and The Dark Knight 
have been so good that it's easy to forget the successes of the films that came before them, most notably Tim Burton's slightly camp version of the fearless crimefighter. Looking back on it now it's hard to believe that Michael Keaton could ever have been a convincing Batman, but a brief walk down memory lane has only convinced me that he far surpasses Bale's humorless approach.The rest of the Batman flicks are a mixed bag. Batman Returns is solid but overcrowded. It's the last two movies that draw the most negative heat, thanks to some aimless direction by Joel Schumacher. Poor George Clooney and his Bat-nipples. They're good for a few cheap laughs(or twenty), but it's hard to deny just how much fun the inspired casting of Jim Carrey as The Riddler truly is.
Amazon has all four movies from the years 1989-1997 for the extremely low price of $17.99, including a wealth of special features that should more than satisfy any Bat-fanatic. My favorite of which is the Legends of the Dark Knight: The History of Batman featurette which goes through the many different comic book interpretations of Batman in his more than 70 year history.
This collection is also available in Blu-Ray for $46.49.
