Post-Battinson: Rank Your Top 5 Batman Movies

[OnLeatherWings]

You might enjoy this one, @BatLobster .

 

[OnLeatherWings]

Some fans seem to punish Rises for Ledger's absence, in a way.

The amount of times I read "if only Heath had lived, we'd have gotten a great third film!"

As if Nolan would've made him the villain again or we can't enjoy Rises because of some bizarre 'what could've been'.

That never would've been, anyway.

 

[VonRomberg]

TDKR has a stronger emotional pull for me. It's that simple. I wouldn't go as far as to say it's a "better" film (and if someone puts The Batman at #1 it doesn't bother me in the slightest), but like @MagnarTheGreat said I don't think the two films are that far apart. I also take into account that it had the unenviable job of directly following TDK, and closing out a trilogy is never an easy task. And I think it's a banger of a conclusion for that trilogy and an incredibly underrated film. I absolutely love the scale of it. I think Hardy's Bane is a much cooler villain. The climb, I can literally just watch any time and still get goosebumps. The ending is one of the most satisfying endings to a film I've ever seen, and the finality that ending-- for a superhero series is exceedingly rare and special.

You could argue TDKR's plot was too ambitious for its own good, but I still think when it comes to the most important thing-- the central journey for Bruce Wayne, it tells a clearer story where the culmination of the arc feels huge and it feels earned. The Batman takes a hit for me in this regard for me, where I still am questioning whether the growth for Batman was told in the best or clearest way it could've been. There is also the fact that I respect the hell out of TDKR trying to tie up as many loose ends as possible and give a definitive conclusion for the story. A lot of my reservations with The Batman, I have to go "Well let's see how they develop that in the sequel". Just kind of part of the conundrum of comparing a concluding chapter to an opening chapter, I guess. Especially where you have one that it such a definitive conclusion, and another one with such a strong emphasis on world-building and contains things you know will be expanded on in future spinoff shows. Just entirely different things.

End of the day, TDKR just means more to me personally, and I find it to be underrated as hell. The Batman is great, Fraser's cinematography is astonishing, Pattinson is a phenomenal Batman, the tone is deliciously noir, Reeves deserves all the credit in the world for what he was able to achieve and the sheer clarity of his vision for this world...it just doesn't quite match the emotional highs of the trilogy for me. Part of that may absolutely be my own biases and nostalgia influencing me, but I think we're all entitled to those feelings.

I share a lot of your views and thoughts on TKDT. As much as I love The Batman it's an unknown quantity in terms of its position in a trilogy/series of movies. TDKT on the other hand is a known quantity with a defined beginning and end, and the roles that TDK and TDKR play in the development and conclusion of the whole series is exceptionally executed. Gordon's outro monologue for TDK is just cinematic greatness.

Whatever issues people may have with some creative decisions, or Bale's voice, or any other minor nitpicks don't hold a candle to the overall experience created.
Until we've seen the full arc of Reeves' universe TDKT is going to be superior because of how well it delivered on the full arc Bruce/Batman had and how well it was crafted. I firmly believe TB has presented a foundation that could build towards matching TDKT's arc, but we do have to wait and see.

One of the primary takeaways I had when I walked out of the theater from my first viewing of The Batman was that Nolan's trilogy is going to age quite well, and how difficult it will be for any creative team to match the overall experience created by TDKT, whatever technical brilliance of the compared film/film series may be. And that's no slight on Reeves or TB - I love this film, but TDKT was lightning in a bottle and it's a huge ask to recreate that same experience.

 

[Gothamsknight]

I share a lot of your views and thoughts on TKDT. As much as I love The Batman it's an unknown quantity in terms of its position in a trilogy/series of movies. TDKT on the other hand is a known quantity with a defined beginning and end, and the roles that TDK and TDKR play in the development and conclusion of the whole series is exceptionally executed. Gordon's outro monologue for TDK is just cinematic greatness.

Whatever issues people may have with some creative decisions, or Bale's voice, or any other minor nitpicks don't hold a candle to the overall experience created.
Until we've seen the full arc of Reeves' universe TDKT is going to be superior because of how well it delivered on the full arc Bruce/Batman had and how well it was crafted. I firmly believe TB has presented a foundation that could build towards matching TDKT's arc, but we do have to wait and see.

