10. Batman: The Movie 1966 (RT 79%)
This was the first Batman I came know as a 4 year old watching the Adam West reruns after pre-school. My cousin and I would run to the playground singing the awesome theme song and fight over who was Batman and who was Robin. Its funny to think that This was BATMAN before the Dark Knight Returns was published.
The movie now is pure cheese. It is just a funny watching it now with the rubber sharks and a giant bombs. You also have Joker with a stash and every villain you could want. I can't get many to watch this with me. My wife hates it but I like to laugh at how 4-7 year old Ryan knew Batman.
9.Batman:Under The Red Hood ( RT 100%)
Ok guys there will be a lot of DC animated stuff on here so don't freak out. Most this stuff is better then the live action stuff. This one the is pretty good one. The red hood follows the story the Red Hood who taking over Gotham's crime lords with violence and force. Batman is still not over Todd's death(2nd Robin.. Don't worry no one liked him anyway) and the big crime lord in town gets Joker out to help kill off the red hood.
Its full of action and a bit of gore. Its not as grounded as some of the other DC animated Batman stuff but its a good mash of the Red Hood and Death in the family. Its only 75 mins and packed full of action with very little drag. Bruce Greenwood does an ok Job doing Batman but there have been better. The Joker has a bit of a different voicing with John DeMiggio but I liked him. Music could have been better but not much to complain about here.
8.Batman Year One(RT 86%)
This is based off the Frank Miller graphic novel Year One. It does a great job sticking to the style and story of the source and gets the mood just right. Its Batman's first year as the dark knight and it takes him a while to find him groove while Gordon is the new cop in town who isn't standing down to the crooked cops.
If you like Gordon then you get a lot of him here. You get all his problems on the home front with his pregnant wife and his issues with falling in love with a blond who is courting him on the force. Bruce and Gordon both fighting for the same thing which puts them on a collision course with each other. You can even seen some ideas that were grabbed from these books that Nolan used in Begins. Its my 2nd favorite Batman comic and could easily be put up higher on this list.
7.Batman Mask of the Phantasm(RT 81%)
If you seen Batman the animated series then you know how good this movie is. I saw this in the theaters on Christmas day when it released. It blew me away. It was the first cartoon I saw that had blood which I thought was amazing as a kid. They pulled no punches with this one and the story and plot of the movie is outstanding.
Batman is falling in love and is thinking about hanging it up. It does some great origin stuff as well to get you up to speed with things. There is this new scary dude running around town killing all the mob guys in creepy ways. This movie also has a nice twist you don't see coming. The voice acting is some of the best since you get Mark Hamill doing his iconic Joker voice and Kevin Conroy(the best Bat voice ever). Its really to bad the movie flopped at the theater and has only picked up cult steam over the years. There is a good follow up as well that just missed my list called Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker(RT 86%). Check that out if you find yourself wanting more.
6.Batman The Dark Knight Rises(RT 88%)
Out of the Nolan movies this one had fans fighting with each other on whether it was good,great or bad. Topping the The Dark Knight was going to be near impossible. I liked Rises a lot. When I saw it I liked it more then Begins but after more viewings of both I come to like Begins more. Its just stronger overall.
I love Tom Hardy as Bane. He did a great job stealing a lot of this movie. When he wasn't on screen all you could think was "When is BANE going to be back?" My biggest grip was how they did him in the end. He wasn't this big bad leader. He was just a women's tool. He went out like a chump from Cat women. After building him up all movie they destroyed the aura they built. Having Batman fighting him to the death would have been way more epic. As a fan who loves his origin comic and has it graded and framed that Bane would have never taken orders from anyone else.
Ok now that my Bane rant is over the movie is still great and one of the best 3rd movies in series with Last Crusade and BTTF III. Its hard getting three great movies and Nolan did it here. I enjoy the little twist in the end. Its pure Nolan to let you decide what really happened.
5.Batman Begins(RT 85%)
When I saw this coming in 2004 I didn't even care(not even one Yahoo search was given). It came out in 2005 and I still didn't care. Up to that point I had seen every Batman movie on day one. I was abused so bad by Returns, Forever and B&R that I just had no faith in it being any good. Then a funny thing happened. It started getting good reviews and it picked up steady steam in the movie theaters. Rumors were it was pretty damn good. So I saw it in IMAX. Found it to be a breath of fresh air. Gone were bright neon lights and Batman on ice skates. Now I was treated to a dark logical Batman. I also love that these movies aren't special effect fests(Say that 10x fast).
Begins is a very good origin story that grabs from different comics and puts them together really well(even had the bats from year one!). Bale knocked it out of the park for me. I even liked his voice that so many people complain about or now had become a pretty funny joke in movies and on the web. It also took huge balls not to come with the Joker right away and take that risk of a 2nd movie not ever seeing the light of day. The movie gets away with some villains that not every movie goer knows much about or understands. Nolan pulled it off and set up for the best comic trilogy ever. My only issue with the movie was the closely filmed fighting scenes. Other wise it blasted Batman back to the top in the 2000s.
