Batman Movie Appearances Ranked from Worst to Best

With the upcoming release of The Batman starring Robert Pattinson and directed by Matt Reeves, it seems like the perfect time to rank all the major cinematic appearances of the Dark Knight. That’s right, we’re going to rank every movie to feature Batman in a major/starring role. But before that, there are a few rules:

The Rules

• With one major exception, all entries have to have been theatrically released and produced for that purpose. Because with the sheer number of animated films released to home media, we’d be here all day.
• This will also only cover feature-length releases, so no movie serials from the 40s.
• As stated earlier, Batman must have a major or starring role in the movie, so appearances like Suicide Squad or Joker do not count.

Side Note

All movies were rewatched in order of release, then judged based on four factors: how well made the movie was, how enjoyable it was to watch, how well it approached the character and his world, and how good the story told was. If your favorite is lower than you’d prefer, or one you dislike is higher than you think it should keep in mind that these were the factors used for judging. Now, without further ado, and no shortage of spoilers for all of these, let’s begin.

13. Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)

We’re fully aware that there is a vocal contingent on the Internet who not only campaigned for years for this to be released (which then happened as a result of the pandemic shutting down cinemas and film production), but are also extremely vocal about its high quality as supposedly “the best comic book movie ever.” And unfortunately, we couldn’t agree there.

The Snyder cut is filled with many staples that Zack Snyder often is ridiculed for murky aesthetic, emphasis on visuals over substance, and an overall cynical storytelling style. It’s also badly paced with its bloated runtime (some scenes should have been cut), riddled with plot holes (how does Darkseid forget the only planet he lost on that also has everything he wants on it?), and at times ridiculous between its near half-hour of slow motion and awful soundtrack.

But what puts it at the bottom is how it uses Batman. Ben Affleck is a good actor, but in this film, he’s so ridiculously flat, lacking any development or arc, a problem he shares with most of the cast outside of Ray Fisher’s Cyborg. He ends the movie essentially the same as he started it, and doesn’t even feel like the same character from Batman v Superman. He feels more like a grimdark take on the Batman from the old Super Friends cartoon. If you enjoyed it, fine, but for all the mythology about how good this cut would be, it’s disappointing.

12. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Many of the issues in the Snyder cut are present here too, whether you watch the theatrical cut or the Ultimate Edition. Between the convoluted story that only exists to justify what amounts to a glorified punch-up (that admittedly is well made) between the title characters (inspired by the climax of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel), and the mischaracterization of all the iconic characters, there’s a lot to argue that this should be at the bottom.

What elevates it is that Affleck’s Batman is given something resembling a story arc, as we see how he becomes obsessed with killing Superman to the two becoming allies by the climax. Of course, it’s buried under so much bad writing and direction. It’s honestly hard to decide which was worse: a pivotal moment in the story being punctuated by a jar of Lex Luthor’s urine or the hilariously bad “save Martha, why did you say that name” exchange.

11. Batman & Robin (1997)

This movie is very stupid. There is no denying that. It’s not even what you’d call cartoonish, because there are actual animated films on this list that are smarter than it. It’s like watching a Las Vegas arena show mixed with a neon-lit toy commercial, and the acting is ridiculously over-the-top when it’s not either bad or just serviceable. And yet, it not only is self-aware about its silliness, but it also revels in it.

This is the definition of a movie being so bad that it’s good. Also, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that the subplot around Alfred’s (the ever great Michael Gough) ailing health and how it affects the Bat-family is actually the highlight in this one, which does allow George Clooney to play possibly the warmest version of Batman in those scenes.

10. Batman the Movie (1966)

You can’t deny that the iconic 60’s superhero comedy series was a major factor in what catapulted Batman into the mainstream consciousness. And here comes its theatrical tie-in that puts Adam West’s Batman and Burt Ward’s Robin against an alliance of its most popular villains: Joker (Cesar Romero), Penguin (Burgess Merideth), Riddler (Frank Gorshin), and Catwoman (played for the one time by Lee Meriwether). It’s fun, campy, and a perfect encapsulation of the TV series it’s based on. That said, at the end of the day, it’s basically just a big-budget episode of the show, and the show had a lot better episodes than this.

9. Batman Forever (1995)

We didn’t touch on it much with Batman & Robin, but it cannot be ignored now: how does Joel Schumacher, the man who gave us such films as The Lost Boys, Flatliners, Falling Down and The Client, end up making this movie? The man was known prior to this for doing dark, scary, and psychologically thrilling films. By his own admission, he basically thought that he should do it, in his own words, as a “living comic book,” taking inspiration from both the 60’s show and the comics illustrated by the great Dick Sprang during the ’40s and ’50s (the overly stylized world does make sense there).

There are good things in this film, from trying to explore why Val Kilmer’s Batman continues to put himself through such punishment, to actually doing Robin’s (Chris O’Donnell) origin story rather decently. It is also a guilty pleasure to watch Jim Carrey’s Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones’s Two-Face chew the scenery.

Unfortunately, the tone constantly bouncing between a dark serious psychological story and goofy over-the-top zaniness does harm the final product. Also, this movie has Nicole Kidman as its love interest and she’s so poorly written that even Kidman’s overtly sexualized performance can’t save it.

8. Justice League (2017)

There are going to be some people who will be livid that this got as high as it did, especially over its newer cut. Yes, there was a lot of drama and problems behind the scenes on this one’s production, resulting in a film that tries really hard to mesh two very different directors’ styles together. However, the final result is rather impressive, especially in light of the newer cut’s problems in the story and character writing. It is a lot of fun to sit through, both ironically and otherwise.

What gets it this high is how good Batman’s story arc and character development is, as performed again by Ben Affleck. Here, we see a Batman that is still dealing with the consequences of his actions in Batman v Superman, not only trying to put a team together and save the world but also trying to figure out if he even has a place in it. We see his relationships grow over the course of the story, whether it’s the growing friendship he has with Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, his mentoring of Ezra Miller’s Flash, the good-natured joking between him and Jason Mamoa’s Aquaman, or the completion of his arc with Henry Cavill’s Superman to finally becoming friends.

Even the humor in the film falls in line with the Batman from the comics and past animated series as he is usually the comically serious one on the team, and the best Affleck performance as Bruce Wayne is when he admits to Alfred (Jeremy Irons) that Superman was more human than him. It’s good stuff for the purposes of this ranking. That said, it still has a lot of problems in editing two different directors together, but at least the final product is enjoyable. Plus, if you think this movie is terrible, take comfort in how it didn’t even make it to the top half of the rankings.

7. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

You have to respect the ambition of this film. It’s trying to be an epic on the level of A Tale of Two Cities, adapt the major plot moments of three major Batman comic storylines (Knightfall for Bane, Dark Knight Returns for an older Batman coming out of retirement, and No Man’s Land for the dystopian state Gotham finds itself in), introduce Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman in a way to make us believe in the romance between her and Christian Bale’s Batman, and serve up a satisfying conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s trilogy. And when the film reaches its final act, all the pieces do come together and serve up the happiest ending Batman may ever get.

That said, the ambitious storytelling ends up hurting it as it tries too much at once, making things a little convoluted for the majority. Also, Nolan’s obsession with trying to be supposedly “realistic” ends up coming across as being slightly ashamed of the source material and its more imaginative elements. Still, it’s exactly where it should be, right around the halfway point.

6. The Lego Batman Movie (2017)

At the core of this film’s story is an exploration of why Batman, for all the attitude of a loner, frequently builds himself a found family. The fact that it’s done in a hilarious family comedy acted out by computer-animated Lego figures doesn’t take away from that. It’s loaded with tons of in-jokes for the diehard Batman fans.

Joker saying that every villain he’s got helping him during the beginning is real and worth a Google is icing on the cake, acknowledges and pays tribute to the character’s history, and the voice cast not only includes great performances by Will Arnett as Batman, Zach Galifianakis as Joker, Michael Cera as Robin, Rosario Dawson as Batgirl, and Ralph Fiennes as Alfred, but has actors serving as references to past films and set-up for future ones; Billy Dee Williams finally got to be Two-Face, while Zoe Kravitz is Catwoman before she plays her in the upcoming Matt Reeves film.

What keeps it from going higher is that at the end of the day, it’s more of a spinoff for the Lego Movie than it is a Batman movie.

5. The Dark Knight (2008)

Let’s start by acknowledging that Heath Ledger absolutely killed it as Joker, carried this movie on his back, and more than proves to this day that he deserved his posthumous Oscar win. That said, on rewatching it becomes more and more obvious that many of the flaws in its sequel are here as well, just to a slightly lesser degree. It really is amazing how, especially in a first time viewing, the tension the Joker creates keeps you on edge during scenes he’s not present for, which is probably why so many ignore the aforementioned flaws, one of which is how overly invincible the Joker and his plans are for the majority of it.

