Tim Burton’s filmography spans 19 movies, with his latest being his live-action remake of Disney’s Dumbo (his second live-action remake for the company after Alice in Wonderland). Many of his movies have gone on to be favorites among younger generations, thanks to his quirky sense of humor, oddball sensibilities, and dark, vivid imagery. Many of his later films have been known to contain many similarities, thanks to their usually goth-like sort of imagery and repeated use of both Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. But he still has plenty of movies that stand tall. So here’s a look at the director’s five best (in alphabetical order):
(And full disclosure, this is only for movies he directed, so no, The Nightmare Before Christmas will not be included on this list, as he only conceived the story idea… though it is a good movie.)
1) Batman
Sure, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy is considered a modern masterpiece for being such an extremely grounded take on the superhero, but Burton’s take on the character was actually the first time the World’s Greatest Detective was portrayed in such a matter on screen. Taking a page right out of the recent comic book storylines that portrayed the hero as much darker and more troubled, the movie also solidified Michael Keaton - at this point only known for his over-the-top comedic work - as a serious actor. Keaton lays on the charm in his scenes as Bruce Wayne, and has a very commanding scene presence when he’s in the cowl. Meanwhile, Jack Nicholson’s take on the Joker is still one of the greatest portrayals of the character on the big screen. While a more serious take on the characters, the Joker still maintains his dark sense of humor and many of his contraptions allow Burton to let his visual pazazz to flourish. This film went on to inspire not just modern day portrayals of Batman himself - including directly inspiring the creation of the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series - but influenced many superhero movies in years to come.
2) Batman Returns
Burton’s Batman inspired three sequels set in the same universe, though its first sequel, Batman Returns, is the only other one directed by Burton himself. And this one was arguably even darker than the first film. Because of this, the film was initially met with some backlash and made considerably less at the box office than the first film - which ultimately caused Warner Bros. to remove Burton as director of the next two movies. But Burton’s visual style continuing to prevail, maintaining the dark, dystopian feel of his previous film and expanding Batman’s universe with three new villains to replace the Joker. Danny DeVito’s take on the Penguin is arguably one of the most disturbing depictions of a Batman character on screen thanks to his mutant appearance, though DeVito still keeps the dark sense of humor that prevailed in the first film. Michelle Pfeiffer and Christopher Walken also make for some fun additions to the cast as Selina Kyle and Max Schreck, respectively. Keaton is still just as great as Batman, though this would ultimately also be his last movie in the franchise, as he left to pursue other roles. A much more ambitious effort, this one is arguably even better than the first film, and is unfortunately, one of the most underrated on-screen depictions of Batman.
3) Beetlejuice
While Burton has always been known for being dark, much of his later work has more of a mainstream accessibility to it. His earlier work, however, is not just dark, but borderline creepy at times, and that’s evidenced best in Beetlejuice. His first collaboration with future Dark Knight Keaton sees the actor as the titular character, and sees him at his most manic. While much of Keaton’s later work sees him in much more grounded roles, Beetlejuice is the actor at his utmost bizarre, carrying the entire movie with snappy one-liners and incredibly high energy. The fact that the film centers around demons and the afterlife allows for Burton to get extremely creative here, with plenty of opportunities for some fun visual gags as the titular character wreaks havoc in both the spirit world and the real world. The film is also the first to contain Burton’s signature goth look, thanks to Winona Ryder’s portrayal of Lydia Deetz, though this is one of the few films in which said look was played up more for laughs. Easily one of Burton’s most imaginative efforts, this has since gone on to be known as one of the greatest horror-comedies of all time.
4) Ed Wood
Along with his other biopic, 2014’s Big Eyes, this is about as “straightforward” a Tim Burton movie’s ever been. Centered around the notorious worst director of all-time, the film recounts the titular director’s life, mainly focusing on his friendship with fading horror icon Bela Lugosi. The film never feels like a biopic in the traditional sense, never really falling into many of the tropes commonly associated with the genre these days. The film feels more like a tribute to the director rather than simply recanting his life story, with the look and feel of many of his actual movies. The film is one of Johnny Depp’s best performances, in a role that’s so unlike many of his other collaborations with Burton - he’s odd, but so blissfully unaware of how disliked and out-of-touch with reality he is, and remains gleefully positive in the face of criticism. Despite not being a movie about pirates, wizards, or any other fantasy creatures, this sees Depp at his most fun. The film also sees a fantastic performance from Martin Landau as Lugosi, containing both some great emotional weight and some quick-witted one-liners, which earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. While Ed Wood wasn’t a box office success, it still goes down as arguably Burton’s best movie.
5) Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure
Despite an eclectic filmography that has seen the director cover iconic characters such as Willy Wonka, Ichabod Crane, and Disney’s Alice, one of Burton’s best characters to this day is none other than Pee-Wee Herman. It’s almost easy to forget Burton had any involvement in this, as it’s unlike so many of his later films, though that doesn’t make it any less strange. Essentially a warped parody of the classic Italian film The Bicycle Thief, the film is essentially 90 minutes of the titular character going on a nationwide search to find the person who stole his beloved bicycle. The film is bonkers in every sense of the word, with some bizarre exchanges, whacky visual gags, and colorful characters, accompanied by a quirky soundtrack by frequent Burton collaborator Danny Elfman. The bizarre nature of Pee-Wee Herman’s universe gave Burton his first opportunity to employ his unique visual flare that he would become well-known for, and the film has since gone on to be known as one of the best cult films of all-time. Despite being an overlooked effort by many fans of Burton’s later efforts, they should all remember that the success of this film was partially what led to Burton being hired as the director of Batman and allow for his career to truly take off. To think, we may have never gotten some of Burton’s most iconic creations if it wasn’t for Pee-Wee Herman.
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