Favourite Batman Movie?

[Rare Pink Leech]

The other day I watched Tim Burton's Batman for the first time in ten years, and you know what? It's not as good a movie as I thought it was. It wasn't even close to being as good as I thought it was. I actually found myself bored as I waited for it to end.

I guess my question for you is this: what is your favourite live-action Batman movie? A week ago I would have said it was a tie between Batman and Batman Begins, but now it isn't even close. Batman Begins all the way, baby.

Now I just can't wait for Dark Knight ....

[Freshmeat]

Although I haven't seen all of the Batman movies yet, my pick so far would be Batman Begins as well.
I love every single movie Christopher Nolan makes (especially Memento and The Prestige), and Batman Begins is no exception. Christian Bale is a great actor, and Liam Neeson was cast perfectly as Ras Al Ghul.

I'm really looking forward to Dark Knight.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Mine would still be the original Batman movie or Batman Begins. The second one with the Penguin and Catwoman wasn't bad either....and Dark Knight better be friggin amazing since it essentially killed Heath Ledger.

[Tengu]

Batman and Robin. Okay, joking, you can hide these pitchforks. I've never seen Batman Begins, so my favorite one is Tim Burton's Batman.

[TheEmerged]

Darn, you specified "Live Action" . That eliminates my #1 and #3 choices right there. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was a rare example of a retcom that worked, and remains better than ANY of the live action films in my opinion -- better by far before Batman Begins came out. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker is a lot better than it got credit/attention for. If "Return" didn't go to theatres (I honestly don't remember) it should have.

That leaves Batman Begins as #1 by your standard. A believable reinvention with better acting that finally pitted Batman against his true arch enemy, and had the sense to not have to tell us everything (I continue to believe the love interest character in this movie is actually that world's version of Talia).

#2 by your standard is the Adam West/Burt Ward Batman Movie. Get your jaws off the floor. How can I say that? Simple, it succeeded at being what it wanted to be -- a campy comedy. "Some days, you just can't get rid of a bomb." Shark repellent and all it remains enjoyable.

#3 & #4 by your standards are... the serial (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_%28serial%29) from the 40's. Yes, I have an axe and I'm not afraid to grind it.

Are there any Batman movies other than the "Frightful Four" I've missed? No? Then I have to put the the first modern-era Batman at #5, because it did have its moments even if I was bored even the first time I went to see it and HATED Nicholson's Joker (yes, I'm in the minority). Second would be "Batman Forever" which again had its moments. Third would be "Batman Returns" which at least had a good looking woman in a catsuit. Finally comes the horror that was Batman and Robin.

BTW, while trying to find something else to put at #5 I found out about an upcoming direct-to-video project (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_League:_The_New_Frontier) that looks awfully interesting.

[Tom_Violence]

Mine would still be the original Batman movie or Batman Begins. The second one with the Penguin and Catwoman wasn't bad either....and Dark Knight better be friggin amazing since it essentially killed Heath Ledger.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, thin ice! Bold claims! Can anyone say 'controversial'?! Or how about 'pfffft!'? Do a dead man some credit and don't jump to conclusions, hmm?

Anyway, on to the original topic, I still rank the original Batman as a very good flick indeed. One just has to remember that it wasn't made yesterday, but in a completely different time period. I still think that Nickolson's Joker is one of the best realisations ever, and seriously wonder how anyone else could ever hope to come close, acting-wise.

Essentially, I think one needs to remember that Begins is a complete re-realisation of Batman, and judging anything by its standards is not going to work. Which in turns means that after seeing it one has to be very careful as to how one views the previous films, to avoid running into fallacy.

[Telonius]

Batman Begins, closely followed by Batman (West/Ward). Both of them achieve their objectives better than any of the other live-action movies.

The Tim Burton version is third. I think it was much better on the first go-around because of the special effects we're now used to. Back then, it was at least somewhat believable. But if I go back to watch it now, it's the equivalent of seeing the zipper on the monster suit. It distracts from the rest of the movie.

[Jerthanis]

Definitely the West/Ward Batman movie. No contest. It was relentlessly entertaining, had some amazing lines, some surprisingly subtle jokes considering, and the best fight choreography in any Batman movie yet. (The sad part is I'm not even joking about the fights, Batman movie fight scenes make this poster cry bitter tears) I could seriously watch this movie once a day for weeks and not get sick of it.

Second would be Batman Begins, because fight scenes aside, it really captured the magic of Batman: Year One if you took all the good parts out of it. The crappy fight scenes where the camera zooms into Batman's elbow and shakes like the cameraman suffers from cerebral palsy takes away from it, as does the climactic battle at the end having no weight because Jim Gordon with a Rocket Launcher is actually taking care of the villain's superweapon while Batman is having his pointless grudge match. Even so, no other movie really captures the dual lives aspect as well, or his motives for his justice oriented lifestyle.

