Ranking the Batman films

Okay, so, hundreds of Batman fans have been making arbitrary lists of the most iconic appearances, and the most terrible, but today, I want to jump in on the fun, but I won't be judging by nostalgia alone. Now, I'm gonna be brutally honest, and rank all the Batman live-action films since 1989. 

8. Batman and Robin

The obvious choice, I'm not even sure this should be considered a serious film.  The fourth and final installment of the original Batman series, Batman and Robin takes the franchise to a new, cartoonish tone. Filled with flat performances from most of the cast, a terrible script, and flimsy set pieces, and undeveloped characters, Batman and Robin was a disaster, but, good did come out of it, as we would

The cast of Batman and Robin

have never gotten the Nolan reboot if it wasn't for this movie. I'm pretty sure I'm in line with

 other reviewers here, and that's why Batman and Robin gets the bottom slot. 

7. Batman Forever 

A Batman film that's hardly remembered, even by fans of the Batman franchise, Batman Forever is a mediocre third installment that moves the franchise away from it's darker and grittier past. Val Kilmer doesn't necessarily phone it in as the caped crusader, but his portrayal is less than convincing at best. I think that the casting really doesn't make much impact if you have a lousy story, and unfortunately, that's the curse Forever has. It's not a terrible movie by every means, and I'm sure when it was released in 1995, it was a smash hit at the box office, and in the hearts of children everywhere, which is ultimately what the movies are going for, anyways. 

6. Batman (1989)

Keaton (right) as Batman
and Nicholson (left) as the Joker
 in the 1989 film

The film that got the ball rolling, Batman is an iconic superhero flick that comic-book fans will always remember, not so much for the story, but for the performances. Michael Keaton stars as Batman, and despite backlash from fans (sound familiar?), plays a more inclusive Bruce Wayne than the one we're used to seeing in other media, but, for this film, it works. Jack Nicholson's Joker was, at the time, praised for it's accuracy, but with the dawn of Mark Hamil and Heath Ledger's Joker, it may not stand the test of time. The film's plot is; however, somewhat dull, but ultimately, that's not what matters to fans, and it will be remembered for starting the franchise, and for convincing portrayals of the Dark Knight and his nemesis.  

5. Batman vs Superman 

The most recent appearance of DC"s most popular characters, Batman vs Superman, so far, seems beloved by fans, but hated by critics. Expectations were high, especially since DC"s top rival, Marvel, cranks out quality superhero films at assembly line speeds, and DC is struggling to get it's cinematic universe off the ground. This film, if critically praised, would have given Warner Bros ample room to expand upon. The problem was that Batman v Superman had to set up so much in such a short time span, and I think critics have been a little harsh on the movie. There is multiple plots shoved into the movie, but the performances, from Cavil and Affleck specifically, bring the film out of the depths of awfulness. We'll see; however, how this film holds up twenty five years from now. 

4. Batman Begins

Christian Bale as Batman in the 2005
reboot

The first installment of the critically-praised Nolan reboot franchise, Batman Begins is the weakest of the three films, but calling it the weakest doesn't give the film credit. A dark, gritty reimagining of the Batman story, Batman Begins shows us the origins of Batman- beyond the unfortuante death of his parents in his youth. In this film, we get to see Batman ultimately become Batman- in other installments, Batman has already doned the cloak and cape for a decade- or we start at their first mission, past the training stage. We also get to see more of the Bruce Wayne persona, which, we never really did see in the previous installments. The casting is very well put together. Bale's Batman and Cane's Alfred work well together on-screen, and a character based plot ultimately puts Batman begins at the top of the list. 

3. The Dark Knight Rises

Tom Hardy played a convincing
villain in 2012's the Dark Knight
Rises

Coming off the heels of the Avengers and a boatload of other superhero flicks, The Dark Knight Rises had a lot of hype, and DKR lives up to it. The plot, although long, and somewhat grandiose, is ultimately a stroy about redemption, and the casting department is at it again with the good choices for characters. Tom Hardy's Bane, though barely audible, is a compelling villain for Batman, who isn't is enemy based on ideals, but based on history.  In the comics, Bane merely served as a big, destructive brute, in this film, Bane is a cunning warrior with extreme views, but dastardly intelligence. A great ending, and villain, The Dark Knight Rises will be forever remembered as one of the best Batman films. 

2. Batman Returns

Batman Returns is, objectively speaking, one of the best Batman films out there, but it's ultimately the characters that make the movie stand out compared to it's competition. I know I've been praising characters left and right through the course of this review, but here, it's a no brainer. Michael Keaton, flanked by Danny Devito and Michelle Pfieffer, yet again picks up the cape to defeat the Penguin. It's bizarre, but Tim Burton's second and final Batman film is much grittier, and darker than it's earlier contemporaries, and I think that's the allure of it. With convincing characters, a creepy story, and great sets, Batman Returns is in the top tier of superhero films.

1. The Dark Knight

It's the dark knight. What can I say. 10/10, you already knew this. 

Batman v Superman Review [SPOILER-FREE]

The film comic book fans have been waiting for, but does Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice live up to the hype? Today we're gonna be taking a look at what works and what doesn't in this superhero epic.

First off, let's settle one thing: This isn't a Superman movie, it's a Batman flick that's mascaraed as a shared film. It makes sense because Batman is a more popular character and, if the film received substantial negative reviews, as it has, it's better to lean on a financially viable character so that Warner Bros can turn a profit (But that won't be a problem, considering the film grossed over 400 million dollars in just two days). With that out of the way, we can move on to the meat and potatoes of the review

THE GOOD: Ben Affleck portrays a very convincing, jaded, and aging version of the caped crusader. I't's somewhat ironic, considering how fans across the world cried out in terror when Warner Bros announced the casting a couple of years ago, and then he turns out to be one of the best parts of the movie. An interesting thing about this movie is that we get to see more depth to the Bruce Wayne side of the persona, including a scene where we see the destruction of Metropolis from Wayne's point of view. Out of all of the characters, Affleck's Batman, and Iron's Alfred are by far the most detailed, complicated, and believable.

The Fight Scene. The movie builds up to it for about an hour and a half for this scene, and when Batman and Superman throw down, it's exciting. I'm not gonna lie, I had a huge grin sprawled across my face when I saw Bats and Supes throw punches, but, the fight ends pretty quickly and we move onto our final act.

THE BAD: I hate talking trash on movies, partly because I understand how much time, energy, manpower, and money a whole host of people spend to create films, but also, there is a part of me that wants to totally forget all of the negatives and blindly love the movie, however, there are some major flaws in this film.

First, the way Doomsday is created makes basically no sense, and the screenwriters basically skipped
over the science just so we could have Batman, Supes, and Wonder Woman throw down and save the world. Doomsday feels shoved into the movie in the final act and there is hardly any build up for his appearance. Character wise, the only one I have a problem with is Jessie Eisenburg's portrayal of Lex Luthor (yes, yes, I know it's his son, but let me finish). Luthor has legitimate no motives to kill Superman besides the fact that he's a bad guy who does bad things, and his portrayal of the character, while convincing, made me cringe overtime he appeared on- screen. I'm not gonna go into too much detail, but these are the major problems I noticed.

CONSENSUS:  Batman V Superman, despite what most critics tell you, is an entertaining, yet much darker interpretation of the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader. If you love the comics and hold authenticity dearly, you may not love the movie. But if you're a fan who's willing to see a different incarnation of the heroes you grew up on, you'll probably be satisfied by it.