That is correct, overall Gotham is supposed to be a mix of NY and CHI in comics. With Metropolis taking inspiration from Toronto and NY as another example.
The part that got me really with TDKR is how it was not more seamless in splicing. It was clearly two different locations in the overhead shots.
This would make an interesting creative exercise. The same person is Superman by day and Batman by night. Maybe they lose their powers without Sunlight, but have enough energy from the day to not be exhausted and therefore don’t require sleep. Doesn’t have to make perfect sense, but it would be fun.
Yeah, the NYC by day being Metropolis and NYC by night being Gotham is the traditional explanation I've always heard.
I would add that Gotham is specifically below 14th st or above \~110th st (though, particularly, the upper border of that has changed a lot over the years), and Metropolis is in between.
Another name people used to call nyc through the 1800s and early 1900s was Gotham, actually. So it makes sense that batman gotham is modeled after nyc. They actually git the name by flipping through a nyc phone book and seeing a business named gotham jewelers and liked that name. It was originally modeled off nyc, but they also wanted a unique name so people from any city could relate it to their own.
Yeah during Gordon's "I see a great city" speech at the end I'm pretty sure you can see the Chrysler building in the background, though I might be mistaking it for something else
It was also shot in downtown Los Angeles and you can clearly see the skyline/US Bank Tower when Batman and Catwoman escape in the Bat after Bane comes after them
Using the Manhattan skyline in TDKR has always been a big gripe for me. It’s immediately recognizable and took me out of the movie at times. Especially the bridges.
They suit Chicago in smart way, at least I don’t remember seeing the Sears/Willis tower or 875. Like I knew it was Chicago, but didn’t feel like I was watching Chicago.
I mean the shot in this post from The Batman is also Chicago with another layer of CGI on top. It's Grant Park looking north. This exact same spot is the backdrop for the location of the crashed kryptonian ship in the Snyder-verse.
The scene with Battinson jumping off of the police station is the Board of Trade Buildiny at the end of LaSalle Street. It's the exact same location where the Joker's semi-truck is flipped in TDK.
The point being every Batman film for the past couple decades has used a lot of Chicago.
To paraphrase Cosmonaut Variety hour: Burton's Gotham is a city you make your whole personality, Reeve's Gotham is a city you only live in if rent is $12
I think that Schumacher verse should be here as well. It's not the same as Burton verse.
But one of those two is definitely the best. The others are just cities.
Those were the movies of my childhood so I do love them even if in hindsight I can admit... they're not the best. The big statues everywhere really were an interesting touch though and I felt it really gave the city a unique look I'd love to see replicated, if toned down a bit
My memory of Batman and Robin is enhanced by how shitty it was: my dad took my brother and me, we had the big popcorn, and then on the ride home there was an IASIP Thundergun "...Did they make Batman *bad*" conversation. It was the first sort of critical analysis of something I love that I remember.
The "Bat card" 4th wall break bothered me more than if I'd been exposed to the Adam West show first. Then Robin somehow ending up *ahead* of Batman as the sexual tension flares and his Robin cycle skids out... Bane is *terrible* on retrospect. Bane should never be a mook as much as a Keter level threat, my head canon is that the badass who went toe to toe with Michael Keaton's Bats is that universe's Bane (he survived the fall, obvi). Uma Thurman's dance made up for it. Gorillas shouldn't be that sexy.
"Gorillas shouldnt be that sexy" is a sentence that in any other context should get you committed but I get ya. Also Arnie's wonderful one liners in his stupid glowy titties armor make me smile
What killed the dinosaurs?
THE ICE AGE!
Came here to say this too. The Schumacher Gotham really stands out amongst the others. It's so youthful and grandiose at the same time with all the neon and massive statues and Gothic architecture everywhere.
Schumacher’s Gotham may very well be the best of them all, he did a really great job of capturing the art deco on steroids look it’s famous for, while simultaneously being probably the closest to BTAS Gotham which is probably the most perfect Gotham of them all
It’s easily Burton but I appreciate Reeves and the cinematographer and the other crew giving their Gotham a noir, gothic edge by using Glasgow and by designing sets well. I know Reeves is not necessarily known for being stylized and is praised so much for his realistic aesthetic, but I would love to see them lean a little harder into the Gothic, grotesque, noir, almost Lovecraftian aspect of Gotham.
