We begin our dive of cinematic Batman with a look at the earliest film adaptations of the character: the politically questionable in retrospect 1940s serials.
Twenty years after the 1966 TV show went off the air, Batman was back and on the big screen with an adventure directed by Tim Burton. We take a look at the film, and its direct sequel, in this two-film review.
After directing two films, Burton and the studio butted heads over the future of the series, leading Burton to leave the franchise. Joel Schumacher was brought in to continue the franchise, and his vision was very... different. We take a look at what some consider cinematic train wrecks in this two-film review.
After Batman and Robin bombed and everyone in the world collectively agreed to try and forget it existed, DC took some time before creating a new film with the Dark Knight. Eventually, though, they brought on auteur director Christopher Nolan how created a more grounded bat-tale. We look at the first of the films to see how Nolan's vision measured up.
After Batman Begins rebooted the Bat and washed the taste of the Schumacher films away, fans clamored for further adventures in the Nolan universe. The follow up took a decidedly darker turn as Batman faced off against his greatest foe: the Joker. We look at this film to see how it measures up.
The final installment of the Dark Knight Trilogy, this installment was hobbled by the untimely death of Joker star Heath Ledger after the second film. Without the Joker, what direction could the final film take? We look at third installment in the trilogy to see what it gets right and just how it compares to the films that came before.
THe best animated Batman is back, on the Silver Screen, as he battles a new foe, the Phantasm, who just may be someone all to familiar to him after all...
After the relative success of Man of Steel (a film that made good money but didn't seem to really have the backing of critics or fans), DC followed it up with a semi-sequel, semi-crossover, putting in the only character in comics arguably bigger than Superman: the Batman. Sadly, the results were just not good.
When Batman v Superman came out, people seemed to really hate the movie (which is understandable as it's terrible). This sent DC scrambling in an attempt to fix their universe. This lead to extensive reshoots for their next DCEU film, Suicide Squad which, reportedly, went through three different cuts before being released. Trust us, it didn't help.
The production of Justice League was troubled, with original director Zack Snyder leaving part way in (for family reasons) and Joss Wheddon coming in to do extensive rewrites and re-edits. Although the final film is watchable, it's still not great in comparison to the filmic output of Marvel.
Now in a fresh, New 52-inspired continuity, we pick up with our favorite, familiar heroes as they set off on their first adventure together, a battle against the evil supervillain, Darkseid. Earth is doomed.
Introducing another new hero for the league, this movie gives us Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, four years before a similar adventure would come out on the big screen.
Batman and his son, Damian (aka the newest Robin) don't exactly see eye-to-eye. They are very similar, each as headstrong as the other, so it was only a matter of time before the relationship came to blows.
When Batman goes missing, Dick Greyson has to become the next man to wear the cape-and-cowl, all so he can pull together a team of Bat-heroes to track down their missing leader.
Damien Wayne doesn't play well with others, a trait his father would like to see changed. So he's put on a team with other supepr-powered teens to see if they can work together for once. Probably not, though.
A magical threat pushes its way across the Earth, so Batman has to team with an expert in magic: John Constantine. It's time to form a new faction of the League.
When a movie has a title like this, I think we all know what's coming. Based on the comic series of the same name, this film is only going to end one way, and it won't go well for our titular character.
All of Batman's villains are conspiring against him which leads Batman to think there might be an even bigger foe behind these machinations. If only he could figure out who...
Adapted from the similarly named comics, this animated movie features a team up two unlikely teams, the Batman family and the TMNT, as they're forced to take on the combined forced of Ras Al Ghul and the Shredder. It is also an absolute, goofy delight.
This Elseworlds tale (based on the comic of the same name) asks what would happen if Superman's ship had crashed into Mother Russia instead of the middle of Kansas.
See Also:
Top 10 Movies (2014): A look at our favorite movies dating back to 2014. Batman is one of the many film franchises to make the list.
Okay, Wait... What?: At one point DC was looking at putting out Batman v Superman up against Captain America: Civil War. We discuss why this was a stupid idea.
Top 10 Movies (2018): An updated look at our favorite films, this time from 2018. Batman, again, gets high honors.
