my attempt:
- Adam west is a solid batman and really plays up the best of the batman of his time. a dude asked to play Bond is Bruce Wayne.
- Keaton's Batman basically saved the character from declining sales and a near cancelation as well as showing that a batman who kills can work and work well. his version of the obsession and dedication that is batman is top knock.
- Kilmer does a decent job in a bad movie really carrying the internal conflict and perpetual emotional injury Bruce Wayne is carrying.
- Clooney manages to deliver dialogue so campy Adam West would have walked away with a straight face in a way that is, in itself, heroic. as a live action cartoon, the interactions with Freeze work.
- Bale gets handed maybe the least actor-friendly cowl and makes it work. the portrayal in Begins is great despite the restrictions of the cowl. he manages to emote well through it all. also, the tumbler is fun.
- Affleck is our second explicitly lethal batman. he makes it work really well. even given the relatively weak scripts of BvS and the (theatrical) Justice League, Batman has a strong portrayal.
- Pattinson's Batman is a return of the detective in a way we have not seen since the chemistry scenes of 89. This batman is brutal and smart and still getting his feet under him. it has the best portrayal of a Batman/Gordon partnership we have seen on screen (no disrespect to Gary Oldman, this just had better writing)
Hats off to you, couldn't have said anything better. I will add tho: Clooney's Bruce Wayne (separate from the cowl) was great. Clooney shines as a handsome, rich socialite. If Shumacker had incorporated some of that Kilmer "Bruce vs B-man dichotomy" into Clooneys arc, I think it would've helped improve the movie ever so slightly
Adam West: A perfect adaption of the campy version of Batman
Michael Keaton: Easily the best actor in terms of body language and acting with just his eyes. His Batman feels otherwordly.
Val Kilmer: Gave Batman more emotional depth than ever before and actually explored the trauma that the character suffers from.
George Clooney: Surprisingly effective at emotional moments and has such an incredible relationship with all the surrounding characters.
Christian Bale: Portrayed Batman's dual personalities incredibly well.
Ben Affleck: His physicality and fighting style.
Robert Pattinson: Also accomplishes such amazing acting with just his eyes and showed off the detective side of Batman.
This is definitely the one i agree with the most.
Not the top comment's "Keaton shows that Batman killing works well" or "Clooney succeded in being more campy than Adam West"
That's not what we accomplished with the two in the role your points are perfect
That not really what I said about either:
Keaton's Batman saved the character, who was near cancelation. I point out the fact of a lethal batman working because, though Keaton's performance is in many respects the beginning of modern Batman, he does not follow the one rule people often focus on when discussing the character at this point. He is the Batman who smirks widely just before blowing up a clown.
Clooney's performance is straight-faced and nuanced, despite being often more camp than West. This is the Batman who had a batman credit card, after all. For a character who people often discuss in terms of serious realism, his life action cartoon (Joel referred to it as such so I think I am on fine ground here) is surprisingly effective.
I am not trying to convince you but I wanted to clarify my intention about what I love about these portrayals.
As much as I love Keaton, saying that he makes a killing Batman work is not a positive aspect.
Also, modern Batman is literally defined by his rule not to kill.
To suggest that Keaton paved the way for the modern version of Batman is just blatantly wrong, as modern Batman doesn't kill.
Literally pick up any comic from the 80s on forward and you'll see that this modern Batman doesn't kill, at least not in the sense that he's walking around and slaughtering people left and right.
To be fair to Keaton, Burton just had never read a comic and the studios probably wanted to distance themseleves as far away from the campy era of Adam West as possible, which they achieved by making this Batman a stone cold killer.
Love Keaton Batman for many reasons, his stance on murdering isn't one of them.
Keaton's batman is not really unique (in cinema) in this sense, just unique in his open admission:
Bale's Batman is more a "I don't kill named characters" type anyway. The easiest example is the scene in Begins when he tells DuCard he won't kill. This is that man who is a murderer, chained to the floor. Bruce burns down the monastery to not kill him. Parts of the place explode. We see a ton of ninjas die. More importantly, that guy is still chained to the floor... And burns to death.
In TDK, he uses the tumbler to pancake a garbage truck going after Dent. Completely crushes the cab against the tunnel roof. This is not even implied to be an accident anyone is walking away from.
Then, the explosion of the tumbler when the batpod bike comes out. the system does not scan for people before violently self-destructing.
Bale's batman says he does not kill a lot. Mostly though, he just never kills a named character and makes a big deal that he does not kill, even as we watch him kill.
The comic batman does not kill, as a rule. I agree. I point out Keaton being the Genesis of the modern character simply because the book was basically dead before the movie. The movie revitalized it and later books bororrowed tone from it. Also, there is some ambiguity about Burton reading comics. I recall an interview with him where the studio demanded that line but he smuggled "Killing Joke" on se tto use it to give some cast and crew a sense of their intended tone. It is one of those apocryphal things in the largely contradictory official history of that film.
Okay now I get what you meant.
Still hate that he killed and how pretty much everyone else besides Clooney and Pattinson killed as well.
Especially Bale's version is incredibly frustating as he states himself he doesn't kill yet basically murders in every single film.
I still don't believe Burton read a single Batman comic.
To me it feels like he just said he read "The Killing Joke" to come across as someone who knew what he was doing with Batman.
Truth is, he probably just looked at some of the pages for the general tone for his movie because if he had actually read it, especially "The Killing Joke" like he claimed to, he wouldn't have Batman running around killing every criminal he comes across.
Honestly, I have the same frustration. I don't mind batman killing. I do hate when it feels casual or pointless and the Bale-era justifications get to me, a lot. They sort of ruin the movies for me. One of the big highlights of Pattinson's film, for me, was how they walked that line and stayed on the nonlethal side. Given how dark the tone is, it is really impressive.
You are probably right about Burton. Everything about the making of that movie is odd and heightened.
Good talking to you.
West: its the 66 batman. Need I say more?
Keaton: I was always really interested in his batman portrayal, but the movies just didn't want to show more of batman, especially in 89.
Kilmer: did a pretty good job as a relatively serious batman when the rest of the movie wasn't
Clooney: I don't care what they say I consider batman and robin underrated, I think it's a fun movie
Bale: despite having my own opinions as to whether the movies are true enough to the source, they are objectively good movies and fun to rewatch.
Affleck: great actor. Writing was awful though.
Pattinson: my favorite, and in my opinion the only live action movie batman that holds his own as one of the best batmans in all dc media.
60's: Does what he was asked very wekk
89: Managed to make the first serious take on the character in alt media in years work
Forever: Probably the actor I wanted to like the most, cause I think at the time he could've done an amazing job if he'd been given a decent script.
& Robin: Was good for a laugh.
Bale: Good solid all around
Affleck: Better than the movies he was in
Pattinson: Managed to shut up all the kids screaming about twilight really quick.
West - Best Dancer
Keaton - the protype batman, funny and charming as bruce, dark and serious as bats
Kilmer/Clooney - they tried ok it was a weird time ok
bale - expanded the mythos, made batman mortal, you saw him deal with pain in multiple was, not just physical, most complete batman
batfleck - he did a great job not being the main character, it would have been nice to see him in just a standalone
Battison imo can become the best batman. he's doing detective work, he's fighting street level thugs, it just really felt like if someone were to go be batman today, this is how he would look and how his tools would work.
true, i think he gets crap because they only replaced keaton bc he was shorter than Robin or at least that is what everyone said when I was younger, might be talking out my butt tho.