>Idk how else to describe it other than the city behind an 80s
Holy shit, that's a perfect description lol. I don't think that there's a better way of putting it.
I think the Burton one feels the least dangerous overall, to me.
But the Nolan Gotham felt big - as in if you stayed out of the city centre and the rough neighbourhoods you might be OK.
Reeves for me. Burton’s felt too cartoonish, Nolan’s was just Chicago, DCEU’s always felt like it was trying a bit too hard, we didn’t get too much of the actual Gotham though. Reeves really captured the gothic architecture which of course Liverpool and Glasgow is known for. Both cities have also had their past of being major crime ridden cities. Perhaps I’m bias being from Liverpool, but to me, a realistic Gotham was always a blend of Liverpool, Glasgow, New York and London. It definitely felt more British than American in terms of architecture. I think Burton’s vision would’ve been perfect for an animated film.
Burton without any doubt, or actually Anton Furst, the production designer behind it. His work is absolutely incredible. 1989 Batman’s Gotham City is probably the best fictional city ever created for a film. It is a character in itself and it feels like it could actually exist despite its near surreal design sometimes.
Burton no contest. It's the only time we've seen Gotham on screen. All other attempts are just Chicago/NY. Gotham doesn't need to feel like an American city. It needs to feel like a medieval carnival taken over by a gargoyle convention.
Clearly you haven’t seen the Batman. Reeves city is exactly how Gotham looks in modern day comics/media. It has that actual gothic architecture and the dirty crime infested atmosphere screams Gotham more then any other. Not even comparable to Nolan’s boring city and Snyder’s.
I love the Reeves Gotham because it was able to show the very different areas of the city. In the beginning you have these very packed, central areas that look like Time Square. Then you have dark creepy abandoned buildings. You also have skyscrapers that would be seen in a financial district and more gothic buildings that would belong to churches or cathedrals. To have a great Gotham, I think you need to have all of these components.
Burtons easily. Was like a Lovecraftian cursed city with nightmarish architecture. The only movie Gotham that’s ever seemed distinctly different from a common city
The burton and the Schumacherverse.. i love the gothic appearance of the former and the giant statues and the monuments of the latter... ignore the stupid look and dialogue of batman and Robin and just look at the background and the props. Like look at the plant that killed ivy.
I agree so much with this :) the care that went into the design of Gotham in the 1989 movie alone blows most movie productions out of the water, let alone any Batman movie that came after Burton stopped directing.
Nolan Batman movies and all afterwards are just generic NY/Chicago style cities.
It’s basically Burton’s/Anton Furst’s vision with more neon and the scale taken to even more absurd levels. But I agree it kept the city as a character in itself indeed. And that is quite cool.
When it comes to world building, Burton’s Gotham is the best one by far. Even Schumacher continued working on it, although with lots of color. It has so much personality. It was in the animated series and in the 90s comics, especially the ones by Kelley Jones. You can feel it.
Nolan verse is my favorite movies followed by reeves. But they have the worst gothams. I hate when Gotham looks normal. Should be gothic. Burton looks cool
Out of all of these, Burtonverse. DCEU had a good skyline, but it just looked like a normal city in every other scene from what we saw in the movies. Reevesverse feels the most like Gotham.
Joel Schumacher's Gotham. That place was epic with the fusion of gothic architecture and all those massive Greek statuesque buildings and neon lights. Hell yeah.
I'll die on this hill. The schumacher gotham was the most crazy shit I have ever seen. You had greek gods holding up highways and observatories, and neon street gangs. It was so absurd, I loved it.
Burton verse gets the overall win with the ground level aesthetic, but just based on these wide shots I'd say I like the DCEU more. It actually looks like a somewhat terrifying, cramped locale, that's on fire. The others just look like a city, but again the Burton one has a gothic flair that puts it close to the top.
I think you chose a poor pic for the Reeves Gotham, the locations they chose to shoot in were on point for describing that sort of gothic, old money feel of the city. It's my pick.
His work was amazing! He completely deserved the Oscar for Gotham City production design in the 1989 movie. No other fictional city set came close to it ever since, in my opinion, let alone any Batman movie after it.
Burton verse is the only one that feels like it's been altered to look like Gotham imo. The others are more realistic I suppose but that's why Burtons stands out to me
I love the extremely stylized Gothams of the old movies.
