37 Batman Movies (Batman Forever), Ranked by Tomatometer
(Photo by Warner Brothers /courtesy Everett Collection. BATMAN FOREVER)
Batman Forever celebrates its 30th anniversary!
A Dark Knight, the Caped Crusader, ol’ Boogaloo Bats. There is a Batman for all seasons. But whatever you call him, he’s known far and wide as a comic book hero who’s managed to keep relevant in entertainment for decades, re-invented time and time again to answer a nation’s distress Bat-signal all. It was camp colors and biff–bang–pow for the 1960s (the Batman TV show). The ’80s found a taste for blockbuster art deco madness (Tim Burton’s Batman). The ’90s got the best of it (Mask of the Phantasm) and the worst (Batman & Robin). The world of the 2000s demanded realism and it got Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy. Recently, he played nice with the Justice League. And then Robert Pattinson donned the cowl in 2022’s long-awaited The Batman.
#1
(2008)
94%
Critics Consensus: Dark, complex, and unforgettable, The Dark Knight succeeds not just as an entertaining comic book film, but as a richly thrilling crime saga.
Synopsis: With the help of allies Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman (Christian Bale) has
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#2
(2017)
89%
Critics Consensus: The Lego Batman Movie continues its block-buster franchise’s winning streak with another round of dizzyingly funny — and beautifully animated — family-friendly mayhem.
Synopsis: There are big changes brewing in Gotham, but if Batman (Will Arnett) wants to save the city from the Joker’s
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#3
(2012)
87%
Critics Consensus: The Dark Knight Rises is an ambitious, thoughtful, and potent action film that concludes Christopher Nolan’s franchise in spectacular fashion.
Synopsis: It has been eight years since Batman (Christian Bale), in collusion with Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), vanished into the night.
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#4
(2022)
85%
Critics Consensus: A grim, gritty, and gripping super-noir, The Batman ranks among the Dark Knight’s bleakest — and most thrillingly ambitious — live-action outings.
Synopsis: Batman ventures into Gotham City’s underworld when a sadistic killer leaves behind a trail of cryptic clues. As the scale
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#5
(2005)
85%
Critics Consensus: Brooding and dark, but also exciting and smart, Batman Begins is a film that understands the essence of one of the definitive superheroes.
Synopsis: A young Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels to the Far East, where he’s trained in the martial arts by Henri
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#6
(1993)
83%
Critics Consensus: Stylish and admirably respectful of the source material, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm succeeds where many of the live-action Batman adaptations have failed.
Synopsis: In this animated feature set in the 1940s, the troubled yet heroic Batman (Kevin Conroy) is pitted against a mysterious
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#7
(1992)
82%
Critics Consensus: Director Tim Burton’s dark, brooding atmosphere, Michael Keaton’s work as the tormented hero, and the flawless casting of Danny DeVito as The Penguin and Christopher Walken as, well, Christopher Walken make the sequel better than the first.
Synopsis: The monstrous Penguin (Danny DeVito), who lives in the sewers beneath Gotham, joins up with wicked shock-headed businessman Max Shreck
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#8
(1989)
76%
Critics Consensus: An eerie, haunting spectacle, Batman succeeds as dark entertainment, even if Jack Nicholson’s Joker too often overshadows the title character.
Synopsis: Having witnessed his parents’ brutal murder as a child, millionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) fights crime in Gotham City
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#9
(2021)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: It’s a dark time in Gotham City. Held hostage by the powerful Falcone crime family, the city is rife with
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#10
(2021)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Inspired by the iconic mid-1990s DC story from Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two continues
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#11
(2019)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Batman and his allies team up with the turtles to battle Shredder, Ra’s Al Ghul, and The League of Assassins.
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#12
(2010)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Batman faces a vigilante who aims to clean up Gotham City but does not follow his moral code.
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#13
(2000)
100%
Critics Consensus: This feature length entry in the Batman Beyond mythos sends off the Mark Hamill-voiced Joker in thrilling fashion, hitting the same caped crusading peaks of the original series.
Synopsis: In the Gotham City of the future, an older Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) trains a college student, Terry McGinnis (Will
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#14
(2017)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Former Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent, whose face has been scarred by acid, goes on a crime spree based
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#15
(2012)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Bruce Wayne (Peter Weller), now 55-years-old, comes out of retirement to don the cape and cowl. As Batman, he fights
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#16
(2015)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Damian Wayne has a hard time accepting his father’s no-killing rule, and soon starts to believe his destiny lies within
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#17
(2016)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: With Batman missing, it’s up to Dick Grayson to put on the cowl and protect Gotham.
