Yes, The Batman starring Robert Pattinson is great. I saw it opening weekend earlier this month, and thoroughly enjoyed it. So much so, that I am inspired to rank all of the live action Batman movies that I have watched.
The Dark Knight (2008)
To quote rap legend KRS-1, The Dark Knight is still number one, thanks largely to the late Heath Ledger’s seminal turn as the Joker. 🃏
Batman Begins (2005)
This one is tough. I almost ranked The Batman number two, but that would have been a serious case of recency bias. But then I remembered that I watched Batman Begins three times in the theater, and thought it was the best superhero movie that I had ever seen, until The Dark Knight and Iron Man dropped in 2008.
The Batman (2022)
Alas, the inspiration behind this post is ranked number three. The Batman feels like Sherlock Holmes, Saw and The Dark Knight trilogy all wrapped into one flick—and it works!
In Matt Reeves’s film noir, Batman embraces his detective persona, the Riddler embraces his inner serial killer, and the film overall feels a lot like a Christopher Nolan movie. And I love it.
The Rest…
4. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
5. Batman (1989)
6. Batman Returns (1992)
7. Batman (1966)
8. Batman Forever (1995)
9. Batman & Robin (1997)
Editor’s note: Batman v Superman is omitted from this list because it’s not a stand-alone Batman movie.