One of the primary takeaways I had when I walked out of the theater from my first viewing of The Batman was that Nolan's trilogy is going to age quite well, and how difficult it will be for any creative team to match the overall experience created by TDKT, whatever technical brilliance of the compared film/film series may be. And that's no slight on Reeves or TB - I love this film, but TDKT was lightning in a bottle and it's a huge ask to recreate that same experience.

Well said. I do admit that in some ways, the experience and expectations TDK trilogy set for me with the character kind of made it so that most iterations following it are gonna have a tough time hitting that spot for me. Batman is a character that has lasted generations with new interpretations defining the character for a particular era, but I have no qualms with saying that the Nolan trilogy satisfied me so greatly that if they were the last set of Batman movies, I wouldn't be upset about it. They gave me everything I wanted or didn't even know I wanted out of the character in live action. The Batman still has more movies to come I think, so it's unfair in some ways, but at this point in time i don't know if this new version will be able to have a similar impact on me. Only time will tell at this point.

One of the things I'm really hoping is progressed is Pattinsons Bruce. This current iteration of Bruce Wayne is something I hope progresses into a more conventional version. I get that story reasons for having him be the way he is in this, but his Bruce currently ranks behind both Bale and Keaton for me.

Also, on the topic of Bales voice. I have to say that it's always been a no issue for me. The movies were so good that the voice never really bothered me, and it's actually become iconic in its own right.

I also think that TDKR is only trashed by the comic book community, but not by the GA. Most people were satisfied with the film, and those that weren't probabaly were expecting another TDK. My brother and another friend of mine, both of whom were blown away by TDK, always says "well it's not as good as TDK". I mean, I didn't go into the film expecting an already high bar to be surpassed again. A second sequel is always the hardest to nail down, and I think Nolan did a phenomenal job overall in that regard. Bane is still an iconic and quotable villain a decade later. Not as popular as Ledgers Joker, but instantly iconic and memorable. The whole film itself managed to wrap a very well told character arc for Batman, and still the only live action version to do so.

 

[dhandler01]

Oh don’t get me wrong, you’re right, Nolan definitely improved it - I remember that original leaked draft, and yikes - but it was still too rife with typical Goyerisms for me. Nolan’s not the best with dialogue either, but his on-the-nose dialogue has never bothered me nearly as much as Goyer’s. Mainly because Nolan’s sounds to me like that of an intelligent robot unaccustomed to human interaction, whereas Goyer’s sounds like that of a teenager in his first screenwriting class.

Jonathan playing such a big part on TDK’s script made all the difference for me.

Nolan's dialogue is fine...it is his "I need to have this repeated 20 times in a film by every character just in case someone in the theater wasn't listening the first 2.5 hours" that is annoying. And that is in every one of his films not just Goyer written ones.

In the right situation it is hilarious and comical...but he pushes the line a LOT and Goyer kicks him well over the line.

 

[dhandler01]

I agree Jonah was the secret piece to it all as he's the best writer of them. I noticed Chris rewrote Jonah on TDK if we're going by the credits. If that's the case, it's another example of Chris Nolan being at his best when he has his brother to balance him out as his best films came from his brother in some way! He really needed him on Tenet.

Understatement of the year.

 

[BatLobster]

I share a lot of your views and thoughts on TKDT. As much as I love The Batman it's an unknown quantity in terms of its position in a trilogy/series of movies. TDKT on the other hand is a known quantity with a defined beginning and end, and the roles that TDK and TDKR play in the development and conclusion of the whole series is exceptionally executed. Gordon's outro monologue for TDK is just cinematic greatness.

Whatever issues people may have with some creative decisions, or Bale's voice, or any other minor nitpicks don't hold a candle to the overall experience created.
Until we've seen the full arc of Reeves' universe TDKT is going to be superior because of how well it delivered on the full arc Bruce/Batman had and how well it was crafted. I firmly believe TB has presented a foundation that could build towards matching TDKT's arc, but we do have to wait and see.

One of the primary takeaways I had when I walked out of the theater from my first viewing of The Batman was that Nolan's trilogy is going to age quite well, and how difficult it will be for any creative team to match the overall experience created by TDKT, whatever technical brilliance of the compared film/film series may be. And that's no slight on Reeves or TB - I love this film, but TDKT was lightning in a bottle and it's a huge ask to recreate that same experience.

