It’s been a few decades since the first Batman movie came into being. All years of pure bliss with this one, the one character that never failed to amaze us with the gloomy yet attractive aura that revolved around him, always kept us on edge, always asking for more from the character.
That is probably why Batman lingered around for over many years with no signs of disappearance or coming of age, which may have otherwise forced the makers to shelf the character once and for all.
But there is something about him, the darkness that he is trapped inside, his loneliness, and his sudden passion for saving the world that keeps the audience around long enough.
And so it has over all these years, starting from 1989 and going all the way to 2022 with the upcoming anticipated Batman movie starring the talented Robert Pattinson which will be available on HBO Max. You can easily access HBO Max in Australia with a VPN.
Also read:
Batman Movies in Order from Australia: (1989-2022)
Batman from the 90s
Batman (1989)
The Batman story dates back from the early 60s, but for the world, it all began in the 1989 version of Tim Burton’s gothic approach towards the proceedings. Bruce Wayne was played by non-other than Michael Keaton while the character of Joker went to Jack Nicholson.
This movie is the one that paved the way for the future renditions of Batman and gave them the courage to explore the story, character and set the mood for future performances of Batman.
Batman Returns (1992)
The Tim Burton Batman movies are back again with this new addition to his own franchise. After Joker, we all saw the emergence of a new villain in Gotham, Danny DeVito, aka the Penguin, who was ready to ruin the lives of newborn infants to avenge the misconduct he faced in his own life.
Also making an uncanny resemblance to the role of Cat Woman is Michelle Pfeiffer, who teams up with Batman (Michael Keaton) to diminish the evil that resided in the Penguin.
Batman Forever (1995)
The third movie saw some significant changes concerning the directorial team and the actors. Joel Schumacher replaced Tim Burton; meanwhile, Michael Keaton also gave himself an exit, leaving Val Kilmer to become the new Batman.
Jim Carrey took the role of The Riddler, the new evil spirit of the story, and Two-Faced. Chris O’Donnell became the new Robin, and he continued his role in the next and final movie of the era, Batman and Robin.
Batman & Robin (1997)
The last one from the Batman series in the 90s. Despite the star-studded cast and talented Goerge Clooney playing Batman with Chris O’Donnell as his aiding partner Robin.
Nothing could have saved the film from its ill fate. It might have been a good movie if only Schumacher didn’t go overboard with the inclusion to make it relevant enough for the audience. Nonetheless, it was a reasonable effort on their part.
Nolan’s Batman Trilogy
When it comes to the best-directed superhero movies of all time, there is no better answer than Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy itself.
Bruce Wayne’s accurate portrayal of the vigilante with a real cause to it brought viewers closer to him that they could relate to his story personally and grasp the realistic storyline, and get attracted to Nolan’s oh-so-perfect direction of the sinful and corrupt Gotham city. Pretty much like any other, we see in our own lives nowadays.
Batman Begins (2005)
Batman Begins was the first on Nolan’s trilogy for the Batman storyline. It began with the emergence of the dark nocturnal vigilante, played by Christian Bale with his no-nonsensical acting.
Ready to dive in and save the plague-ridden Gotham trying to survive under the hands of the mentally manipulative Dr. Cillian Murphy, also known as The Scarecrow, whose aim is to corrupt the residents’ minds and establish his regime based on fear.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Released 3 years after the first installment of Christopher Nolan’s Trilogy of Batman. The Dark Knight was one of the best movies in this franchise and the first Batman movie to cross the billion-dollar mark on the Box Office.
What made it this successful was the amplified storyline with the inclusion of one of the best and the most memorable villains in all the superhero movies, Joker.
Beautifully played by Heath Ledger will always remain the best character in the film; it may even have overshadowed the excellent performance of Christian Bale in this one.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The third and sadly the last franchise of the Nolan Trilogy came in 2012, which was an emotional ride and a star-studded affair all in one. Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, and the introduction of Cat Woman, played by Anne Hathaway, and the final masked villain of the franchise, Bane, played by Tom Hardy.
The cast list is enough to encourage people to roll in the cinemas, but the fact that this was the end of it all made it even more worthy. The story had a satisfactory conclusion as it was the final take, but The Dark Knight set a high standard that remained unmatchable for even its own sequel.
Batman from The DCEU
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Since Nolan’s move to other projects, the fate of Batman shifted to yet another iconic actor and director. Zack Snyder took over the DCEU franchise after his success with Man of Steel.
And the new face of the Batman movie this time was Ben Affleck. This Batman and Superman faceoff was not something anyone was expecting, and the appointment of Ben Affleck was a significant question mark for the DC fans, which he later proved wrong and made everyone appreciate his hard work.
Suicide Squad (2016)
An anti-hero movie with a small cameo from Ben Affleck, aka The Batman. The actual start of Suicide Squad was none other than Jared Leto, who has huge shoes to fill in as the Joker after Heath Ledger’s legendary performance.
Margo Robbie and Harly Quinn with her evil yet happy-go-lucky aura. Suicide Squad was a miss from the critics. Still, it did huge business on the Box Office and amongst the audience, leading to Harley Quinn’s own cameo in Bird’s of Prey and the upcoming sequel to the original title, The Suicide Squad, this year.
Justice League (2017) / Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
The mega-budgeted crossover of all the DCEU superheroes in this one movie would have been a great idea if Zack Snyder stayed long enough to direct the film entirely.
But due to personal tragedy, he had to quit, replaced by MCU’s Joss Whedon, who tried his best to create a masterpiece but failed to do so. As Ben Affleck returned to his role as Batman, so did the audience’s demand for Snyder’s version of the film, which did eventually made a comeback on HBO Max in 2021.
Upcoming: The Batman (2022)
It’s that time of the year again as The Batman is back for its gothic and moody trilogy of the year of 2020s. The most recent Batman movie was to be released in October 2021, starring Robert Pattinson, paired with director Matt Reeves from Planet of the Apes. However, because of the covid-19 pandemic, it is delayed and the new release date is March 4, 2022
Other Batman Movies and Series
The following movies and series are not directly linked to the Batman movies in chronological order and can be seen at any time without having to follow the trilogies mentioned above. The list contains Batman animated and non-animated movies and series. The standalone Batman series and movies are as follows:
- Batman: The Movie (1966)
- The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)
- Joker (2019)
- The Batman (1943 – theatrical series)
- Batman and Robin (1949 – theatrical series)
- Batman (1966 to 1969 – TV series)
- Gotham (2014 to 2019 – TV series)
- Titans (2018 to present – TV series)
- Pennyworth (2019 to present – TV series)
- Batwoman (2019 to present – TV series)
Wrapping it Up!
Our list has it all, the animated and the live-action Batman movies from all the timelines starting from 1966 and going all the way till 2022 for you to watch if you know how to watch HBO Max in Australia.
An iconic figure and saviour to Gotham city, Batman has multiple moods, and each actor has done an excellent job in portraying the true essence of Batman but in a very unique factor.