Rate the Batman movies

[Lead Cenobite]

It's fine to prefer a certain look for a Batman story or movie, but I thought it was a bit much that people on here were saying The Dark Knight "is not even a real Batman movie". Uh, yes it is a real Batman movie. It may be a Batman movie that didn't have the look that you want the character to have, but it's no less valid of a take on the character and it fits with a lot of the popular source material.

Why is it any less of a Batman movie than Burton's? Because of the lack of goth? That's absurd.

There has always been more to Batman than any one look or feel in the comics. Why should the movies restrict itself to just one look or feel? Why can't we have different visual styles? If every Batman movie had Burton's look, it would get boring and stale after awhile.

I never said it had to be like Burton's. But Burton's Batman is an example of a movie with a rich atmosphere that's alive, emotional, and thrilling. Begins was fine, TDK just feels too plain to me.

 

[Devbinks]

Batman - 8/10
Batman Returns - 5/10
Batman Forever - 6/10
Batman & Robin - 1/10
Batman Begins - 8/10
The Dark Knight - 9/10
Under the Red Hood: 7/10

 

[CConn]

Don't feel bad for me, TDK just didn't do it for me. Not everyone's going to like even the most widely praised movies. Admittedly, I've always been more of a Burton Batman fan and not JUST a Batman fan, so yeah, the gothic atmosphere is something I prefer Batman to have. But really, it's not just that. I just feel that since Batman is a superhero and he's supposed to be larger than life that the atmosphere shouldn't betray that. Like I said, it's not the actual plot or even the script, it's just the way it's directed. It's just too sterile, like a police procedural. To me, anyway... but lets just agree to disagree. I know I'm in the minority.

Oh no, I don't feel bad for you not liking TDK, I feel bad for you because you've obviously missed out on reading a ****load of amazingly good comics.

 

[Joker831]

I think he just means like...in Begins, you have the Narrows...which has a real gritty and dark feel to it. You have Arkham Aslyum....the beat up rail train way connecting the city and such. And then you had the normal city area's.

In TDK, it just felt like New York City or Chicago.


That's all I think he was getting at.....Begins Gotham had a more fantasy yet very believable world feel to it. TDK had that edge kind of missing to it. Least that's what I get from what people are trying to say

 

[Changeling]

Order of enjoyment

Batman Returns
The Dark Knight
Batman Begins
Batman Forever
Batman
Batman & Robin

 

[CConn]

I think he just means like...in Begins, you have the Narrows...which has a real gritty and dark feel to it. You have Arkham Aslyum....the beat up rail train way connecting the city and such. And then you had the normal city area's.

In TDK, it just felt like New York City or Chicago.


That's all I think he was getting at.....Begins Gotham had a more fantasy yet very believable world feel to it. TDK had that edge kind of missing to it. Least that's what I get from what people are trying to say

Yeah, and in a lot of comics, Gotham is portrayed as just an ordinary city.

Hell, it was originally just supposed to be pseudo-New York.

 

[GothamAlleys]

In the beginning it actually WAS New York

 

[Cain]

Just ranking the theatrical releases in an order based on how much they entertain me and not necessarily their quality in comparison to others.

MOTP - 8/10
The Dark Knight - 8/10
Batman Returns - 8/10
BATMAN - 7.5/10
Batman Forever - 7/10
Batman Begins - 7/10
Batman The Movie - 7/10
Batman & Robin - 2/10

Ok now time for a more elaborate quality ranking this time around as opposed to entertainment; well for the top 2 anyway for now cause I can't be on here all day t:

Mask of the Phantasm 9/10 - It's ironic that one of the most mature scripts in terms of juggling psychology of romance and duality for any Bat film to date was for an animated feature. I think it was a good experiment even though it flopped. It was very operatic and epic in scope. It wasn't just another TV episode which is something the subsequent animated features suffered from.

I think it is the most balanced in it's presentation of Batman. If that's what you want to watch a Batman feature for then look no further. There is a great characterization for Batman in it that is very honorable to who the character had been at that point for over 50 yrs. This is why it works the most for me and it has one of the most honest performances ever from Kevin Conroy. Acting is more than just physically emoting and Conroy as Batman in this film proved it.

Batman Begins 8/10 - I've been very critical of this movie in the past (well more so when it was still fresh) but a lot of the initial disappointment was as much my fault (Ie: reading the leaked script) as it was the finished product's.

This movie personally has a lot of flaws (pee colored camera tint, Rachel Dawes, miscasting for IMO key supporting players like Alfred, the score, Falcone, Thomas Wayne and Flass, the third act, the ****** fight scenes, Rachel Dawes, this version of the Scarecrow). I honestly think you could make a way better Batman origin movie then this. Maybe someday somebody will; who knows?

However it also has the most heartfelt live action performance of Batman/Bruce Wayne to date. That makes it the best. It took it's central character and finally made him the glue that all contrivances aside ties the threads together.

It was no longer "Gotham: The Movie" like it had been in the past. This was more so a personal look at the classic Batman tropes. Duality, discipline, rage, loneliness, fear, fear, fear and fear. It took all of those themes from the Batman mythos and used Batman himself as opposed to Batman and friends/rogues to filter it all through.

You see Bale much like Chris Reeve grow as a character from point A to Z. You see Bruce go from being a self centered angry kid into a more centered heroic figure. You get a young Bruce Wayne, a young angry Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne in training

You also get a brilliant Liam Neeson as an interesting more grounded take on Ra's Al Ghul. Owning this movie every time he was in; just great presence and Gary Oldman kicking butt as Jim Gordon all over the place. It's a very interesting movie and overall well done superhero film. Primarily cause despite it's faults it packs a lot of heart cause of Bale carrying it. It's the movie where he proved to the world that he could be a leading man and Nolan did a great job directing him.