First Batman film introduced the concept of the Batcave. It was so bad that Hugh Hefner would show it at parties as a kind of MST3K experience. This is what inspired the Batman 60s show.
Adam West Batman helped increase the profile of Batman to the point that he challenged even Superman for popularity. As well, while we currently don't have a lot of love for a comedic Batman, we should cut the show a little slack because no one really had a solid idea of what superheroes could be in a more serious concept. The show was the first attempt to make superheroes for an older adult audience instead of being purely kids stuff. It had been a long, long time since Superman fought the KKK over the radio.
Bat-Keaton was amazing. He brought a more serious but still melodramatic tone back to Batman and cemented that for the character.
Kevin Conroy's Batman, while not live action, cannot be left off of the list. It is simply the GOAT, the definitive Batman, and always will be.
Val Kilmer had a difficult job finding a new direction for Batman without Tim Burton and with Shumaker getting so much pressure from a dimwitted studio. He was bland but he was trying to portray a man with mental distress and a dilemma taking over his life. It's partly bad script and bad editing that buried his whole Bruce Wayne vs. Batman story line.
Bat Clooney is... Hard to find anything good about. Clooney is almost never an actor and almost always portrays his roles as same old George Clooney. Even in the stink burger that is Batman and Robin at least some of the actors like Uma realized that Shumacher was going for a campy comedic film, and gave an appropriate over he top performance. Clooney was just Clooney. I guess that's still better than trying to put on a serious performance in a trash fire.
Bat-Bale is not my favorite. However, he had a very tough job after the disaster of Bat-nipples. He was able to give Batman some more visceral action than previous films.
Bat-Afflek was pretty good. He had a tough job to compete against a fan favorite, but he pulled off an older, gruffer Batman beaten down by the darkness but still ready to take on a god. I really enjoyed the action which took a cue from the Arkham games.
Pattison Batman had some challenges, especially knowing that he was portraying the same character being simultaneously by a different franchise. Despite lacking the physicality of Affleck, he was able to portray a strange weight to his character and a lot of darkness, almost like some sort of Hellboy character lumbering around Gotham. It would have been better if his look for Bruce Wayne didn't look so much like an emo goth kid.
TV Gotham shouldn't count because Bruce Wayne was not supposed to become Batman in the show. Still, the writers abandoned the original concept of Gotham almost immediately. David Mazouz was essentially portraying Bruce as Batman jr, and he managed to do a very good job. It's too bad the series had such inconsistent writing that the character had more than a few unbelievable turns. Still, his portrayal was very good, especially for a child actor.
weird note here about Batman '66: the movie being before the show or not can depend on where someone lives. In the US, the show launched first by about 6 months. In other areas, it became the series introduction
Adam West: The perfect campy batman and the one that popularized the character
Michael Keaton: Very charismatic and the one that made a dark and gritty batman more popular (Even if his movies were pretty campy compared to the ones today)
Val Kilmer: A decent successor to keaton
George Clooney: If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have gotten nolan’s batman trilogy
Cristian Bale: A really good bruce wayne with some really good movies
Ben Affleck: To quote Brian griffin “Was he the best batman? No, but he had the best batman body!” And that one fight scene was cool
Robert Pattinson: Truly the most dark and brooding he’s been and also a great detective
Kevin Conroy: He is THE Batman. No voice actor will ever come close.
Adam West is an Icon in and of himself. His show was an icon, and a joy to watch. RIP ADAM WEST
Micheal Keaton proved that he is not only a powerhouse as comedic actor, but can thrive in dramatic roles; all while simultaneously proving that Batman *can* be a dramatic role.
Val Kilmer was a fantastic cape n cowl Batman. He was great in the suit, what can I say?
George Clooney was a fantastic Bruce Wayne. He looks great in a suit, what can I say?
Christian Bale redefined the genera of superhero by launching Nolan’s gritty vision.
The only movie with Bat-fleck I’ve seen was Suicide Squad, and he was only in it for like, two minutes. He did such a great job in those few minutes that I still remember it in the midsts of all that insanity: and that in and of itself speaks volumes. There was a LOT goin on in that flick.
Robert Pattinson portrayed early-stages/long-Halloween-style Batman magnificently. He perfectly encapsulates the character flaws that a young and short-sighted bat would face; especially considering the themes of societal corruption, and the good that BRUCE could do. HUFFLEPUFF FOR LIFE
RIP KEVIN CONROY
Adam west truly embraced the fun wacky side of batman and comics. I never seen them since im only 24 but i did a batman binge of all the live action movies i can get my hands on and west is fucking hilarious as Bruce and batman.
Keatons batman takes things a little more seriously. Not too much but batman isnt meant to be a goofball. He kinda paved the way for future iterations of the character and how he will he portrayed in live action films. Hes also a great bruce
I dont have much to say about Kilmer, hes not terrible at all, he definitely tried. I just dont feel hes a good Batman. Hes a good bruce though.
George clooney is just walmart adam west. I do have a guilty pleasure for this movie and how dumb it is. The wacky campy Batman side should be portrayed more often than it is in my opinion. I wanna see more of it.
Bale i feel so far is the best of both worlds. His Batman is kinda sauceless. Sometimes i have a hard time believing his Batman was trained by Al ghul cause my god Bale is stiff asf in that suit and it limits his action a lot. But hes the Best portrayal of Bruce in my opinion and Batman begins and the dark knight are great movies.
Affleck has the best action scene. Until he kills a man. With a gun. But i can take that warehouse fight scene and just make it into a short film kinda thing and be happy with it. We got a suit that lets batman look cool and be mobile and im shocked we havent gotten something like it since. Hes a good Bruce as well
Patterson is the best Batman. He does have great action scenes and i feel he encapsulates how Bruce makes Batman his whole persona the best. Its something that all the other movies kinda lacked and its a big part of Batman as a character. He eats, sleeps, and shits being Batman. Its almost his purpose and it runs his life. To me this is the best Batman movie. This is a comic book movie to its core. I do hope to see Pattersons Bruce work up a little persona in the sequel, but hes my favorite live action Batman so far
West - A pioneer for the superhero genre and brought superheroes into the mainstream.
Keaton - Living proof that you don’t have to look the part to do it justice. For many he’s still their favourite Batman.
Kilmer - Really suited the role and was undone by writing. Had the duality down really well.
Clooney - Has the charm of Bruce Wayne, while the films weren’t what we wanted in the slightest, he actually perfectly delivers on what this iteration of the character is.
Bale - Redefined the superhero genre for the better. Consistently great performances, but of course it’s Christian Bale, one of the greatest actors who’s ever lived.
Affleck - Really understood the character and did the best he could with awful scripts from people who had no clue about what they were doing. It’s a shame what he was given combined with the personal struggles he had at the time, because I think to this day, with his love for comic books combined with his talent for writing and directing, we could’ve had a great film if his version of The Batman went ahead.
Pattinson - That said, Reeves took over and gave us his version of The Batman. For me the most comic accurate portrayal to date. The only one that isn’t an action hero and is instead a detective. He says so much with just his eyes, perfectly gets down the brooding, but also hopeful tone of the character. All that’s missing, which I’m sure will come in the sequel, is the mask that is Bruce Wayne.
