9. Batman Forever

Joel Schumacher’s 1995 Batman Forever might be unpopular, but hear me out. Does the movie’s cheesy theatricality often get it criticized for being a giant Batman Forever toy ad? Yes, but it’s a very good ad.

Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones doing his best ham imitation) and the Riddler (an electric Jim Carrey) team up to torture Batman, taking his love interest (Nicole Kidman) and partner Robin (Chris O’Donnell) hostage. Batman triumphs, in the end, by combatting the Riddler with a bad riddle of his own—”I see without seeing…to me, darkness is as clear as daylight,” Val Kilmer says with gravel in his mouth.

Then, there are many impressive sounds of agony, and the Riddler’s brain gets sucked dry by ‘90s CGI. None of it is innovative or smart, but it is pleasant to watch with your mind powered off. And Batman Forever has one of the series’ most exciting romances, too. I’ve always wanted to see Nicole Kidman make kissing a guy in a polyurethane rubber mask look glamorous.