I'm with you. I'm very excited to see how Reeves develops his story, and I think we have every reason to expect great things. I have no doubt we're in for another significant chapter in the character's history. But as you said, we really just have to wait and see where this all goes. I think one thing Nolan succeeded at was having the films all enrich each other, improving and deepening the previous entries with each subsequent one. That is not something I feel that all or even most film series are able to accomplish. Reeves could definitely accomplish something similar over time. Just have to wait and see. Even then, I think it's still gonna be apples and oranges at the end of the day. Especially with all the worldbuilding it's going to be doing through HBO Max shows. It's a different series for a different era.

You might enjoy this one, @BatLobster .

Watched and loved this one.

This one also just dropped.



Appreciated this one because it was from the POV of someone who's perspective changed on the movie. Very happy to see the movie getting some overdue appreciation near its 10th anniversary.

 

[AntonGobbs89]

I'm with you. I'm very excited to see how Reeves develops his story, and I think we have every reason to expect great things. I have no doubt we're in for another significant chapter in the character's history. But as you said, we really just have to wait and see where this all goes. I think one thing Nolan succeeded at was having the films all enrich each other, improving and deepening the previous entries with each subsequent one. That is not something I feel that all or even most film series are able to accomplish. Reeves could definitely accomplish something similar over time. Just have to wait and see. Even then, I think it's still gonna be apples and oranges at the end of the day. Especially with all the worldbuilding it's going to be doing through HBO Max shows. It's a different series for a different era.



Watched and loved this one.

This one also just dropped.



Appreciated this one because it was from the POV of someone who's perspective changed on the movie. Very happy to see the movie getting some overdue appreciation near its 10th anniversary.

Is Rises your favorite Batman film?

 

[AntonGobbs89]

Some fans seem to punish Rises for Ledger's absence, in a way.

The amount of times I read "if only Heath had lived, we'd have gotten a great third film!"

As if Nolan would've made him the villain again or we can't enjoy Rises because of some bizarre 'what could've been'.

That never would've been, anyway.

Perfect example of a rumor being treated as gospel. I’ve seen zero evidence to back up that Nolan was planning on using Joker again.

 

[BMW 224]

Is Rises your favorite Batman film?

I kinda hope so lol it's definitely mine and it would be nice meet another person who has it as there favorite.

Dark Knight and The Batman are phenomenal as but Rises emotionally satisfies me the most.

 

[BMW 224]

Perfect example of a rumor being treated as gospel. I’ve seen zero evidence to back up that Nolan was planning on using Joker again.

I would never of wanted Heath Ledger to die of course but I'm kinda glad we got bane over joker again.

 

[AntonGobbs89]

I kinda hope so lol it's definitely mine and it would be nice meet another person who has it as there favorite.

Dark Knight and The Batman are phenomenal as but Rises emotionally satisfies me the most.

That’s cool, I’m happy that each Batman film has its own fanbase. Rises may be lower in my personal ranking, but I do think there’s a lot to admire about it.

 

[BMW 224]

That’s cool, I’m happy that each Batman film has its own fanbase. Rises may be lower in my personal ranking, but I do think there’s a lot to admire about it.

We're extremely lucky that Batman has so many great films under his belt with great filmmakers and actors.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

I will say Nolan did a decent version of Bane who was both iconic and mentally/physically intimidating.

Having said that the third act of Rises is not as well executed as Begins or TDK. This even more jarring because it's the ending to one of the best trilogies of all time.

Either way I wouldn't fault anyone for having Rises in their top 5 or even their top 3. But I believe a better Bane movie could be done. It would just require a serious effort.

 

[BMW 224]

I will say Nolan did a decent version of Bane who was both iconic and mentally/physically intimidating.

Having said that the third act of Rises is not as well executed as Begins or TDK. This even more jarring because it's the ending to one of the best trilogies of all time.

Either way I wouldn't fault anyone for having Rises in their top 5 or even their top 3. But I believe a better Bane movie could be done. It would just require a serious effort.

I agree to be honest.

My biggest problem with Bane and the whole film is that his "real plan" is sooooo much less interesting than the entire buildup of Gotham City decay.

Breaking Batman weponzing hope using legitimate issues as way to make Gotham tear it's self apart through fear that's all fantastic.

But my god the stupid ****in bomb just is so lame to me I'm sorry.

Blowing up Gotham City just felt like deux ex machina to resolve things in a quick and way.

Of course Gotham isn't gonna get nuked duh Batman can stop this.


All the physiologal problem in Gotham that were caused by Bane that Batman would have to confront are swapped under the rug by this Bomb.

Now Batman doesn't need to convince the people to rise up because he's gonna blow up the city anyways why wouldn't they help ?