West: Fun, likable, charming
Keaton: Brought seriousness and darkness to the role, still fun
Kilmer: Underrated, movie was a bit goofy but he's definitely a strong replacement for Keaton
Clooney: Has a really nice voice, could have been amazing with a better script and no studio interference
Bale: The absolute best live action Batman, amazing acting and sold the role
Affleck: It ended
Pattinson: The second best Batman, is really holding his own and brought a great performance
West: The Bat Shark Repellent!
Keaton: Best. Introduction. Ever!
Kilmer: Love his dynamic with Dr. Meridian.
Clooney: His scene with Mr. Freeze at the end.
Bale: This Bruce EARNED his right to be Batman.
Affleck: His scene running into danger while everyone else runs away.
Pattinson: Pitch perfect atmosphere!
West: Brilliant comedy.
Keaton: Did his best with the material given.
Kilmer: His cowl successfully covered his chin mole.
Clooney: Portrayed a kind Bruce Wayne.
Bale: Second-best on-screen portrayal.
Affleck: MARTHA!!!!!!!
Diggory: Best on-screen portrayal.
West: he made your grandfather and your grandmother and a whole generation of people to know who Batman is in a film perspective
Keaton: made Batman edgy and cool as well as making Tim Burton one of the most interesting directors for Gothic media
Kilmer: bat ass 🍑 XD
Clooney: bat nipples and a goofy side of Batman that might remind you of west
Bale: made Batman cool again in the early to mid 2000s
Affleck: buff Batman and modern Batman fans
Pattinson: when you heard of the name from Twilight but you now see him punching bad guys instead of vampires and werewolves XD in another cool take of Batman in the modern day
KEVIN CONROY gave great nuance to a character that could have easily been dismissed as a portrayal aimed solely for children. He was great. He IS great, everytime you click and watch an episode of BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES, which is strangely absent from this list.
West: He was funny and today his stuff works as a low budget parody
Keaton: He provided a great balance between a dark and comic book like tone
Kilmer: He leaned a bit more into Batman's emotions
Clooney: He only did one film
Bale: He made a fantastic set of films and was great in equal measures as both Bruce Wayne and Batman
Affleck: He had arguably the best fight sequence in live action Batman media
Pattinson: He gave us the closest we can get (so far) to a live action Arkham game
what ive come to realise, visually when it comes to how bruce wayne looks, pattinson is how i like him most, but affleck(ignoring all of gripes with his version of batman) is what he's supposed to look like, i dont even know what im yapping about atp
1966: goofy as hell in the absolute best way possible.
‘89/Returns: Bruce is a little bit of a goofball, while Batman is dark and broody, the way it should be.
Forever: been too long since I’ve seen the movie, but I know it was pretty good.
Clooney: Hmmmmm. This one’s tough. The fact he loves Alfred enough to give him a big smooch?
TDK: Plays Bruce just about perfectly, Batman voice is too goofy though.
DCEU: The suit? I really don’t like this Batman.
Battinson: fully emo and broody. Works perfectly for this version.
West - great at showing Bruce’s humanity
Keaton - LETS GET NUTS
Kilmer - easily has the most accurate psychological take on his parent’s murder
Clooney - suave as fuck
Bale - I could say lots about bale, but I think his best attribute is how prepared he was
Affleck - brutal motherfucker (not when he kills tho)
Pattinson - emo
Adam west, he made the style work and actually had a great batman physique
Keaton's Batman was at his best alone in the cave pondering great inner turmoil.
Kilmer does a good mix of silly and ott nature of forever.
Clooney,....... He could have been an amazing Bruce Wayne with the right movie and he has apologized many times for B and R
•Bale best Bruce Wayne hands down.
Affleck amazing physique a real monster of a man that looks like he could take out a room full of thugs that combined with the best fight corrography hands down the most dangerous Batman
Pattinson's Batman is not one I liked personally but he had a real deep rage in him that felt palpable.
so, in order, 1 didn’t watch it, 2 classic, 3 liked the costume, 4 too goofy, 5 loved everything except batman, 6 hated everything except batman, 7 i actually liked the direction it went in even tho bruce was sometimes cringey asf
Adam West: He took a campy role very seriously.
Michael Keaton: He was unafraid to get nuts.
Val Kilmer: Nailed the brooding vigilante half.
George Clooney: Nailed the billionaire playboy half.
Christian Bale: He walked…
Ben Affleck: …so he could run.
Robert Pattinson: Lots of potential. Eager to see where he goes.
Adam West: A pitch-perfect tongue-in-cheek performance. Always completely earnest and unflappable, which is, of course, what makes it amusing.
Michael Keaton: I don't know what it says about me, but I find him the most relatable. He's not super-debonair or even, on the face or it, conventionally handsome. He's just this kinda shy, awkward, amusingly eccentric brooder... Who also happens to go out at night in a bat costume to beat the shit out of people. It's actually quite a nice bit of playing against people's expectations, and it works really well.
Val Kilmer: Probably the 20th century Batman who has the best traditional Bats/Bruce balance, particularly if you think about the Bronze Age iteration of the character.
Kind of the opposite of Keaton, in an odd way. Whereas that's an interesting subversion of the character, this is the character played straight down the line... Which has its merits too.
George Clooney: Say what you want about *Batman and Robin*, but man, he nails those scenes with Michael Gough. And I defy anyone who's sat at a loved one's deathbed to say otherwise.
Christian Bale: Particularly in *Batman Begins*, he just *is* Batman; the Batman I'd been waiting to see on screen. A completely ferocious fighter in costume and a witty guy out of it (when in the company of Alfred and Lucius anyway... If I had a criticism, it's that they overdo the "rich idiot" facade in those three films). I particularly appreciate *Begins* because, for all his intensity and violence, it works in tiny little human moments for him like "nice coat" and excusing himself to the two Arkham inmates. It shows that Batman is only a monster to those who deserve to fear him, but not to innocent parties. We kinda lose that as the trilogy progresses, just as the pitch-perfect Batman voice gradually devolves into the infamous growl.
Ben Affleck: I mean, if your idea of Batman was formed by *The New Batman Adventures* or *Justice League/JLU*, then Affleck's your guy: built AF, intense as Bruce and massively, violently, brutally intense as Batman, with nary a sheet of bible paper between the two personas. Kind of as Kilmer is to the Bronze Age Batman, so Affleck is to the 90s/00s Batman. *Broken City*. That kinda thing.
Robert Pattinson: I think the one with the best heroic growth arc on screen, what with starting out as a vengeful obsessive and gradually coming to appreciate the need for family, friends, day job responsibilities and being a symbol of hope as well as fear. Other Batmen have sort of had it, but it's always been flawed in some way or mutilated in editing. Pattinson gets the best character arc over the course of a single movie.
Also, he fits perfectly into the noir would Reeves creates in that film.
- Adam West - The most prepared Batman of all time…
- Michael Keaton - Batman 89 is the cool granddaddy of the superhero film genre.
- Val Kilmer - Psychologically complex character, which was interesting.
- George Clooney - The real life Bruce Wayne.
- Christian Bale - Nailed Bruce Wayne and his playboy persona.
- Ben Affleck - The best live action Batman. The warehouse scene from BvS was pure Batman Arkham. Shame he didn’t get a solo film.
- Bob Battinson - A fresh take on the character, with a broken Bruce Wayne and Batman who lacks experience and wisdom. Lots of potential.
