With Joaquin Phoenix's recent win for his role in The Joker, DC films have been back in the news in a very good way. While The Joker was a popular and award-winning film, Batman will always be more popular than his demonic nemesis. That's why Batman has headlined ten movies where the Joker has headlined only the one.
That, of course, means there's a lot more to get through where Batman is concerned, and very few people still own the VHS tapes from the 1990s. Here is the best way to watch the live-action Batman films streaming online these days.
Batman: The Movie (1966)
Adam West was the original on-screen Batman, both in the television show and the movie. In fact, Batman: The Movie premiered in the same year as the original live-action television program. Both starred Adam West as Batman, and Burt Ward as Robin.
Modern movie viewers often complain that some superhero films are over-saturated with villains but, after watching Batman: The Movie that seems to be part of the tradition. Batman and Robin were paired up against The Riddler, The Penguin, Catwoman, the Joker in their 1966 outing.
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Batman (1989)
Tim Burton put his signature stamp on Batman the first of a semi-related trilogy, sometimes switching up his actors as time went along. This first story starred Michael Keaton as Batman and Bruce Wayne and Jack Nicholson as the Joker.
This new take on the Caped Crusader made over $400 million at the box office and set off a new superhero craze. Until Heath Ledger in 2008, Jack Nicholson also held the top spot in terms of Joker portrayals.
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Batman Returns (1992)
Tim Burton again paired with Michael Keaton to bring Batman to life on screen. Batman Returns also saw the introduction of Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Danny Devito as The Penguin.
The Penguin wants to return to the surface, and leave his life in the sewers behind. He is also planning to kidnap the firstborn children of Gotham and it's up to Keaton's Batman to, once again, keep the city safe. The film also starred Christopher Walken as millionaire Max Shreck.
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Batman Forever (1995)
Tim Burton declined to direct the third Batman movie but stayed on as a producer. The film was instead helmed by Joel Schumacher, he partnered with new Bruce Wayne, Val Kilmer, in Batman Forever. The film also starred Jim Carrey as the Ridler, Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face, and Chris O'Donnell as Robin.
Nicole Kidman took on the role of Chase Meridian, Wayne's love interest, as he tried to leave crime-fighting behind him. Things, obviously, do not go as planned.
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Batman and Robin (1997)
Like Batman: The Movie, so many years before, Batman and Robin is known for having quite the rogue's gallery. The film starred another new Batman/Bruce Wayne, George Clooney, alongside returning Robin, Chris O'Donnell. The pair have to fight Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze and Uma Thurman’s Poison Ivy.
Also making an appearance as a henchman, Bane (who viewers would be more familiar with after 2012's The Dark Knight Rises). Often referred to as the worst of the Batman movies, it still introduced Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl.
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Batman Begins (2005)
Batman Begins was the beginning of the Christopher Nolan area and the beginning of a superhero renaissance on screen. While the spectacle of the Tim Burton films was well received, there was something new and exciting about the more serious and down to earth tones taken by Nolan and his Batman/Bruce Wayne, Christian Bale.
Batman Begins truly started at the beginning, offering viewers the complete picture of the rise of Batman from the death of Bruce's parents to the donning of the cowl.
Available On: Amazon, DirectTV, GooglePlay, Vudu, Netflix, Microsoft Store
The Dark Knight (2008)
Perhaps the pinnacle of all Batman films to date, The Dark Knight, brought back two key villains and earned the caped crusader his first major awards acclaim.
Along with Christian Bale as Batman, and Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, Aaron Eckhart joined the cast as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, and Heath Ledger as The Joker. Ledger would win a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal. It has been a hard film to beat since it's release over ten years ago.
Available On: Amazon, DirectTV, GooglePlay, Vudu, Netflix, Microsoft Store
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The end of the Nolan trilogy hit theaters some eight years ago. In his final outing as the Caped Crusader, Christian Bale found himself standing up against Tom Hardy's Bane (a very different character than in 1997's Batman and Robin).
It's a final swan song for Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox and Michael Cane's Alfred, along with the rest of the cast. While often called the weakest of the Nolan trilogy, the film still explores the same darkness and personal sacrifice of its predecessors and was largely seen as a successful ending.
Available On: Amazon, DirectTV, GooglePlay, Vudu, Microsoft Store
Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Largely a sequel to the 2013 Superman film, Man of Steel, Batman vs Superman finds Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne as the veteran hero who is less than thrilled with the alien new kid on the block. The film also stars Henry Cavill as Superman and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor.
Per usual, kryptonite is involved to help fight Superman, though the rivalry between DC's two megastars didn't come off as successfully as the studio has hoped. A kryptonite powered Batsuit? The film only has a 28% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Available On: Amazon, DirectTV, GooglePlay, Vudu, Microsoft Store
Justice League (2017)
The Superman movies, Man of Steel, and Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice were meant to set up a Justice League movie. They did, but not as well as fans might have hoped. With Superman having supposedly perished in Batman vs Superman, Batman teams up instead with the fabulous Gal Gadot as Wonderwoman.
They begin to put a team together to help protect the planet including Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, and Ray Fisher as Cyborg. They come up against quite the adversary in Steppenwolf, who wants to terraform the entire world for his own pleasure.
Available On: Amazon, DirectTV, GooglePlay, Vudu, Microsoft Store