Top 10 Batman Movies

Joel Schumacher’s debut to the Batman scene blended a dark atmosphere with a comic book flavor of action. Featuring Val Kilmer as the fabled vigilante, he does battle with the troublesome twosome of Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey as Two-Face and The Riddler respectively. Recruiting the help of Robin for the first time in this mainstream series, this film is remembered as an underrated but fun romp that fans see as being akin to a kiss from a rose.

Holy Genre-Switch, Batman! It’s been so long since the famous Dark Knight has looked like this that some younger fans might be stunned by this entry. Based on the famous Adam West TV series, this feature length adaptation blammed, zapped and biffed its way onto the silver screen in 1966. Alongside his brilliant companion as played by Burt Ward, Batman must do battle against a mash-up of nefarious villains including The Penguin, The Riddler, Catwoman and The Joker. As much as one wouldn’t associate it as being a ‘real’ Batman movie, this is certainly one brilliant comedy that aimed to emulate the campier and flashier side of the comics.

Written by Judd Winick, who also produced the comic this movie’s based on, “Batman: Under the Red Hood” serves as the eighth animated feature in the DC Universe. With Bruce Greenwood lending his voice to our titular hero, Batman faces his most secret of villains to date - a masked criminal who goes by the name of ‘Red Hood’. We won’t spoil who the Red Hood is, but we will bring out the stellar cast that accompanies this modern classic; high profile actors such as Jason Isaacs, Neil Patrick Harris and even John DiMaggio as the voice of The Joker. That’s amazing; can you really imagine the voice of Bender and Jake the Dog as The Joker?

Following up our last entry, a better question might be can you imagine Luke Skywalker being the voice of The Joker? Stemming from the animated “Batman” series of the 1990s, the plot of this full-length flick sees the Dark Knight mistaken for a new vigilante who’s been eradicating the various crime bosses around Gotham. The mission to clear his name has been fondly looked upon by fans of the masked millionaire, despite “Mask of the Phantasm” making a loss upon its release. It was even nominated for an Annie Award for Best Animated Feature, but ultimately lost against Disney’s “The Lion King.”

The adaptation of the 1986 comic book of the same name sees Bruce Wayne in his middle-aged years as a bitter old man. Following the death of his protégé, he had hung up the Batman cape supposedly forever, but it took about ten years for the crime of Gotham to boil over. Taking the atmosphere of the Dark Knight to the limit, this 2-part film presents a new twist on the idea of whether or not Batman can still be a superhero at fifty five, and more puzzlingly, whether or not it’s Batmanhimself who is creating his own villains.

Recognised for being one of Tim Burton’s love letters to the superhero, it’s a good thing the director shares many similarities with the Caped Crusader. This crazed and gothic turn for Bruce Wayne also sees Danny DeVito as The Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. Striking in visual style with a beautiful mix of black tones and creeping imagery, Burton’s second entry into the Batman franchise is certainly one to look out for.

The climax of Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” trilogy is not without its own mayhem. With the titanic villain of Bane holding the entirety of Gotham city hostage, there’s only one man to save them… except he’s kind of broken his back, so give him awhile, okay? Released in the wake of recession in the U.S., the theme of the working class taking back the fortunes of the rich is strongly shown here, alongside fantastic action and storytelling that ties the final knot in Nolan’s series.

Now we go from the finale to the beginning of Christian Bale’s reign as the Dark Knight. At a time when Batman and superhero movies in general looked like a joke, Christopher Nolan threw his hat into the ring to direct the Caped Crusader into the future and it certainly paid off. In “Batman Begins,” Nolan leaves no stone unturned in Bruce Wayne’s backstory as he balances his home life with the struggles of being a masked vigilante that helped kick off the resurgence of superheroes in pop culture. Cheers, guys!

Much like “Batman Begins,” this particular film came at a time when the idea of the Dark Knight was largely looked down on for being a joke, but that’s where Tim Burton comes in. Casting the unlikely choice of Michael Keaton against the perfect choice in Jack Nicholson, the two squared off in one of the greatest Batman and Joker dynamics ever put on film in this first instalment of the initial “Batman” series. Bringing a dark tone to the Caped Crusader for the first time in the mainstream, Burton delivers on a delightfully gothic and atmospheric promise, with “Batman” even earning an Oscar for Best Art Direction.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions
- “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker” (2000)
- “Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero” (1998)
- “Batman: Year One” (2011)
- “Batman: Gotham Knight” (2008)

And of course, everyone’s favorite dishonorable mention:
- “Batman & Robin” (1997)

Really though, was there ever any doubt? The follow up to Nolan’s first foray sees Batman in his most dramatic, violent and horrific presentation. The way “The Dark Knight” deals with the loss of loved ones and the foundations of good versus evil is great, but the powerful performance by Heath Ledger as the Joker frankly steals the show on its own. With so many fantastic components coming together in this thrilling opera of crime, it’s not hard to see why we’re so serious about “The Dark Knight.”

Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite Batman movie? For more crime-fighting top tens published every day, don’t forget to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.