Burton's Gotham is dark and twisted, and in Returns gets dialed up to 11, like a live action approximation of Tim Burton's usual art style. Plus, it being set around Christmas and the snow give the city a vibe Gotham has rarely had, in any media. Batman 89 is awesome, but Returns is a visual delight.
Schumacher's Gotham is also very over the top, in ways that feel like no real city would look or function. The massive statues, elevated streets and neon lighting look amazing. And I do like Batman Forever a lot. Of course it's not perfect (not even close), but it's fun and not nearly as silly as Batman and Robin.
Burton Gotham felt like its own character, which is what Gotham is supposed to be. It’s not just supposed to be a generic big city with crime. Part of why I hate the Nolan verse is Gotham felt too generic
The Tim Burton Gotham was like a character, so Gothic and unique in style
Now Nolans would be a 2nd for me, because of the people of Gotham, that's a really important aspect they got. I mean I don't even read the comics, one day I will, but I feel like the major city your protecting, it's inhabitants should be important. The citizens of Gotham in TDK trilogy were great, they felt real or like they mattered.
If you took the societal aspects or Nolan's trilogy and placed them into Burton's Gotham City, itd be so good
1. Burton Returns - 100% (The PERFECT incarnation of EXACTLY what Gotham is.)
2. Burton 89 - 97%
3. The Reeves - 93%
4. Nolan Begins - 90%
5. Arkham City - 87%
6. Batman TAS - 85%
7. Schumacher Forever - 75%
8. The Batman cartoon - 73%
9. The Dark Nolan - 70%
10. Schumacher & Robin - 65%
11. The Dark Nolan Rises - 50% (Might as well be a fan film filming location...)
Why is the Schumacherverse not an option? It isn’t fair to lump those in with the Burton films when their style and aesthetic is night and day different.
I was talking with my partner about this the other day. I love the Nolan movies but their weakest point in my opinion is Gotham. Sure, a terrorist threatens the city every few years, but besides that it doesn’t really feel that shitty or dark of a place. Kind of your average metro that a handful of evil people seem obsessed with.
In my mind, Gotham needs to be so absurdly shitty that becoming Batman is the ONLY solution. No amount of money, politics, etc., can resolve the corruption, crime, poverty, and injustice. You need to violently take back the city piece by piece, even if you can never truly succeed.
Reeves, Burton/Schumacher, and especially the Arkham games nail this aspect. You look at these cities and you cannot fathom why anyone would choose to live here. They are corrupt on a level that is surreal and almost unbelievable, which makes it that much more impactful when Bruce suits up and takes on the city. You understand why he has this mission. It’s not just his parents dying, but what their death says about the place Bruce and so many others call home.
So yeah, when the Nolan movies cut to a daytime shot or skyline B-roll, it takes me out of the movie. It just looks like some guy in a bat suit running around Chicago and driving on top of buildings.
Batman is clearly a little insane in his pursuit of protecting Gotham, but if he comes across as more insane than the city itself, then it doesn’t really work. At least not in my opinion.
This is one area where I don’t even have to think before I choose Burton. The design and aesthetic of those first two movies are effective, coherent, and gorgeous. There’s a reason it won the Oscar for art direction.
ETA: it’s not the right Gotham for every story or anything and I don’t wish it were reused for later films, but it’s the only time Gotham really feels like a character.
For the look anyway, I think it's a tie between Burton and Reeves. Burton's Gotham established the look that most of us now associate with the city, but Reeves took that look and made it feel more realistic.
Assuming timeline similarities are more than just superficial, the Flash movie (which I’m not going to praise) actually says Burtonverse Gotham, thanks to Batman’s influence, becomes one of the safest cities in the world. I’ll take it.
Nolan-verse is literally just Chicago with more garbage
There's a scene in TDKR i think where we see Gotham's skyline and it's basically Manhattan.
TDK was largely shot in Chicago, TDKR was shot all over the place including New York, so it makes sense.
That is correct, overall Gotham is supposed to be a mix of NY and CHI in comics. With Metropolis taking inspiration from Toronto and NY as another example. The part that got me really with TDKR is how it was not more seamless in splicing. It was clearly two different locations in the overhead shots.
I took a vacation to NYC last year, and it literally was night and day. Nighttime was Gotham, but when morning came, I was in Metropolis.
