The 80’s and the 90’s

It’s hard to digest, but when the ’70s came by, Batman was not the most popular action figure out there. Also, Batman movies rights issues and script conflicts only added to the decreasing popularity. Eventually, Tim Burton, known for his work Beetlejuice, ended up directing the next movie, which is. . .

1. Batman (1989)

At this point, the “first-ever” feel redundant but one might argue that Batman (1989) is the movie where things really began. Michael Keaton’s Batman performance is critically acclaimed, and so is the film itself. Having a $48 million budget, it grossed more than $400 million, and the Batman fandom agrees that the success is well deserved. Jack Nicholson’s Joker is equally popular among the fans. The film won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction, the 80’s equivalent of the Academy Award for Best Production Design.

2. Batman Returns (1995)

Tim Burton once again proved his directorial process in Batman Returns with this title which also received critical acclaim. It’s a direct sequel to Batman (1989) with Michael Keaton resuming his role as Batman. Despite its popularity among the fans and the movie performing reasonably well at the box office, Warner Bros. had higher expectations from it, leading to the decision of replacing Tim Burton as the director of Batman Movies, and leading the movies into a more approachable direction.

3. Batman Forever (1997)

The replacement of Tim Burton from Batman Movies was received with mixed reactions, and Michael Keaton happened to fall on the side that didn’t appreciate the new, darker tone of the movies. Val Kilmer was cast as Batman, and the movie was directed by Joel Schumacher. The reviews of the movie were equally mixed, with fans criticizing the visual effects used, in contrast to the practical effects in the previous movies. It also performed a little worse at the box office, though not significantly. The positive reviews would soon change though, with the release of the next movie of the series, Batman and Robin.

4. Batman & Robin (1997)

George Clooney replaced Val Kilmer, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, an extremely popular figure at the time, was cast as Mr. Freeze. The movie is very cartoonish though, the gags often not landing as intended, gaining the movie a position as one of the worst superhero movies ever. Art is subjective though, and some viewers might enjoy this take on Batman. The community begs to differ though, and we recommend skipping it unless you’re determined to watch every piece of media featuring Batman.

Batman is without a doubt one of the most popular superheroes in existence. The name is recognized by everyone, be it a die-hard DC fan, or a parent of a child who is into superheroes. The first adaptation of the character to screen was 79 years ago (Batman, 1943) and since then his legacy has been etched into stone.

It’s a career milestone for several actors to have played the role of Batman, some of their popularity skyrocketing because of their iconic portrayal of the Bat. Here’s how one can watch all (most) Batman movies in chronological order. The list would be unbearably long if we included the animated films and cameo appearances so we’ll stick to the live-action movies.