Best DC movie ever?

[LivingBrain]

Batman & Robin




No, not really. 

Seriously, this is a tough call.  So many good ones to choose from.  If I had to choose one from the list, it would have to be Superman (1978) with Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando and so many other wonderful people.  It was written by Mario Puzo and directed by Richard Donner, who never should have been fired from the sequel.

Why?  Because it's awesome!  It's also slightly older than I am, so I watched it a LOT growing up, so it's near and dear to my heart.  The technology used to bring it to life was just amazing and groundbreaking.  Nobody had actually made a man look like he was flying before.  The team who brought it to life, including Christopher Reeve himself, who was a trained hang glider pilot, was amazing.  The story is good and the acting is great, particularly from Christopher Reeve.  Sure, the plot is outrageous and unbelievable, but it was just the thing Superman needed for his big screen debut.  Add to that an amazing score by John Williams and it's pure gold.

Honorable mentions include Tim Burton's Batman, (1989) which also has an awesome score by Danny Elfman, Batman Returns and Nolan's Batman trilogy. I love them all.

Confession: I really like BATMAN AND ROBIN. 

It's definitely cringeworthy but I love it as a weird 90's version of the 60's TV show, and I like the Nightwing influence in Robin's costume along with the subtle shades of blue in Batman's (not their ice suits though; those are bizarre...).

And awesome to see another SUPERMAN lover! 

[Darth Knox]

Christopher Reeve Superman vs Michael Keaton Batman is the versus movie I would love to have seen.

[LivingBrain]

Christopher Reeve Superman vs Michael Keaton Batman is the versus movie I would love to have seen.

Now THAT would be fascinating! 

What would motivate Keaton's Batman though? I know Reeve's Superman would definitely not like Keaton's extreme methods, but Keaton's Batman seems like someone that only sticks to their own city rather than taking on larger threats. Superman would probably have to do something in Gotham to get his attention.

[scifidude79]

Batman & Robin is a fun, if incredibly stupid film.  "We have precious minutes to save the city, everyone back to the Batcave for new costumes and vehicles!"

I was 18 years old when it hit theaters and I've always liked it, it just can't hold up to the very serious films that preceded it.  I get that there was some blowback from parents on Batman Returns, but I would like to have seen what Tim Burton would have done instead of Batman Forever.  Granted, I like Batman Forever, it has just the right amount of seriousness and camp.  B&R got way too campy.  Everyone was doing one liners, not just Schwarzenegger.

Reeve's Superman VS Keaton's Batman is an interesting thought.  They were gearing up for a Superman flick in the 90s, though I never cared for their choice of Nicholas Cage to play Superman.  If I remember correctly, it was all leading towards a clash with Batman, either in that film or in a sequel.

[LivingBrain]

BATMAN RETURNS is my favorite Batman movie, so I would've loved to see what Burton would've done too. I read an interview once where Michael Keaton said BATMAN BEGINS would have been the third Batman movie he wanted to do, but it didn't quite work out that way.

[Drahcir]

I realize you said animated movies didn't count, but I do want to say DC Animated is some of the best out there.
Prefer it to anything Marvel has done in the same medium. 

[scifidude79]

No offense to Keaton, he's a terrific actor and he was great as Batman, but he was too old for Batman Begins.  I'm not saying he was too old to be Batman, but they wanted a young Batman for that film.  Unless he meant the fifth film in that series that never got made and eventually became Batman Begins.

Interesting side note: Christian Bale auditioned for the role of Robin when Keaton was still attached to Batman Forever.

[LivingBrain]

I realize you said animated movies didn't count, but I do want to say DC Animated is some of the best out there.
Prefer it to anything Marvel has done in the same medium. 

I haven't been too warm on many of their recent efforts, but UNDER THE RED HOOD, JUSTICE LEAGUE (plus UNLIMITED), BATMAN BEYOND, and, of course, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES are hands down the best superhero animated efforts. THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS is a solid adaptation as well.

The only animated series Marvel has done that can really compete with DC Animated is THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN. Other than that, there's really not much.

[Darth Knox]

I haven't been too warm on many of their recent efforts, but UNDER THE RED HOOD, JUSTICE LEAGUE (plus UNLIMITED), BATMAN BEYOND, and, of course, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES are hands down the best superhero animated efforts. THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS is a solid adaptation as well.

