Batman Speed Art and Film Ranking (Red Hood)
In this speed art, I'm illustrating Jason Todd as Red Hood and I will be ranking all the theatrically released Batman films from worst to first.
A disclaimer: While I included the serial Batmen from 1942 and 1949 in my original animation, The Evolution of Batman, I won’t be ranking them here because I didn't get a chance to watch the whole series (they’re each like 4 hours long and would probably make me fall asleep and die of boredom).
With that out of the way, let’s go ahead and rank the bat-films...
warning: spoilers ahead!
12. Batman & Robin (1997)
Sitting way down at the bottom at number 12 is Joel Schumacher’s abomination Batman & Robin. This one isn't a surprise, I'm sure – it’s just a flimsy excuse for a Batman movie. It feels like it was ripped from the pages from the 1966 Batman series and shoved into the Tim Burton Batman Universe. George Clooney’s take on Batman is possibly the worst take on the character and the villains he goes against are even worse. Arnold Swartznagger is laughable as Mr. Freeze, struggling to finish his sentences in an audible manner while Uma Thurman gives what may be her worst performance ever. Also, the increased emphasis on Robin and Batgirl take away from what should be Batman’s time to shine. But let's give too much attention to this movie... There are 11 spots to fill, so let's move on!
11. Justice League (2017)
Coming in at number 11 is Justice League. What should have been one of the greatest team-up films of all time, lead by the Bat himself, became a muddled mess in the editing room. Switching between comedic to gritty, and filled with some of the most generic dialogue and bland action scenes, it really feels like a first draft of a script before you hand it in to the studio. They were afraid to keep going in the Zac Snyder direction part way through and it became a clunky mess with the Joss Whedon reshoots. I don’t know if it would have been better if they kept the Zac Snyder tone throughout, but it would have at least have been consistent. Also, the moustache CGI is hilariously atrocious. But it’s not all bad – Gal Gadot and Jason Mamoa are both fun to watch, just a little muted compared to their solo ventures.Overall, this may be the worst DCEU film in my opinion... Or maybe Suicide Squad, but I'd have to re-watch it to be sure.
10. Batman Forever (1995)
Coming in at number 10 is the first Joel Schumacher Batman film, Batman Forever. Taking the reigns from Tim Burton and making the franchise more family friendly and toy-centric, it actually has some enjoyable aspects. Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones are a lot of fun to watch, a little over the top but they make for an interesting pair of villains. Plus, some of the aesthetic from the Tim Burton films is carried over with the city still looking tonally similar, and not as cartoon-y as it appears two years later in Batman & Robin. But it loses the dark charm and whimsy that the previous two films had, and feels like a misfit because of it. If you want to watch this one to complete the original trilogy, it isn’t a completely horrible place to end off.
9. Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Coming in at number 9 is Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. I saw this in theatres and at the time I actually had a lot of fun with the film, but after sitting on it for more than a day the cracks from the film really start to show. Batman gets most of the screen time and Ben Affleck actually does a pretty good job in the role. The opening scene is exciting and connects the universe with Man of Steel and gives us an inciting incident that leads to our two heroes facing off. Unfortunately, after the opening, the rest sort of drags on, with long wordy scenes and weird religious allegory. Jesse Eisenberg is particularly bad as Lex Luther and every scene he is featured in automatically feels out of place. He felt more like a Heath Ledger joker rip-off than a businessman that anyone would trust. I’ve said it before, but a superhero film is only as good as it’s villain, and unfortunately that’s where this film suffers the most. Not to mention the way they flimsily set up Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg and Flash. For the second film in a franchise it just felt bloated and about to implode. But the director's cut does fix it a little bit, so if you haven't seen it, I'd recommend you start there.
8. Batman (1966)
Coming off of the dark and gritty is the light and funny at number 8 with the original 1966 Batman movie starring Adam West. Now, when people talk about movies being a product of their time, this film is like the mascot for that. Born from the time when comics couldn’t really be dark, this film doesn’t take anything seriously, but at least knows what it is. Adam West gives a strong performance as both Batman and Bruce Wayne, becoming what many still be considered the definitive Batman, and all the villains are a lot of fun to watch on-screen. Sure, the plot is a little non-sensical, but if you’re looking to have fun with a couple of friends or just want to watch something purely for entertainment value, then 1966’s Batman: The Movie is a pretty good place to start.
7. Lego Batman (2017)
Keeping up with the light and funny at number 7 is the Lego Batman movie. This film is a lot of fun, and much like the other theatrical Lego movies is a blast to watch. The editing and pacing is on point and the jokes, even when they don’t land, are quick to come – so if you don’t like one, another joke is coming around the corner that you may prefer. Will Arnett does a great job as Batman, reprising his role from the original Lego movie, and Michael Cera is equally as funny as Robin. Unlike the live-action films, this one actually benefits from having a huge amount of villains to play off of, with so many famous actors behind characters with even just a couple of lines. Of course if you’re looking for a more grounded take on the character, Lego Batman is the last place you should look, but if you just want to have fun and look at a visually stunning movie Lego Batman will certainly scratch that itch.
6. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Sliding back into the Dark and Gritty at number 6 is The Dark Knight Rises. This is the black sheep of the Nolan Trilogy, and probably the most disjointed, with a plot that is nearly non-sensical, but told in a way that makes it feel realistic, making it somewhat jarring to watch. But a lot of the charm from his first two films is found here as well. Christian Bale gives another great performance as Batman while Michael Cain gives what may be his best performance in the trilogy. Tom Hardy shows that Bane can be an awesome character and really feels like a strong hand to hand nemesis of Batman. Unfortunately, it’s dragged down a little bit by the Ra Al Ghul twist near the end, but it still serves as a climatic end to the Nolan trilogy.
5. Batman (1989)
Coming in at number 5 is the film that shaped the superhero genre in the 90’s, Tim Burton’s Batman. This film has a lot going for it: knock-out performances by Jack Nicholson and Michael Keaton, the Gothic inspired look that feels like a comic book come to life, and some smooth direction that creates an exciting pace to the film. Even though it’s coming up on 30 years old, it's still is very watchable by today’s superhero standards. Every scene with the Joker is a classic, and for 20 years he would be considered the definitive live-action super villain for good reason. The most dated part of the film is probably the stiff looking costume that Michael Keaton wears, a problem they would finally find a solution to in 2008’s The Dark Knight – but the stiffness is at it’s worst here. Overall, this is a great starting point for the modern Superhero film, a torch that Richard Donner’s Superman passed to it, and this film would later pass to Spider-Man in my opinion.
4. Batman Returns (1992)
Coming in just above the first Tim Burton film is the second Tim Burton Film, Batman Returns. This one takes everything that made the first film great and doubles down on it. Michael Keaton again returns to the cowl and instead of Nicholson’s Joker we now get Danny Devito's Penguin, Michelle Pfieffer’s Catwoman and Christopher Walken as Max Schreck – a stacked cast. The 1989 Batman was the testing waters for Tim Burton’s take on a Superhero film, whereas Batman Returns takes him out of the shallows and jumps into the deep-end, darkening the tone, but still feels connected to the original film. All in all Batman Returns is a near-perfect sequel to the original Batman, that would unfortunately not make as much at the Box Office as Warner Brother’s was hoping, leading them to make the next two films more toy-friendly... to their detriment.
3. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
The number three spot goes to a movie that didn’t appear in my original animation, The Evolution of Batman, because it's already animated. It's Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. Both working as a standalone film and acting as a continuation from the amazing Batman: The Animated Series, this film proves that both animation and superhero’s can be dark and gritty while still maintaining a light tone for younger people to enjoy. Kevin Conroy voices Batman with his amazing cadence, and Mark Hammil takes on the role of the Joker. They're basically the dream team when it comes to voicing these two characters. The animation is on point, continuing the Bruce Timm style from the show but with a more polished production value. All in all, while it’s a little bit forgotten nowadays, if you ever see this streaming or see that it’s on TV I would highly suggest checking it out.
2. Batman Begins (2005)
The number two spot is going to have to go to the rebooted origin story, Batman Begins. Christopher Nolan's first take on Batman knocked it out of the park. Cutting back and forth between present day Bruce and child Bruce, the film tells his origin story while setting up the main antagonist in a masterful way. Christian Bale’s first time behind the mask may be his best, and since he’s the main character in the this film, he truly gets to shine – especially when he’s first training with Ra Al Ghul. If I had any complaint about this film, it would be that Katie Holmes can’t quite hold her own against some of the more heavy-hitters on screen, like Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. But the emotional core of the movie is there, and it launched what I consider to be the best series of Batman films to date, so hat’s off to Nolan on setting the new standard for superhero origin films, a standard that I don’t think has been topped even to this day.
1. The Dark Knight (2008)
Coming in at number one, as expected I'm sure, is The Dark Knight. Christopher Nolan’s sequel to Batman Begins explores the larger theme between good and evil while maintaining everything that was great about the first film. The setpieces are larger and even more cinematic, and Heath Ledger’s joker is the definitive superhero villain, with a role that blows it out of the water. And while it’s been imitated by lesser movies, no one has yet come close to pulling off the deranged psychopathic villain as well as he has. The music gets taken to another level, and even though it has also been ripped off and imitated a bunch afterwards, Hans Zimmer’s score here remains nearly unmatched in my opinion. But what really rises this film to the top is how it perfectly executes the crime drama that is at the core of the plot, taking inspiration from Michael Mann's Heat and blending it with Nolan's realistic vision of Gotham – the perfect combination.
And that’s my ranking of every theatrically released Batman film. Let me know what you think over on Instagram @tellitanimated!
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