The Ultimate Guide to Batman Movies and TV Shows

Black and White Batman

Batman

USA, 1943.
Action, detective.
Duration: 15 episodes.
IMDb: 6, 4.

The first adaptation of the Batman comics came out in the forties. Because of the censorship in the film series, the superhero was made not a lone avenger, but a government agent. And often he had to fight foreign spies: during the Second World War, patriotic sentiments were actively promoted in the country. For example, Batman and Robin, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, were looking for a Japanese gang who had kidnapped their friend.

Batman and robin

USA, 1949.
Action, detective.
Duration: 15 episodes.
IMDb: 6, 1.

In the wake of the success of the first series, a sequel was released a few years later. True, the entire cast has changed, but the story remains the same: Batman and Robin catch all sorts of criminals. After the war, they were already allowed not to defend their homeland from external enemies, but to catch the villain Magician, who can control any mechanisms.

Of course, now these film series look funny and even ridiculous: the budgets then were very small, and no one thought about special effects at all. But fans of black and white retro may love these simple and naive plots.

Comedic Batman

Batman

USA, 1966-1968.
Action, comedy, adventure, fantasy.
Duration: 3 seasons.
IMDb: 7, 5.

In the mid-60s, a series about Batman was launched on ABC. True, the authors made the main reference point towards a family audience. And therefore, a rather serious story from comics was turned into a comedy.

The hero, who this time was played by Adam West, together with Robin, and then with the new assistant Batgirl, faces all the main enemies: Joker, Penguin, Catwoman and others. But this time, Batman defeats them with fun and jokes.

Watching this series as a serious adaptation of the stories of the Dark Knight is simply impossible. But as a collection of memes and good gags, it still looks great today.

Batman

USA, 1966.
Action, comedy, adventure, fantasy.
Duration: 105 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 5.

Against the background of the popularity of the first season of the series, the creators also released a full-length film shot in exactly the same vein. It was from this picture that the funny scene came where Batman runs around with a big round bomb and also scares off a shark with a spray.

Interestingly, the villains in the film and the sequel were often played by different actors. So, Julie Newmar, who originally played the role of Catwoman, was replaced in the film by a very similar to her Lee Meriwether. And in the third season, the black singer Eartha Kitt was hired for this role - long before Halle Berry appeared in the same way.

Gothic Batman

Batman

USA, UK, 1989.
Action, adventure, fantasy.
Duration: 126 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 5.

Famous Tim Burton was the first to take seriously the dark version of the Batman story. He retells the familiar plot (albeit with strong digressions) of the confrontation between the Dark Knight and the Joker, adding his traditional Gothic style.

Interestingly, Michael Keaton, who played the main role, was better known for his comedic roles before. Therefore, viewers expected a repetition of the atmosphere of the sixties series. But Burton showed the dark side of Gotham and the rampant crime.

A separate merit of the picture is the Joker, played by Jack Nicholson. It is curious that one of the candidates for this role was Tim Curry, who soon got the image of another famous clown - the creepy Pennywise from "It".

Batman returns

USA, UK, 1992.
Action, adventure, fantasy.
Duration: 126 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 0.

Against the background of the deafening success of the first film, a sequel appeared a few years later. The entire core team returned to work, and in the new part, Batman had to face a new villain - Penguin (Danny de Vito), planning to seize power in the city. And in parallel, the story of the relationship between Bruce Wayne and Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) developed.

Moreover, Pfeiffer could have appeared in the first part in the image of the journalist Vicki Vale, but then Keaton refused, since they had a relationship. However, for the second film, the actress was still given the role.

Batman forever

USA, UK, 1995.
Action, adventure, fantasy.
Duration: 121 minutes.
IMDb: 5, 4.

Unfortunately, the popularity of Burton's films played a trick on the franchise. The producers wanted to expand the audience even more and sell as many souvenirs as possible. To do this, they needed to make the continuation brighter and more positive.

Burton refused to shoot the third part, and Michael Keaton left with him. Therefore, Val Kilmer became the new performer of the role of Batman, and Joel Schumacher took over as director.

This time, Batman, with the support of Robin, fought the distraught lawyer Harvey Dent (Tommy Lee Jones) and the Riddler (Jim Carrey).

Thanks to famous actors and previous popularity, the picture paid off well at the box office. But the reviews from critics were very mediocre. And then it only got worse.

Batman and robin

USA, UK, 1997.
Action, adventure, fantasy.
Duration: 125 minutes.
IMDb: 3, 7.

By the fourth part, the leading actor changed again - the idol of youth George Clooney became Batman. And it seems that the authors generally decided to rely on the actors. A whole galaxy of stars was gathered in the new film: Arnold Schwarzenegger played Mr. Freeze, Uma Thurman got the image of Poison Ivy, and Batgirl, played by Alicia Silverstone, was added to the Batman team.

But all this did not save the film from failure. The film barely hit the budget, and the reviews were absolutely devastating, and 11 nominations for the "Golden Raspberry" confirm this. George Clooney has been officially recognized as the worst performer of the Batman role of all time, and has repeatedly apologized for it.

