Rate Your Favorite Batman Films

[MIB41]

Must see[s] would be BATMAN: Mask of the Phantasm and BATMAN: Sub-Zero as it will give you an entirely different appreciation for Mr. Freeze.

Very true! Those were classic animations!

[emeraldknight47]

Some of you have listed animated Batman movies in your post (which is perfectly AOK).

I have only seen part of one animated Batman movie (with a vampire or Dracula maybe?) on Cartoon Network. I caught it about midway through and stopped watching it after about 20 minutes because I would like to watch it all the way from the beginning w/o commercials. I have since forgotten about it. Anyone help me out with the title?

Also, knowing my preferences, which animated movie would you recommend as a "must see"?

Thanks!

Must see[s] would be BATMAN: Mask of the Phantasm and BATMAN: Sub-Zero as it will give you an entirely different appreciation for Mr. Freeze.

[Dark Shadow]

Some of you have listed animated Batman movies in your post (which is perfectly AOK).

I have only seen part of one animated Batman movie (with a vampire or Dracula maybe?) on Cartoon Network. I caught it about midway through and stopped watching it after about 20 minutes because I would like to watch it all the way from the beginning w/o commercials. I have since forgotten about it. Anyone help me out with the title?

Also, knowing my preferences, which animated movie would you recommend as a "must see"?

Thanks!

[Dark Shadow]

Interesting that few of us agree on which is the best, but most of us agree on the weakest effort.

I agree that 1989's version was ground breaking and helped open the door for today's guilty pleasures. I also remember all the excitement, hype & tie ins (Taco Bell cups, toys, cereal). At the time, it was the coolest thing since Star Wars.

Batman Returns, IMO, surpassed the original in that I found it to be a better story, with a more even flow, more action, just the right amount of dark humor (She looked pretty scared to me...DeVito at his most loveable), memorable dialogue, and last, but certainly not least, Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman.

I remember being surprised when the studio pulled an about face with Batman Forever. If it weren't for the intro of Robin, I would not have liked the movie at all. Batman & Robin? Well that really needs no elaboration.

I didn't have very high expectations for Batman Begins, I didn't hear much about it prior to seeing it. I ended up watching that movie 4 times on the big screen. Because I enjoyed it that much, I had very high expectations for The Dark Knight...which were exceeded.

I have to agree with you MIB41 regarding your take on the two Jokers. Jack's was more comic book oriented, and Heath's was more of a real world take on psychosis. Two completely different interpretations, each hold their own.

Batman 1966 is in a class all of it's own, and will always have a spot in my personal collection & viewing rotation. I wonder if any of us will live long enough to see the official release of the TV show? And, if so, what format will it first be released in? Digital implant?

[Mikey]

I don't like the new Batman movies.

Personally, I think they're very boring.

My faves are

1966
batman 89
batman forever

[Earth 2 Chris]

Ray Liotta was another contender, according to Comic Scene magazines of the time.

To me, Nicholson represents the Englehart-type Joker who is a prankster in a additon to a cold-blooded murderer. This is also the version used on BTAS. Ledger's Joker harkens back to the very earliest version of the character, who is actually fairly mirthless. It's also similar to O'Neil and Adams Joker in "The Joker's 5-Way Revenge".

Chris

[Hector]

^^^ Too bad we never got Burton's pick for the Joker, Willem Dafoe. Jack was forced on him by the suits.

DaFoe would have been the PERFECT choice.

[Hector]

Good post! Had Nicholson played Joker younger thinner it would have made more of an impact than it was......but let me tell you the one scene with him saying "Winged freek terrorizes" wait till they get a load of me...when i saw that....it gave me chills......Ledger never gave me chills.....

Nicholson gave you chills? I thought he was just funny...in a cute sort of way...lol.

Ledger >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Nicholson

[Werewolf]

My favorite live action Batman movie is the 1989 movie followed by Batman Returns. Third is the 1966 movie. Yeah, it's silly but it was good for its time. Do not like Joel Schumacher's Batman movies and try to ignore them. The Nolenverse is okay to me. Don't hate them or love them.

I like the animated DC movies the best. Do the Batman and Superman team ups count? Those were all really good.

[thunderbolt]

Interesting thought! I think he would make an ideal Riddler though... His quirkiness would lend itself to that character.

Just typecast Depp as the Mad Hatter.

[MIB41]

I completely agree. Without Burton's Batman, we would not have the industry we have today.

[sprytel]

This IS an interesting topic and seems to be generating a lot of issues with various members, so here's my two cents worth...

I'll probably be presenting this in several parts as I'm verbose about Batman movies, so please bear with me....

NUMBER ONE:

BATMAN 1989 - I mean, this is where the current age of comic book movie was really birthed. Had Burton not made this and proven that comic book characters could translate to the big screen, I don't know that we would ever have seen some of the films that many of us have come to know and love in later years. PLUS, it was such an EVENT. I remember the June it opened, it was like Bat-mania was rampant everywhere and for those of us who were/are comic geeks, it kind of gave us a little justification for our interest. Did it have it's flaws? Heck yeah, but name me one comic book that hasn't had it's flaws.

Was Keaton perfect as Batman? No, but he came pretty damn close because he had that semi-crazy approach I think someone would need to go out at night dressed up like a giant bat. Plus, despite the fact that Keaton couldn't really turn his head at all, that batsuit [and the one in Batman Returns] came the closest to capturing the actual comics feel of his outfit, including the all important trait of making his cape as much a character as he was.

Nicholson's Joker was not the Joker from the comics any more that Ledger's Joker was, but I think it hewed closer to the source material than Ledger's did, plus, come on, it was f*****n Jack Nicholson, a man who virtually has the copyright on crazy in movies.

I totally agree.

I still love Burton's "Batman". While I really appreciate what Nolan has done with his movies, I think there is something special about Burton's vision... and it changed the face of comic book movies forever.

[MIB41]

DaFoe probably would've made a killer Joker since he pulled off the Goblin so well (sans the Power Ranger suit). The scene of him talking to himself in the mirror and switching personas back and forth was chilling and SO ultra-cool.

I wonder, if Burton were doing BATMAN today, would Depp be considered to play The Joker...? After all, it's the kind of character that would seem to play to his strong suite...

Interesting thought! I think he would make an ideal Riddler though... His quirkiness would lend itself to that character.

[emeraldknight47]

DaFoe probably would've made a killer Joker since he pulled off the Goblin so well (sans the Power Ranger suit). The scene of him talking to himself in the mirror and switching personas back and forth was chilling and SO ultra-cool.

I wonder, if Burton were doing BATMAN today, would Depp be considered to play The Joker...? After all, it's the kind of character that would seem to play to his strong suite...

[MIB41]

^^^ Too bad we never got Burton's pick for the Joker, Willem Dafoe. Jack was forced on him by the suits.

WOW! Now that would have been interesting...and less costly too. I think Nicholson ended up getting a percentage of the grosses from every Batman film through to B&R.