All 10 Batman movies ranked from worst to greatest

1. Batman (1989)

Release Date: June 23, 1989

Plot Summary: Gotham City’s Dark Knight embarks on his crusade against crime, with his initial adversary being Jack Napier, a criminal who transforms into the maniacal and murderous Joker.

Cast: Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Jack Nicholson as the Joker, Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale, Robert Wuhl as Alexander Knox, Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon, Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent, and Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth.

Box Office Results: $251 million

When looking back at the best Batman movies, it’s hard not to end any best-of list without the timeless masterpiece that is Batman at the top. Helmed by the visionary director Tim Burton and led by the incomparable Michael Keaton as the Dark Knight, 1989’s Batman remains the peak of Batman on the big screen.

Burton’s dark and atmospheric Gotham City perfectly captured the essence of the character, while Keaton’s portrayal of the Dark Knight brought a brooding intensity to Bruce Wayne that was unlike anything we’ve seen before. Add in the film’s iconic gothic aesthetic and the chilling performance of Jack Nicholson as the Joker, and you have a truly masterful superhero film.

Batman set the standard for superhero movies and there is a good chance the superhero genre would have never evolved into what it has become today had Burton’s film not resonated with audiences in the way it did. The movie proved that superheroes could rake in cash at the box office and started a trend of these films being adapted by some of the most talented directors and actors in the game.

While there is a chance a future film will one day unseat it at the top of the pack, Batman remains the definitive Batman movie, even after all these years.

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