 

[Cain]

Continuing with my ranking of these movies in terms of quality. I'll specifically keep talking most about the quality of the performances of the Batmen and how that made them solid interpretations of the character's most basic tropes (obsession, duality, stubbornness etc.) since that's always been the real hook of the movies to me.

The Dark Knight 8/10 - A more visceral experience than it's predecessor and one of the sequels that could legitimately be debated to truly be better than the original. Again there are flaws (the third act is **** here too at least Nolan/Goyer are consistent, that ferry boat sequence is one of the most obnoxious things of all time, Joker's story beats are severely contrived, score still no real great shakes) but it's a much sharper piece of filmmaking.

The set pieces are more creative; the performances are much more vibrant even down to the bit players. One thing I like about it the most though and it's one thing that everybody severely underrates is Christian Bale. This Batman here is flawed and broken; Bale's performance even his more frail look as Bruce Wayne reflects all this.

Lots of nuances that dictate that it's been a rough war for the guy. He's still trying to master his ****. He is not the world's best detective just yet. He still can't keep his emotional faculties in check without an anchor; he still a victim to his own stubbornness. It costs him the hope of his city it costs him his girl.

It's a really underrated arc and Bale plays it like a champ. He's emotionally distant, pretty angry, insecure and very stoic. Dare I say very "Keaton-esque" at times. This Batman is far more Miller in that he's more brutal and weathered (he already wants to quit lol) than BB's more passive and optimistic O'Neill and Englehart type characterization. I think once the trilogy wraps up and the arc comes full circle in retrospect people will respect Bale more in this. To me this cemented why I was never a fool for always thinking he was the right guy for the role.

Batman 8/10 - I probably have never watched a movie in my entire life more than this one. It's kind of hard to look away. From the grandiose production design to the majestic score and alluring cinematography this is a great piece of cinema because it was a game changer that still maintains it's charm. The grandfather of post-modern superhero movies is still such a captivating piece of pop art to this day.

People either don't know or just forget that this was intended to be a one off, no sequel type deal. This was never expected to be a franchise starter. It was WB financially throwing **** at a wall and seeing if it stuck but Burton never intended to sequelize this or anything.

So things like The Joker dying and him being the killer of the Wayne's that stuff never bothered me with all that in mind. The main hook for me in this movie was really Keaton though not the other things people always talk about. To me Batman's arc in this one is one of the main reasons I love it so much.

Batmania that started after this movie's first teaser combined with local tv station Adam West show re runs at the time is what got me into comics in the first place. So in a way Burton was a reason I grew to love Batman so much even if I was already reading Batman comics before the movie was released. Keaton in this one though it just fully established the fact that this character was to me the most flexible and diverse of all time. That you can have him portrayed one way in the comic and another in the movie and both are still very engaging to a 6 year old kid. That's powerful.

The performance is rock solid well acted till the end by Keaton and solidly directed by Burton. I think it all highlights a strength of the cinematic language that silent films and noirish cinema proudly displayed and modern cinema keeps shying away from. Physical nuances as the main expressionistic form for the actor's performance.

I think it was very bold and in the end a pretty good call to make it a more physical then verbal role for Keaton when in the cape & cowl. It really highlights the duality of the character when you so evidently see the contrast between the theatrical & mysterious Batman (speaking with body movements and his eyes above all) and the more active (conversations with Alfred, dating Vicki Vale) Bruce Wayne. Makes it even more rewarding when you see the merging of the roles organically happening and challenging Keaton's emotional range throughout the picture.

How he goes from someone trying to maintain his composure to blowing a fuse the minute he sees revenge staring him directly in his face after so many years of obsessing over it. It's very eloquently portrayed by Keaton. Very reflective of the times Batman has felt pushed to the edge and emotionally escalates in a story like in The Killing Joke.

The fact that Mr. Mom could still be an arguable contender in the greatest Batman ever convo is a testament to what a great & underrated (cause people swear Nicholson carries the whole movie on his back) performance it was. Still one of the best blockbusters of the past 30 years if you ask me. Quality wise a brilliant piece of cinema cause you could present it to most people and they will not fail to be entertained.

 

[OutRiddled]

Batman 1966 - classic, but I'm a fan of the tv show
Batman 1989 - 9/10
Batman Returns - 7/10
Batman Forever - 6/10
Batman & Robin - 6/10 (I don't think it's as bad as most people say it is )
Batman Begins - 8/10
The Dark Knight - 7/10
Batman: Year One - 10/10

 

[uniqueweasel]

Batman (1989) 4/5
Batman Returns 3/5
Batman Forever 2/5
Batman & Robin 1/5 (1 is for Alicia Silverstone looking good as Batgirl)
Batman Begins 3/5
The Dark Knight 4/5

 

[Wesley Dodds]

Mask Of The Phantasm (9/10)
Batman Returns (9/10)
Batman (1989) (9/10)
Under The Red Hood (8/10)
Year One (8/10)
Return Of The Joker (8/10)
The Dark Knight (7/10)
Batman Begins (6/10)
Batman Forever (5/10)
Batman (1966) (5/10)
Batman And Robin (2/10)

 

[jonathancrane]

Ranked from Enjoyment

1. The Dark Knight & Mask of the Phantasm
2. Batman Begins
3. Batman Returns
4. Batman
5. Batman Forever
6. Under the Red Hood
7. Subzero
8. Batman (Adam West One)
9. Batman & Robin

 

[AnneFan]

1. TDK
2. BB
3. BR
4. B89

Gap

5. BF
6. B&R

 

[SmellTheWeird]

The Dark Knight: 5/5
Batman Begins: 5/5

Batman '89: 3/5
Batman Returns: 2/5
Batman Forever: 2/5
Batman and Robin: 1/5