Typically, Batman’s big-screen adventures have been defined by their dark tone. After the gritty realism of Christopher Nolan’s movies and the brutal violence of Zack Snyder’s movies, fans didn’t think Batman movies could get any darker – and then Matt Reeves’ The Batman came along with its Zodiac-inspired Riddler and voyeuristic antihero.
But Batman movies aren’t always dark. The Caped Crusader’s first feature-length outing was a delightfully camp affair starring Adam West. In the decades since, filmmakers have explored the lighter side of Batman with satire and self-parody.
The Darkest Batman Movies
Batman (1989)
After Richard Donner’s Superman, the next groundbreaking comic book movie to prove the blockbuster potential of the superhero genre was Tim Burton’s Batman. Although the casting of comedic actor Michael Keaton was initially met with complaints from fans (which has since become a Batman movie tradition), his dry wit ended up being the key to humanizing Bruce Wayne.
At the time, the best-known on-screen incarnation of Batman was the shamelessly camp Adam West take. Burton and Keaton revitalized the Caped Crusader and brought a grisly Frank Miller edge to the Dark Knight’s on-screen adventures. Jack Nicholson’s Joker transformation scene – in which he asks the surgeon who reconstructed his face for a mirror – is an unforgettably disturbing sequence that feels more like a horror movie than a superhero movie.
Batman Returns (1992)
After Batman became one of the biggest blockbusters of the decade, Burton and Keaton reunited for a sequel – 1992’s Batman Returns – that was even darker, gloomier, and creepier than the original. It proved to be so un-family-friendly that there were disputes over the film’s child-oriented merchandise (particularly at McDonald’s, according to /Film).
With a sinister laugh, a thick layer of prosthetics, and bizarre turns like biting off a guy’s nose, Danny DeVito’s Penguin is more like a B-movie monster than a traditional supervillain.
Batman Begins (2005)
Nearly a decade after the critical and commercial failure of Batman & Robin seemingly killed the franchise for good, Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale saved the Bat’s big-screen series with a gritty reinvention of the mythos in Batman Begins. Batman Begins reinvigorated Bruce Wayne’s familiar origin story with a relative sense of realism that places his training and gadgets and vigilante crusade in the context of the real world.
Nolan’s Batman revamp had a huge influence on the comic book genre at large. Every major superhero got a gritty reboot in the years that followed – even characters that didn’t suit that tone, like Superman, Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Much like Burton before him, Nolan followed up his dark, edgy, gritty Batman reboot with an even darker, edgier, and grittier sequel. While Batman Begins had been praised as one of the greatest comic book movies ever made, The Dark Knight was praised as one of the greatest movies ever made.
Nolan essentially framed The Dark Knight as Michael Mann’s Heat – a sprawling, action-packed noir about corruption in the American city – with Gotham taking the place of Los Angeles. Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning Joker is truly unsettling, and he’s a poignant symbol of post-9/11 fears of terrorism.
Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016)
Zack Snyder followed up his Nolan-esque Superman reboot, Man of Steel, with a mega-scale DC-verse team-up introducing a new Batman (and a boatload of other iconic superheroes) into that universe. Ben Affleck’s turn as a rageful, hard-drinking Bruce Wayne was one of the few saving graces in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Dubbed “Batfleck,” BvS’ Batman is the most brutal take on the character to date, exemplified in the stunning warehouse scene. The “Knightmare” sequence is straight out of a horror movie. This version of Batman was controversial for betraying the Bat’s “no guns, no killing” rule and depicting a Batman who kills whoever he wants and uses guns all the time. He takes a shotgun into the final battle with Doomsday.
The Batman (2022)
Directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson, the latest Bat-reboot is possibly the darkest Batman movie yet. The film has plenty of hard-hitting violence and genuinely frightening jump scares. If one of the detectives wasn’t dressed up as a bat, The Batman would play as a straightforward serial killer thriller.
It plays like Se7en, with Jim Gordon in the Morgan Freeman role as the grizzled veteran lawman and Batman in the Brad Pitt role as the young sleuth eager to crack his first big case. The Riddler is more like a slasher villain than a comic book supervillain, with nods to Michael Myers and Jigsaw.
The Lightest Batman Movies
Batman: The Movie (1966)
After a couple of 1940s serials, the first feature-length Batman movie saw Adam West bringing his camp take from the classic TV series to the big screen. The 1966 movie, which arrived in theaters shortly after the first season concluded its run, is even zanier than the TV show.
It features just about every Batman villain ever created in a ludicrous plot about a dehydrator that can turn people into dust. Along the way, there’s a mid-air shark attack that requires shark repellent and a big cartoonish bomb that looks like a bowling ball with a fuse sticking out of it.
Batman Forever (1995)
When Burton and Keaton stepped down from the third Batman movie, the director was replaced by Joel Schumacher and the star was replaced by Val Kilmer. Batman Forever marked a radical tonal departure after Batman Returns.
Schumacher spearheaded a less-than-welcome return to the campy West tradition. Jim Carrey gives one of his wackiest performances as the Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones hangs his portrayal of Two-Face on trying to out-Jim Carrey Jim Carrey.
Batman & Robin (1997)
Schumacher returned for the next Batman movie, but Kilmer didn’t. George Clooney replaced Kilmer in the cowl and, according to Vulture, the actor has been apologizing for Batman & Robin ever since it came out.
This movie managed to be even campier and goofier than Batman Forever. Batman charges his expenses to the Bat-Credit Card and there’s a pair of rubber nipples on the Batsuit.
The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
Spun off from The Lego Movie, The Lego Batman Movie is a deep dive into the Bat’s psyche and central conflicts with plenty of laughs along the way. Like The Lego Movie, it’s much, much better than it had any right to be. The Lego Batman Movie is both a perfect Batman movie and a spot-on satirical deconstruction of the Batman myth.
Will Arnett beautifully captures Bruce Wayne’s insecurities in the context of parody, and the story gives Batman and the Joker’s co-dependent relationship a classic romcom treatment.
-Featured.jpg)
