Paramount
Next year will score the 40th anniversary of Tim Burton ’s directorial career . Before helmingPee - wee ’s Big Adventurein 1985 , Burton was hired as an animator for Walt Disney Studios and was fired for sharpen on his weird personal projects that the company felt were unsuitable for kids . rough a X later , after establishing himself as a filmmaker , Disney invite Burton back for The Nightmare Before Christmas , which has since become a recurrent vacation favourite and did not , in fact , panic attack children .
Burton has worked extensively as a director in the last four decades , with his most late projects includingWednesdayforNetflixandBeetlejuice Beetlejuicethis fall . Before that continuation rolls around , we ’ve decided to look back at the 10 best Tim Burton movies , ranked from worst to first . Note that only the films direct by Burton are on this list . That ’s whyThe Nightmare Before Christmas – which was really helm by Henry Selick and based upon a fib by Burton – is n’t on here . If Burton had steer that pic , it would have easy landed in our top five .
Paramount
10. Mars Attacks! (1996)
Mars Attacks!is not one of Burton ’s most beloved films , and it received a divisive reply among movie fans . Regardless , Burton does capture the colored horse sense of humour from the 1962 Topps trading scorecard that invigorate the picture show . This film is n’t meant to be taken severely , and it really does get a raft of comedic milage out of the antic Martians microwave humans with their ray gunman . Lisa Marie has a peculiarly fun extended cameo as a Martian pretending to be a beautiful woman to pass through the White House .
Jack Nicholsonhas affaire d’honneur role as U.S. President James Dale and cassino owner Art Land , both of whom suffer their end of the world at the hands of the Martian encroacher . That ’s the same fate that befalls the Brobdingnagian majority of this all - star cast . A pre - Star Wars Natalie Portman emerges as one of the film ’s heroines , Taffy Dale , alongside Richie Norris ( Lukas Haas ) . But the most memorable good turn in the movie may go to the lateJim Brown , who playact Byron Williams , a former boxer who in reality challenge the Martians to a fight to help his friends escape . That guy is the beneficial .
Rent or buyMars Attacks!onPrime Video .
9. Big Fish (2003)
A lot of tall tales are spun inBig Fish , a film that was important to Burton in part because he had lost both of his parents just a few years before . Will Bloom ( Billy Crudup ) and his married woman , Joséphine ( Marion Cotillard ) , visit Will ’s conk out Father-God , Edward Bloom ( Albert Finney ) , during his last days . While Will is fed up with Edward ’s inability to share the story of his lifetime as they in reality happen , Joséphine is more open to the fantastical adventures of young Edward ( Obi - Wan Kenobi‘s Ewan McGregor ) .
Edward ’s stories provide a touch of fantasy in this celluloid as he goes on misadventures and meets the honey of his life , Sandra Bloom ( Alison Lohman ) . It ’s through these story that Will and Edward finally happen a way to connect with each other .
rip or buyBig FishonPrime Video .
8. Sleepy Hollow (1999)
The Headless Horseman is on a rampage inSleepy Hollow , a very loose adaptation of Washington Irving’sThe Legend of Sleepy Hollow . As re - envisioned by Burton , Johnny Depp ’s Ichabod Crane is n’t the fearful type … at least not until he gets a first - hand look at the Horseman and realizes that this ghost is not a legend .
When Crane recovers his wits , he lives up to his reputation as a investigator who has adopt forensic scientific discipline well forrader of his workfellow . Crane also feel an ally in Katrina Anne Van Tassel ( Christina Ricci ) , a wealthy vernal woman who does n’t see that the power behind the Headless Horseman is much closer than she suspects .
WatchSleepy HollowonPrime Video .
7. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
How big wasPee - wee ’s Big Adventure ? Let ’s put it this fashion : we ’re still retelling the same Large Marge jokes about four decades later . This was Burton ’s feature article - distance directorial debut , and many of his tardy films ’ bizarre and eclectic sensitivity are on full display here . Paul Reubens had already created the Pee - wee Herman character before this movie , but this was the labor that made both Reubens and his alter egotism into stars .
After establishing Pee - wee ’s Rube Goldberg machine breakfast routine , the photographic film becomes a passion amour between Pee - wee and his one - of - a - kind cycle . When his enemy , Francis Buxton ( Mark Holton ) , pays for the bike to be steal , Pee - wee embarks on a ill-tempered - country journeying to recover it … with stops at the Alamo and the Warner Bros. motion-picture show flock . There were two other Pee - wee Herman movies after this one , but neither one of them could compare to the whimsical joyousness of this motion-picture show .
Rent or buyPee - wee ’s Big AdventureonPrime Video .
6. Batman Returns (1992)
Perhaps accidentally , Burton’sBatman Returnswas the start of a comic Good Book flick figure of subsequence loading up on villain . This movie does n’t just have Catwoman ( Michelle Pfeiffer ) and Penguin ( Danny DeVito ) , it also has a third bad guy : Christopher Walken ’s corrupt businessman , Max Shreck . Between the three of them , there ’s not a heap of time to focus on Batman ( Michael Keaton ) , or his alter ego , Bruce Wayne .
