Batman (1989)
Directed By: Tim Burton
Batman/Bruce Wayne: Michael Keaton
Villians: The Joker
Synopsis:
Behind the black cowl, Gotham City superhero Batman is really millionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne, who turned to crimefighting after his parents were brutally murdered before his eyes. The only person to share Wayne's secret is faithful butler Alfred. The principal villain in Batman is The Joker who'd been mob torpedo Jack Napier before he was horribly disfigured in a vat of acid. The Joker's plan to destroy Batman and gain control of Gotham City is manifold. And its up to Batman to save not only Gotham but his love, photographer Vicki Vale.

Batman Returns(1992)
Directed By: Tim Burton
Batman/Bruce Wayne: Michael Keaton
Villians: Penguin and Catwoman
Synopsis:
In this first sequel to 1989's Batman, the Caped Crusader is up against the Penguin, the hideously deformed scion of a wealthy Gotham City family. The Penguin plots with evil businessman Max Schreck to become mayor and then turn Gotham into a cathedral of crime. Upon overhearing these plans, Schreck's mousy secretary Selena Kyle is tossed from a high-rise window by her boss. Rescued by a covey of kittens, Selena transforms into the leather-clad Catwoman. In this guise, she teams with the Penguin and Schreck to divvy up their ill-gotten gains and help discredit Batman-but she also has her own scores to settle.

Batman Forever(1995)
Directed By: Joel Schumacher
Batman/Bruce Wayne: Val Kilmer
Villians: The Riddler and Two-Face
Synopsis:
Director Joel Schumacher inherited the Batman franchise from Tim Burton and began steering it in the campier direction of the Sixties television show with this third installment. First-time Batman/Bruce Wayne is effectively brooding as he ponders strange dreams about his parents' death and escapes his own near-demise at the hands of Two-Face, a former district attorney driven insane and turned into a master criminal when a gangster throws acid in his face. Meanwhile, as sexy psychologist Chase Meridian tries to analyze and seduce both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Wayne Enterprises employee Edward Nygma reacts badly to getting fired, using his self-invented mind-energy device to transform into the super-intelligent Riddler. The Riddler teams up with Two-Face to bring down Batman and drain the minds of Gotham City residents with his device, while Batman gets some much-needed help in the form of circus performer Dick Grayson out for vengeance after being orphaned by Two-Face.

Batman and Robin (1997)
Directed By: Joel Schumacher
Batman/Bruce Wayne: George Clooney
Villians: Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy
Synopsis:
This was the third follow-up to Tim Burton's Batman (1989), the original revisionist look at the Gotham City legend, as well as the second in the Batman series directed by Joel Schumacher and the first featuring George Clooney as the Caped Crusader; it features not one but two super-villains, and a new heroine to fight crime alongside Bruce Wayne(aka Batman) and Dick Grayson (aka Robin). The experiments of Dr. Victor Fries to preserve his late wife cryogenically have gone horribly wrong, turning him into the evil genius Mr. Freeze, who must keep his body at sub-zero temperature in order to say alive -- and he wants to put Gotham City on ice. Shy horticulturist Pamela Isley goes a bit wild with a Venus Fly Trap-like creation she's been working on and mutates into Poison Ivy, who wants to kill all the people on Earth so plants can take over. Can Batman and Robin stop these fiends before their plans go too far? Meanwhile, Bruce and Dick's faithful butler Alfred isn't feeling well, so his niece Barbara comes to pay a visit. When Barbara finds out what her uncle's employers do in their spare time, she decides she wants in on the action, and she joins the crime fighting twosome as Batgirl.

Batman Begins (2005)
Directed By: Christopher Nolan
Batman/Bruce Wayne: Christian Bale
Villians: Ra's al Ghul and Scarecrow
Synopsis:
The origins of the Caped Crusader of Gotham City are finally brought to the big screen in this new adaptation of the perennially popular comic-book series. The young Bruce Wayne leads a privileged life as the son of wealthy, philanthropist parents, both of whom stress their commitment to improving the lives of the citizens of crime-ridden Gotham City. After his mother and father are murdered by a mugger, however, Wayne grows into an impudent young man, full of rage and bent on retribution until encouraged by his childhood sweetheart, Rachel Dawes, to search for answers beyond his own personal vendettas. Wayne eventually finds discipline in the Far East under the tutelage of Henri Ducard, a member of the mysterious League of Shadows who guides him in the study of martial arts -- and the ways in which an ordinary man can hone his senses to an almost superhuman acuity. After seven years away from Gotham, Wayne returns, determined to bring peace and safety back to the city. With the help of his faithful manservant, Alfred Pennyworth, and Lucius Fox, a scientist at his late father's corporation, Wayne develops a secret identity as Batman, a masked fighter for justice. But when a shady psychiatrist joins forces with the criminal underworld, Wayne realizes that putting an end to their nefarious plans will be very difficult indeed.

The Dark Knight (2008)
Directed By: Christopher Nolan
Batman/Bruce Wayne: Christian Bale
Villians: The Joker and Two-Face
Synopsis:
With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as the Joker, who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces the Dark Knight ever closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante.