Every Batfan has an opinion of what the best Batman movies are and those same people usually tend to agree on what the worst Batman movies are, as well. However, there are a decent handful of films (many of which are also among the best animated DC movies) that are not regarded as highly as I believe they should be, or barely get much attention at all. See if you can say you have already seen any of the following movies about the Dark Knight – a few of which are available with a Max subscription.
Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham (2022)
Bruce Wayne (voiced by David Giuntoli) races to stop an ancient, otherworldly evil in the 1920s.
Why it’s an underrated Batman movie worth checking out: Based on an Elseworlds story by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham is a wonderful blend of superhero fiction with cosmic horror a la H.P. Lovecraft.
Stream Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham on Max.
Rent or buy Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham on Amazon.
Buy Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Justice League: Gods And Monsters (2015)
The son of General Zod (voiced by Benjamin Bratt), a dark underworld queen (voiced by Tamara Taylor), and a doctor cursed with vampirism (voiced by Michael C. Hall) try to defy public expectations and use their powers for good.
Why it’s an underrated Batman movie worth checking out: A DC animated movie worthy of a live-action remake is Justice League: Gods and Monsters, which is set in an intriguing corner of the DC Multiverse in which Batman is an actual creature of the night.
Rent or buy Justice League: Gods and Monsters on Amazon.
Buy Justice League Gods and Monsters on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Merry Little Batman (2023)
With Batman (voiced by Luke Wilson) out helping the Justice League, it is up to his son, Damian Wayne (voiced by Yonas Kibreab), to defeat a plot to steal Christmas in Gotham City.
Why it’s an underrated Batman movie worth checking out: Imagine the plot of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas with a fun DC-style twist and you have the hilarious Merry Little Batman, which comes exclusively with an Amazon Prime subscription and is destined to become an annual holiday tradition for BatFans.
Stream Merry Little Batman on Amazon Prime.
SubZero (1998)
Desperate to find an organ donor for his terminally ill wife, Mr. Freeze (Michael Ansara) kidnaps Barbara Gordon (Mary Kay Bergman) after learning she is a match, leaving Batman (Kevin Conroy) and Robin (Loren Lester, giving one of the best performances as the Boy Wonder) desperate to find her.
Why it’s an underrated Batman movie worth checking out: While it is not the most popular feature-length spin-off of Batman: The Animated Series (i.e. 1992’s Batman: Mask of the Phantasm) nor the most iconic animated Mr. Freeze story (the Emmy-winning BTAS episode, “Heart of Ice”), SubZero is easily the best movie featuring the cold-hearted DC villain as the main antagonist, considering the only other option is Batman & Robin.
Rent or buy SubZero on Amazon.
Buy SubZero on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Batman: Mystery Of The Batwoman (2003)
Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) struggles to uncover the identity of a new female vigilante, who also dresses like a bat by night, crusading in Gotham City.
Why it’s an underrated Batman movie worth checking out: Years before Kate Kane got her own TV show, even before she was introduced in DC Comics, another superhero bearing her alter ego namesake was introduced into the DC Animated Universe in Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman — a thrilling cat-and-mouse story (or should I say “bat-and-bat" story?) in which Conroy returns to voice the Dark Knight alongside a star-studded cast, including Kyra Sedgwick and Kelly Ripa.
Rent or buy Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman on Amazon.
Buy Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)
A group of young skaters swapping alleged personal accounts of seeing the Batman, a local Cardinal being abducted by Killer Croc, and a face-off against an infamous assassin threatening Jim Gordon’s life describe just three of the thrilling tales in this DC Comics-inspired anthology.
Why it’s an underrated Batman movie worth checking out: While marketed as a bridge between the events of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, producer Christopher Nolan’s Batman: Gotham Knight is really a collection of (very) loosely connected stories presented in a beautiful Japanese anime-style that all feature Kevin Conroy in the title role.
Rent or buy Batman: Gotham Knight on Amazon.
Buy Batman: Gotham Knight on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Batman Ninja (2018)
When a strange machine accidentally transports him, many of his allies, and many of his enemies, too, to feudal Japan, Bruce Wayne (Roger Craig Smith, in the English-language dub) must rely on his most basic skills and adopt a new fighting style in order to save a local village and figure out how to return the present.
Why it’s an underrated Batman movie worth checking out: Another film that depicts the Dark Knight in an even more unique Japanese anime style is Batman Ninja, which could be off-putting to some die-hard fans due to the irreverent portrayal of some famous DC characters (including Harley Quinn), but is still a highly entertaining breath of fresh air unlike any other Batman movie you have ever seen.
Rent or buy Batman Ninja on Amazon.
Buy Batman Ninja on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Batman: Soul Of The Dragon (2021)
Bruce Wayne (David Guintoli), Richard Dragon (Mark Decascos), Lady Shiva (X2 star Kelly Hu), and Ben “Bronze Tiger” Turner (Michael Jae White) reunite to solve the long unsolved mystery of their martial arts master.
Why it’s an underrated Batman movie worth checking out: Another recent animated DC movie inspired by Asian culture (specifically 1970s kung fu movies) is Batman: Soul of the Dragon, which is also yet another Batman movie unlike anything else you may have seen, the fact that it actually takes place in 1970s notwithstanding.
Rent or buy Batman: Soul of the Dragon on Amazon.
Buy Batman: Soul of the Dragon on Blu-ray on Amazon.
The Batman Vs. Dracula (2005)
Strange things are afoot in Gotham City and Bruce Wayne (Rino Romano) suspects that it has something to do with a cultural anthropologist calling himself “Dr. Alucard” (Peter Stormare).
Why it’s an underrated Batman movie worth checking out: This spin-off of one of the more underrated Batman TV shows sounds too on-the-nose and too ridiculous to work, but The Batman vs. Dracula – the first time the Dark Knight faced off against Bram Stoker’s iconic bloodsucker outside of the comics – is a surprisingly sophisticated and thoroughly fun horror story, especially with Stormare’s devilish performance as the Count.
Rent or buy The Batman vs. Dracula on Amazon.
Buy The Batman vs. Dracula on DVD on Amazon.
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010)
After Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) discovers a powerful teenage girl (voiced by Summer Glau) with familial connections to his friend, Clark Kent (Tim Daly), they enlist Wonder Woman (Susan Eisenberg) to help protect her from the extra-dimensional tyrant, Darkseid (Andre Braugher).
Why it’s an underrated Batman movie worth checking out: Also serving as a decent animated companion to Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse is a cool gem of a DC crossover flick with some truly epic action sequences — especially one set in Themyscira — that I personally prefer over its 2009 predecessor, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.
Stream Superman/Batman: Apocalypse on Max.
Rent or buy Superman/Batman: Apocalypse on Amazon.
Buy Superman/Batman: Apocalypse on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Batman: Assault On Arkham (2014)
Amanda Waller’s (CCH Pounder) Task Force X (including Neal McDonough’s Deadshot and Hynden Walch’s Harley Quinn) cross paths with the Caped Crusader (Kevin Conroy) while on separate missions in Arkham Asylum.
Why it’s an underrated Batman movie worth checking out: A DC flick that serves as a decent animated companion to the Suicide Squad movies is Batman: Assault on Arkham, because — while Bruce Wayne’s alter ego may have the title role — this is actually a story about Task Force X, and a really fun one at that.
Rent or buy Batman: Assault on Arkham on Amazon.
Buy Batman: Assault on Arkham on Blu-ray on Amazon.
A true Batfan goes out of their way to consume as much Batman-related content as possible. If any of these titles have flown under your radar, I’d say you are in for one good day should you choose to watch them.
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