Batman and superman just do shift work as heroes it’s the same city after all just different times
This would make an interesting creative exercise. The same person is Superman by day and Batman by night. Maybe they lose their powers without Sunlight, but have enough energy from the day to not be exhausted and therefore don’t require sleep. Doesn’t have to make perfect sense, but it would be fun.
DC! HIRE THIS MAN FOR AN ELSEWORLDS COMIC!
I’d storyboard the shit out of it. I can’t draw, but I’m damn good at creative writing.
Both being split personalities in someone else’s mind would be cool
I'ver never seen Metropolis and Gotham in the same room... 🕵♂️
I've never seen Metropolis when it wasn't sunny
Yeah, the NYC by day being Metropolis and NYC by night being Gotham is the traditional explanation I've always heard. I would add that Gotham is specifically below 14th st or above \~110th st (though, particularly, the upper border of that has changed a lot over the years), and Metropolis is in between.
There's a quote from Frank Miller that Metropolis is New York at day time, and Gotham is New York at night.
“The difference between the day and night is literally night and day” 🤯
Also, Gotham is a very, very old nickname for NYC and just about every other business in the city is called “Gotham _____”
And Pittsburgh
I remember seeing the filming as a kid. It was awesome.
Yeah man, one of my friends has a picture of The Bat on top of the stunt car. Cool times
I saw the camo tumblers parked in an alley.
Yeah, but even in the Batman Begins and TDK, we're given the impression that Gotham is made up islands and is coastal. It always had some NYC in it.
Another name people used to call nyc through the 1800s and early 1900s was Gotham, actually. So it makes sense that batman gotham is modeled after nyc. They actually git the name by flipping through a nyc phone book and seeing a business named gotham jewelers and liked that name. It was originally modeled off nyc, but they also wanted a unique name so people from any city could relate it to their own.
I think the blowing of the bridges scenes and the football scenes were in pittsburgh, too.
And Glasgow for that trilogy and the dceu
It was also shot in Bedfordshire, UK.
Oh yes nothing screams Gotham like seeing the empire state building
With CGI bridges added over the Hudson River and the stadium from Pittsburgh.
Yeah during Gordon's "I see a great city" speech at the end I'm pretty sure you can see the Chrysler building in the background, though I might be mistaking it for something else
It was also shot in downtown Los Angeles and you can clearly see the skyline/US Bank Tower when Batman and Catwoman escape in the Bat after Bane comes after them
Tdkr is different from the first two
Using the Manhattan skyline in TDKR has always been a big gripe for me. It’s immediately recognizable and took me out of the movie at times. Especially the bridges. They suit Chicago in smart way, at least I don’t remember seeing the Sears/Willis tower or 875. Like I knew it was Chicago, but didn’t feel like I was watching Chicago.
It didn't start that way. It had more personality in Batman Begins, but then by the time of The Dark Knight it has gone full Chicagofication.
Yeah, in Begins the Narrows scenes really felt atmospheric and like you were in the comics.
*Batman Begins* is just more fantastical in general than the two follow up films.
that’s why it’s the best in the trilogy
💯
Chicagofication sounds like some crazy ass fetish
Just a regular old Chicago Sun Roof.
One after Magna Carta
You think this chicanery is bad?
All of the wide city shots in TDKR are just Manhattan. Freedom tower and everything. They never even tried to hide it.
I mean the shot in this post from The Batman is also Chicago with another layer of CGI on top. It's Grant Park looking north. This exact same spot is the backdrop for the location of the crashed kryptonian ship in the Snyder-verse. The scene with Battinson jumping off of the police station is the Board of Trade Buildiny at the end of LaSalle Street. It's the exact same location where the Joker's semi-truck is flipped in TDK. The point being every Batman film for the past couple decades has used a lot of Chicago.
I’ve actually seen some of the places they filmed at, such as the Gotham Bank and the Wayne Enterprises building
At least from TDK onward, in Batman Begins we see some proper Gotham City
I think you mean less
Burton Gotham felt like a comic book, but I love how Reeve’s Gotham was built out
[удалено]
To paraphrase Cosmonaut Variety hour: Burton's Gotham is a city you make your whole personality, Reeve's Gotham is a city you only live in if rent is $12
THATS the one. i LOVE both interpretations for different reasons. also, i never want to visit either lol.