Therefore, the third and especially the fourth part of "Batman" should be watched only by those who love real trash with very bright colors, ridiculous characters and meaningless plot twists.

Realistic Batman

Batman Begins

USA, UK, 2005.
Action, adventure, fantasy.
Duration: 140 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 2.

In the early 2000s, Christopher Nolan completely rebooted the Batman story. Bruce Wayne loses his parents again, and having matured, he undertakes to cleanse the city of crime. His opponents are Dr. Crane, aka Scarecrow, Mafia boss Carmine Falcone, as well as the League of Shadows led by Ra's al Ghul.

In Nolan's version, history and technology have become more realistic, and Gotham has become a kind of modern New York. And in addition to modern sets and special effects, the director has invited great actors. This time, the Dark Knight was played by Christian Bale, Commissioner Gordon - by Gary Oldman, and Alfred's loyal servant - by Michael Kane.

This "Batman" is worth watching for anyone who is tired of too unnatural heroes in tights and is looking for a hard-hitting dramatic action movie in comic books.

The Dark Knight

USA, UK, 2008.
Action, adventure, fantasy.
Duration: 152 minutes.
IMDb: 9, 0.

The restart of the project was extremely successful. Still, the movie "The Dark Knight" became the main story of Nolan about Batman. In it, Bruce Wayne has to face the Joker.

The image of Heath Ledger in the role of a mad criminal turned out to be completely different from the legendary Nicholson. Now the Joker has become a crazy anarchist who dreams of causing chaos. And in addition, in the second half of the film, a new dark version of Two-Face was presented.

"The Dark Knight" (by the way, this is the first film, the title of which does not contain the word "Batman") was enthusiastically received by both viewers and critics. He grossed over a billion dollars at the box office, and in the list of the best films in history according to IMDb, the picture takes fourth place, second only to The Shawshank Redemption and two parts of The Godfather.

Heath Ledger also received many awards for his excellent performance as the Joker. Unfortunately, posthumously.

The Dark Knight Rises

USA, UK, 2012.
Action, adventure, fantasy.
Duration: 165 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 4.

At the end of the Dark Knight's story, Christopher Nolan decided to confront Batman with the most dangerous enemy - Bane. In the comics, this character was not only strong thanks to the constant effects of the drug "Venom", but also very smart.

In the movie, the villain only appeared in the 1997 film Batman and Robin, but there he was turned into Poison Ivy's stupid assistant. But Nolan again decided to add rigidity to the plot. In Rise of a Legend, Bruce Wayne already wants to retire, but Bane (Tom Hardy) and his henchmen take over the entire city, trapping the police in the catacombs. And then Batman begins to administer justice. But the new rival turns out to be too strong.

Brutal Batman

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

USA, 2016.
Action, adventure, fantasy.
Duration: 153 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 5.

Batman returned to the screens again after DC began to build its own cinematic universe in the likeness of Marvel. It all started with "Man of Steel" - the story of Superman. And already in the second film, Zack Snyder introduced Bruce Wayne to the audience. But not at all like everyone is used to.

Ben Affleck's Batman is an aging man, tired of his job and suffering from nightmares. Upon learning that a superhero has appeared in the world, capable of destroying entire cities, he decides to find a way to defeat Superman. And at first, Batman looks almost like a villain in this movie.

Snyder decided not to repeat previous films and to show Bruce Wayne at a respectable age, when he no longer relies on his strength, but on experience and tactics. And his Batman looks tougher and darker than everyone else.

Justice League

USA, 2017.
Action, adventure, fantasy.
Duration: 110 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 4.

Justice League continues the Batman v Superman story straight. Now superheroes have to unite to repel the most powerful enemy who has arrived from distant space.

Unfortunately, Zach Snyder did not have time to finish the work due to a personal tragedy. The filming was directed by the author of "The Avengers" Joss Whedon. As a result, the picture came out not very complete, and it was poorly appreciated. Moreover, many fans still dream of seeing the traditionally darker version of Snyder.

Initially, after this tape, a solo film about Batman was planned, where Ben Affleck would return to the role. But then the company decided to shoot the prequel about the formation of Bruce Wayne again. In the next film he will be played by Robert Pattinson.

Young Batman

Gotham

USA, 2014-2019.
Action, detective, adventure, fantasy.
Duration: 5 seasons.
IMDb: 7, 8.

In the Fox project, by contrast, Bruce Wayne was shown very young, long before he became Batman. Gotham can be considered a prequel to the original Dark Knight story, although the series strays far from the comic book plots.

But in it the future Commissioner Gordon, the not yet old butler Alfred and many villains, shown in a completely different way than everyone is used to seeing them in comics or films, are very well revealed.

Batman mentor

Titans

USA, 2018 - present.
Action, adventure, fantasy.
Duration: 2 seasons.
IMDb: 7, 9.

In this series, Bruce Wayne is only a minor character who hardly appears in the frame in the first season. And the story is dedicated to his former assistant Dick Grayson. He decides to abandon the name of Robin and creates his own team of superheroes.

Batman is shown more often in the second season, played by Ian Glen, best known for his role as Jorah Mormont from Game of Thrones.