Compared to the firstBatmanmovie , this is more like a distinctive Burton film with a lot of weird and macabre touches . Warner Bros. much ran away from it shout out becauseBatman Returns ‘ dark tone would n’t let the studio easily deal toys to children . But compared to the two Batman movies that came after this , Batman Returns was a lot more merriment .
WatchBatman ReturnsonMax .
5. Batman (1989)
Before 1989 , comical book moving-picture show were mostly in the realm ofHoward the Duck , Dolph Lundgren’sPunisherflick , and two horrible made - for - TV Captain America motion-picture show . Even the Superman films dramatically drop in quality with the third and quaternary movie . Burton and his confederate changed that withBatman , which finally freed the Dark Knight from the camp confines of Adam West ’s Caped Crusader of the ’ 60s .
CastingMichael Keaton as Batmangot a lot of blowback at the time , but he was more than able to give his own opposite Jack Nicholson’sJoker . By modern standards , even this motion picture is a small goofy at times . ButBatmanstill jell the templet for risible book motion picture as we know them . For just or unfit , it all started here .
WatchBatmanonMax .
4. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
There are n’t a heap of repugnance - slasher musicals , which is whySweeney Todd : The Demon Barber of Fleet Streetlargely has that category to itself . Burton adjust the musical theater with two of his most frequent actors in the leading roles : Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter . Sweeney Todd ( Depp ) was once Benjamin Barker , an ordinary Samuel Barber who married Lucy Barker ( Laura Michelle Kelly ) . Judge Turpin ( Alan Rickman ) ruin Benjamin ’s aliveness by sending him into deportation and stealing his wife and child .
To get his revenge , Todd murders hoi polloi in his barber shop who wronged him , while Nellie Lovett ( Carter ) turns their corpse into center pie . However , Todd ’s bloodlust overwhelm everything else , and he goes too far . He ’s the ultimate villain in his own account .
WatchSweeney Todd : The Demon Barber of Fleet StreetonParamount+ .
3. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Depp had a substantially more likeable role as the deed of conveyance persona inEdward Scissorhands . Some time ago , Edward ’s inventor ( Vincent Price ) ease up him human beings , but he neglected to give Edward real human manus before passing away . Peg Boggs ( Dianne Wiest ) takes compassion on Edward and convey him into her family , where he falls in passion with her daughter , Kim ( Stranger Thingsstar Winona Ryder ) .
Edward and Kim ’s link does not go over well with Kim ’s boyfriend , Jim ( Anthony Michael Hall ) , and it does n’t take much to turn over the townspeople against Edward . His only natural endowment are in his hands , but Edward ’s hand are also the reason why people are scared of him . Burton has said that he considersEdward Scissorhandsto be among his most personal films , and perhaps it ’s because he relate to Edward ’s quandary .
WatchEdward ScissorhandsonMax .
2. Ed Wood (1994)
The existent Ed Wood was the Tommy Wiseau of his era … except Wood was more fecund . Burton distinctly has an affinity for Wood ’s tarradiddle , which led toEd Wood , a mostly rightful biopic . Johnny Depp was cast in the title office as perhaps the most unqualified film director of all time . But Ed is just so passionate about his movies that he usually finds someone who can believe in him . Burton ’s cinema also present Ed as a hero who does n’t lease his lack of talent get in the way of following his dreams .
Martin Landau acquire an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his play as repugnance legend Bela Lugosi , whom Ed befriends and persuades to behave in his pic . The film finally gets around to the making of Ed ’s disasterpiece : program 9 From Outer Space . But if you ’ve never hear of that motion picture , do n’t spoil it for yourself before watching this moving picture .
rip or buyEd WoodonPrime Video .
1. Beetlejuice (1988)
An disceptation could be made forEd Woodtopping this lean , but we perish withBeetlejuicebecause it ’s Burton ’s most complete flick . It ’s singular from start to finish , it has a cracking cast and 12 of jackass and flakey visual flourish . But most of all , Beetlejuicehas Michael Keaton in the title role , and he is utterly hilarious every time he ’s on screen . Even though his name is the claim of the pic , Beetlejuice is only used sparingly throughout . That ’s one of the reasons why Beetlejuice ’s scene have so much life when he imposes himself on the film ’s primary story and theatrical role .
Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis toy a recently deceased twosome , Adam and Barbara Maitland , both of whom are horrify when the Deetz family moves into their aspiration home . Lydia Deetz , a teenager with a morbid worldview , find that she can see the Maitlands ’ shade even though her parent ca n’t . Meanwhile , Beetlejuice seek to misrepresent the Maitlands into loose him on the Deetzs .
Beetlejuice also has darker plans to marry Lydia so he can escape the hereafter for good . Burton and company really hit a home foot race with this pic , and there ’s even a sequel calledBeetlejuice Beetlejuicethat ’s do this fall withWednesday‘s Jenna Ortega as Lydia ’s daughter . Here ’s hop that Burton can recapture the legerdemain of the first film .
Rent or buyBeetlejuiceonPrime Video .
