2. Batman Returns - I think this is my second favorite Batman movie out of all of them (Batman Begins is my fave). I LOVED this as a kid, and I'm happy to say that it's still incredible. Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman is one of my favorite castings of all-time. It's weird that we criticize good actors for joining comic book movies, but this has been happening for YEARS and it used to be a good thing. I mean, I think Catwoman, in general is going to sway me to love this movie more because I'm a self-identified "cat lady". But, I do think Pfeiffer is genuinely good in this, and definitely steals the whole damn movie. I love her little sashay, then "meow", and then a building explodes. It's just so iconic. And she has the best dialogue ("life's a bitch, now so am I"). AND she even has the best costume because it actually looks handmade - like she, herself, stitched some latex together (and it's so sexy, obvi). As for the Batman part, it all feels a little inconsequential compared to the Catwoman stuff, but I do love when Batman uses his Batwings - even more so than the Batmobile (it seems so much more convenient too!).
3. Batman Forever - Yeah, my brain is definitely playing tricks on me, because I also don't remember Chris O'Donnell being in multiple Batman movies either (I only remember him in the Clooney one). But O'Donnell, as Robin, was very personal to me as a teen because I LOVED him. He had such a good run of films in the 90s (Scent of a Woman, Mad Love, Circle of Friends, Fried Green Tomatoes, and, the one I re-watched the most, In Love and War - I was also a Sandy B super-fan). I still love him but, unfortunately, I don't watch those CBS shows that he's done for the last 15 years (I also feel like it's relevant to point out that he's been married to the same woman since 1997, which is super-duper rare for celebrities. He's a good egg). I think the biggest issue with this one is that there are too many characters - it doesn't feel balanced and loses focus. I also just don't think Val Kilmer was a strong Batman, and definitely a bit of a letdown from Keaton's performance. Tommy Lee Jones is trying to have fun with this, but it also just doesn't work for me. He's so naturally stoic and dry, so his over-animated Two-Face feels out of place for him. BUT, Jim Carrey as The Riddler is also an iconic casting moment. I would have LOVED a Batman movie with Keaton, O'Donnell, Carrey, Pfeiffer, and Nicholson. Also, I can NOT get over the drawn on eyebrows on Drew Barrymore's face (almost as bad as Rachel Weisz's eyebrows in The Mummy!).
4. Batman & Robin - I fully admit that this is, by far, the worst of the Batman movies. And YET, it's the one I've seen the most. I was 16 when it was released, loving Chris O'Donnell, and my BFF at the time was obsessed with George Clooney, so we literally would watch this movie at least once a week. I probably could have recited the whole thing back then. It was far more common back then to rewatch things over and over again because we didn't have the access to array of entertainment that we have now. We would record a movie off the television premier and then watch that one movie on repeat for days on end. I definitely had the most fun with this Batman entry, but objectively, it is terrible. Clooney is so stiff and emotionless, it's almost jarring. And Alicia Silverstone??? Wow. What a miscast. I think the highlight is Uma Thurman (and her space buns! It begs the question - who did it first: Thurman as Poison Ivy or Scary Spice?? I totally used to do the space buns, too. Even did mini ones for my prom in 1999). But you know what's weird? As many times as I've seen this, I didn't connect that one of the villains is Bane - the same Bane that Hardy does, but is entirely different!! It's actually weird to see Hardy's version so close after watching this one. I don't have much to say about this one - it's feels too glossy, less gritty than its predecessors. And it's no longer fun.
5. Batman Begins - I know most cite The Dark Knight as the best of the Nolan trilogy, but I've always been team Batman Begins. TDK is great, but it's also very bloated. While I think Begins is just a stronger story that is told in a more concise way. It's also the introduction of Christian Bale as Batman, and he knocks it out of the park. It's obviously a more serious, darker tone, but I think Bale does an incredible job at still keeping the comic book feel of the character. It dives deep into the psychology of Batman, which becomes a major theme of the rest of the trilogy. Also, I think this set the path for Nolan as a big blockbuster filmmaker. I remember watching this in a theater, and thinking it was just brilliant. It felt cinematic, bold, with a fully-realized universe that revitalized this franchise. There are very few movies that I can specifically recall watching in a theater, but I remember being stunned by this. Plus Cillian Murphy is EXCELLENT in this, and often a forgotten villain especially over all the actors who play Joker. But, I found his Scarecrow to be genuinely terrifying. And he terrified me even more that year with Red Eye that same year! I'm glad that Nolan kept casting him in future projects - he deserved that Oscar for Oppenheimer, but he also deserved the recognition for a lot of things he's been ignored for instead. The movie has very few flaws, but casting Katie Holmes is probably the most egregious one (and fixed in future films). I was a huge Dawson's Creek fan, but Holmes has never been a great actress (I still love her though!). Also, I never noticed that the worst character of all-time, Joffrey from Game of Thrones, is in this for a quick second (that kid will always be Joffrey. And I will always hate him).
6. The Dark Knight - As I said, this film just feels so bloated. It all goes downhill once Two-Face appears. I like Aaron Eckhart and I think he does a good job with the role (and the makeup is excellent!), but the movie just starts to drag by that point. But, Heath Ledger gives a performance of a lifetime, there's no denying that. It's still so sad that this really launched his career into superstardom (he was obviously very famous - with Brokeback and 10 Things I Hate About You, plus my husband just recently informed me that A Knight's Tale is in his top 10 favorite movies of all time. WHAT? A Knight's Tale??? I'm baffled.). But this was a huge milestone. He devours this role - in his mannerisms, voice, body language, plus he is one of the few actors who was able to utilize the makeup on his face to his advantage instead of letting it detract from the performance. It somehow feels chaotic and messy, while also feeling perfectly detailed. But the rest of the film is just messy. Some scenes feel like they were chopped too short, and the placement of scenes do not flow together, while other scenes drag on forever. The flow just doesn't work. And there are some very famous scenes that are laugh-out-loud funny that I don't think were originally supposed to be funny (like how Two-Face doesn't instantly recognize Joker when he's dressed as a nurse). I thought with this rewatch, I might feel differently, but I still think I'm right.
7. The Dark Knight Rises - I think it's weird how hard people/critics were on this entry into the trilogy when it's pretty much equal in quality to TDK and has a lot of the same issues (bloated storyline & pacing issues). Tom Hardy, as Bane, gives an equally terrifying performance as Ledger did (although I think Joker is just a showier role). And the rest of the cast is incredible (better than the first two!) - Anne Hathaway is a great Catwoman (would have loved a spin-off), and I REALLY, REALLY wish they continued JGL's role as Robin (or Nightwing or whatever he was supposed to be). And I think this is when everyone fell in love with Marion Cotillard - although I think it takes waaaay too long to get to the twist of her character. I like that this feels like a true trilogy, too. It connects itself to the first one, continues the story, but gives it a satisfying end, too. Honestly, I probably enjoyed watching this more than TDK, and I think if it weren't for Ledger's performance others would agree with me! Ledger's performance does give TDK the edge though.
My Ranking (yes, I decided I'll start ranking my marathon posts):
Batman Begins
Batman Returns
Batman ('89)
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman Forever
Batman & Robin
*Obviously there are a lot more Batman movies out there, but I limited this to start at Keaton's Batman and end at Nolan's trilogy.
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