Speaking of flaws, particularly trying to do too much, the Harvey Dent storyline is great up until Aaron Eckhart becomes Two-Face, at which point his plot suddenly gets rushed and ends up causing issues with the climax of Batman and Joker’s conflict. There’s also the Hong Kong sequence, that while well-made only serves to drag things out before the official start of the main conflict. And then there’s Nolan beginning to take the story away from both the stylish imagination that gave us the first film’s Batsuit and Gotham City design and that film’s focus on Batman as a character. It’s a great Joker film, but there are better Batman movies to come.

4. Batman Returns (1992)

You have to love the style this movie has. Tim Burton managed to truly take Gotham City into a gothic fairy tale world, and the story is bittersweet as we watch Batman (Michael Keaton) attempt to stop the plans of the Penguin (Danny DeVito) and Max Schreck (Christopher Walken), as well as finding a kindred spirit in Catwoman (Michelle Pfieffer), arguably the best love interest in a Batman movie.

The Christmas setting fits in with the melancholic tone for it, and we see how lonely being Batman is for Bruce Wayne. Even with Burton’s choices and aesthetics, his approach to the origins of the villains still draws on the comics (the Penguins from the late 80s, and Catwoman’s from the Golden Age of Comics).

What puts it here is that it does have a lot of things that are distinctly Burton in its dark humor, which ended up hurting it with parent groups and merchandise tie-in companies at the time. Definitely still worth watching, especially at Christmas time.

3. Batman Begins (2005)

Nolan’s inaugural entry in his trilogy is definitely his best, not only covering the death of the Waynes but actually following Bruce Wayne on his journey and training to become Batman. Making Bruce the focal point of the story was a first in any movie, and watching him construct the legend he’d become is great. It’s also got Nolan before his dedication to “grounded realism” got out of hand, resulting in a world that could exist in the real world but also is just removed enough.

That said, in a twist from how most of the live-action films are, the villains end up being overshadowed by Batman, making them less interesting. Speaking of which, Katie Holmes’ original character Rachel Dawes isn’t that interesting, and while we didn’t mention it for the sequel, even recasting her with Maggie Gyllenhaal didn’t change that. Also, when it comes to explaining every detail of Batman, like the design quirks of the suit, sometimes less can be more. Still, a great film that maintained a lot of focus that its sequels really needed.

2. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

This film, the only theatrical entry for the iconic and definitive adaption of the Dark Knight, Batman: The Animated Series, has become a cult classic in the almost 30 years since its release. It has an amazing cast, including the best Batman and Joker, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill respectively, has an actual mystery at the center of its story (a rarity for a character known as the world’s greatest detective), a brand new villain in the titular Phantasm, and reveals a never-before-seen period of Bruce Wayne’s life as he falls in love before he’s become Batman, nearly giving it up; it’s also the most unapologetically Batman movie, feeling like it lept off the comics onto the screen.

So why is it only number 2? Primarily for two reasons. The first, and the more minor one, is that the sudden shift from its original plan as a home video release to a theatrical one caused a rushed production, meaning some corners were cut as far as the length was concerned. The bigger issue is how the climax of the film ends up putting the central mystery on the side for what is admittedly the best Batman vs Joker fight on film. At the end of the day, that still creates a narrow margin where it could understandably be a lot of people’s favorite.

1. Batman (1989)

There is something magical about this one. It’s got a timeless quality, partially because of feeling like it’s set in the then-present of the 80s but also harkening back to the forties. Jack Nicholson might be the most comic accurate of the live-action Jokers. Michael Keaton has that amazing balance as Bruce Wayne and Batman, particularly since all he needs is to give himself a raspy whisper to be scary, to say nothing of how he is able to convey that through his eyes and subtle body language.

The aesthetic and tone are great, striking the perfect balance between serious storytelling and comic book fantasy. Framing the story the way they did, with Batman’s origin being a mystery for newcomers to learn, is great. It’s also the encapsulation of the comics of the ’70s and ’80s, which saw Batman return to his Golden Age roots, which the film captures masterfully. As a result, it’s the movie that every other film on this list gets measured against inevitably, and the film that The Batman will be most compared to when it comes out.

Thoughts?

We hope you enjoyed our ranking of the Batman movies. Do you agree with our list? Tell us in the comments what your personal rankings are, just remember to be respectful and civil.