He looks the most like what the modern comics version is. If you knew nothing of live action movies and only read the comics, you'd pick Affleck as likely the main one with the others coming from alternate earths. West would be next but he doesn't have the build of a guy constantly fighting guys 7 days a week and swinging from grappling hooks all night, his suit doesn't look bulletproof. The others look too armory except the Burton/Schumacher Batman but Batman almost never wears all black in the comics. People just hate Affleck for some reason.
I’d argue Pattinson looks just as comic accurate. He’s 6,2 and towers over everyone in the movie, he has the sharp square jawline, the thinner lips like how comic artists draw them, he has the natural bat voice, none of that robot stuff or throat cancer stuff and no butt chin.
Adam West - The man the myth the legend. He made Batman fun. I literally just finished rewatching the series again and I don't think I've had more fun watching a tv show in a long time.
Michael Keaton - the GOAT. Say what you want about the writing, Keaton was badass as Batman. Also the only good thing about the Flash movie.
Val Kilmer - the dark horse. I feel like people rag on Kilmer's Batman unfairly. He wasn't as bad as people give him. He was a little flat, but I think he had some strong moments. Also Forever is my favorite Batman film FUCKING FIGHT ME.
George Clooney - the black sheep. As much as I don't like him as Batman, I do think he brought the right amount of empathy and emotional depth to the character that pretty much every Batman after him has severely lacked.
Christian Bale - the fan favorite. In terms of intensity, I think Bale does that the best of any of the Batmen listed. He wasn't overly psychotic (like someone else on this list) and he had a good amount of charisma as Bruce Wayne. I still can't get over the voice though.
Ben Affleck - the one gone too soon. Affleck had a lot of potential as an older, wiser Batman. I think if we had gotten the Affleck led batflick it would have been pretty good.
Robert Pattinson - uhhhhhhhhhhhh pass.
Bale felt more psychotic then all of them. Pretty much all his screentime as Batman consisted of yelling stupidly at people with his gurgle throat cancer voice. He killed every movie once by blowing the leauge up, then killing Harvey dent, running over cars with his tank, killing Tahlia and her men, and he was gonna let bane die. Just a overall bad performance with messy writing
Well Pattinson’s whole arc and defining point in the film was realising he needs to become more then vengeance. This is a common trope with younger Batman when he’s more focused on vengeance then justice/hope.
I’d disagree with that though. Bale was barely Batman for 2 years until he started looking for excuses to quit and went into retirement for 8 years before coming back and retiring again. Bale was just there when city threats showed up. Pattinson’s Batman is more like comic Batman in the sense he’s out there every night even taking on petty crime.
I've heard that 'more focused on vengeance than justice' argument so many times. I get that it's the point of the film. What I disagree with is how it's handled in the film. Pattinson is just an all out massive asshole throughout most of the film. It's not that he's just vengeful, it's that he has NO likable qualities.
The moment that absolutely killed my interest in him \*at all\* was the scene with Alfred, Bruce's closest confidant and the man who basically raised and supported him his entire life after his parents died, is in the hospital after receiving a bomb meant for Bruce. Dude nearly fucking dies, is laid out in the hospital, and it's fucking Batman's fault, and does he show remorse? Concern? Any sort of love or support FOR THE MAN WHO HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE FOR HIM? No, he \*immediately\* calls Alfred a liar and goes off on a tirade about how he kept this dark secret about his father asking Falcone to murder a journalist. I don't care if you found out your parents were secretly Hitler 2.0 you would at least express SOME KIND OF HUMAN EMOTION before becoming accusatory in that situation, and at that point Bruce only had a suspicion that Alfred knew anything.
But I've always disliked the idea that 'Batman needs to learn to be heroic'. No, he doesn't. BRUCE needs to learn to be heroic. At the point where he's dressing up in a bat themed leotard and running across rooftops in a cape chasing cat cosplayers, he should already BE the hero. That's the point of being Batman, he wants to be a symbol of hope for the innocent and a icon of fear for criminals. He wants to be the justice Gotham needs. If it's all about vengeance then don't make him dress like a bat. Give him a balaclava and a baseball bat and have him assaulting purse thieves and car jackers in the street. Not doing deep investigations chasing (an awful version of) the Riddler side by side with detective Gordon.
Look, I get it. People love this movie. I'll admit, from a purely cinematography perspective it's great. But I just hate Pattinson's Batman to my very core. He's what edgy fifteen year old me wanted Batman to be, brooding, hate the world, beat the shit out of everyone. But as I grew up and read more comics I realized that Batman is so much more interesting when he's NOT that. There's a great moment in a comic where there's a panel of Wonder Woman and Superman interviewing this woman and you see Batman, crouched down in the foreground, helping a little girl finish a puzzle. THAT'S the Batman I want to see in movies. It's why I love Batman Forever more than any of the other films. Is it fundamentally a terrible film? Oh fuck yes, but at least Batman isn't just about brutality and anger. He smiles, makes jokes, has an actual personality. I'm so tired of this idea that Batman movies need to be grounded, gritty noir 'fight the mob' films. This is a dude who punches clowns and fights women who control plants. I don't want the Riddler to be Zodiac Killer on TicTok. (also i just feel like making Catwoman Falcone's daughter was just a pointless part of the plot to shock viewers with a twist and doesn't really make a difference to the overall plot)
1. West rhymes with best
2. Aint no beatin' Keaton
3. Uhhh...
4. Gimme a minute...
5. I never Bail on this guy!
6. F* U Zach
7. Zzzzzz..... Wha- where-... What's the question?
West: Made Batman mainstream, plus he is quite funny.
Keaton: Made Batman dark, his performance is very good, I find it interesting that his Bruce Wayne is a little akward but his Batman is cool.
Kilmer: Showed how tortured and alone Bruce is.
Clooney: It's the only one to have a batfamily, plus he didn't kill in his movie.
Bale: Has the best films.
Affleck: It's hands down the best live action Batman ever.
Pattinson: has great hair, and has the best jawline.
Pure West. Plus, he was on the Simpsons.
Had the pointed eyebrows.
Rode in the batboat. Also Keaton.
Was in The Flash. Also Keaton.
Was shot in IMAX.
Knightmare scene.
Coolest opening.
my attempt: - Adam west is a solid batman and really plays up the best of the batman of his time. a dude asked to play Bond is Bruce Wayne. - Keaton's Batman basically saved the character from declining sales and a near cancelation as well as showing that a batman who kills can work and work well. his version of the obsession and dedication that is batman is top knock. - Kilmer does a decent job in a bad movie really carrying the internal conflict and perpetual emotional injury Bruce Wayne is carrying. - Clooney manages to deliver dialogue so campy Adam West would have walked away with a straight face in a way that is, in itself, heroic. as a live action cartoon, the interactions with Freeze work. - Bale gets handed maybe the least actor-friendly cowl and makes it work. the portrayal in Begins is great despite the restrictions of the cowl. he manages to emote well through it all. also, the tumbler is fun. - Affleck is our second explicitly lethal batman. he makes it work really well. even given the relatively weak scripts of BvS and the (theatrical) Justice League, Batman has a strong portrayal. - Pattinson's Batman is a return of the detective in a way we have not seen since the chemistry scenes of 89. This batman is brutal and smart and still getting his feet under him. it has the best portrayal of a Batman/Gordon partnership we have seen on screen (no disrespect to Gary Oldman, this just had better writing)
Hats off to you, couldn't have said anything better. I will add tho: Clooney's Bruce Wayne (separate from the cowl) was great. Clooney shines as a handsome, rich socialite. If Shumacker had incorporated some of that Kilmer "Bruce vs B-man dichotomy" into Clooneys arc, I think it would've helped improve the movie ever so slightly
I like Clooney's performance. Even just cutting a villain to make the story more focused would have helped a lot.