I really really really don't like this choice.

It's makes everything super generic and to much mindless Blockbuster spectacle and instead of a deep meaningful physoclilgy third act.

Bane shouldn't want to blow up the city he should want it break it and leave to destroy itself.

 

[BatLobster]

Is Rises your favorite Batman film?

I'd have to put TDK above it-- that movie is just a perfect storm. But I have a huge soft spot for Rises and I think it's the most emotional of the 3. Plus the fact that I think it's criminally underrated tends to make me want to champion it more, heh. The long and short of it is I think TDKR helps make BB and TDK better films, as great as they are on their own. The context of a complete story and a complete arc for Bruce Wayne helps solidify them for me. Before Rises came along, BB and TDK felt kind of like two connected but very different films. The third film helped bridge that gap for me where I was finally able to understand it as one big story and one body of work. So end of the day, I'm just a big fan of the trilogy and I kind of view it as one big movie, even though they're all very distinct films with their own identities.

I agree to be honest.

My biggest problem with Bane and the whole film is that his "real plan" is sooooo much less interesting than the entire buildup of Gotham City decay.

Breaking Batman weponzing hope using legitimate issues as way to make Gotham tear it's self apart through fear that's all fantastic.

But my god the stupid ****in bomb just is so lame to me I'm sorry.

Blowing up Gotham City just felt like deux ex machina to resolve things in a quick and way.

Of course Gotham isn't gonna get nuked duh Batman can stop this.


All the physiologal problem in Gotham that were caused by Bane that Batman would have to confront are swapped under the rug by this Bomb.

Now Batman doesn't need to convince the people to rise up because he's gonna blow up the city anyways why wouldn't they help ?

I really really really don't like this choice.

It's makes everything super generic and to much mindless Blockbuster spectacle and instead of a deep meaningful physoclilgy third act.

Bane shouldn't want to blow up the city he should want it break it and leave to destroy itself.

I do get that, going from the more psychological thriller-esque threat of Joker and then Two-Face in TDK, to a "villain wants to nuke the city" plot can come off a bit schlocky and generic.

BUT...in its defense, I'd say...

- A terrorist smuggling a nuke into a major city and using it to hold the city hostage is actually terrifying AF.

- The way the League is able to turn Bruce's philanthropic efforts against him and the weaponizing of Wayne tech for evil in general in the movie is a really clever touch.

- It does fit the war film/disaster genre that the film places itself in.

- While we may know there's no way Gotham is going to get nuked, the bigger central question of the film is whether or not Bruce is going to give his life to the mission or find a way to move on. This is what makes the ending so effective. Batman had saved the city from major threats before but they never erected a statue for him. I think he needed to save the city in a very simple and definitive way for the ending to work as it does.

-It hits home the theme of Bane weaponizing hope...using it to torture people, when in reality he is trying to destroy hope. The point of Bane isn't that he's a revolutionary, it's that he's a false revolutionary.

- I actually kind of love the fact that both Rises and Batman 66 end with Batman frantically trying to get rid of a bomb.

 

[BMW 224]

I'd have to put TDK above it-- that movie is just a perfect storm. But I have a huge soft spot for Rises and I think it's the most emotional of the 3. Plus the fact that I think it's criminally underrated tends to make me want to champion it more, heh. The long and short of it is I think TDKR helps make BB and TDK better films, as great as they are on their own. The context of a complete story and a complete arc for Bruce Wayne helps solidify them for me. Before Rises came along, BB and TDK felt kind of like two connected but very different films. The third film helped bridge that gap for me where I was finally able to understand it as one big story and one body of work. So end of the day, I'm just a big fan of the trilogy and I kind of view it as one big movie, even though they're all very distinct films with their own identities.



I do get that, going from the more psychological thriller-esque threat of Joker and then Two-Face in TDK, to a "villain wants to nuke the city" plot can come off a bit schlocky and generic.

BUT...in its defense, I'd say...

- A terrorist smuggling a nuke into a major city and using it to hold the city hostage is actually terrifying AF.

- The way the League is able to turn Bruce's philanthropic efforts against him and the weaponizing of Wayne tech for evil in general in the movie is a really clever touch.

- It does fit the war film/disaster genre that the film places itself in.

- While we may know there's no way Gotham isn't going to get nuked, the bigger central question of the film is whether or not Bruce is going to give his life to the mission or find a way to move on. This is what makes the ending so effective. Batman had saved the city from major threats before but they never erected a statue for him. I think he needed to save the city in a very simple and definitive way for the ending to work as it does.