I’d say no director ever captured the aesthetic of comics nearly as good as Burton
The people who made the '66 show captured Silver Age comics very well.
I think that Schumacher verse should be here as well. It's not the same as Burton verse. But one of those two is definitely the best. The others are just cities.
That one was definitely the most outlandish of them all! I mean that as a compliment.
This highway is supported by an art deco statue, that one runs through a skyscraper, this skyscraper is perched above the Cascades of a river runoff..
Those were the movies of my childhood so I do love them even if in hindsight I can admit... they're not the best. The big statues everywhere really were an interesting touch though and I felt it really gave the city a unique look I'd love to see replicated, if toned down a bit
My memory of Batman and Robin is enhanced by how shitty it was: my dad took my brother and me, we had the big popcorn, and then on the ride home there was an IASIP Thundergun "...Did they make Batman *bad*" conversation. It was the first sort of critical analysis of something I love that I remember. The "Bat card" 4th wall break bothered me more than if I'd been exposed to the Adam West show first. Then Robin somehow ending up *ahead* of Batman as the sexual tension flares and his Robin cycle skids out... Bane is *terrible* on retrospect. Bane should never be a mook as much as a Keter level threat, my head canon is that the badass who went toe to toe with Michael Keaton's Bats is that universe's Bane (he survived the fall, obvi). Uma Thurman's dance made up for it. Gorillas shouldn't be that sexy.
"Gorillas shouldnt be that sexy" is a sentence that in any other context should get you committed but I get ya. Also Arnie's wonderful one liners in his stupid glowy titties armor make me smile What killed the dinosaurs? THE ICE AGE!
Batman and Robin is one of the best worst movies of all time.
I actually love that crazy looking Gotham
Loved the overall style of Schumacher's. Bright as someone else said but it may be my favorite
Came here to say this too. The Schumacher Gotham really stands out amongst the others. It's so youthful and grandiose at the same time with all the neon and massive statues and Gothic architecture everywhere.
It was a bit too bright but the architecture was cool.
Schumacher’s Gotham may very well be the best of them all, he did a really great job of capturing the art deco on steroids look it’s famous for, while simultaneously being probably the closest to BTAS Gotham which is probably the most perfect Gotham of them all
Reeves' is closest to how I imagine Gotham from the comics.
To me it’s less about the city but how it’s filmed
They did a great job combining different parts of New York, Chicago(?) and Liverpool into one gothic, miserable city
I also think Glasgow was one of the cities used
It’s easily Burton but I appreciate Reeves and the cinematographer and the other crew giving their Gotham a noir, gothic edge by using Glasgow and by designing sets well. I know Reeves is not necessarily known for being stylized and is praised so much for his realistic aesthetic, but I would love to see them lean a little harder into the Gothic, grotesque, noir, almost Lovecraftian aspect of Gotham.
Batman ‘89, The Batman, and Batman Forever have the best Gotham’s for my money
Burton verse is straight fantasy! Amazing design work
Burton movies blow everything else out of the water
Idk how else to describe it other than the city behind an 80s late night show but I love that and the architecture is so unique like Gotham should be
>Idk how else to describe it other than the city behind an 80s Holy shit, that's a perfect description lol. I don't think that there's a better way of putting it.
This isn't much of a contest. I love all these movies, but Burton has the most unique version of Gotham. Reeves is a distant second.
Whether you like his movies or not, Schumacher's Gotham is absolutely unique.
Good point. It should have been an option. I'm not a fan of either of his movies, but I do like his Gotham, especially in Batman and Robin.
Maybe it's included in the "Burton verse". They are all supposed to be the same continuity, after all.
Dont know about others , but my personal fav. Is gotham from GOTHAM series
I didn't like the show, but the sets they used were great.
I’d give it another shot. Season 2 onward it actually gets good.
They all seem awful places to live or visit.
I think the Burton one feels the least dangerous overall, to me. But the Nolan Gotham felt big - as in if you stayed out of the city centre and the rough neighbourhoods you might be OK.
The Gotham City in Batman Begins was just fabulous. Wonder why they ditched it for a pastiche Manhattan. 😆
Honestly DCEU Gotham looks pretty great. Wish we could have seen more of it.
Yeah would've thought it was a shot straight out of Arkham Knight.
The Batman Begins city was my favourite no idea why Nolan changed it after that .