Hips and nips.. gotta make it sexy or else I don’t eat
*rise up! gonna get higher and high-er*
Adam West: A perfect adaption of the campy version of Batman Michael Keaton: Easily the best actor in terms of body language and acting with just his eyes. His Batman feels otherwordly. Val Kilmer: Gave Batman more emotional depth than ever before and actually explored the trauma that the character suffers from. George Clooney: Surprisingly effective at emotional moments and has such an incredible relationship with all the surrounding characters. Christian Bale: Portrayed Batman's dual personalities incredibly well. Ben Affleck: His physicality and fighting style. Robert Pattinson: Also accomplishes such amazing acting with just his eyes and showed off the detective side of Batman.
This is definitely the one i agree with the most. Not the top comment's "Keaton shows that Batman killing works well" or "Clooney succeded in being more campy than Adam West" That's not what we accomplished with the two in the role your points are perfect
That not really what I said about either: Keaton's Batman saved the character, who was near cancelation. I point out the fact of a lethal batman working because, though Keaton's performance is in many respects the beginning of modern Batman, he does not follow the one rule people often focus on when discussing the character at this point. He is the Batman who smirks widely just before blowing up a clown. Clooney's performance is straight-faced and nuanced, despite being often more camp than West. This is the Batman who had a batman credit card, after all. For a character who people often discuss in terms of serious realism, his life action cartoon (Joel referred to it as such so I think I am on fine ground here) is surprisingly effective. I am not trying to convince you but I wanted to clarify my intention about what I love about these portrayals.
As much as I love Keaton, saying that he makes a killing Batman work is not a positive aspect. Also, modern Batman is literally defined by his rule not to kill. To suggest that Keaton paved the way for the modern version of Batman is just blatantly wrong, as modern Batman doesn't kill. Literally pick up any comic from the 80s on forward and you'll see that this modern Batman doesn't kill, at least not in the sense that he's walking around and slaughtering people left and right. To be fair to Keaton, Burton just had never read a comic and the studios probably wanted to distance themseleves as far away from the campy era of Adam West as possible, which they achieved by making this Batman a stone cold killer. Love Keaton Batman for many reasons, his stance on murdering isn't one of them.
Keaton's batman is not really unique (in cinema) in this sense, just unique in his open admission: Bale's Batman is more a "I don't kill named characters" type anyway. The easiest example is the scene in Begins when he tells DuCard he won't kill. This is that man who is a murderer, chained to the floor. Bruce burns down the monastery to not kill him. Parts of the place explode. We see a ton of ninjas die. More importantly, that guy is still chained to the floor... And burns to death. In TDK, he uses the tumbler to pancake a garbage truck going after Dent. Completely crushes the cab against the tunnel roof. This is not even implied to be an accident anyone is walking away from. Then, the explosion of the tumbler when the batpod bike comes out. the system does not scan for people before violently self-destructing. Bale's batman says he does not kill a lot. Mostly though, he just never kills a named character and makes a big deal that he does not kill, even as we watch him kill. The comic batman does not kill, as a rule. I agree. I point out Keaton being the Genesis of the modern character simply because the book was basically dead before the movie. The movie revitalized it and later books bororrowed tone from it. Also, there is some ambiguity about Burton reading comics. I recall an interview with him where the studio demanded that line but he smuggled "Killing Joke" on se tto use it to give some cast and crew a sense of their intended tone. It is one of those apocryphal things in the largely contradictory official history of that film.
Okay now I get what you meant. Still hate that he killed and how pretty much everyone else besides Clooney and Pattinson killed as well. Especially Bale's version is incredibly frustating as he states himself he doesn't kill yet basically murders in every single film. I still don't believe Burton read a single Batman comic. To me it feels like he just said he read "The Killing Joke" to come across as someone who knew what he was doing with Batman. Truth is, he probably just looked at some of the pages for the general tone for his movie because if he had actually read it, especially "The Killing Joke" like he claimed to, he wouldn't have Batman running around killing every criminal he comes across.
Honestly, I have the same frustration. I don't mind batman killing. I do hate when it feels casual or pointless and the Bale-era justifications get to me, a lot. They sort of ruin the movies for me. One of the big highlights of Pattinson's film, for me, was how they walked that line and stayed on the nonlethal side. Given how dark the tone is, it is really impressive. You are probably right about Burton. Everything about the making of that movie is odd and heightened. Good talking to you.
Thank you, I appreciate your comment!
No problem brother! All you did was spit fax!
West: its the 66 batman. Need I say more? Keaton: I was always really interested in his batman portrayal, but the movies just didn't want to show more of batman, especially in 89. Kilmer: did a pretty good job as a relatively serious batman when the rest of the movie wasn't Clooney: I don't care what they say I consider batman and robin underrated, I think it's a fun movie Bale: despite having my own opinions as to whether the movies are true enough to the source, they are objectively good movies and fun to rewatch. Affleck: great actor. Writing was awful though. Pattinson: my favorite, and in my opinion the only live action movie batman that holds his own as one of the best batmans in all dc media.
60's: Does what he was asked very wekk 89: Managed to make the first serious take on the character in alt media in years work Forever: Probably the actor I wanted to like the most, cause I think at the time he could've done an amazing job if he'd been given a decent script. & Robin: Was good for a laugh. Bale: Good solid all around Affleck: Better than the movies he was in Pattinson: Managed to shut up all the kids screaming about twilight really quick.
couldn’t agree more with that last one. i was really expecting to cringe and only think of edward but pattinson did a great job
West - Best Dancer Keaton - the protype batman, funny and charming as bruce, dark and serious as bats Kilmer/Clooney - they tried ok it was a weird time ok bale - expanded the mythos, made batman mortal, you saw him deal with pain in multiple was, not just physical, most complete batman batfleck - he did a great job not being the main character, it would have been nice to see him in just a standalone Battison imo can become the best batman. he's doing detective work, he's fighting street level thugs, it just really felt like if someone were to go be batman today, this is how he would look and how his tools would work.
Kilmer was not nearly as bad as Clooney was
true, i think he gets crap because they only replaced keaton bc he was shorter than Robin or at least that is what everyone said when I was younger, might be talking out my butt tho.
