One thing that the newly released The Batman is being praised to no end for is its depiction of Gotham. Where most first movies in a long-running series aren't fully developed and are only beginning to take shape with its world-building, the Gotham in The Batman is already fully realized.
From The Iceberg Lounge to the monsoon-like rainfall to the cathedral-like architecture, it's one of the most picture-accurate depictions of Gotham ever. However, in terms of how comic-accurate it is and where it ranks against other movie depictions of Gotham is another story entirely.
The Dark Knight's Gotham
The Dark Knight is great at a lot of things, whether it's the terrifying depiction of the Joker or the moral questions it asks audiences. However, it takes some huge liberties with the source material, and even the celebrated portrayal of the clown prince of crime is completely unlike how he's ever been painted. But where the Joker was received so well despite being a far cry from the comic books, there wasn't as much effort put into the look of Gotham.
The city barely looks Gothic at all, and it essentially looks like a completely unaltered Chicago, which is where the movie was shot. There isn't even a Batcave in the movie. And though that makes sense because Ra's Al Ghul set the place on fire in Batman Begins, the replacement is a huge brightly lit garage, which couldn't be less Gotham-esq if it tried. However, ironically, though it's the worst depiction of Gotham, The Dark Knight is still the best Batman movie.
The Dark Knight Rises' Gotham
The Dark Knight Rises has a lot more in common with The Dark Knight than The Dark Knight does with Batman Begins. The final movie in the trilogy keeps the metropolitan-like, modern skyscraper-ridden Gotham of its predecessor. However, at least most of the movie is set in Gotham and Bruce Wayne isn't on boats or taking impromptu trips to Hong Kong.
Fans also get to see more Gotham landmarks in the movie, such as Wayne Manor, Gotham Square Garden, and the Gotham underground. Regardless of how polarizing the movie is and how inferior it is seen compared to its predecessor, the 2012 movie has a far better version of Gotham than The Dark Knight.
The DCEU Gotham
There's nothing wrong with the Gotham that shows up in the DC Extended Universe, as it's suitably dark and rundown. However, the biggest problem when it comes down to the iconic fictional city in the series is its geography. Gotham is a stone's throw away from Metropolis, as the two cities are connected by a bridge.
In Batman v Superman, Metropolis can be seen from Gotham as if it's just a block away. The two cities have never been so close together, and they're usually hundreds of miles apart. But as there's so much going on in the movie that could be premises for 10 other movies, the distance between the cities makes sense in the context of the story that Zack Snyder wanted to tell.
Batman Forever's Gotham
Batman Forever was the first of Joel Schumacher's two entries into the Batman franchise, and he somehow managed to make the series even more theatrical than Tim Burton's movies. The film's depiction of Gotham is mostly faithful to the previous Burton-directed movies and the source material, and it's extremely gothic in the most child-friendly way possible.
Between Arkham Asylum and the circus, Schumacher put his spin on some major Gotham landmarks, Not to mention the fascinating portrayal of Wayne Enterprises that makes it look like a torturous, almost sweat shop-like place to work.
Batman & Robin's Gotham
Batman fans can say what they want about Batman & Robin, which was despised by general audiences and critics and temporarily ruined Batman's movie legacy. However, there's no denying how exciting the world of Gotham is. The movie takes place in the same universe as Batman Forever, only it massively expands the world, introducing some major landmarks that hadn't been shown in any Batman movie up to that point.
The only thing that holds the portrayal of Gotham back is how colorful it is. But it's still an absolute spectacle to marvel at, whether it's dancing gorillas in the club or all of the plants in Poison Ivy's botanical garden, and that's partly why Batman & Robin is so underrated.
Batman Returns' Gotham
Just like how Spider-Man: Miles Morales features the same open-world map as Marvel's Spider-Man only with a dusting of snow, Batman Returns features the same Gotham as Batman, only it's set during Christmas. The movie has added tons of snow and a giant Christmas tree in Gotham's main plaza, and outside of that, it continues the gothic depiction that the first movie perfected.
However, instead of using known locations from the comic books, Burton created his own Gotham landmarks, such as the huge department store, Shreck's. However, as Burton had such an influence in building a cinematic Gotham, all of his fascinating additions only add to the allure of the fictional city. And while some might point out the absence of The Iceberg Lounge considering that the Penguin is in the movie, the club wasn't introduced in the comics until 1995.
Batman Begins' Gotham
Batman Begins is one of the best superhero origin movies because of the way it depicts Bruce Wayne's transformation from an obnoxious rich kid to a ninja vigilante. But more interestingly, with Christopher Nolan's reboot of the caped crusader, the director put so much effort into depicting Gotham as a downtrodden city with people in power who are trying to change its reputation.
While the gothic tone and its rich aesthetic of the city are important in the movie, that's only part of it, and Nolan uses the barbarity of the city to move the film along. Not only are there key landmarks like the docks, and not only is it typically rainy and Gothic but it's used to show how both Bruce Wayne and Batman can use their abilities, whether it's money or brute force, to clean up the streets.
The Batman's Gotham
One of the reasons why The Batman is almost three hours long is because of how much time is given to showing off Gotham City. So much effort has gone into making it feel like a living, breathing, real-life city, and Gotham has never been more gothic than in the 2022 movie. And just as is the case with Gotham, there's so much rain to the point where it borders on parody.
Despite how sprawling the movie is, most of the film is set in one major location, the Iceberg Lounge, which is a landmark that has never been shown in a Batman movie before. However, while the movie depicts the Lounge as dirty and grimy, the Penguin's club in the comic books is a classy and posh joint.
1989's Batman's Gotham
When it comes to Gotham itself, no movie has nailed it more than the original major Hollywood blockbuster based on the caped crusader. The 1989 movie captures the tone of Batman with a single oil painting, as the very establishing shot, which is part live-action, part painting, is inherently gothic. That one shot inspired every single following Batman movie.
Whether it's all of the gargoyle-laden Old Gotham Cathedral, Axis Chemicals, or Gotham Square, director Tim Burton created one of the most beautiful-looking and dense movie worlds ever. The one thing that doesn't make any sense about Burton's Gotham is that Prince wouldn't have been caught dead in the city.