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Ranking the Batman films

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Continuing with this ranking fiasco that yours truly started, time to rank the Batman films.

  1. The Dark Knight: 10/10 (perfection, I don’t care what anyone says)
  2. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm: 8/10 (really interesting story with some great characters and voice acting)
  3. The Dark Knight Rises: 8/10 (apart from some plot holes, this is just a really great conclusion with great scope)
  4. Batman Begins: 7/10 (villains weren’t very interesting, and there were too many, but aside from that it was great)
  5. Batman 1989: 7/10 (Bruce Wayne wasn’t really interesting, and the plot is a little disjointed, but the rest of the film was good)
  6. Batman: The Movie: 7/10 (“Some days you just can’t get rid of a bomb!”)
  7. Batman Returns: 5/10 (a little too Burton for my tastes, and kind of disjointed, but okay)
  8. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: 4/10 (very disjointed and the story is all over the place, but visually it is exceptional)
  9. Batman Forever: 4/10 (has some nice themes like Bruce re-discovering himself, and I like Alfred’s increased role, but is too campy and most characters are annoying)
  10. Batman and Robin: 2/10 (so awful, so hilarious, at least it’s bad in a memorable way)

Not enough people read the EU.

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Dark Knight
Dark Knight Rises - Sure there’s some stupid stuff in it but nothing any more stupid than a guy running around dressed as a bat who’s been trained in ninjutsu. Oh, and it’s a movie
Batman Returns
Batman 1989
Batman Begins
Batman 1960s movie

Batman Forever - This one really isn’t much better than Batman and Robin
Batman and Robin

The Person in Question

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  1. Batman - 5 years ago I would have probably said TDK, but Batman is just more rewatchable and fun.
  2. The Dark Knight
  3. Batman Begins
  4. Batman Forever - at least it’s fun and I’m a little nostalgic to this, but it isn’t good by any means
  5. The Dark Knight Rises - this went full Nolan and depressing and is almost an hour too long
  6. Batman Returns - this went full Burton
  7. Batman: The Movie - I guess…?
  8. Batman & Robin - you can watch and “enjoy” this for being so bad and it’s almost better with the commentary, but still this is the lowest point for Batman

And in the time of greatest despair, there shall come a savior, and he shall be known as the Son of the Suns.

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Batman The Movie (7balls) Silly fun and exactly like the comic was at the time.

The Dark Knight (6balls) A pretty solid movie though I would have kept Dent alive and gave two face a separate film where he did the barge thing (what with his obsession with duality).

The Dark Knight Rises (5balls) Pretty good, The whole surviving a nuke and growing a new spine thing pushes it back into the realm of silliness though.

Batman Begins (5balls) Pretty good, The whole microwave weapon that only works on water in pipes thing pushes it back into the realm of silliness though.

Batman Returns (4balls) Looks amazing, the plot is less confusing than Batman 1989.

Batman Forever (3balls) Kilmer is okay the scene with Dick Grayson playing with laundry was odd, the designs are fun. Actually enjoyed Jim Carrey in this for once though Two-face is rubbish.

Batman (1989) (2.5balls) love Nicholson and some of the designs but the plot is randomly generated and it looks tatty. The batsuit looks really impractical and makes Batman look more comical than menacing. How did the Joker’s men get upstairs in the cathedral? Began the film convention of killing most of the villains which was stupid.

Batman and Robin (2balls) tries to be as campy as Batman the Movie but lacks the charm. Arnie looks good but does his usual Roger Moore pun thing. It’s nowhere near as bad as it’s made out to be though but hardly representative of the comics at that time.

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Batman 89
Batman Returns
Batman the Movie
Batman Begins
The Dark Knight
Batman Forever

I have not bothered with Batman and Robin or The Dark Knight Rises.

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Really? I thought they were perfectly hammy.

Not enough people read the EU.

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It’s been a while since I’ve watched Returns so that will almost definitely affect my ranking of it.
It’s also been a very long time since I watched the Adam West movie so I’m just gonna leave that one off.

The Dark Knight: A out of 7 Great Star Balls (I just love it.)
Batman 89: B+ out of 7 Great Star Balls
Batman Begins: B out of 7 Good Star Balls
TDKR: B- out of 7 Good Star Balls (Miranda Tate and her “plot twist” were the worst thing IMO)
Batman Returns: B- out of 7 Good Star Balls (Don’t really remember too much but I remember liking it.)
Forever: D out of 7 Suck Star Balls (Just not good)
B&R: F out of 7 Suck Star Balls (HAHAHAHAHAHA no)

.

