7 Worst Moments That Ruined Batman Movies

As one of the world’s most iconic superheroes, Batman has been featured in many great movie moments. Throughout his history, Batman has been adapted onto the big screen many times by many different directors. This has seen every live-action version of Batman differ slightly from the last, with many contrasting creative ideas being implemented over the years. This, in turn, has led to many excellent and innovative adaptations of the Dark Knight and his story, giving audiences some truly exceptional cinematic moments to experience featuring the character. Unfortunately, not every Batman movie moment is able to boast that level of quality.

There is a list of mistakes that every Batman movie seems to make, but some errors go even further. The Dark Knight’s cinematic history is littered with moments bad enough to drag down entire movies, or at the very least force the audience to totally reassess the film’s overall quality. Getting Batman right on the big screen isn’t always totally straightforward, and that sometimes leads to some truly awful movie moments.

7) Talia al Ghul’s Ridiculous Death – The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

As well as being known for its creation of several Dark Knight trilogy plot holes, The Dark Knight Rises is the film in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy with the worst acting. The scene that seals it is the death of Miranda Tate — revealed to be Talia al Ghul — which is brought to life in an uncharacteristic moment of bizarrely unconvincing acting from Marion Cotillard. The strange way the character dies is both jarring and unintentionally hilarious, and it thoroughly takes the sting out of The Dark Knight Rises‘ ending, thereby subtly ruining the movie for some fans.

6) Weaponized Penguins – Batman Returns (1992)

While Tim Burton’s Batman movies possess a unique and quirky charm, there are a few moments where this spills over into ridiculousness. Batman Returns boasts many such examples, but one that stands out as particularly silly is the Penguin’s use of weaponized penguins to attack Gotham. With no real explanation for how he achieved the feat, he unleashes a trained army of penguins strapped with explosives upon the city, and the moment goes just a little too far beyond whimsy into territory that hurts the movie’s ability to deliver an impactful third act.

5) Batman Uses The Riddler’s Device – Batman Forever (1995)

Joel Schumacher’s Batman movies are widely despised and ridiculed, but some of the hate for 1995’s Batman Forever is unfair. The movie has its positive moments, but its negatives make it difficult to swallow. One of those moments comes after Bruce Wayne has already worked out that the Riddler intends to use his brainwave device as a means of mind control, but opts to step into it voluntarily anyway. It’s a choice that’s so glaringly stupid it renders Val Kilmer’s Batman completely unredeemable for the rest of the movie.

4) Mr. Freeze’s Horrible Puns – Batman & Robin (1997)

When it comes to DC villains ruined in movies, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze is by far one of the most egregious examples. By far the most offensive element of the character is his excessive use of unfunny puns, including “let’s kick some ice” and “stay cool”. Almost every line of dialogue spoken by the character includes a reference to temperature or precipitation, making its version of the villain a poor caricature of his comic book counterpart. While the movie is terrible on several levels, Mr. Freeze is one of its worst offenders.

3) “Holey Rusted Metal, Batman!” – Batman Forever (1995)

Not all of the criticisms of Joel Schumacher’s Batman movies are entirely fair, but the most common is the inherent campiness of the two-film span. No one line better exemplifies this than Robin’s “Holey rusted metal, Batman!”, a clear nod to Burt Ward’s turn as Robin in the 1960s. Explaining himself by asserting that he’s directing Batman’s attention to rusted metal full of holes, the line induces groans from the movie’s audience without fail, and is the epitome of everything wrong with the movie.

2) Shark Repellent Bat-Spray – Batman (1966)

There is perhaps no Batman movie gadget as infamous as his shark repellent Bat-Spray, as used in 1966’s Batman by Adam West’s iteration of the character. The Batman movie and TV show of the ’60s were celebrated for their family-friendly approach to the hero’s story, and have since come to become cult classics with fans appreciative of their campy charm. However, for many, the timely introduction of a gadget as ridiculously convenient as shark repellent was enough to turn many off of the movie, and has led to its reputation as the most ridiculous chapter in Batman’s history.

1) The Bat Credit Card – Batman & Robin (1997)

Batman & Robin featured numerous moments that saw it labelled as utter dross, but one stands out as being even worse than its infamous Bat-Nipples. The movie saw Batman whip out and show off his Bat credit card, all in the pursuit of winning an auction for Poison Ivy. It’s a pretty painful scene to sit through anyway, but the appearance of the Bat credit card is a step too far, and it cemented the movie as the worst in the cinematic history of the Dark Knight.

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