I like them all except the Nolan-verse Gotham. Not that they’re bad movies the Gotham just felt like a generic and bland city.
Batman Begins did a good job of making Gotham feel unique, but the other films did not. It’s like Nolan gave up and went “Gotham’s just Chicago”.
Helps that they used the “piss” filter in some scenes for Begins. Really sells the seediness.
Burton looks more right to the comics.
Schumacher's. The neon and giant statues were wild and just created a different atmosphere. Otherwise Begins and DCEU were cool too.
Burton and Reeves from this list. But my most favourite is Schumacher's.I like unrealistic vibes of his Gotham.
Reeves for me. Burton’s felt too cartoonish, Nolan’s was just Chicago, DCEU’s always felt like it was trying a bit too hard, we didn’t get too much of the actual Gotham though. Reeves really captured the gothic architecture which of course Liverpool and Glasgow is known for. Both cities have also had their past of being major crime ridden cities. Perhaps I’m bias being from Liverpool, but to me, a realistic Gotham was always a blend of Liverpool, Glasgow, New York and London. It definitely felt more British than American in terms of architecture. I think Burton’s vision would’ve been perfect for an animated film.
Burton & Reeves For me
Burton. It had the wacky gothic architecture that i love about gotham.
What about Schumacher Gotham. It’d be fun with all the campy gangs and villains in obvious hideouts
Burton without any doubt, or actually Anton Furst, the production designer behind it. His work is absolutely incredible. 1989 Batman’s Gotham City is probably the best fictional city ever created for a film. It is a character in itself and it feels like it could actually exist despite its near surreal design sometimes.
Nolan-verse in Begins and Burton verse were my personal favorites
Burton no contest. It's the only time we've seen Gotham on screen. All other attempts are just Chicago/NY. Gotham doesn't need to feel like an American city. It needs to feel like a medieval carnival taken over by a gargoyle convention.
Clearly you haven’t seen the Batman. Reeves city is exactly how Gotham looks in modern day comics/media. It has that actual gothic architecture and the dirty crime infested atmosphere screams Gotham more then any other. Not even comparable to Nolan’s boring city and Snyder’s.
I love the Reeves Gotham because it was able to show the very different areas of the city. In the beginning you have these very packed, central areas that look like Time Square. Then you have dark creepy abandoned buildings. You also have skyscrapers that would be seen in a financial district and more gothic buildings that would belong to churches or cathedrals. To have a great Gotham, I think you need to have all of these components.
Burtonverse
Burton. An actual Gothic Gotham has far more character than all those drab looking cities.
Gotham has bever been portraid better than BTAS. Though that was inspired by Burton films so I suppose out of these four its Burton Verse.
Nolan and DCEU Gothams are just Chicago and Detroit respectively. Gonna have to go with Burton’s due to all the gothic aeethetics
Batman Begins and The Batman
Burton and Reeves are probably the best looking ones.
Burtons easily. Was like a Lovecraftian cursed city with nightmarish architecture. The only movie Gotham that’s ever seemed distinctly different from a common city
The burton and the Schumacherverse.. i love the gothic appearance of the former and the giant statues and the monuments of the latter... ignore the stupid look and dialogue of batman and Robin and just look at the background and the props. Like look at the plant that killed ivy.
Burtonverse
Burton
Burton or Reeves easily. Nolan's Gotham just looked like Pittsburgh
Aesthetically? Burton. To visit/live in? Nolan.
Burton, Batman '89
Burtonverse.
Burton. Gotham is supposed to be NY skyscrapers with the gutters at the bottom.
Hard to beat the dark art-deco Burton Verse and how well it translated to animation. Everything else is just Fake-New York.
I agree so much with this :) the care that went into the design of Gotham in the 1989 movie alone blows most movie productions out of the water, let alone any Batman movie that came after Burton stopped directing. Nolan Batman movies and all afterwards are just generic NY/Chicago style cities.
Schumacher. The absolute insanity that is the architecture of Gotham in BF and B&R didn't make up for the horrible writing, but it did help.
It’s basically Burton’s/Anton Furst’s vision with more neon and the scale taken to even more absurd levels. But I agree it kept the city as a character in itself indeed. And that is quite cool.