The only animated series Marvel has done that can really compete with DC Animated is THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN. Other than that, there's really not much.

all true, which is why i cut them out of this discussion. In purely animated terms, Dc kicks Marvel's ass. But this is live action.

I am very tempted to revise my answer and say Batman (1966), purely because it is without a doubt iconic in its campiness and is very memorable.

[scifidude79]

Who doesn't love Batman with Adam West and Burt Ward?  Not only do I have the movie, I have season 1 of the TV series on DVD.  I need to get the other seasons.    It's just a totally awesome and fun series and movie.  And, the funny thing is, people are like "that's nothing like the comics."  Have they tried comics from the time of the series? (silver age) I think they'd change their answer if they did. 

The movie was definitely a giant leap forward for the characters in terms of what they got to use.  The sporty Bat Cycle, Bat Copter and Bat Boat were all added for the movie.  None of those vehicles could be added on a TV series budget but, since they were built for the movie, they just had to be maintained and operated thereafter.  Plus, the movie has Batman's four greatest villains from the series all working together.  Indeed, the movie is wonderful and it definitely deserves a spot as one of the best live action films that DC comics has produced. 

[LivingBrain]

Who doesn't love Batman with Adam West and Burt Ward?  Not only do I have the movie, I have season 1 of the TV series on DVD.  I need to get the other seasons.    It's just a totally awesome and fun series and movie.  And, the funny thing is, people are like "that's nothing like the comics."  Have they tried comics from the time of the series? (silver age) I think they'd change their answer if they did. 

The movie was definitely a giant leap forward for the characters in terms of what they got to use.  The sporty Bat Cycle, Bat Copter and Bat Boat were all added for the movie.  None of those vehicles could be added on a TV series budget but, since they were built for the movie, they just had to be maintained and operated thereafter.  Plus, the movie has Batman's four greatest villains from the series all working together.  Indeed, the movie is wonderful and it definitely deserves a spot as one of the best live action films that DC comics has produced. 

It deserves it for this scene alone:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIPZROBiNik" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIPZROBiNik</a>

I'm always surprised by how well the jokes still hold up in that movie. And, camp aside, I do love that Batman isn't tortured by his parents' death. All of the darker versions of Batman are definitely more interesting, but I love how Adam West's is truly heroic and committed to using his resources for the good of others. He's a genuinely great guy, and I love that.

Needs to work on his dancing though:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsYA8Gr5NTY" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsYA8Gr5NTY</a>

[scifidude79]

HA!  The bomb scene.  I love it. 

[Darth Knox]

Indeed, a lot of people forget or are unaware that the Silver age Batman comics were very cheesy indeed. It was only when Writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neil Adams started work on the character that he moved away from the campy tone he was known for. And then some young upstart called Frank Miller got his hands on the character and the rest is history.

It deserves it for this scene alone:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIPZROBiNik

some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!

[scifidude79]

Yeah, I have some Silver Age Green Lantern (Showcase omnibus reprints) and I just got Flash: The Silver Age Vol. 1 recently for my Kindle.  I love comics from that age, but they're cheesy as hell.  I've also seen some Batman and Superman from that age.

By the way, the most underrated DC live action movie, in my opinion, is Green Lantern.  I really like that film.  I recently picked up the extended cut on Blu-Ray.  It's a good cut, it has more of Hal, Carol and Hector as children.  It also has an extended conversation between Hal and his nephew.  Obviously, these cuts were made to keep the focus more on the action. 

[Darth Knox]

Yeah, I have some Silver Age Green Lantern (Showcase omnibus reprints) and I just got Flash: The Silver Age Vol. 1 recently for my Kindle.  I love comics from that age, but they're cheesy as hell.  I've also seen some Batman and Superman from that age.

By the way, the most underrated DC live action movie, in my opinion, is Green Lantern.  I really like that film.  I recently picked up the extended cut on Blu-Ray.  It's a good cut, it has more of Hal, Carol and Hector as children.  It also has an extended conversation between Hal and his nephew.  Obviously, these cuts were made to keep the focus more on the action. 

the only good part about the green lantern movie was the part on Oa with the other members of the Corps and the guardians. The rest of the movie disappointing