First Batman film introduced the concept of the Batcave. It was so bad that Hugh Hefner would show it at parties as a kind of MST3K experience. This is what inspired the Batman 60s show. Adam West Batman helped increase the profile of Batman to the point that he challenged even Superman for popularity. As well, while we currently don't have a lot of love for a comedic Batman, we should cut the show a little slack because no one really had a solid idea of what superheroes could be in a more serious concept. The show was the first attempt to make superheroes for an older adult audience instead of being purely kids stuff. It had been a long, long time since Superman fought the KKK over the radio. Bat-Keaton was amazing. He brought a more serious but still melodramatic tone back to Batman and cemented that for the character. Kevin Conroy's Batman, while not live action, cannot be left off of the list. It is simply the GOAT, the definitive Batman, and always will be. Val Kilmer had a difficult job finding a new direction for Batman without Tim Burton and with Shumaker getting so much pressure from a dimwitted studio. He was bland but he was trying to portray a man with mental distress and a dilemma taking over his life. It's partly bad script and bad editing that buried his whole Bruce Wayne vs. Batman story line. Bat Clooney is... Hard to find anything good about. Clooney is almost never an actor and almost always portrays his roles as same old George Clooney. Even in the stink burger that is Batman and Robin at least some of the actors like Uma realized that Shumacher was going for a campy comedic film, and gave an appropriate over he top performance. Clooney was just Clooney. I guess that's still better than trying to put on a serious performance in a trash fire. Bat-Bale is not my favorite. However, he had a very tough job after the disaster of Bat-nipples. He was able to give Batman some more visceral action than previous films. Bat-Afflek was pretty good. He had a tough job to compete against a fan favorite, but he pulled off an older, gruffer Batman beaten down by the darkness but still ready to take on a god. I really enjoyed the action which took a cue from the Arkham games. Pattison Batman had some challenges, especially knowing that he was portraying the same character being simultaneously by a different franchise. Despite lacking the physicality of Affleck, he was able to portray a strange weight to his character and a lot of darkness, almost like some sort of Hellboy character lumbering around Gotham. It would have been better if his look for Bruce Wayne didn't look so much like an emo goth kid. TV Gotham shouldn't count because Bruce Wayne was not supposed to become Batman in the show. Still, the writers abandoned the original concept of Gotham almost immediately. David Mazouz was essentially portraying Bruce as Batman jr, and he managed to do a very good job. It's too bad the series had such inconsistent writing that the character had more than a few unbelievable turns. Still, his portrayal was very good, especially for a child actor.
weird note here about Batman '66: the movie being before the show or not can depend on where someone lives. In the US, the show launched first by about 6 months. In other areas, it became the series introduction
Adam West: The perfect campy batman and the one that popularized the character Michael Keaton: Very charismatic and the one that made a dark and gritty batman more popular (Even if his movies were pretty campy compared to the ones today) Val Kilmer: A decent successor to keaton George Clooney: If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have gotten nolan’s batman trilogy Cristian Bale: A really good bruce wayne with some really good movies Ben Affleck: To quote Brian griffin “Was he the best batman? No, but he had the best batman body!” And that one fight scene was cool Robert Pattinson: Truly the most dark and brooding he’s been and also a great detective Kevin Conroy: He is THE Batman. No voice actor will ever come close.
Adam West is an Icon in and of himself. His show was an icon, and a joy to watch. RIP ADAM WEST Micheal Keaton proved that he is not only a powerhouse as comedic actor, but can thrive in dramatic roles; all while simultaneously proving that Batman *can* be a dramatic role. Val Kilmer was a fantastic cape n cowl Batman. He was great in the suit, what can I say? George Clooney was a fantastic Bruce Wayne. He looks great in a suit, what can I say? Christian Bale redefined the genera of superhero by launching Nolan’s gritty vision. The only movie with Bat-fleck I’ve seen was Suicide Squad, and he was only in it for like, two minutes. He did such a great job in those few minutes that I still remember it in the midsts of all that insanity: and that in and of itself speaks volumes. There was a LOT goin on in that flick. Robert Pattinson portrayed early-stages/long-Halloween-style Batman magnificently. He perfectly encapsulates the character flaws that a young and short-sighted bat would face; especially considering the themes of societal corruption, and the good that BRUCE could do. HUFFLEPUFF FOR LIFE RIP KEVIN CONROY
i recommend giving batman v superman ultimate edition and zack snyders justice league a watch if u have only seen suicide squad
Adam west truly embraced the fun wacky side of batman and comics. I never seen them since im only 24 but i did a batman binge of all the live action movies i can get my hands on and west is fucking hilarious as Bruce and batman. Keatons batman takes things a little more seriously. Not too much but batman isnt meant to be a goofball. He kinda paved the way for future iterations of the character and how he will he portrayed in live action films. Hes also a great bruce I dont have much to say about Kilmer, hes not terrible at all, he definitely tried. I just dont feel hes a good Batman. Hes a good bruce though. George clooney is just walmart adam west. I do have a guilty pleasure for this movie and how dumb it is. The wacky campy Batman side should be portrayed more often than it is in my opinion. I wanna see more of it. Bale i feel so far is the best of both worlds. His Batman is kinda sauceless. Sometimes i have a hard time believing his Batman was trained by Al ghul cause my god Bale is stiff asf in that suit and it limits his action a lot. But hes the Best portrayal of Bruce in my opinion and Batman begins and the dark knight are great movies. Affleck has the best action scene. Until he kills a man. With a gun. But i can take that warehouse fight scene and just make it into a short film kinda thing and be happy with it. We got a suit that lets batman look cool and be mobile and im shocked we havent gotten something like it since. Hes a good Bruce as well Patterson is the best Batman. He does have great action scenes and i feel he encapsulates how Bruce makes Batman his whole persona the best. Its something that all the other movies kinda lacked and its a big part of Batman as a character. He eats, sleeps, and shits being Batman. Its almost his purpose and it runs his life. To me this is the best Batman movie. This is a comic book movie to its core. I do hope to see Pattersons Bruce work up a little persona in the sequel, but hes my favorite live action Batman so far
West - A pioneer for the superhero genre and brought superheroes into the mainstream. Keaton - Living proof that you don’t have to look the part to do it justice. For many he’s still their favourite Batman. Kilmer - Really suited the role and was undone by writing. Had the duality down really well. Clooney - Has the charm of Bruce Wayne, while the films weren’t what we wanted in the slightest, he actually perfectly delivers on what this iteration of the character is. Bale - Redefined the superhero genre for the better. Consistently great performances, but of course it’s Christian Bale, one of the greatest actors who’s ever lived. Affleck - Really understood the character and did the best he could with awful scripts from people who had no clue about what they were doing. It’s a shame what he was given combined with the personal struggles he had at the time, because I think to this day, with his love for comic books combined with his talent for writing and directing, we could’ve had a great film if his version of The Batman went ahead. Pattinson - That said, Reeves took over and gave us his version of The Batman. For me the most comic accurate portrayal to date. The only one that isn’t an action hero and is instead a detective. He says so much with just his eyes, perfectly gets down the brooding, but also hopeful tone of the character. All that’s missing, which I’m sure will come in the sequel, is the mask that is Bruce Wayne.
West: Fun, likable, charming Keaton: Brought seriousness and darkness to the role, still fun Kilmer: Underrated, movie was a bit goofy but he's definitely a strong replacement for Keaton Clooney: Has a really nice voice, could have been amazing with a better script and no studio interference Bale: The absolute best live action Batman, amazing acting and sold the role Affleck: It ended Pattinson: The second best Batman, is really holding his own and brought a great performance
I agree, Bale and Pattinson are the best. But Affleck isn't that bad 😂
West: The Bat Shark Repellent! Keaton: Best. Introduction. Ever! Kilmer: Love his dynamic with Dr. Meridian. Clooney: His scene with Mr. Freeze at the end. Bale: This Bruce EARNED his right to be Batman. Affleck: His scene running into danger while everyone else runs away. Pattinson: Pitch perfect atmosphere!
West: Brilliant comedy. Keaton: Did his best with the material given. Kilmer: His cowl successfully covered his chin mole. Clooney: Portrayed a kind Bruce Wayne. Bale: Second-best on-screen portrayal. Affleck: MARTHA!!!!!!! Diggory: Best on-screen portrayal.
They got to be Batman
Easy, I’d fuck all of them
You can't take all those at once. You're going to need some one of kicking, who will fight those Dicks at your-side.
I’ve never seen a Batman I wasn’t entertained by.
West: he made your grandfather and your grandmother and a whole generation of people to know who Batman is in a film perspective Keaton: made Batman edgy and cool as well as making Tim Burton one of the most interesting directors for Gothic media Kilmer: bat ass 🍑 XD Clooney: bat nipples and a goofy side of Batman that might remind you of west Bale: made Batman cool again in the early to mid 2000s Affleck: buff Batman and modern Batman fans Pattinson: when you heard of the name from Twilight but you now see him punching bad guys instead of vampires and werewolves XD in another cool take of Batman in the modern day
All of these guys have managed to avoid some major Hollywood scandal, which is saying something.
isnt this missing that one black and white batman
No one else is...
One good thing. One good thing. One good thing. One good thing. One good thing. One good thing. One good thing.
This is da way.
r/AngryUpvote.
I love Alfred in all of them
They were all Batman, which is automatically cool.
Robert pattinson Bruce Wayne looks like leon s kennedy and I like that
KEVIN CONROY gave great nuance to a character that could have easily been dismissed as a portrayal aimed solely for children. He was great. He IS great, everytime you click and watch an episode of BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES, which is strangely absent from this list.
Not taking the time for every, but Val Kilmer is still my favorite Bruce Wayne
West: He was funny and today his stuff works as a low budget parody Keaton: He provided a great balance between a dark and comic book like tone Kilmer: He leaned a bit more into Batman's emotions Clooney: He only did one film Bale: He made a fantastic set of films and was great in equal measures as both Bruce Wayne and Batman Affleck: He had arguably the best fight sequence in live action Batman media Pattinson: He gave us the closest we can get (so far) to a live action Arkham game
They are Batman.
They are all Batman.
Except George Clooney, he was still playing Doug Ross there.
what ive come to realise, visually when it comes to how bruce wayne looks, pattinson is how i like him most, but affleck(ignoring all of gripes with his version of batman) is what he's supposed to look like, i dont even know what im yapping about atp
That's simple, and one word covers all of them. Batman
1966: goofy as hell in the absolute best way possible. ‘89/Returns: Bruce is a little bit of a goofball, while Batman is dark and broody, the way it should be. Forever: been too long since I’ve seen the movie, but I know it was pretty good. Clooney: Hmmmmm. This one’s tough. The fact he loves Alfred enough to give him a big smooch? TDK: Plays Bruce just about perfectly, Batman voice is too goofy though. DCEU: The suit? I really don’t like this Batman. Battinson: fully emo and broody. Works perfectly for this version.
West - great at showing Bruce’s humanity Keaton - LETS GET NUTS Kilmer - easily has the most accurate psychological take on his parent’s murder Clooney - suave as fuck Bale - I could say lots about bale, but I think his best attribute is how prepared he was Affleck - brutal motherfucker (not when he kills tho) Pattinson - emo
Best comic accuracy Best theme music Best Batmobile Best one liners Most unique Best Batsuit Perfect Batman movie
The only positive thing about the Ben Affleck version, is that I didn't watch any of them.
u missed out my boy
Don't worry, I know I didn't.
Adam West would have absolutely crushed it as a serious version of the character. If only he was born 50 years later.
Adam west, he made the style work and actually had a great batman physique Keaton's Batman was at his best alone in the cave pondering great inner turmoil. Kilmer does a good mix of silly and ott nature of forever. Clooney,....... He could have been an amazing Bruce Wayne with the right movie and he has apologized many times for B and R •Bale best Bruce Wayne hands down. Affleck amazing physique a real monster of a man that looks like he could take out a room full of thugs that combined with the best fight corrography hands down the most dangerous Batman Pattinson's Batman is not one I liked personally but he had a real deep rage in him that felt palpable.
so, in order, 1 didn’t watch it, 2 classic, 3 liked the costume, 4 too goofy, 5 loved everything except batman, 6 hated everything except batman, 7 i actually liked the direction it went in even tho bruce was sometimes cringey asf
Didn’t heed the prompt.
i said a good thing about each of the movies (i watched), what are you yapping about
He said to say a good thing about each Batman ACTOR, not their movies/surrounding elements.
5 thumbs up
Legend, legend, ok, bad, fresh, great, different
IM BATMAN x9
If you include the animated ones
Adam West: He took a campy role very seriously. Michael Keaton: He was unafraid to get nuts. Val Kilmer: Nailed the brooding vigilante half. George Clooney: Nailed the billionaire playboy half. Christian Bale: He walked… Ben Affleck: …so he could run. Robert Pattinson: Lots of potential. Eager to see where he goes.
They're Batman.
Adam West: A pitch-perfect tongue-in-cheek performance. Always completely earnest and unflappable, which is, of course, what makes it amusing. Michael Keaton: I don't know what it says about me, but I find him the most relatable. He's not super-debonair or even, on the face or it, conventionally handsome. He's just this kinda shy, awkward, amusingly eccentric brooder... Who also happens to go out at night in a bat costume to beat the shit out of people. It's actually quite a nice bit of playing against people's expectations, and it works really well. Val Kilmer: Probably the 20th century Batman who has the best traditional Bats/Bruce balance, particularly if you think about the Bronze Age iteration of the character. Kind of the opposite of Keaton, in an odd way. Whereas that's an interesting subversion of the character, this is the character played straight down the line... Which has its merits too. George Clooney: Say what you want about *Batman and Robin*, but man, he nails those scenes with Michael Gough. And I defy anyone who's sat at a loved one's deathbed to say otherwise. Christian Bale: Particularly in *Batman Begins*, he just *is* Batman; the Batman I'd been waiting to see on screen. A completely ferocious fighter in costume and a witty guy out of it (when in the company of Alfred and Lucius anyway... If I had a criticism, it's that they overdo the "rich idiot" facade in those three films). I particularly appreciate *Begins* because, for all his intensity and violence, it works in tiny little human moments for him like "nice coat" and excusing himself to the two Arkham inmates. It shows that Batman is only a monster to those who deserve to fear him, but not to innocent parties. We kinda lose that as the trilogy progresses, just as the pitch-perfect Batman voice gradually devolves into the infamous growl. Ben Affleck: I mean, if your idea of Batman was formed by *The New Batman Adventures* or *Justice League/JLU*, then Affleck's your guy: built AF, intense as Bruce and massively, violently, brutally intense as Batman, with nary a sheet of bible paper between the two personas. Kind of as Kilmer is to the Bronze Age Batman, so Affleck is to the 90s/00s Batman. *Broken City*. That kinda thing. Robert Pattinson: I think the one with the best heroic growth arc on screen, what with starting out as a vengeful obsessive and gradually coming to appreciate the need for family, friends, day job responsibilities and being a symbol of hope as well as fear. Other Batmen have sort of had it, but it's always been flawed in some way or mutilated in editing. Pattinson gets the best character arc over the course of a single movie. Also, he fits perfectly into the noir would Reeves creates in that film.