After that... nope, I've never seen a live action Batman movie worth calling even mediocre. Especially those Tim Burton ones, ugh. Even Joel Schumacher was an improvement on that hack, and Joel's movies were awful. I did, in fact like Batman Forever more than Batman or Batman Returns, though Batman and Robin was criminally bad on all levels. Mask of the Phantasm would squeeze in between West/Ward Batman and Batman Begins, it was pretty awesome.

[Gungnir]

"I love a man with an anatomically correct costume..."

I nearly died. Was making fun of that throughout the whole movie.

[twerk_face]

....Joke, right? This isn't even a competition. I'm disgusted at how many people even responded to this.











Bee-tee-dubs, if you hadn't realized, Begins is numero uno.

[Emperor Tippy]

Batman Begins.

[Premsyl]

Guh. Batman Begins had TERRIBLE villains, for one. Scarecrow (Wussy with a gimmick) and Ra's al Ghul. Oh my stars! The mentor from the beginning is the villain behind this horrible plot? No, not the man who's ninja-army was killed by Bruce Wayne! He can't be the villain! But, Bruce Wayne saved him! No! Laaame. I have more bones to pick with that movie, as well. It's the fifth movie in the series, and Batman is still telling every broad who smiles at him that he's Bruce Wayne. I realize this is a prequel, but it's getting old. Also, the camera shook so bad during the fight scenes that sometimes I felt like was watching a chase scene in Cops.

My opinion, is that EVERY BATMAN MOVIE IS LAME (minus animated Phantasm). I've always been a huge fan of the Joker, but Nicholson didn't do him justice, imo.

If I had to pick one, it would be Returns by virtue of Danny DeVito as the Penguin, and Christopher Walken. Sure, it had penguins with rocket launchers, but at least it didn't have a device that evidently summoned bats. Lots of bats. In the middle of an urban spawl.

I'm waiting on Dark Knight. Ledger seems like he played a great Joker. I'm just hoping that Burton actually went back and watched the older movies, so that he could correct the mistakes made therein.

[BigDumbFighter]

I'd have to say Batman Begins, but in all fairness, the only other one I've seen is Batman Returns. Personally, I think that one was just... strange, to say the least. :smallconfused: The rocket launching penguins were just the tip of the iceberg (no pun intended). The Penguin drove around in a giant rubber duck, which he found in a zoo, apparently. Not to mention his minions were... well, I'm not sure exactly, I think they were mimes... or clowns... or something. Did he borrow them from the Joker or something? At least the rocket penguins at least had something to do with the Penguin's motif.

BTW, sonic bat-summoning devices make just as much sense as radio-controlled penguins. With rocket launchers. In the aforementioned urban sprawl.

[Dragor]

Batman Begins was my favourite movie. The acting was top notch, the Scarecrow genuinely was quite scary, and it captured the darker side of Batman (the side I like more than the campy side.) Of course, the supposed science held little or no truth to it. But this is a film adaptation of a comic book phenomenon, it has that right, just like comic books do. And if its cool, let it pass- for example, the Bat-Caller-O-Matic.

And plus, the Bat Mobile was just awesome.

I watched the 1989 Batman when it came onto Sky Movies Modern Classics in the UK. It was pretty awful. I just didn't like Nicholson as the Joker. I wanted to, but there was something about him, I don't know. His laugh just annoyed me greatly. (I know the Joker is iconic for his laughter at the morbid, but he just seemed to laugh at anything and everything. Usually I find myself wanting to laugh at the Joker when he cracks a good gag, or just generally does something funny, but that urge was lost when he found everything funny.

Batman Forever was passable, but not the best. I think that's clear in everyone's minds.

Let's not even talk about the abomination that was Batman & Robin...

[Ossian]

I have to give credit to Tim Burton for his Batman for setting another milestone in what is "movie-american-gothic". He has a peculiar visual approach and when you KNOW who the director is even if nobody told you and you just wached 30 seconds of the movie it means they guy has style.

Tastes change, and the visual effects change accordingly. Batman Begins is really cool too. I liked the Wayne depicted in that movie, even if sometimes it smelled of the tvtrope "darker and edgier". It was also quite original in providing background for the gadgets (unfinished projects from the Wayne ent. basement) and the Batmobile was especially awesome.

All in all it's a tie to me between Batman and Batman begins, good movies for different reasons.

O.

[Tetsubo 57]

Batman Begins. I am so looking forward to the sequel.

Batman: Gotham Knight also looks like it is going to be very good.