- I actually kind of love the fact that both Rises and Batman 66 end with Batman frantically trying to get rid of a bomb.

The Hostage part with the nuke is terrifying and very physiologal love that aspect.




The League weponzing Bruce's desire for a better Gotham represented in the machine is also great I agree


I fits the war genre extremely as you said.

Batman ending giving his life for the mission definitely isn't negatively impacted by the nuke at all for his arc and journey is perfect.

I just specifically don't like the "count down" part of the nuke.

I think all of those great ideas could be achieved without that twist.

Bruce would still need to get the nuke out but instead of it being because it's gonna blow in a matter of hour's it could be to give the citizens the motivation to uprise without fear of the bomb being triggered it could explode as fake safe leading to his "death"

I think Nolan added unnecessary "escalation" in this case by making Bane and Taila plan to blow up the city because all really does is make me ask

Soo.. why not just do it immediately ?

I've heard the explanations before wanting to give Gotham to hope before destroying it to twist the knife in Bruce but I feel like that just doesn't work for me.

I hate to use this word but it feels contrived...

Either torture and send to the city into utter social and economic disarray or blow it up doing both just doesn't feel consistent for me.

I'm not saying this ruin's Rises or anything or but it does make Bane a little less great for me.

Still a fantastic villan though and my favorite Batman film because regardless of these issues the emotion is never lessened by these choices for me.

 

[BatLobster]

I think Nolan added unnecessary "escalation" in this case by making Bane and Taila plan to blow up the city because all really does is make me ask

Soo.. why not just do it immediately ?

I've heard the explanations before wanting to give Gotham to hope before destroying it to twist the knife in Bruce but I feel like that just doesn't work for me.

I hate to use this word but it feels contrived...

Either torture and send to the city into utter social and economic disarray or blow it up doing both just doesn't feel consistent for me.

I'm not saying this ruin's Rises or anything or but it does make Bane a little less great for me.

Still a fantastic villan though and my favorite Batman film because regardless of these issues the emotion is never lessened by these choices for me.

I get where you're coming from. It does stretch credibility-- but I think the simplest explanation is really what Bane laid out to Bruce in the pit. They want to force Bruce to watch what happens for those 5 months. That is the whole point of breaking him and putting him in the pit. It's the torturing of Bruce's soul that is the key here. And ultimately this is about revenge for Talia. You can easily ask the same question as to why not just kill Bruce. The answer to both is that Bruce kind of = Gotham. They know that the city his his heart and soul.

I get that maybe it feels a bit generic relies on the extremely well-worn overconfident villain trope, but I think there's so much else going on within all of that that works thematically that I'm able to forgive it and just embrace how big and operatic it is.

 

[BMW 224]

I get where you're coming from. It does stretch credibility-- but I think the simplest explanation is really what Bane laid out to Bruce in the pit. They want to force Bruce to watch what happens for those 5 months. That is the whole point of breaking him and putting him in the pit. It's the torturing of Bruce's soul that is the key here. And ultimately this is about revenge for Talia. You can easily ask the same question as to why not just kill Bruce. The answer to both is that Bruce kind of = Gotham. They know that the city his his heart and soul.

I get that maybe it feels a bit generic relies on the extremely well-worn overconfident villain trope, but I think there's so much else going on within all of that that works thematically that I'm able to forgive it and just embrace how big and operatic it is.

It does make the scale feel larger and since Taila was consumed with revenge I understand her wanting to draw it out.

The fact that this was personal really does help it's credibility when I'm watching it.

 

[LaRataAlada]

In terms of love?

1) TDK / Batman 89
2) The Batman
3) TDK Rises
4) Batman Returns
5) Batman Forever

In terms of quality?

1) TDK
2) TB
3) BB
4) TDKR
5) B89

 

[BMW 224]

I don't really know where to rank The Batman....

I know where I would rank Robert Pattinson Batman but my feelings on the entire film is starting to shift a not to a dislike but a more lukewarm feeling.

 

[The Joker]

I don't really know where to rank The Batman....

I know where I would rank Robert Pattinson Batman but my feelings on the entire film is starting to shift a not to a dislike but a more lukewarm feeling.

How many times have you watched it?

 

[BMW 224]

How many times have you watched it?

5 times only.

 

[JackWhite]

5 times only.

 

[BMW 224]

Not sure if it's objectively a problem just some things I dislike personally.