DC Comics has dubbed today Batman Day. The Dark Knight has been fighting crime and serving justice for his 75th year since the 1939 debut of Detective Comics #27. Batman has been a big part of our lives, and was responsible for making us into the comic book fanatics we are today, whether it be through comic books and toys or television and movies. To show our appreciation for the man, the myth and the legend, we have compiled a plethora of Bat-themed lists. We hope that we can inspire you to read more about Batman and his legacy, or even give us some feedback if you agree or disagree with the lists. Sound off below! And click on the picture below to take you to all of our Batman Day articles.
Top 10 Batman Movies
Batman has been around for 75 years, but is movies are his newest form of media. How well do you know the movies? Check out our list!
10.) Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
One of the biggest questions throughout Batman Beyond was, “What happened to the Joker?” There are so many clowns running around who want to carry on the Joker image, but those punks don’t know what the Clown Prince of Crime was really like. Mark Hamill reprises his role as the Joker, who is just as terrifying as ever. We also get a scene of the animated series that had not previous been released. Years ago, when Tim Drake was Robin, he was kidnapped by Harley and the Joker, and molded into the image of their child. Traumatized, Robin was able to turn the tables on the Joker, electrocuting him to death. It was horrifying and twisted, but that was the end of the Joker. Or was it? The Joker somehow lived on, and was reeking havok on Gotham. Terry McGinnis learns what a real villain can do.
9.) LEGO Batman: The Movie
When Batman and Superman decide to switch costumes, and there is a scene of Batman holding Superman’s legs while he stands in his own underwear, we knew this movie was instant gold. The story is a lot of crossover for all the Justice League members. When Lex Luthor runs for President and realizes his numbers are low, he breaks The Joker out of Arkham Asylum to help. As you can imagine, chaos ensues. Batman and Superman have their hilarious usual banter about who is the better hero. Even better, there is some very clever use of the LEGO pieces, including a piece of fried chicken LEGO that falls in some debris. The plot is believable and the dialogue makes for an enjoyable flick for Batman fans of all ages.
8.) The Dark Knight Rises
The Christopher Nolan trilogy goes out with a dang in this giant production. Tom Hardy plays Bane, who in the comic books was one of Batman’s most dangerous and cerebral villains. Bane uses Batman’s own carelessness against him, robbing him of his fortune, stealing all his Tumblers and taking over the city. Bane also critically injures Batman by breaking his back over his knee, forcing him to watch from a cell as Bane takes over Gotham city by rudely interrupting Hines Ward’s touchdown celebration. Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman is extremely sexy, and she plays the fence until she sees a way out. The movie is full of plot holes, but what the hell – this is the Dark Knight on the grandest scale he’s ever been on.
7.) Batman: Year One
Based on Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s graphic novel of the same name, Batman: Year One is the gritty story of the parallels of Commissioner James Gordon and Bruce Wayne, both in their first year of their defining life path. Commissioner Gordon is fresh to Gotham after being transferred from Chicago; Bruce has returned to Gotham after training for 12 years. Both men want to see a change in the crime-ridden city and plan on changing that, but in their own ways. The movie is honestly one of the best animated features, and one we highly recommend to anyone. It also doesn’t hurt that Bryan Cranston is the voice of Commissioner Gordon and Eliza Dushku is the voice of Catwoman.
6.) Batman Begins
When the world was still trying to forget about Joel Schumacher’s Batman movies, Christopher Nolan stepped up to the plate and delivered a home run with Batman Begins. Starting out with villains Ra’s al Ghul and Scarecrow, the story was much more introspective and displayed the transformation of Bruce becoming the Batman the best of any movie. We got to see Bruce: deal with his parents death, train oversees wit hthe League of Shadows, create the gadgets that he so famously uses. Exploring his defunct R&D department with Lucius Fox was even more exciting. It’s also the film that spawned people screaming “WHERE IS HE?” for no apparent reason. After the success of The Dark Knight, a lot of people forget just how good this film was.
5.) Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Based strictly off the Frank Miller graphic novel of the same name, The Dark Knight Returns was one of the best translations that DC Animated has done. Clocking in at nearly 2-1/2 hours long, the story has been the only film to be broken down into two separate parts in its animated version. The movie packs a surprising amount of content and story-telling into it, especially considering the original story was based off a four-issue run in 1986. The animated film is just as gritty as the book, and anybody who is unfamiliar with the classic book will have their mind blown when they watch this. Where else can you see Batman pummel Superman with Kyrptonite gauntlets?
4.) Batman
Trying their hand at Batman for the first time since the Adam West series, Warner Bros. recruited Tim Burton after the success of Beetlejuice. Batman got off on the right foot by casting an All-Star cast: Michael Keaton as Batman, Jack Nicholson as The Joker, Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent and Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale. The film took on a much more Gothic theme, which was perfectly complimented by Danny Elfman’s theme song. Batman’s suit and Batmobile were outfitted with an industrial look, illustrating the change of the times. Jack Nicholson’s Joker is classic, especially when outfit with the patented top hat. Batman is a pure Batman vs. Joker encounter, and a great way to kick off this generation of Batman movies.
3.) Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
The year is 1993 and Batman: The Animated Series is just a baby. Mask of the Phantasm was essentially a made-for-DVDVHS film that Warner Bros. decided to release as a box office movie. Lack of foresight and an 8 month release schedule meant pretty much no marketing, and it was a commercial failure. Critically, though, it was widely acclaimed. The story centers around Andrea Beaumont, a long lost love of Bruce’s that returns to Gotham. Bruce was ready to end his career as Batman to marry Andrea, but she broke off the engagement and vanished. Around the same time she reappears in Gotham, a hooded figure starts murdering thugs around town. It’s a thrilling ride the whole way through, and showed the potential of The Animated Series.
2.) Batman Returns
Batman Returns (1992) is the direct sequel to Batman (1989). Batman battles two of his nemeses, Penguin and Catwoman. Set during Christmas, it could be argues that Returns is the second best Christmas movie of all time (the first is Die Hard, duh). The movie takes a twist on Selina Kyle’s origins in Catwoman, making her somewhat of a real cat; she even has nine lives. Michelle Pfeiffer plays Catwoman and Selina to purrfection (see what I did there?), giving her the perfect mixture of sexy and evil, yet the audiences don’t exactly dislike her. She redeems herself a little at the end of the film. And let’s not forget Batman. His most heroic moment in the films happens in Returns because he saves all the first born sons of Gotham from The Penguin. That’s right, Batman saves all the babies. Batman FTW!
1.) The Dark Knight
Hands down, the best Batman movie is The Dark Knight. The tremendous acting by the late Heath Ledger accounted for a new, grimy version of the Joker. Watching him do his thing on screen was as pleasant as it was terrifying. TDK is all about transformation and chaos. While Gotham’s rising star, Harvey Dent, is on the verge of eliminating police corruption and putting hundreds of criminals in jail, the Joker aims to make a mess out of everything. He isn’t just crazy; he’s extremely cunning, managing to fool the police and even Batman. The Joker is such a force in the movie, that a majority of The Dark Knight consists of others reacting to him, and Batman is constantly stretched and unable to overcome the Joker for most of the movie. Thanks to some amazing story-telling, acting and ingenuity, The Dark Knight is a timeless film that you can enjoy no matter how many times you see it.
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