Tim Burton is a dreamer. Burton has an uncanny ability to create fantastical worlds where audiences can disappear for two hours. Burton’s gothic and unconventional style includes unique characters, extraordinary visuals, remarkable costumes, and exceptional makeup. It's this unconventional style that has won over fans for the last 40 years.
After 2019’s “Dumbo” flopped, Burton nearly retired from filmmaking before returning to his darker roots with “Wednesday” and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” In honor of the “Beetlejuice” sequel, these are Burton’s seven best films, ranked.
7. ‘Batman Returns’
“Batman Returns” might be the bravest movie of Burton’s career. Burton benched his main protagonist, Batman (Michael Keaton), to focus on the lives of three villains: Penguin (Dann DeVito), Max Shreck (Christopher Walken), and Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer). Max and Penguin want to rule Gotham, while Catwoman wants to destroy Batman.
“Batman” is a better superhero entry, but “Batman Returns” feels more like a Burton movie. It’s dark, weird, and visually impressive. The film’s lasting legacy is Pfeiffer’s magnetic, seductive, and fierce performance as Catwoman. Considering the next two “Batman” movies misfired, “Batman Returns” has aged rather well.
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6. ‘Big Fish’
Based on Daniel Wallace’s 1998 novel, “Big Fish” explores the complicated relationship between Will Bloom (Billy Crudup) and his dying father. Edward (Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney). Edward uses fantastical stories to mythologize his life, toeing the line between fact and fiction. Despite entertaining tales, Will believes these stories are a facade, a wall his father hides behind to avoid the truth.
Heartfelt and imaginative, “Big Fish” is Burton’s most personal movie. Before filming commenced, Burton’s mother died in 2000, and his father died in 2002. Burton wore his heart on his sleeve while making “Big Fish.” Burton’s message is moving: parents aren’t perfect, but we should try to appreciate them for as long as we can while they’re still here.
5. ‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure’
Burton’s feature film directorial debut, “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” laid the blueprint for the eccentric filmmaker’s career. Paul Reubens stars as the iconic Pee-wee Herman, a zany man-child who frequently dons a grey plaid suit with a red bowtie. Pee-wee loves his bicycle more than anything, and when it’s stolen, it breaks his heart.
When a psychic believes the bike is at the Alamo, Pee-wee hits the road and encounters several noteworthy characters, such as a biker gang and Large Marge. At its core, “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” is both goofy and wholesome. Burton’s imagination and creativity are on full display as he aids Reubens in making his version of a Charlie Chaplin movie.
4. ‘Edward Scissorhands’
An outsider himself, Burton loves to explore other recluses in his films. His greatest oddball is Edward Scissorhands, played by Johnny Depp. Edward is the humanoid creation of The Inventor (Vincent Price), a scientist who died before he could give the boy hands. Instead of fingers, Edward’s hands are made of scissor blades. Because of his freakish hands and gloomy appearance, Edward lives alone in the Gothic mansion at the end of a colorful neighborhood.
Local saleswoman Peg (Dianne Wiest) pities Edward and invites him into her home, where he meets her teenage daughter, Kim (Winona Ryder). Despite her initial fears, Kim eventually warms up to Edward’s gentle soul, and the two fall in love. Yet society is not ready to embrace an outcast, even if Edward appears harmless. The production design and costumes in “Edward Scissorhands” are arguably the best in Burton’s filmography. It’s “Frankenstein” with more heart, sharper blades, and a sweeter message.
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3. ‘Batman’
Is Burton the father of modern superhero movies? Instead of matching the campiness of the “Batman” TV series from the ‘60s, Burton injected a darker, more serious tone into his version of the caped crusader. By day, Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) is a billionaire philanthropist. At night, Wayne transforms into Batman, the masked vigilante patrolling the streets of Gotham City.
Standing in Batman’s way is the Joker (Jack Nicholson), a madman dressed like an elegant clown. Joker aspires to run Gotham’s underworld as an agent of chaos, putting him on a collision course with the crime-fighting Batman. With a beautiful production design and a standout performance from Nicholson, Burton’s “Batman” lit the match for the comic book adaptation boom that still dominates Hollywood in 2024.
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2. ‘Ed Wood’
Who better to make a film about a Hollywood outcast like Ed Wood than Burton? Johnny Depp stars as Wood, a flamboyant artist who struggles to break into the film industry. After striking up a friendship with Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau), Wood begins to direct quirky films like “Glen or Glenda,” “Bride of the Monster,” and “Plan 9 from Outer Space.”
To call Wood a cult filmmaker would be an understatement. Many of Wood’s movies were destroyed critically, with some critics calling them the worst films ever. You can see why Burton admired Wood. Burton looks past the negativity and shines a light on Wood’s individuality and fearlessness, two traits the filmmakers have in common.
1. ‘Beetlejuice’
“Beetlejuice” is the "greatest hits tape" of Burton’s filmography: striking visuals, outlandish characters, dark comedy, innovative makeup and vibrant costumes. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis star as Adam and Barbara Maitland, a young married couple who tragically die in a car accident. They become ghosts who cannot leave their house.
When Charles (Jeffrey Jones) and Delia (Catherine O’Hara) move into the Maitland’s house with their teenage daughter Lydia (Winona Ryder), Adam and Barbara enlist the help of the sinister spirit known as Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) to scare them away. If you embrace the bizarreness of “Beetlejuice,” you will be rewarded with a wacky, entertaining ghost story with the perfect balance of humor and horror.
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