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  1. Batman (1989) - It’s the best aspects of the comics portrayed almost perfectly on the big screen.
  2. Batman Returns (1992) - Almost as good as Batman, but just comes short in some areas.
  3. Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998) - Too bad this fantastic animated film had to be straight-to-video.
    (It’s a continuation of Mr. Freeze’s plot from Batman: TAS)
  4. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) - Great way to bring Batman: TAS to theaters.
  5. The Dark Knight (2008) - It feels like these ones try to be too realistic, but this one pulls through well.
  6. Batman: The Movie (1966) - It’s so bad it’s good.
  7. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) - It’s kind of confusing plot-wise, and Bane was a wasted opportunity for a great villain.
  8. Batman & Robin (1997) - It’s almost so bad it’s good, but a lot of it is intolerable.
  9. Batman Begins (2005) - It’s just kind of… dull.
  10. Batman Forever (1994) - It’s not so bad it’s good.

EDIT: Well, I guess this part of Batman Forever is so bad it’s good, but nothing else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBEz-wfq8Ew

Army of Darkness: The Medieval Deadit | The Terminator - Color Regrade | The Wrong Trousers - Audio Preservation
SONIC RACES THROUGH THE GREEN FIELDS.
THE SUN RACES THROUGH A BLUE SKY FILLED WITH WHITE CLOUDS.
THE WAYS OF HIS HEART ARE MUCH LIKE THE SUN. SONIC RUNS AND RESTS; THE SUN RISES AND SETS.
DON’T GIVE UP ON THE SUN. DON’T MAKE THE SUN LAUGH AT YOU.

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  1. The Dark Knight - 10 batarangs
  2. Batman 89 - 9 batarangs
  3. Batman Begins - 8 batarangs
  4. Batman Returns - 7 batarangs
  5. Suicide Squad - 7 batarangs
  6. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - 6 batarangs
  7. Batman Forever - 6 batarangs
  8. Batman 66 - 6 batarangs
  9. The Dark Knight Rises - 4 batarangs
  10. Batman & Robin - 3 batarangs

For animated stuff:

  1. Batman: The Animated Series - 10 batarangs
  2. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker - 9 batarangs
  3. Batman: The Killing Joke - 9 batarangs
  4. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm - 8 batarangs
  5. Batman: Under the Red Hood - 8 batarangs
  6. Batman: Year One - 7 batarangs
  7. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - 7 batarangs
  8. Batman: Assault on Arkham - 7 batarangs
  9. Superman/Batman: Apocalypse - 6 batarangs
  10. Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman - 6 batarangs
  11. Batman: Bad Blood - 6 batarangs
  12. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies - 6 batarangs
  13. Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths - 6 batarangs
  14. Justice League: The New Frontier - 6 batarangs
  15. Son of Batman - 6 batarangs
  16. Batman vs. Robin - 6 batarangs
  17. The Batman/Superman Movie - 6 batarangs
  18. Batman Beyond - 6 batarangs
  19. Batman & Mr. Freeze - 6 batarangs
  20. Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem - 6 batarangs
  21. Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts - 6 batarangs
  22. LEGO Batman The Movie: DC Super Heroes Unite - 6 batarangs
  23. Scooby Doo Meets Batman - 6 batarangs
  24. The Batman vs. Dracula - 5 batarangs
  25. LEGO Batman: Be-leaguered - 5 batarangs

Don’t do drugs, unless you’re with me.

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Batman: Mask of the Phantasm – A

Batman (1989) – B

Batman: Under the Red Hood – B

Batman Returns – C+/B-

Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero – C+

Batman: Gotham Knight – C+

Batman and Robin (1949) – C

Batman (1943) – C

Batman Begins – C

The Dark Knight – C

Batman Forever – D/C-

Batman & Robin (1997) – F

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The Dark Knight - A+
The Dark Knight Rises - A
Batman Begins - A-
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm - A-
Batman Returns - B
Batman - C+
Batman Forever - C-
Batman and Robin - F

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  1. TIE: Batman Returns/Batman: Mask of the Phantasm/The Dark Knight- All three are full fleshed realizations of very different interpretations of Batman- Tim Burton’s German Expressionist tormented Dark Knight, the animated 1940s noir Batman who comes closest to the original source material, and Nolan’s realistic modern take on the Bat.

  2. Batman Begins- An interesting creation that tries to bring Gotham City closer to reality but stops a few steps too short, leaving an odd in-between aesthetic. Problematic pacing brings the film’s down.

  3. The Dark Knight Rises- A Batman movie unusually epic in scale, which, for the most part, succeeds despite some logical issues.

  4. Batman '66- Representative of an era of Batman, long gone by. Truly not what Bill Finger and Bob Kane intended but entertaining nonetheless.

  5. Batman '89- In retrospect, a dated attempt at the superhero that seems to be caught in the middle between a Hollywood product and a weird creation from the demented mind of Tim Burton. Jack Nicholson is far too old as the Joker. Imagine Brad Dourif.

  6. Batman Forever- Not nearly as bad as you remember it. Here, Schumacher doesn’t give into his excesses and crafts a movie that could have been far more interesting, had major emotional subplots not been excised from the movie. That said, Tommy Lee Jones almost singlehandedly brings down the film a couple of notches.

  7. Batman and Robin- Dreck.

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I absolutely loved the Tim Burton movies as a kid. I hated the 2 later movies. I have seen the first Dark Knight movie and thought it’s extremely boring. I have never managed to see the other new Batnam movies

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Returns 4/4. Burton’s best film is a dark, haunted and brooding masterpiece of psychological deformities amidst a Christmas card from hell. Seen on the big screen it finally is able to not look like video. IMHO the final moment of Bruce in the snow is arguably the greatest moment in all the Bat-films.

Tied is Mask of the Phantasm which I still remember seeing in the big old style thx auditorium practically empty as a child. Timm and co. so understood and revered the character that they made the definitive adaptation and should do so again. The only issue is that MotP can’t overcome that it was intended for video originally and the storyline is heavily compressed thus making it rather obvious. But even in spite of this, you get that feeling deep down in your chest that Batman is real for the runtime. The
Emotional arc is as good as a classical noir. Conroy as Batman and Mark Hammill as Joker are on the level of the great Shakespearians. 4/4.

  1. Batman '89. The flaw here is that the film fights itself. It deviates continually between being a batman adaptation and being a 80’s corporate pleaser. Burton’s vision does start to shine through though and best of all is the massive story subtext throughout that gives the impression of a larger scope and world just as in the comics. It may not be perfect but it is a classic of its kind and indefinitely quotable. My only dislikes are the Joker being the killer of the Waynes as it is merely too convenient, killing off Joker, that Jack is essentially playing himself, the Prince songs poorly shoved in and Kim Basinger but she can’t really be at fault as she was a last minute substitution and they kept tweaking the script during production. 3.5/4.

  2. Forever. Had it not been for WB nearly ruining the film just before release by having idiots stupidly restructure the entire opening third and excising over 25 minutes containing all subplots, no one would hate it like they do. Had it been released as intended it would be a great comic book film with some issues like 89 was. Kilmer is excellent but again you’re only seeing a fraction of his character arc. The big issues are the villains: one miscast and one at his box office peak. They use the same technique as Joker’s plan and arc in 89, and it gets really tiring. The darker Burton proposed B3 would have had a better Riddler in Robin Williams, but Carrey is not bad. It’s just that he’s playing his shtick on top of doing Frank Gorshin’s Riddler from the TV series.
    I stick up for this film all the time because no one really gives it a fair shake. I think it is similar to Superman II in that it is forever compromised by the production meddling and damaging the original intent. Reading the original script and novelization shows it was a far better film as originally intended.
    3/4.

  3. Batman: the Movie
    Basically the ultimate super episode of the tv series. All the regular villains united with an expanded production budget. It has charm, wit and is for the most part just like the then current comics of the 60’s with a slightly tongue in cheek approach. 3/4.

  4. Batman Begins. I was shocked at how well this worked when it came out but in hindsight it is a bit short on story due to needing to cover the origin and the stylistic approach. But once you read the novelization by legend Dennis O’Neal you see how much better it could have been.
    Movie: 3/4. Novelization: at least 3.5/4.

  5. Batman and Robin
    Terrible because the studio rushed the production and made everyone work around the merchandisers. Because the script wasn’t worked out they had to go at it sporadically and pump up all the comic aspects in desperation. It is quite bad and hard to sit through because it is so groan inducing and frankly boring. But I prefer to endure this than the next two entries. 1.5/4.

  6. TDK
    It feels like a strange hybrid of The Long Halloween and HEAT. The latter was the primary inspiration and when you base a film around one which is already fundamentally broken you are setting yourself up for failure. The film’s logic is frequently in question and to be honest it wears out its welcome far too early. I think it’s too problematic for its own good. It tried to take too many great elements from Batman comic arcs and shove them into a “super dark and ultra serious” narrative. It just doesn’t work.
    1.5/4.

  7. TDKR
    The primary reason for this being last is that it magnifies all my problems with TDK, but also that it is far too long, shamelessly and poorly rips off Knightfall and No Man’s Land, is completely ridiculous…but most of all has an ending that tried to completely undo the whole meaning of the character!!! There is no winning, there is no happy ending, there is no solace for Bruce…EVER!!! What in the name of all that is conceivable WERE THEY THINKING???
    And it didn’t help that the 65mm IMAX wasn’t worth much.
    1/2/4. The more you think about it the angrier you get.

ALL of them need new and accurate transfers. All have bad and outdated ones and poor remixes sound on the older films. Get with it WB!! The Superman films have a similar fate despite the remastered BDs. Fox totally outdid you with their HD release of the 66 film!

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader

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God bless someone else for ranking the Nolan films so low.

Although Forever is trash and I can’t recommend it over those. Jones is awful, and I don’t care (ha) if Carey is just “playing his shtick on top of doing Frank Gorshin’s Riddler from the TV series,” it’s as annoying in anything in any Batman movie ever.

I’ve never seen anything more than bits and pieces of B&R, but I find it hard to believe I’d rank it above the Nolan films either.

I firmly believe that Ledger’s Joker was so praised only because he died.