Being a Batfan means that any day is a great day to watch all the live-action Batman movies in order (most of which are usually available with a Max subscription, making it one of the best streaming services to subscribe to today). It can also be fun to debate which of the best Batman movies, or even the most underrated Batman movies, deserve a spot among the greatest superhero movies of all time.
Before you cast your vote, try revisiting (or, perhaps, even discovering) all of the live-action, feature-length DC movies starring the Caped Crusader so far. We shall start with the “Bright Knight’s” big screen moment.
The Adam West Era
Batman: The Movie (1966)
Director: Leslie H. Martinson
Starring: Adam West, Burt Ward
What it's about: Millionaire Bruce Wayne and his young ward, Dick "Robin" Grayson, take on four fearsome members of their rogues gallery.
More about the Batman movie: Released months after its TV series predecessor premiered, Batman: The Movie may be a far cry from the character’s definitively darker iterations but Adam West’s legendary performance and its laugh-out-loud moments make it hard not to get wrapped up in this fun, campy classic.
How to watch Batman: The Movie
The Tim Burton Era
Batman (1989)
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger
What it's about: Millionaire Bruce Wayne takes on a manic, disfigured gangster.
More about the Batman movie: One of the best Michael Keaton movies, Batman (also one of the best '80s movies), brought the Dark Knight's definitive, brooding form back to the mainstream with Michael Keaton’s grounded portrayal, Jack Nicholson’s timelessly manic take on the Joker, and Danny Elfman's seminal score.
Batman Returns (1992)
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer
What it's about: Bruce Wayne puts on the cape and cowl again to face The Penguin, Catwoman, and a corrupt industrialist during one volatile holiday season.
More about the Batman movie: The more definitive Tim Burton movie in the franchise is Batman Returns, which, despite some controversial backlash over its macabre style, is a thoroughly entertaining interpretation of Gotham City lore and boasts one of the best Catwoman performances ever.
- Stream Batman Returns on Max
- Rent or buy Batman Returns on Amazon
- Buy Batman Returns on Blu-ray on Amazon
The Joel Schumacher Era
Batman Forever (1995)
Director: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Chris O’Donnell, Nicole Kidman
What it's about: Bruce Wayne struggles with his own identity while Two-Face and The Riddler attempt to discover Batman's true identity.
More about the Batman movie: Batman Forever is still dark on the inside but brighter on the outside (making Gotham look like Vegas with miniatures and digital effects), and also features one of the most iconic Riddler depictions.
- Stream Batman Forever on Max
- Rent or buy Batman Forever on Amazon
- Buy Batman Forever on Blu-ray on Amazon
Batman & Robin (1997)
Director: Joel Schumacher
Starring: George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell
What it's about: The Caped Crusaders try to protect Gotham from Mr. Freeze and Poison, with unexpected help from Batgirl.
More about the Batman movie: Despite an initially cold reception from most, Batman & Robin still does work for some people for the scenery-chewing Arnold Schwarzenegger and Uma Thurman as Freeze and Ivy, Alicia Silverstone's Batgirl, its much brighter tone and visual style.
- Stream Batman & Robin on Max
- Rent or buy Batman & Robin on Amazon
- Buy Batman & Robin on Blu-ray on Amazon
The Dark Knight Trilogy
Batman Begins (2005)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Michale Caine, Gary Oldman
What it's about: Bruce Wayne takes on the visage of his own greatest fear to wage a war against crime in his home city.
More about the Batman movie: Christian Bale secures himself as one of the best cinematic Batman actors in the acclaimed superhero origin story, Batman Begins, which also features one of the coolest Batmobile designs and beautifully bridges the gap between comic book fantasy and grounded, action-packed thrills.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Director: Christoper Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger
What it's about: Bruce Wayne works with the GCPD and D.A. Harvey Dent to catch an elusive, dangerous criminal known as The Joker.
More about the Batman movie: Christopher Nolan’s second DC movie, The Dark Knight, sparked a revolution in comic book cinema, with much credit to the late Heath Ledger Oscar-winning performance as the Joker.
- Stream The Dark Knight on Max
- Rent or buy The Dark Knight on Amazon
- Buy The Dark Knight on Blu-ray on Amazon
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Director: Christoper Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy
What it's about: Batman is pushed to his farthest limits by a physically and mentally intimidating terrorist named Bane, who turns Gotham City into an anarchic “No Man’s Land."
More about the Batman movie: Once again the villains steal the spotlight in Christopher Nolan's trilogy ender, The Dark Knight Rises, with Tom Hardy's Bane and Anne Hathaway's Catwoman, who joins forces with Batman in one of the coolest rival team-ups in recent memory.
How to watch The Dark Knight Rises
- Stream The Dark Knight Rises on Max
- Rent or buy The Dark Knight Rises on Amazon
- Buy The Dark Knight Rises on Blu-ray on Amazon
The DC Extended Universe
Director Zack Snyder’s Superman movie reboot, Man of Steel, was the first installment of a shared universe that came to be known as the DC Extended Universe. Of course, such a franchise would not be complete without Batman — as played by Academy Award winner and former Marvel movie actor (from 2003’s Daredevil) Ben Affleck... but he would not be the only one.
Before we get into where you can relive Batman's appearances in the DCEU, let's take a quick look at every film in this now-defunct shared universe by order of release date:
- Man of Steel (2013)
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
- Suicide Squad (2016)
- Wonder Woman (2017)
- Justice League (2017)
- Aquaman (2018)
- Shazam! (2019)
- Birds Of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020)
- Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
- Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
- Black Adam (2022)
- Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)
- The Flash (2023)
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016)
Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill
What it's about: The Dark Knight is sent down a path toward vengeful conflict with the Man of Steel as the godly Kryptonian's own heroism is also put under intense scrutiny.
More about the Batman movie: In 2013, Ben Affleck was announced as Bale's successor for a gruffer, older, beefier, and arguably better take on Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which is also available as a three-hour "ultimate" cut on Max.
How to watch Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
- Stream Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Ultimate Edition on Max
- Rent or buy Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Ultimate Edition on Amazon
- Buy Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Ultimate Edition on Blu-ray on Amazon
Suicide Squad (2016)
Director: David Ayer
Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie
What it's about: A group of Gotham City's most dangerous criminals are offered shorter jail sentences in exchange for doing Amanda Waller's dirty work on Task Force X.
More about the Batman movie: Ben Affleck made a brief, but memorable, appearance in Suicide Squad, just a few months after Batman v Superman, In two of the best sequences (in addition to a mid-credits cameo) from DC's supervillain crossover flick.
- Stream Suicide Squad on Max
- Rent or buy Suicide Squad on Amazon
- Buy Suicide Squad on Blu-ray on Amazon
Justice League (2017)
Director: Zack Snyder, Joss Whedon
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller
What it's about: Seeking redemption for the mistake that led to Clark Kent’s demise, Bruce Wayne seeks out a crew of powerful people to help him defend Earth from an impending, otherworldly threat.
More about the Batman movie: While some may assume Superman is the de facto leader of the Justice League, it is this more hopeful Batman calling the shots in the first cinematic interpretation of DC's most powerful heroes uniting.
- Stream Justice League on Max
- Rent or buy Justice League on Amazon
- Buy Justice League on Blu-ray on Amazon
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller
What it's about: A disparate group of powerful people are brought together to take on an unearthly enemy.
More about the Batman movie: Seeking redemption for the mistakes that led to Justice League's disappointing critical and commercial reception, Warner Bros. decided to #ReleaseTheSnyderCut as a four-hour Max exclusive that boasts some of Batfleck’s most badass moments.
How to watch Zack Snyder's Justice League
- Stream Zack Snyder’s Justice League on Max
- Stream Zack Snyder’s Justice League: Justice is Gray on Max
- Buy Zack Snyder's Justice League on Blu-ray on Amazon
The Flash (2023)
Director: Andy Muschiett
Starring: Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle
What it's about: After discovering he can use his lightning-fast speed to alter the past, Barry Allen finds himself trapped in a doomed alternate reality, leading him to ask for some help.
More about the Batman movie: The DC Multiverse-spanning adventure, The Flash (currently one of the DC movies on Netflix), features not only Ben Affleck's Batman but also Michael Keaton in an awesome return to the role and one other surprise cameo at the end that we will let you find out on your own.
- Stream The Flash on Max
- Stream The Flash on Netflix
- Rent or buy The Flash on Amazon
- Buy The Flash on Blu-ray on Amazon
The Batman Epic Crime Saga
The Batman (2022)
Director: Matt Reeves
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright
What it's about: Bruce Wayne investigates a sadistic killer who likes to leave riddles at the scene of the crime.
More about the Batman movie: Matt Reeves reinterprets the Dark Knight as the hard-boiled detective fans had been dying to see on the big screen in The Batman, which also reimagines Gotham City as a grimy cesspool of corruption nearly beyond saving and boasts, arguably, the best Batman movie chase scene yet.
There are so many different versions of Batman for any fan to enjoy, with some even preferring the DCAU's version of Batman, voiced by the late Kevin Conroy. It looks like a sequel to The Batman is in the works and yet another big-screen interpretation of the Dark Knight is about to be added to the mix as part of James Gunn and Peter Safran's new DC Universe — a job Alan Ritchson said he would do in a heartbeat. Enjoy this binge of all the live-action Batman movies so far — which is subject to change with all the upcoming Batman movies on the horizon — at any Bat-time, any Bat-place, and (sometimes) on various Bat-channels.