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#18
(2016)
94%
Critics Consensus: Adam West’s groovy interpretation of the The Caped Crusader returns in a new medium, popping in the realm of animation with the irascible energy of an exclamation-accented onomatopoeia.
Synopsis: Batman and Robin have their hands full when Penguin, The Joker, Riddler and Catwoman combine their nefarious talents to threaten
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#19
(2021)
93%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Set in the midst of the swinging 1970s, this Elseworlds adventure finds Bruce Wayne training under a master sensei. It
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#20
(1998)
92%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Batman and Robin chase Mr. Freeze, who has kidnapped Batgirl in order to save his wife.
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#21
(2011)
89%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Bruce Wayne (Ben McKenzie) fights his new nemesis, Catwoman (Eliza Dushku), while lawman James Gordon (Bryan Cranston) battles corruption in
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#22
(2019)
83%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A mysterious villain tries to take down Batman.
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#23
(2018)
82%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Batman, along with his allies and adversaries, finds himself transported from modern Gotham City to feudal Japan.
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#24
(1966)
80%
Critics Consensus: Batman: The Movie elevates camp to an art form — and has a blast doing it, every gloriously tongue-in-cheek inch of the way.
Synopsis: Kaaapowie! Holy feature film, Batman … one based on the tongue-in-cheek, campy 1960’s television series. Watch Batman (Adam West) and
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#25
(2014)
78%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Batman (Kevin Conroy) must prevent the Joker (Troy Baker) from destroying Gotham City, while battling a new batch of villains
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#26
(2018)
75%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Batman scours the dark streets of Gotham City to find the elusive serial killer Jack the Ripper.
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#27
(2021)
71%
Critics Consensus: Zack Snyder’s Justice League lives up to its title with a sprawling cut that expands to fit the director’s vision — and should satisfy the fans who willed it into existence.
Synopsis: In ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE, determined to ensure Superman’s (Henry Cavill) ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne (Ben
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#28
(2023)
71%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Inspired by the comic book series by Mike Mignola, Richard Pace and Troy Nixey, Batman: The Doom That Came to
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#29
(2014)
64%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Batman (Jason O’Mara) learns that he has a violent young son who was raised in secret by the League of
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#30
(2023)
63%
Critics Consensus: The Flash is funny, fittingly fast-paced, and overall ranks as one of the best DC movies in recent years.
Synopsis: Worlds collide in “The Flash” when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the
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#31
(2003)
60%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Batman (Kevin Conroy) and a new crime-fighter battle the Penguin and his arms-smuggling operation.
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#32
(2017)
50%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Batman and Nightwing join forces with Harley Quinn to stop a global threat brought about by Poison Ivy and the
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#33
(2017)
39%
Critics Consensus: Justice League leaps over a number of DC movies, but its single bound isn’t enough to shed the murky aesthetic, thin characters, and chaotic action that continue to dog the franchise.
Synopsis: Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists newfound ally Diana Prince
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#34
(1995)
39%
Critics Consensus: Loud, excessively busy, and often boring, Batman Forever nonetheless has the charisma of Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones to offer mild relief.
Synopsis: Batman (Val Kilmer) faces off against two foes: the schizophrenic, horribly scarred former District Attorney Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face (Tommy
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#35
(2016)
35%
Critics Consensus: This stilted retelling of the Joker’s origin adds little to its iconic source material, further diminished by some questionable story additions that will have fans demanding justice for Barbara Gordon.
Synopsis: Batman (Kevin Conroy) must save Commissioner Gordon (Ray Wise) from the Joker’s (Mark Hamill) twisted quest to drive him insane.
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#36
(2016)
28%
Critics Consensus: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice smothers a potentially powerful story — and some of America’s most iconic superheroes — in a grim whirlwind of effects-driven action.
Synopsis: It’s been nearly two years since Superman’s (Henry Cavill) colossal battle with Zod (Michael Shannon) devastated the city of Metropolis.
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#37
(1997)
11%
Critics Consensus: Joel Schumacher’s tongue-in-cheek attitude hits an unbearable limit in Batman & Robin resulting in a frantic and mindless movie that’s too jokey to care much for.
Synopsis: This superhero adventure finds Batman (George Clooney) and his partner, Robin (Chris O’Donnell), attempting to the foil the sinister schemes
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