Worst2First: My Top Ten Batman/Superman Films
Worst2First: My Top Ten Batman/Superman Films
There has been several films featuring Batman and Superman in the past, and here are my personal top ten favorite Batman and Superman films, Worst2First.
**There will be no spoilers.**
#10
Superman Returns
Christopher Reeve delivered an impeccable performance as the Man of Steel, but all good series must come to an end, and that happened with the abysmal back-to-back disasters that were Parts III and IV. From 1987-2006, Superman was relegated to animated programs on television, until Bryan Singer took the Superman mantle and brought him back to the big screen. He cast relative unknown Brandon Routh as our favorite Krypton, and added the ever-amazing Kevin Spacey as the evil Lex Luthor, and Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. "Superman Returns" was supposed to re-vitalize the franchise, but instead it became an overblown, over-long disaster that made no sense (why would Superman leave? Why did he waste his powers on becoming an odd, obsessed ex-boyfriend? What was the deal with Lois's kid?) and once again regulated Superman to the annals of history.
#9
Batman Forever
Tim Burton brought the Dark Knight to a darker, brooding force, but that didn't sit well with the executives, who wanted to make superhero movies for the kiddies and not the adults, so he was fired and the company brought in Joel Schumacher to bring in a newer, more kid-friendly Caped Crusader. Michael Keaton was gone, and in his place was one-and-done Val Kilmer, who gave an appropriate performance but nothing the caliber Keaton delivered. The set pieces were flashy and over-the-top, as was the action and dialogue, which were more akin to the campy Adam West-Batman series decades earlier. It turned Batman into a joke, and no one was laughing.
#8
Man of Steel
After 2006's disastrous "Superman Returns," Clark Kent was finally re-vitalized (again) by Zack Snyder in 2013's "Man of Steel," which attempted to tell the origin story of Superman and his home planet. As the most recent Superman outing, it was filled with glorious, over-the-top action sequences and lots of explosions that were able to keep my attention, unlike the rather action-less "Returns." Newcomer Henry Cavill filled in Superman's shoes perfectly, second only to the great Christopher Reeve. There was no Lex Luthor, but instead Michael Shannon's General Zod that was the main villain. Overall, it wasn't a bad film, but it wasn't anything spectacular either.
#7
The Dark Knight Rises
Maybe it was too much to hope for. After Christopher Nolan's amazing "The Dark Knight," there wasn't any higher heights he could've reached for his conclusion to the Batman trilogy. Maybe we expected too much, but "The Dark Knight Rises" failed to deliver that emotional blow that "The Dark Knight" did. It has nothing to do with the story - Christian Bale gave a great performance as the Batman that was defeated and down-and-out, yet somehow finding the inner courage to get up and save his city. Anne Hathaway was a great Catwoman. Maybe the fault lies in Tom Hardy's Bane, who - although an intimidating figure - seemed more regulated to a side-villain than main, especially with his raspy, almost incoherent voice. Plus the ending seemed to occur on a low note, especially for such an amazing trilogy.
#6
Superman: The Movie
There was a time in cinema where superhero movies were never made. Can you imagine it? Then Richard Donner brought Superman to the big screens in his first real major motion picture. The result is having it become the granddaddy of all superhero movies to follow. It had a stellar cast including Margot Kidder, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman and especially Christopher Reeve. The story was fresh and new for moviegoers, and kept their attention. Even though it's relatively outdated compared to today's special effects, it still holds up fairly well.
#5
Batman Returns
In the rare case of "the sequel is better or on par with the original," "Batman Returns" reunites Tim Burton with Michael Keaton (who I feel is still the best Batman ever), and adds in the alluring Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Danny DeVito as the titular Penguin. Burton goes...well...full Burton here with turning Gotham City into the quintessential dark Christmas, and creates a moody atmosphere that makes the film great for adults, but not so much for children. In fact, during screenings children often left the theater in tears. This resulted in Burton's exit from the series for a more family-friendly director, and shows that Burton was a great director far before his time.
#4
Superman II
Much like "Batman Returns," the sequel to the Superman story is almost in every way better or on par with the original. Returning to the big screen was Christopher Reeve in his final decent Superman performance, as well as Margot Kidder and Gene Hackman, with the addition of three truly terrifying bad guys in General Zod, Non and Ursa, adn gives Superman a more humanistic feel as he abandons his powers to be with the woman he loves.
#3
Batman Begins
Much like its much aligned counterpart, Batman underwent several transformations and tribulations in its cinematic history. After "Batman & Robin" bombed back in 1997, it took eight long years to bring Batman back to the big screen, but in the very capable hands of Christopher Nolan, not only did he come back, but he came back with a vengeance. Christian Bale donned the suit, and became the second best Batman ever behind Michael Keaton. The Batman for a new generation, Nolan delved into his origin in a way that was very humanistic, and gave us the truest Batman to date. He didn't hold back on the darker aspects of our hero, and didn't give us Schumacher campy stories. Instead, "Batman Begins" became the new staple for superhero movies - ones that were geared for a more grown up, intelligent audience, and the world was better for it.
#2
Batman
Before Johnny Depp, Tim Burton's go-to guy was Michael Keaton. They worked together in the classic "Beetlejuice," and when it was time to direct the first Batman film in ages, Burton brought Keaton in to don the iconic suit. What resulted is a box office hit, and a re-vitalization of the superhero subgenre, filled with fantastic performances, a compelling story, and Jack Nicholson. He epitomized the Joker in a way few ever did, until Heath Ledger, and his performance made the Joker the best villain since Darth Vader.
#1
The Dark Knight
This should come as no surprise, because Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" isn't just the best Batman movie, it's simply the best superhero movie in cinematic history. Before this film, there were no superhero movies ever even considered for Oscar contention, but "The Dark Knight" was heralded by critics and moviegoers alike, and gave Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor. Some say his tragic death before the film's release helped make it what it was, but it was really his outstanding, once-in-a-lifetime portrayal of The Joker that solidified the film as a critical success. Ledger's Joker was the perfect antithesis to Bale's Batman, and without his now iconic performance, the film wouldn't be anywhere near as perfect as it is.
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