Tim Burton and Michael Keaton movies, ranked from worst to best

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp make up one of the most famous director-actor combinations of the last few decades, but some of Burton's best work has been the result of his collaborations with his other male muse, Michael Keaton.

The two men have worked together five times and despite there being a massive gap between the first three collaborations and the last two, they still have creative chemistry. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice proves that Burton and Keaton can still deliver the goods.

In honor of this belated sequel, we decided to rank the five director-actor collaborations between these two. The bottom spot was easy, but things got increasingly trickier as the list went on. We're curious whether our ranking aligned with your own personal list!

5. Dumbo (2019)

Easily the most forgettable collaboration between Tim Burton and Michael Keaton. A live action Disney film that made tons of money and was instantly forgotten about, Dumbo boasted a stellar roster of actors but did very little with them. Keaton included.

The actor plays the villain of the film, a ruthless amusement park owner who seeks to exploit the titular character for his own wealth. Keaton isn't bad per say, he's just wasted in a remake that feels like one big waste.

Read More: The cast of the original Beetlejuice: Where are they now?

4. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was a nice return to form for Burton and Keaton. They may have lost a step in terms of the comedic zaniness of the original, but there's a lot of clever jokes and solid laughs to be had in this family friendly sequel.

Keaton isn't in the film very much, in keeping with the original, but he is absolutely going for it when he shows up, and the best moments in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice are when Burton lets him off the leash. We hope this film leads to even more collaborations.

3. Batman Returns (1992)

Batman Returns was considered a disappointment upon its release, and it's easy to see why. The film is darker, weirder, and features less Batman than its predecessor. Time as been kind to it, though, and many today argue that it's a bold and fairly risky piece of blockbuster filmmaking.

Keaton is still doing excellent work as the Caped Crusader, and his chemistry with Michelle Pfeiffer trumps his scenes with Kim Basinger in the first film. It's still got it's flaws (penguins with bombs is ridiculous), but Batman Returns definitely deserves its flowers.

Read More: The original plan for Beetlejuice 2 was radically different (here's how)

2. Beetlejuice (1988)

Beetlejuice is a classic. No other director could have made the film quite like Burton, and despite having a completely different actor in mind for the title role, no actor could have played Beetlejuice like Michael Keaton.

Burton and Keaton made a wholly original character who stole the show despite only appearing in a chunk of the film. Beetlejuice is made up of great performances, but the alchemy between Burton's and Keaton's specific brands of weird made magic here.

1. Batman (1989)

Still one of the best superhero films ever made. Batman may take some liberties with the source material, but it's a perfectly contained story about revenge, driven by one of the all time great villain turns by Jack Nicholson.

Keaton has the harder job, the heroic straight man, but he still manages to imbue his eccentricity into the role of Batman. The film turned both Burton and Keaton into household names overnight, and all these years later, it's easy to see why.