and weren't just "kids stuff that shouldn't be taken seriously" which was the attitude for a long time in Hollywood, and pretty much remained the attitude until the 2000s.

X Men , like the first Blade film, showed the potential that Marvel based theatrical films could have since, up that point, Marvel based films had been jokes ,or quite bad up to that point.

Spiderman is the film that really started the comicbook film boom in the early 2000s.

Then TDK and Iron Man in 2008 took the genre to a whole new era, which ended with Avengers Endgame ,Joker, and Dark Phoenix in 2019.

 

[Spider-Fan]

Batman. No question. I don't think X-Men is better than Batman really in any regard. None. I understand why X-Men was important, but the movie is just so.....meh.

 

[KaijuDude1992]

Hands down Batman 89 and I would even put Returns over it as well. The first X-Men is a good maybe even really good early 2000's superhero movie, but I'd much rather re-watch X2 which I find to be miles better and way more engaging. Just on a technical/cinematography level both of Burton Batman's movies are far superior IMO and make X-Men look like a tv movie in comparison which I don't mean to be a diss against the movie given the time it was made and the resources available, but it is what it is and that's how I always felt about it.

 

[psylockolussus]

X-Men. I just prefer the characters.

 

[Lenny Jako]

X-Men is my favourite property, still Batman 89 is the better movie for me and one of my favourite comic book movie period. Jack Nicholson is my Joker.

 

[Lantern Venom]

Batman was a decent try at being faithful to the source material aside from Joker being the Waynes' murderer. X-Men was a full-on ode to its comics, so it wins this easily. Well, for me anyway.

 

[Marvel united]

X-Men

 

[B]

Batman quite comfortably. It's an all-time classic & along with Superman The Movie it's probably the 2nd or 3rd most important CBM ever for various reasons. If it had been anything less than excellent it would have potentially set back CBM's 5-10 years.

I will say though that I liked X-Men & I'd also consider it an important movie in terms of the landscape of superheroes on film.. however nowhere near as important as Batman 89' was. I also don't think the film is better overall than Batman.

 

[Frodo]

X Men was a good first step, and a rough draft for the franchise as a whole.

It was a fine introduction to the characters and the world to the general audience.

It would be surpassed by X2, XMDOFP, Logan, and Deadpool, but it was a good starting point for the franchise.

But in terms of importance and influence , its not up there with Batman 89, Superman, Spiderman, Avengers, TDK etc.

 

[Filmfreak]

People understimate how much influencial X-Men was. It is basically the movie that kickstarted the modern era of superhero films, along with Raimi's Spider-Man.

For better or worse, it's basically the movie that introduced the more grounded and realistic approach that has been going on with mixed results since then. It even added social and political elements in it. Nolan himself had said to Jackman that X-Men was a huge inspiration for his movie trilogy and it probably wouldn't exist without it.

Sure, Superman managed to do be the first movie that made Hollywood taking these movie more seriously, with huge name actors and productions, and Batman '89 followed by adding darker aesthetic and elements, but X-Men was the first that made audience take them more seriously, especially in terms of characters and overall tone.

 

[Mandon Knight]

People understimate how much influencial X-Men was. It is basically the movie that kickstarted the modern era of superhero films, along with Raimi's Spider-Man.

For better or worse, it's basically the movie that introduced the more grounded and realistic approach that has been going on with mixed results since then. It even added social and political elements in it. Nolan himself had said to Jackman that X-Men was a huge inspiration for his movie trilogy and it probably wouldn't exist without it.

Sure, Superman managed to do be the first movie that made Hollywood taking these movie more seriously, with huge name actors and productions, and Batman '89 followed by adding darker aesthetic and elements, but X-Men was the first that made audience take them more seriously, especially in terms of characters and overall tone.

The depreciating ****-storm with each Superman in the 80's prior to Batman then Marvel selling off all their characters (prior to MCU) left that gap open and aye X-Men / Sony grabbed that slot....

 

[Frodo]

People understimate how much influencial X-Men was. It is basically the movie that kickstarted the modern era of superhero films, along with Raimi's Spider-Man.

For better or worse, it's basically the movie that introduced the more grounded and realistic approach that has been going on with mixed results since then. It even added social and political elements in it. Nolan himself had said to Jackman that X-Men was a huge inspiration for his movie trilogy and it probably wouldn't exist without it.

Sure, Superman managed to do be the first movie that made Hollywood taking these movie more seriously, with huge name actors and productions, and Batman '89 followed by adding darker aesthetic and elements, but X-Men was the first that made audience take them more seriously, especially in terms of characters and overall tone.

Well, having been 21 when the first film came out , I will say that it certainly helped to bring the X Men characters into the mainstream. The film was also something of a surprise hit.

But B89 was far more influential on the genre and Hollywood than the first X Men was . Without B89, there is no X Men film in 1999.

B89 inspired alot of studios to want to make more comic book themed properties with a more serious edge throughout the 90s . The first X Men which was a product of the late 90s, if anything, was more the tail end of the trend which began with B89.

I also wouldn't go as far as to say it kicked off the modern era of cbm. That truly was Spiderman in 2002. X Men was the first through the door, but it was Spiderman that truly had the bigger impact on the genre and on Hollywood.

X Men showed the potential of what could be done, but it was truly Spiderman 2002 that started the boom of cbm films in the early 2000s.

That's not to say the first X Men didn't do some important things, and that it didn't lay the groundwork for what the franchise would become, but the first film really wasn't the game changer that Batman or Spiderman was.

The film deserves respect , but it wasn't a major game changer.

 

[MbJ]

Bob the Goon pushes Batman ahead.

 

[Spider-Fan]

People understimate how much influencial X-Men was. It is basically the movie that kickstarted the modern era of superhero films, along with Raimi's Spider-Man.

For better or worse, it's basically the movie that introduced the more grounded and realistic approach that has been going on with mixed results since then. It even added social and political elements in it. Nolan himself had said to Jackman that X-Men was a huge inspiration for his movie trilogy and it probably wouldn't exist without it.

Sure, Superman managed to do be the first movie that made Hollywood taking these movie more seriously, with huge name actors and productions, and Batman '89 followed by adding darker aesthetic and elements, but X-Men was the first that made audience take them more seriously, especially in terms of characters and overall tone.

No doubt it was influential. But that doesn't inherently make the movie good. Bayformers say Hi.

It isn't even like I feel like better CBMs after it made me dislike it over it time. I thought X-Men was overrated in 2000. Bryan Singer's movies as a whole are fairly bland and boring for the most part. For me, nothing stands out as particular good about the first X-Men outside of Magento's introduction and a few performances. The plot is silly, it lacks visual flare, score is generic, costumes are bland, etc.

It just doesn't do much for me.