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

[Filmfreak]

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

I was mostly replying to comments about influential superhero movies. I didn't say it is automatically the better movie because of that. I did vote for Batman, after all. But I do think it's a good movie.

Bayformers say Hi.

Is Transformers influential?

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.

Well, I'm kind of in the opposite direction. I find Singer's X-Men (minus the Apocalypse trash) very underrated today and while they have many aspects that haven't aged all that well, there are more things that they nailed, in my book. I understand the complaints about comic book fidelity, characters that never shine and lackluster action but the tone is spot on, they have great dramatic moments and character depth and the acting is top notch. For me it has always been good movie over faithful movie, anyway.

 

[metaphysician]

Huh, this is a tough one, but I think I ultimately have to give it to Batman. They are both very, *very* dated movies, that proceeded to have significant influence on future works ( not all that influence being positive ). However, in the end, Batman has the edge for two reasons:

1. It has a very obvious major positive influence, in Batman: The Animated Series, and the ensuing collective works of Timm and Dini. X-Men really doesn't have anything that can compare.

2. Batman was a major cultural influence, standing on its own. X-Men was influential, but part of a broader moment in cinema, being preceeded by Blade and followed by Spider-man. It contributed to the Movie Superhero, but it didn't do it solo in the way Batman 89 did.

 

[Fincher]

Is Transformers influential?

I suspect Michael Bay's aesthetic influenced Dean Israelite (Project Almanac, Power Rangers 2017), and Battleship was blatantly riffing off of his Transformers films. I don't suppose Pacific Rim would have gotten off the ground (never mind gotten a second film after the first one underperformed) if not for the success of Transformers. I don't know, I don't think a series has the success Transformers did without having some sort of effect.

 

[Spider-Fan]

I remember Kevin Feige saying the spectacle of the Transformers movies is something they wanted to replicate for Avengers. So yeah, certainly had an impact.

 

[henzINNIT]

I'm peacefully in the minority voting X-Men in this. Largely personal bias I guess, but the cast of characters in that are far more memorable, despite Keaton being my favourite Batman.

Both share a lot of early CBM problems, and have aged poorly in places. It makes them interesting time capsules of the era they were made in, and still good fun regardless.

 

[Immortalfire]

Keaton’s Batman remains a favorite of mine, and these days the first X-Men feels like a tv episode compared to the later films.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

They are around even for me. But I am a much bigger X-Men fan so that movie gave me the more enjoyment overall.

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

X-Men meant a lot more to me. It also seems to have done so for superhero films as Batman mainly spawned more Batman films, but X-Men inspired several people in what would become the golden age.

For some odd reason I've never seen Batman 89 as many times as Returns, even though I dislike the latter, so I'm not entirely sure of what I'd think about it now. As a kid I was surprised at how much hype there was before it as I thought it was nothing special and was less exciting than the best non-superhero action films around that time. It wasn't very popular among kids around me so I got no help there either. It's possible that I'd appreciate some aspects differently as an adult though. It would be a low priority rewatch though, so I'll stick with my current impression for the poll.

 

[psylockolussus]

I'm peacefully in the minority voting X-Men in this. Largely personal bias I guess, but the cast of characters in that are far more memorable, despite Keaton being my favourite Batman.

Both share a lot of early CBM problems, and have aged poorly in places. It makes them interesting time capsules of the era they were made in, and still good fun regardless.

I can't even name characters from the first Batman movie aside from Batman, Vicki and Joker. I don't recall if Alfred and Gordon were in the movie. That movie just look too dated to me and I was probably not born yet when it was released.

While with X-Men, my initial thought was where are the costumes? Aside from the New Mutants, its the only X-Men film I havent seen in a theater but I was too young at that time and cbms weren't really on my radar. But upon seeing X2, I learned to love X1 and I have it seen it like twenty times.

 

[Herofan]

I go with X-Men by a lot, much better and more timeless especially in terms of I think being more epic, what many refer to as being television-ish I take as being open-ended and big universe. I like the effects and action and characterizations despite some characters being lacking. I especially do love it and enjoy it from the nostalgia of having first watched it at 11 and understanding and liking it despite not knowing much of the comics or characters.

With B89 I like Keaton a lot but I think the film is weighed down by Nicholson too much, annoyingly, just enjoying himself rather than playing a character, story pretty so-so. I first watched it at 15, long after BR and many other later superhero films, so very not-advantaged by nostalgia.

 

[Frodo]

Huh, this is a tough one, but I think I ultimately have to give it to Batman. They are both very, *very* dated movies, that proceeded to have significant influence on future works ( not all that influence being positive ). However, in the end, Batman has the edge for two reasons:

1. It has a very obvious major positive influence, in Batman: The Animated Series, and the ensuing collective works of Timm and Dini. X-Men really doesn't have anything that can compare.

2. Batman was a major cultural influence, standing on its own. X-Men was influential, but part of a broader moment in cinema, being preceeded by Blade and followed by Spider-man. It contributed to the Movie Superhero, but it didn't do it solo in the way Batman 89 did.

This is pretty much how I feel.

Having been old enough to see both films in the theater, and to have seen both of their impacts, on pop culture and Hollywood in general , its Batman 89.

Unfortunately, there's a whole generation of fandom who will never know what it was like to experience Batmania and Batman in 1989. Alot of them have only ever seen it on a tv set or computer screen as opposed to a theater screen with a packed audience as I , and many of my generation did.

They've come of age in a world in which we take for granted the release of a new Batman film every few years , in addition to a ton of other Superhero films, live actions tv shows, animated shows, animated films, and video games.

For alot of them , B89 is ancient history, and a milestone, while X Men may feel more recent and relevant .

As a result, there's a tendency by some to downplay 89's importance on not just Batman but on the cbm genre, but there really is no way of overstating how important a film it was , even with its flaws.