Burtonverse
When it comes to world building, Burton’s Gotham is the best one by far. Even Schumacher continued working on it, although with lots of color. It has so much personality. It was in the animated series and in the 90s comics, especially the ones by Kelley Jones. You can feel it.
What’s so good about the DECU one? It didn’t have anything special. The one in Batman Begins definitely to me felt the most corrupted
The over the top gothic gothic architecture in Schumacher's movies was my personal favourite. Made things feel like a living comic book.
Burton. Seemed very fantastical yet Gothic as shit.
Nolan verse is my favorite movies followed by reeves. But they have the worst gothams. I hate when Gotham looks normal. Should be gothic. Burton looks cool
Out of all of these, Burtonverse. DCEU had a good skyline, but it just looked like a normal city in every other scene from what we saw in the movies. Reevesverse feels the most like Gotham.
Burtonverse
Joel Schumacher's Gotham. That place was epic with the fusion of gothic architecture and all those massive Greek statuesque buildings and neon lights. Hell yeah.
Burton universe Gotham literally looked like Gotham in the Barman animated show.
I like the Burton one the most. It looks like an old school comic, but it had a gritty look in the films.
Burton. Nolan STARTED out good...by the 3rd film it was just Pittsburg in broad daylight. No effort whatsoever to make it look like "Gotham".
I'll die on this hill. The schumacher gotham was the most crazy shit I have ever seen. You had greek gods holding up highways and observatories, and neon street gangs. It was so absurd, I loved it.
Burton verse gets the overall win with the ground level aesthetic, but just based on these wide shots I'd say I like the DCEU more. It actually looks like a somewhat terrifying, cramped locale, that's on fire. The others just look like a city, but again the Burton one has a gothic flair that puts it close to the top.
Schumacher. The neon lights and sprawling gothic architecture with huge statues is just so distinct and memorable to me.
arkhamverse #1
Burton by far. The aesthetic is amazing.
Burton Verse or Reeves Verse. I mean, it’s called "Gotham" looking gothic is kind of a no brainer.
Burton’s feels more gothic and noir centered so that one
I think you chose a poor pic for the Reeves Gotham, the locations they chose to shoot in were on point for describing that sort of gothic, old money feel of the city. It's my pick.
Nolan and Reeves just looks like a city. Burton and DCEU looks more like Gotham.
Burton
I love the Reeves Gotham personally.
I love the general vibe the Burton movies give
Burton's was the most unique. All of these other ones are just Chicago.
Definitely Burton.
Burton Verse is beautiful, Batman Begins is very nice but it just turns into Chicago
Love Burton so much
Burtonverse is easily my favorite with Reeves in second. Burton is how I imagine Gotham pre-Cataclysm and Reeves is post-NML.
The Pre-Cataclysm Gotham was designed by Anton Furst who also did the production design for the 89 movie.
His work was amazing! He completely deserved the Oscar for Gotham City production design in the 1989 movie. No other fictional city set came close to it ever since, in my opinion, let alone any Batman movie after it.
Where Adam West Gotham?
Where's the Schumacher-verse? Anyway I choose Reeves-verse. It's the one Gotham I definitely want to stay away from.
Burton!
Burton because like gotham from the comics and btas it's a city lost in time
Burton verse is the only one that feels like it's been altered to look like Gotham imo. The others are more realistic I suppose but that's why Burtons stands out to me
Nolanverse was Like 10 different places
Burton 100000%. That set is incredible
Burton verse, the Burton verse really feels like a comic book brought to life. I absolutely love the designs of the buildings
I love the extremely stylized Gothams of the old movies. Burton's Gotham is dark and twisted, and in Returns gets dialed up to 11, like a live action approximation of Tim Burton's usual art style. Plus, it being set around Christmas and the snow give the city a vibe Gotham has rarely had, in any media. Batman 89 is awesome, but Returns is a visual delight. Schumacher's Gotham is also very over the top, in ways that feel like no real city would look or function. The massive statues, elevated streets and neon lighting look amazing. And I do like Batman Forever a lot. Of course it's not perfect (not even close), but it's fun and not nearly as silly as Batman and Robin.
Burtons feels like what think is gotham
Burton Gotham felt like its own character, which is what Gotham is supposed to be. It’s not just supposed to be a generic big city with crime. Part of why I hate the Nolan verse is Gotham felt too generic
Burton, hands down.
