The entire roster of DC superheroes is met with lots of acclaim, but Batman is a character that always seems to have resonated with audiences on another level. Batman remains an integral part of DC’s universe and the character’s story is still incredibly human at its core.
Batman is a character who has received multiple feature films way ahead of the current superhero phenomenon, which has allowed for some very different interpretations of the character and his world. Casting is one of the most important aspects of comic book adaptations and the cinematic Batman endeavors feature their share of both strong and weak performances.
10 Nailed: Michelle Pfeiffer Brings Catwoman To Life With Reckless Glee
Tim Burton’s Batman Returns begins the tradition in cinematic Batman movies to incorporate more than one villain into the story. Catwoman is a character that can sometimes fall flat or come across as a joke, but Michelle Pfeiffer’s work as both Selina Kyle and then her villainess alter ego is superb.
There’s an exaggerated transformation between these two sides of Pfeiffer’s character that’s become the archetype for similar villain transformations. She just exudes confidence in the role, makes the Burton-esque costume work, and turns a whip into a terrifying tool.
9 Fell Short: Katie Holmes’ Rachel Dawes Becomes A Forgettable Foil
Rachel Dawes is a non-character that isn’t necessarily Katie Holmes’ fault, it’s just an element that feels unnecessary in Christopher Nolan’s first Batman movie. Batman Begins tackles enough that this romance angle just feels extraneous and Holmes isn’t given enough of a character to make Dawes stand out in any significant way.
Rachel could help knock down Bruce’s walls, but this personal side to the character struggles while Christian Bale feels natural everywhere else. It’s sadly forgettable and isn’t helped by the fact that Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Holmes in The Dark Knight, but still remains in the background.
8 Nailed: Cillian Murphy Taps Into The Fear Of Scarecrow
Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy helped redefine not only the Batman character but what could be accomplished through comic book movies. Batman Begins is a methodical origin story that doesn’t fall into the typical Batman pitfalls. Jonathan Crane and his Scarecrow alias play a vital role in the film that nicely ties into Batman’s own insecurities and doubts.
Cillian Murphy helps turn this tertiary villain into a serious menace and proof of the Scarecrow’s truly dangerous nature. Murphy turns up the theatrics when he’s in Scarecrow mode and it's performative in a way that accentuates the character’s creepiness.
7 Fell Short: Tommy Lee Jones Seems Embarrassed To Explore Two-Face
Two-Face is a Batman villain that’s one of the more heightened concepts, but something like Aaron Eckhart’s chilling portrayal of Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight is proof that there’s a very menacing side to this tortured character. None of that pain and pathos is present in Tommy Lee Jones’ technicolor rendition of Two-Face in Schumacher's Batman Forever.
To be fair, Jones is just following Shumacher’s direction for this version of the character, but it just feels too silly, especially when in conjunction with Jim Carrey’s Riddler. There’s no joy in Jones’ performance.
6 Nailed: Uma Thurman’s Poison Ivy Is A Heightened Delight
Batman & Robin doesn’t receive a lot of love among Batman fans. It’s certainly a movie that embraces the inherent campiness of Batman’s world and his many characters, but it results in a messy movie that’s full of confounding ideas and powerful visions. A lot of Batman & Robin sticks out in an awkward way, but Uma Thurman clicks in as Poison Ivy and is the highlight of the movie.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze becomes a catchphrase machine, but Thurman understands the wicked nature of Poison Ivy and plays it up, and still manages to make her feel like a threat.
5 Fell Short: Tom Hardy’s Bane Makes A Bold Choice That May Not Pay Off
Christopher Nolan’s final Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, makes for an interesting conclusion to the director’s trilogy. The movie tackles some heady themes and becomes a little too self-serious and righteous, much of which has to do with the narrative pushed by the movie’s villain, Bane.
Bane is a tricky character to translate to screen and Tom Hardy certainly deserves credit for the unusual interpretation of the juggernaut. However, Hardy’s Bane is more a character that’s brought up to be mocked rather than feared. Nolan’s film is full of unusual decisions.
4 Nailed: Danny DeVito Throws His All Into The Penguin
Oswald Cobblepot’s Penguin is a very unusual Batman villain that’s easy to turn into a silly caricature. The Penguin is the perfect villain for Tim Burton to play around with and he’s really the centerpiece of Batman Returns. Burton’s take on the character is far from comic accurate, but Danny DeVito absolutely commits to the role.
DeVito’s Penguin is essentially a sub-human monster. He gives a calculated performance that’s genuinely frightening and unpredictable. DeVito takes some very bold swings, but it results in an extremely iconic performance.
3 Fell Short: Jesse Eisenberg Strips Lex Luthor Of Any Menace
Sometimes controversial and unexpected casting decisions can pay off in major ways, but Zack Snyder’s casting of Jesse Eisenberg as iconic criminal mastermind Lex Luthor never comes together. It’s clear that there’s an arc planned for this character for him to reach a place that’s closer to his comic counterpart, but the vision is incomplete.
Lex Luthor is technically a Superman villain, but he appears in Batman v. Superman and he specifically deals with Batman on several occasions as he uses him as a pawn in his war against Superman.
2 Nailed: Heath Ledger’s Joker Has Become An Iconic Performance
The Joker is viewed as a highly coveted Batman role for actors since it’s such an unhinged villain that lives in an unsettling place of disconnected fantasy. There have been a lot of memorable Joker performances that accentuate different aspects of the psychopath, but it’s also very easy to go too big with the part.
Heath Ledger blew everyone’s expectations away with his haunting version of the Joker in Nolan’s The Dark Knight, which would even posthumously win him an Academy Award. Ledger respects the character, but also truly makes him his own and disappears into the role.
1 Fell Short: George Clooney Makes Batman A Face Instead Of The Dark Knight
Batman & Robin, Joel Schumacher's second Batman movie, throws a lot at the audience with not just a wealth of villains, but also the addition of both Robin and Batgirl. This film puts George Clooney under the cowl and it's a decision that never really works and feels more like a winking joke for the entire movie.
This energy isn’t helped by Shumacher's broader tone which dominates the movie at every moment. Clooney doesn't feel natural as Batman, but even his Bruce Wayne comes across as awkward.