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Ranking Tim Burton Films

Tim Burton is one of my favorite directors. Yes, his output is very much a mixed bag consisting of movies that are simply great to the ones that are just solid and all the way to the flicks that are simply disappointments on almost every level despite the visuals which are the strong hallmark of every Burton movie along with dark imagery, horror atmosphere and weirdness which always abounds. So here is my ranking of all his movies released so far.

19. Planet of the Apes

First and foremost, I am a huge fan of this particular franchise, especially of the newest trilogy and of the original movie that started it all. That’s an even bigger reason why I was appalled by what Burton did with this source material. Yes, it isn’t absolutely horrible, but it is definitely bad on many levels – the romance it gives us is simply way too odd and creepy, the characters are so bad and that performance from Mark Wahlberg is deservedly infamous as it’s so horrible. For all of those reasons, it’s Burton’s worst movie and his only truly bad one.

18. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure

Whereas the movie above was pretty much hated by everyone, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure is beloved by so many people. But I have to be honest and say that it is the one movie from the director that annoys the hell out of me. It’s one of his most overrated movies which isn’t childlike, but rather obnoxiously childish and stupid. Everything here is foolish from the slim plot to the silly dialogue to the one-note, extremely annoying protagonist. I just don’t get the appeal of this film and I probably never will.

17. Alice in Wonderland

This is yet another movie of his that screwed with the source material that I absolutely adore. The 1951 Disney version of this famous book is pretty much perfect so having this remake be so mediocre really disappointed me. Okay, not everything is bad here as the visuals are stupidly good and Helena Bonham Carter herself shines here, but all of the other actors and characters are very weak, the plot has nothing to do with the original and the movie is overly dark, unlikable, messy and – worst of all – it makes sense. They just didn’t get it.

16. Mars Attacks!

This one sticks out as the goofiest, silliest and, above all else, the campiest Tim Burton movie and that says a lot. It’s so stupid and pointless that it’s not to be taken seriously by anyone, but if you’re in the mood for camp, this is a passable choice as it’s positively energetic and fun. The sound effects are fine, but the special effects are so dated as the aliens look absolutely ridiculous. It has way too many famous actors performing in it, but that also made it quite an interesting ensemble piece.

15. Dark Shadows

I find this movie harshly judged by the critics. Yes, I give it a three-star rating myself which is also weak, but at least it’s on the positive side and inching ever closer to the 3.5-star range for me. That’s because Johnny Depp is so funny here in a terrific role and the movie overall is very entertaining and fueled by fun dialogue and such strong humor. However, it’s undone by its unwillingness to accept its genre. It never knows what kind of a movie it wants to be which led to such a mess on every level with the third act being overly bombastic itself.

14. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

The longest titled movie is also one of the safer and more disappointing ones for Burton. Yes, I really liked it when I watched it in the theater as it’s such a charming mix of Mary Poppins, Harry Potter and X-Men plus Eva Green is so memorable herself, but upon thinking about it later, I tend to consider it just solid and nothing more than that. That’s because it’s particularly derivative in its story and the action was sometimes way too convenient for my personal liking. It’s a pretty solid, but forgettable endeavor.

13. Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow is a solid, but disappointing movie. It has such a strong visual flair with a great imagery and good atmosphere, the tone is fine and its story is pretty good with some interesting details, but its acting is quite bland, the characters are mostly boring and should have been much better realized and it doesn’t really work as a horror film because it makes the fatal mistake of showing the Horseman for way too long, thus effectively removing the suspense. The Disney version is much better.

12. Frankenweenie

I do appreciate this movie for having such a big heart and it’s absolutely perfect for dog owners/lovers. Its black-and-white stop-motion animation is so good as is the weird sensibility to the overall movie. However, having in mind it was adapted from a short movie, it was stretched to an hour and a half in a very forced manner leading to a slowly paced, overlong movie that needed more dialogue, memorable plot points and originality to it. Frankenweenie is solid, but it could have been so much greater.

11. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

This is probably the most disappointing movie on this list, at least that’s how I felt about it. I expected greatness and I only got a solid piece of entertainment that is way too flawed to be considered great. Its atmosphere is awesome, it’s memorably dark and it’s quite funny at times with a great sense of humor for sure, but as a horror, it fails as it’s never particularly creepy, but rather too repulsive in its gore. The musical elements are also flawed with some solid, but some other weaker numbers.

