Superman. A better interpretation of the main character. Even for 1989, that was more Tim Burton's twist on Batman,(and Joker and Gotham), which was fine, I enjoyed it and all, but felt more like a "Elseworlds" type Batman.
Batman. It was my first superhero film I actually saw in the theaters. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen then when it came out, and I still get all nostalgic when I watch it today. I pretty much love everything about it from the style, music, score and performances.
This question is so tough for me. 89 Batman was one of my favourite movies as a kid and (IMO) it still holds up with it being my favourite Batman movie. On the other hand the 78 Superman (and the Donner cut of Superman 2) is a perfect Superman movie (though held back by the technology of the time) and gets the character of Superman better than even a lot of comics. They both are the foundations of blockbuster superhero movies and proved that people can take superheroes seriously.
I'll have to say Superman just because it is a great movie and close to the comics.
Superman is far superior. The original Superman is not only one of the best CBM's to date but a great film in general, Batman 89 in comparison is not only weaker than the Christopher Nolan Batman films (which are more comparable to Superman 78) but quite dated too.
Superman imo. Batman feels dated in comparison. It sounds strange since Superman is a decade older, but Superman is meant to be a dated/old-fashioned concept in comparison to Batman and it suits the character better.
Plus the fact that Batman has very critically acclaimed updates doesn't help the dated feeling.
Reeve as Superman is more iconic, but the film is a bit too cheesy and has not age as well as Tim Burton Batman imo. Granted I do have nostalgia for Batman unlike the Superman movie. However, Batman is just a nice stylized looking movie that is just overall more entertaining in lots of aspect.
Batman. it introduced so much of what people take for granted about Batman, such as the all black costume, the Elfman music, a more fantastic Art Deco Gotham City, the line "I'm Batman"
it also reinvented the genre, and provided a blueprint for how to make a good superhero movie.
Superman lacking a threat to battle (and comics are basically an excuse for brightly garbed heroes to punch villains for 22 pages) and being a deus ex machina time traveler never sat right with me. Batman on the other hand was probably my favorite superhero movie until Blade came out.
Superman is far superior. I say that as someone who prefers Batman ad a character.
One film remains a hallmark of American cinema, with a performance so iconic that it has defined the character for generations. The other is a Tim Burton film.
Batman 89 fundamentally misunderstands the character of Batman.
Reeves Superman became the definitive version for fans & the inspiration for later portrayals of the character. While the film is cheesy & has some flaws e.g. Hickman's real estate Lex, the theme is iconic and it's overall more memorable film than Batman '89.
Honestly, Batman '89 felt more like a Joker film than it did Batman.
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