4.The Dark Knight Returns Pt.1(RT 100%)
I am going to gush a bit about this one. Its my favorite comic ever and movie is near flawless in following it up. I have all the issues framed, I've read it many times... I love it. In 1986 Frank Miller wrote the comic that changed Batman forever. If you haven't read it. Go now. Get a copy and read it.
Ok got that out of my system. DC went all out and did a great job taking the comic and putting it into a 2 part movie. I am so glad they didn't try to fit this amazing book into 2 hours. It would have been missing to much. Part 1 sets the tone that the comic did. Bruce is old and not sure how to spend his days. The thought of dying a normal old man death is driving him nuts. Gordon is retiring and Gotham has forgotten Batman so much that some think hes a myth. Bruce paid to have Harvey Dent's face fixed. A new gang has taken a hold of the city with terrible crimes and Murder. Bruce is torn on if he should just sit on his hands or return to the night.
I don't want to give away to much but the music, voice acting and pace of the movie are amazing. Peter Weller(Robocop) does a great old and pissed off Batman but does have moments where you wish he brought some more. The Dark Knight Returns has so many quotes that are awesome and the gets most of them in there and nails them.
To me this is Batman's end story and it starts here. He's old and had enough. If you can't read the comics just go rent this. Its one of the finest Batman movies you will see and Part 2 only gets better.
3.Batman 1989(RT 71%)
Batman 1989 took what I knew about 1966 Batman and threw it out the window. This is the movie that made me a Batman nut. I got all the toys for Christmas. I ate the cereal. Collected the cards and repeated "Who are you? "I'm Batman". It was great. The movie to me is just full of fun. Is it correct or true to the story? Not even close. But as a 7 year old not much could top it.
Jack Nicholson is amazing. Keaton was pretty damn good and the Batmobile is my favorite one ever. Burton was kept on a leash by WB and it didn't get to weird. It had just the right touch of weird. It is action packed with great one liners and iconic moments. Its just the little things that bother me about the movie. Like how no one knows who this Wayne guy is. I mean Knox had to dig through old news papers to know his parents were murdered. Joker killed them.. Ahh no he didn't. But outside of those things its just pure Batman fun with cool sets and style. The Prince music seemed like an odd choice though..
2.The Dark Knight Returns Pt.2(RT 94%)
TDKR pt.2 picks up where part 1 left off and kicks the pace up a notch. Again they do an outstanding job ripping from the comic and leaving almost nothing out at all. I have always wanted a direct live action take on the comic but I don't think it could match the effort that DC put in and how the vibe and feel is hit right on the head. I really don't want to give away a lot but when you put both parts together you have Batman take on two face, mutant leader, Joker and Superman all in one movie. It flows with the story and never lets you go.
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| You can see the comic on the bottom and the movie on the top. Nailed it. |
Speaking of the Joker, Michael Emerson(LOST) does an amazing Joker. Not as loud and obnoxious as Hamill but creepier for sure. Joker holds nothing back here as the body count gets high. The final duel with Batman in the tunnel of love is tense and leaves a mark on you. In the comic nothing is said as the two have their final dance. In the movie they added in lines which add a lot to the scene. I wasn't sure about that at first but after many viewings it was the right call. This scene alone is dark and violent. I wouldn't recommend it for kids.
After the Joker scene you feel exhausted and its like.. THERE IS MORE? That is how the book feels. Like one epic moment after another. The battle with Superman is a good one too. I feel this main event is over shadowed by the Joker events but was an impossible moment to follow. Superman fans hate this battle but us Superman haters love it. Batman is.. Well I won't ruin it.
To me this movie unbelievable and shouldn't be missed by anyone who enjoys just the Batman movies. Fan of the comic or not this SHOULD NOT BE MISSED! My only grip with the movie are the bullet dodging Batman jumps through(I know this is the norm but it goes overboard here) and Weller not seeming into a few lines as much as he should be. Oh and the stupid flying dolls. Everyone hated them in the comic as they just feel out of place in this story and they seem dumb and corny in the movie as well. But with that said. This is a masterpiece.
1.The Dark Knight(RT 94%)
This wasn't a hard pick. Nolan gave us the Empire Strikes Back of the 2000s. Waiting on using the Joker pays off ten fold here. Ledger was amazing. You just wanted more and more of him. He deserved Oscar he received. I soundtrack is outstanding and the crime drama aspects make even non comic book fans love this movie.
The scene where the tumbler gets messed up and Batman comes flying out of it on the batpod is a great movie moment. That whole chase is heart pounding. It feels like the movie could end right there. Not to mention the lack of special effects is awesome. I hate movies full of special effects. They use a real semi to flip end over end. Just like the old days.
Some people like to make fun of Bale's voice but I have no issues with it. People also hate on the fighting style as Batman is more of brawler. Again its not even close to a deal breaker. This is a more realistic Batman story and its the best one ever put on film. If you like the out there Batman stuff then it wasn't for you. Everyone has seen this so there isn't a ton to say. Its the end all of all Batman movies... Unless Ben can trump it.
The Trash
-Batman Returns-Should be called "Penguin". Batman is barley in it. Burton is let off his leash.
-Batman Forever-Carry is alright but Val is the worse Batman on screen.
-Batman and Robin-No words.
9:19 PM
The Shredder
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