While this Batman is perhaps the most controversial big-screen iteration of the character, from his indiscriminate killing (even bloodier in the home video version) to the infamous moment when Batman and Superman form a connection towards the end. Affleck’s performance as Batman, a battle-weary warrior who is extremely distrustful of Superman following the climax of “Man of Steel” (one of the cooler elements of the movie is the opening, which restages that battle from Batman’s perspective), is arguably the best part of this movie. So now Batman is here! And he’s Ben Affleck. and DC got nervous and decided to throw Batman in for the sequel. Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016)Īfter a single Henry Cavill-led Superman movie, Warner Bros. Watching it again, you can tell.) Befuddling decisions abound – why cast Jones, an actor not exactly known for his comedic chops, as an outrageous villain? And, bigger question: why are none of the villains actually scary? Also, Nicole Kidman, as a horny psychoanalyst who wants to bone Batman, remains utterly insane and not in a good way. (In the years since its release, Carrey has been open about the animosity he and Jones shared for one another. Joel Schumacher’s direction is all over the place you can almost feel him struggle to maintain some kind of creative vision while also corralling all of the egos involved. But whew boy is “Batman Forever” very, very bad. Jim Carrey was one of the biggest movie stars in the world when he was cast as The Riddler, and the rest of the cast was just as impressive (from Val Kilmer’s Batman to Tommy Lee Jone’s Two-Face to the fact that Drew Barrymore played a silent femme fatale role). And when he returned, things were very, very different.Īt the time, a lighter approach following the oppressively dour second Tim Burton Batman film seemed like the right time. This rightfully plunged a stake into the heart of the live-action Batman franchise for nearly a decade. (He also has to contend with Alicia Silverstone’s Batgirl and Chris O’Donnell’s Robin.) Freeze, Uma Thurman’s Poison Ivy, plus Robert Swenson’s Bane) and a nonsensical plot that is so busy that Batman (now played by George Clooney) gets lost in the shuffle. Suffering from villain overload (including Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. So Warner Bros and Schumacher decided to double-down – “Batman & Robin” is even campier, even more colorful, and even more blatantly “toyetic” (a phrase that Schumacher has since repeated and apologized for), meaning that many more toys could be made from the characters. Joel Schumacher’s first candy-colored outing with the Caped Crusader, which did much to resurrect the camp aesthetic of the old TV show while also somehow maintaining the Gothic seriousness of the two Tim Burton movies (which these are ostensibly sequels to), made a ton of money. The one bright spot is Danny Elfman’s energetic score, which incorporates elements from DC’s past like John Williams’ “Superman” theme and his own iconic “Batman” theme, but the music is placed so low in the mix you can barely hear it. It was a ultimately decision that would lead to his unlikely fall from grace.) Batman (played by Ben Affleck) is meant to bring together the Justice League in order to fight an intergalactic threat (sound familiar), but with so much of his and the other characters’ backstory deleted, he feels like a dour soccer coach trying to rally the petulant players. (When Snyder was removed, “Avengers” director Joss Whedon was brought in. Watching the reconstructed version, it’s shocking just how little of Zack Snyder’s original vision made it into the final cut. The catastrophic problems that befell “Justice League,” which was meant to launch several new franchises for Warner Bros and DC but ended up being such a debacle that they had to release an entirely separate version (also on this list!), are well documented. This is more about the modern interpretations of the character, including this new version. He is also blessed with the best rogues gallery of any superhero – what’s more striking than the number of bad guys that have graced the big screen are the number of super-villains that still haven’t been brought to life.īatman is such a dimensional character, full of lovable flaws, that even if the movie the character inhabits is lousy, there are probably things that you can find (and love) about it.Ī brief caveat: we have chosen not to include the two “Batman” features from the 1940s. (We say “prominently featured,” which means that David Ayer’s “Suicide Squad,” which features a brief cameo from Ben Affleck as the Caped Crusader, is out.) Batman is arguably the richest superhero, in terms of the psychological depth of the character (and the fact that his alter ego Bruce Wayne is very, very wealthy). With “The Batman” barnstorming into theaters this weekend, we figured it was as good a time as any to rank the movies where the Dark Knight has been prominently featured.
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