10. Big Eyes

Big Eyes has many problems in the execution in the movie’s later parts, but it is overall such an intriguing story that is also very important because there are a few worse things than taking credit for someone else’s work and that is why the movie is so emotional. The direction, the performances and the technical aspects are all very good here and it is great to see the director finally make a comeback after his lackluster efforts before this one. It’s such an underappreciated flick.

9. Batman

Probably the movie that aged worst on this list is the 1989 Batman film. Yes, it’s good, very well acted and fueled by particularly mesmerizing visuals, great sets, a superb score and a great atmosphere, but the movie is too slow and boring in some of its parts leading to a loss of momentum in some areas and that made it dated. But still, this was better than expected for this era for superheroics and in particular the characterization and the technical aspects are so strong here.

8. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

This movie’s soundtrack is annoying, but the flashback structure is good, the humor is excellent and visually speaking the film delivered in spades. Johnny Depp is particularly memorable as a campy, very funny version of Willy Wonka. Ultimately, it may not be as dark as the original film, but it’s funnier and overall more entertaining leading to one of the most underrated efforts from this director. It’s a movie that critics rightfully praised, but the fans for some reason trash it in a very annoying manner.

7. Batman Returns

This sequel is cluttered beyond any justifiable reason and it also has way too much action. However, it’s better than the original thanks in large part to Michelle Pfeiffer and Danny DeVito’s extremely memorable turns as Catwoman and The Penguin. Both are excellent creations and amusing as well. The movie is littered with a memorable set after memorable set thanks to great production design, but its humor, its entertainment factor and also sexiness are undeniable.

6. Dumbo

Dumbo got a very low score on Rotten Tomatoes so it’s yet another very underappreciated effort from this usually underrated director. It’s a Disney remake that for once doesn’t feel like a rip-off, but like a genuinely refreshed, modernized and different version of the original tale transported to the new century. It has its weaker parts and characters, but what works splendidly are its new plot additions and in particular that astonishing, truly heartwarming, glorious finale. It’s wonderfully anti-circus.

5. Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice is definitely uneven in terms of storytelling and pacing while also having some tonal inconsistencies, but it is such a wildly original, wonderfully entertaining and hugely imaginative work filled with some beautiful imagery, memorable story, well developed characters, terrific humor and some great antics. It’s one of the signature Burton movies as when you think about the director, you gotta think about this one sooner rather than later. Michael Keaton has also never been better and more fun than he was here.

4. Corpse Bride

Some of the musical elements were lacking, but Corpse Bride does remain without any doubt the signature Burton animation work. The film looks absolutely gorgeous, but it’s also beautifully scripted too with such a memorable, melancholic, truly wonderful final sequence. This is one hugely original, very weird and dark storyline that worked splendidly as it was crafted so well and supported by memorable characters and strong technical aspects. It thus needs to be respected much more.

3. Edward Scissorhands

Edward Scissorhands isn’t for everyone as this suburban fantasy drama is particularly uneventful in the first half, but I personally ate that up as the comedic elements really worked for me as did the goofy character decisions. But the finale is so poetic and wonderful and Johnny Depp here for the first time showed how great he can be in this type of crazy, weird, outcast role and that’s why the director would later mine him for more projects. It’s for many the best Tim Burton film, but for me it comes third.

2. Ed Wood

With fittingly beautiful black-and-white photography and two superb performances from both Johnny Depp and Martin Landau, Ed Wood is by far the most respectable and the most serious effort from Tim while also being his best directed movie by a mile. Thanks to one phenomenal script and stellar dialogue, the movie continues to be brisk and fun and intriguing throughout leading to one of the most touching and greatest biopics of this or possibly any decade. It’s a shame the director did not make more of such serious works.

1. Big Fish

This fantastic movie has such a great fantastical and moving story, a truly beautiful finale that stays with you afterwards and likable characters played excellently by every cast member. Big Fish mixes the drama and the serious with the fantastical and the imaginative in a stupendously effective way leading to what is arguably Tim Burton’s richest and most definitely most emotional effort. I do realize that the above two picks can be favorites to some, but to me personally this is not a question ever raised – Big Fish remains Burton’s magnum opus of beauty, enchantment and imagination.