Batman V Superman: Ranking Every Movie From Worst To Best

5. Batman Returns

After the success of Batman, Burton was given free reign on a sequel, with Warner Bros. rightly presuming much of the first film's success came from his unique stylings. What they didn't realise was how much Burton had held back; Batman Returns is an altogether darker film, both visually and tonally. The result is the best movie to come out of the original Batman run, even if it didn't quite strike with audiences as much as the studio hoped; they were inundated with complaints from parents over its unsuitability for children and a lower box office. It's not wonder Schumacher was brought in. Like with the original's contrasting success, this again looks to be a case of different times; it would be crazy to suggest there isn't something deeply unnerving about Danny DeVito's Penguin or highly adult in the costuming of Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman, but similarly pitched modern movies can go darker without fear of reprisal. And, viewed outside of any controversy of the time, Returns is where Burton's kitschy-yet-gothic sensibilities work just right (for my money it's his best film, Batman or otherwise).