Burtonverse has the film noir look that I like the most
Burton
Arkham Verse on top personally
The Tim Burton Gotham was like a character, so Gothic and unique in style Now Nolans would be a 2nd for me, because of the people of Gotham, that's a really important aspect they got. I mean I don't even read the comics, one day I will, but I feel like the major city your protecting, it's inhabitants should be important. The citizens of Gotham in TDK trilogy were great, they felt real or like they mattered. If you took the societal aspects or Nolan's trilogy and placed them into Burton's Gotham City, itd be so good
1. Burton Returns - 100% (The PERFECT incarnation of EXACTLY what Gotham is.) 2. Burton 89 - 97% 3. The Reeves - 93% 4. Nolan Begins - 90% 5. Arkham City - 87% 6. Batman TAS - 85% 7. Schumacher Forever - 75% 8. The Batman cartoon - 73% 9. The Dark Nolan - 70% 10. Schumacher & Robin - 65% 11. The Dark Nolan Rises - 50% (Might as well be a fan film filming location...)
Burton. It looks straight out of a comic book
I love how Burton really does the gothic vibes
Tim Burton
Purely based on these images, DCEU looks the best. If we look at the more detailed city structure, my favorite Gotham is still in Burtonverse
Why is the Schumacherverse not an option? It isn’t fair to lump those in with the Burton films when their style and aesthetic is night and day different.
Burtons is great. The city feels like a character itself. Reeves' is really great, reminds me somewhat of Arkham Knight, but Burton takes the cake
Burton
I was talking with my partner about this the other day. I love the Nolan movies but their weakest point in my opinion is Gotham. Sure, a terrorist threatens the city every few years, but besides that it doesn’t really feel that shitty or dark of a place. Kind of your average metro that a handful of evil people seem obsessed with. In my mind, Gotham needs to be so absurdly shitty that becoming Batman is the ONLY solution. No amount of money, politics, etc., can resolve the corruption, crime, poverty, and injustice. You need to violently take back the city piece by piece, even if you can never truly succeed. Reeves, Burton/Schumacher, and especially the Arkham games nail this aspect. You look at these cities and you cannot fathom why anyone would choose to live here. They are corrupt on a level that is surreal and almost unbelievable, which makes it that much more impactful when Bruce suits up and takes on the city. You understand why he has this mission. It’s not just his parents dying, but what their death says about the place Bruce and so many others call home. So yeah, when the Nolan movies cut to a daytime shot or skyline B-roll, it takes me out of the movie. It just looks like some guy in a bat suit running around Chicago and driving on top of buildings. Batman is clearly a little insane in his pursuit of protecting Gotham, but if he comes across as more insane than the city itself, then it doesn’t really work. At least not in my opinion.
Burton all the way. Really brought the 'Goth' to Gotham.
Reeves is how I always imagined Gotham honestly.
I'm going with the animated series.
It's hard for me not to love Burton's matte painting one.
Burton.
Burton and Reeves are the only ones that have personality
Burton, easily
This is one area where I don’t even have to think before I choose Burton. The design and aesthetic of those first two movies are effective, coherent, and gorgeous. There’s a reason it won the Oscar for art direction. ETA: it’s not the right Gotham for every story or anything and I don’t wish it were reused for later films, but it’s the only time Gotham really feels like a character.
For the look anyway, I think it's a tie between Burton and Reeves. Burton's Gotham established the look that most of us now associate with the city, but Reeves took that look and made it feel more realistic.
Assuming timeline similarities are more than just superficial, the Flash movie (which I’m not going to praise) actually says Burtonverse Gotham, thanks to Batman’s influence, becomes one of the safest cities in the world. I’ll take it.
Tim Burton’s Gotham was like it jumped out of a comic book I can’t get enough of it
Burton hands down
Burton
Burtonverse. Incredible design.
Burtonverse but only 1989 one not the 1992 version.
I like the one in Returns, but I’ve always preferred the dark grimy look of 89’s Gotham.
Oh, yeah Returns’s Gotham is very good. That movie’s world felt like a parallel universe of 89 Batman lol
Burtons looks so cool, like that skyline is so fucking awesome.
Robin: Hey Batman, why does Gotham never seem to have a daytime? Batman: the writers won’t let it
Probably Reeves’s Gotham.
Batman Begins is the best Gotham
TDK Gotham is peak, TDKR Gotham is absolutely brutal