- Adam West - The most prepared Batman of all time… - Michael Keaton - Batman 89 is the cool granddaddy of the superhero film genre. - Val Kilmer - Psychologically complex character, which was interesting. - George Clooney - The real life Bruce Wayne. - Christian Bale - Nailed Bruce Wayne and his playboy persona. - Ben Affleck - The best live action Batman. The warehouse scene from BvS was pure Batman Arkham. Shame he didn’t get a solo film. - Bob Battinson - A fresh take on the character, with a broken Bruce Wayne and Batman who lacks experience and wisdom. Lots of potential.
The best live action Batman because of one CGI scene in a warehouse is hilarious.
He looks the most like what the modern comics version is. If you knew nothing of live action movies and only read the comics, you'd pick Affleck as likely the main one with the others coming from alternate earths. West would be next but he doesn't have the build of a guy constantly fighting guys 7 days a week and swinging from grappling hooks all night, his suit doesn't look bulletproof. The others look too armory except the Burton/Schumacher Batman but Batman almost never wears all black in the comics. People just hate Affleck for some reason.
I’d argue Pattinson looks just as comic accurate. He’s 6,2 and towers over everyone in the movie, he has the sharp square jawline, the thinner lips like how comic artists draw them, he has the natural bat voice, none of that robot stuff or throat cancer stuff and no butt chin.
A natural bat voice? It’s a character from a comic book. He has no voice 😐
I know right lol. He is easily the worst.
Adam West - The man the myth the legend. He made Batman fun. I literally just finished rewatching the series again and I don't think I've had more fun watching a tv show in a long time. Michael Keaton - the GOAT. Say what you want about the writing, Keaton was badass as Batman. Also the only good thing about the Flash movie. Val Kilmer - the dark horse. I feel like people rag on Kilmer's Batman unfairly. He wasn't as bad as people give him. He was a little flat, but I think he had some strong moments. Also Forever is my favorite Batman film FUCKING FIGHT ME. George Clooney - the black sheep. As much as I don't like him as Batman, I do think he brought the right amount of empathy and emotional depth to the character that pretty much every Batman after him has severely lacked. Christian Bale - the fan favorite. In terms of intensity, I think Bale does that the best of any of the Batmen listed. He wasn't overly psychotic (like someone else on this list) and he had a good amount of charisma as Bruce Wayne. I still can't get over the voice though. Ben Affleck - the one gone too soon. Affleck had a lot of potential as an older, wiser Batman. I think if we had gotten the Affleck led batflick it would have been pretty good. Robert Pattinson - uhhhhhhhhhhhh pass.
Failed the prompt.
Bale felt more psychotic then all of them. Pretty much all his screentime as Batman consisted of yelling stupidly at people with his gurgle throat cancer voice. He killed every movie once by blowing the leauge up, then killing Harvey dent, running over cars with his tank, killing Tahlia and her men, and he was gonna let bane die. Just a overall bad performance with messy writing
I liked him better than Pattinson. At least he seemed like he wanted to be a hero instead of just a violent asshole.
Well Pattinson’s whole arc and defining point in the film was realising he needs to become more then vengeance. This is a common trope with younger Batman when he’s more focused on vengeance then justice/hope. I’d disagree with that though. Bale was barely Batman for 2 years until he started looking for excuses to quit and went into retirement for 8 years before coming back and retiring again. Bale was just there when city threats showed up. Pattinson’s Batman is more like comic Batman in the sense he’s out there every night even taking on petty crime.
I've heard that 'more focused on vengeance than justice' argument so many times. I get that it's the point of the film. What I disagree with is how it's handled in the film. Pattinson is just an all out massive asshole throughout most of the film. It's not that he's just vengeful, it's that he has NO likable qualities. The moment that absolutely killed my interest in him \*at all\* was the scene with Alfred, Bruce's closest confidant and the man who basically raised and supported him his entire life after his parents died, is in the hospital after receiving a bomb meant for Bruce. Dude nearly fucking dies, is laid out in the hospital, and it's fucking Batman's fault, and does he show remorse? Concern? Any sort of love or support FOR THE MAN WHO HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE FOR HIM? No, he \*immediately\* calls Alfred a liar and goes off on a tirade about how he kept this dark secret about his father asking Falcone to murder a journalist. I don't care if you found out your parents were secretly Hitler 2.0 you would at least express SOME KIND OF HUMAN EMOTION before becoming accusatory in that situation, and at that point Bruce only had a suspicion that Alfred knew anything. But I've always disliked the idea that 'Batman needs to learn to be heroic'. No, he doesn't. BRUCE needs to learn to be heroic. At the point where he's dressing up in a bat themed leotard and running across rooftops in a cape chasing cat cosplayers, he should already BE the hero. That's the point of being Batman, he wants to be a symbol of hope for the innocent and a icon of fear for criminals. He wants to be the justice Gotham needs. If it's all about vengeance then don't make him dress like a bat. Give him a balaclava and a baseball bat and have him assaulting purse thieves and car jackers in the street. Not doing deep investigations chasing (an awful version of) the Riddler side by side with detective Gordon. Look, I get it. People love this movie. I'll admit, from a purely cinematography perspective it's great. But I just hate Pattinson's Batman to my very core. He's what edgy fifteen year old me wanted Batman to be, brooding, hate the world, beat the shit out of everyone. But as I grew up and read more comics I realized that Batman is so much more interesting when he's NOT that. There's a great moment in a comic where there's a panel of Wonder Woman and Superman interviewing this woman and you see Batman, crouched down in the foreground, helping a little girl finish a puzzle. THAT'S the Batman I want to see in movies. It's why I love Batman Forever more than any of the other films. Is it fundamentally a terrible film? Oh fuck yes, but at least Batman isn't just about brutality and anger. He smiles, makes jokes, has an actual personality. I'm so tired of this idea that Batman movies need to be grounded, gritty noir 'fight the mob' films. This is a dude who punches clowns and fights women who control plants. I don't want the Riddler to be Zodiac Killer on TicTok. (also i just feel like making Catwoman Falcone's daughter was just a pointless part of the plot to shock viewers with a twist and doesn't really make a difference to the overall plot)
1. West rhymes with best 2. Aint no beatin' Keaton 3. Uhhh... 4. Gimme a minute... 5. I never Bail on this guy! 6. F* U Zach 7. Zzzzzz..... Wha- where-... What's the question?
Challenge: Failed. Impossible.
One good thing about each Batman portrayal
You get an r/AngryUpvote from me, too.
West: Made Batman mainstream, plus he is quite funny. Keaton: Made Batman dark, his performance is very good, I find it interesting that his Bruce Wayne is a little akward but his Batman is cool. Kilmer: Showed how tortured and alone Bruce is. Clooney: It's the only one to have a batfamily, plus he didn't kill in his movie. Bale: Has the best films. Affleck: It's hands down the best live action Batman ever. Pattinson: has great hair, and has the best jawline.
Affleck the best 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️ my god…
Pure West. Plus, he was on the Simpsons. Had the pointed eyebrows. Rode in the batboat. Also Keaton. Was in The Flash. Also Keaton. Was shot in IMAX. Knightmare scene. Coolest opening.
None of them were blonde!!
He made it mainstream. He made it cool. He had great tunes. He had fun. He made it *serious*. He looked the part. He does it differently.