West Vs Bale Vs Keaton Vs Kilmer Vs Clooney!

[Steeler80]

Bale is the best of the live action Batmen.

But Kevin Conroy (BTAS) is Batman to me.

[Raydeen1]

I kind of agree.

Again, I think I'm too attached to Batman to allow myself to look past how much the movie companies change things. Batman stands on his own merit. They do NOT have to change him to make him more accessible or believable to the general public. People will pay money to see the movie because it's Batman, not because it's more "realistic" or what have you. I can't stand CSI and all those shows. They're supposed to be believable but some of the stuff (software for instance) they show doesn't exist so there you go.

In my opinion, Hollywood has ruined far too much by trying to make it more realistic. BSG comes to mind. They took everything likeable from the old series and completely and utterly ruined it. I felt like I was watching a show about current military, political BS than a sci fi show.

Superheroes are NOT realistic, nor should they be. The same can be said for sci fi. I LOVED this stuff when I was growing up. Now it's boring and unfun. They have taken the sense of awe and wonder completley out of the equation.

Examples. Babylon 5. Was there ever a more boring sci fi series? Sure having the ships float around and having no sound in space was more realistic but YAWNNNNNNNNN. NO sense of wonder, no awe, no excitement. Did you care that you could hear the engines and explosions in Star Wars? NO. Because it was fun and exciting. I seriously doubt ANYONE sat in the theatre thinking: "I shouldn't be able to hear this stuff".

The same holds true for other movies such as Xmen. While I liked it, here we have a covert team of mutants that run around in public showing everyone their faces. Is that realistic? I think not.

By trying to make things more realistic to the general movie going public, they have watered down our heroes and taken any sense of fun or enjoyment from them.

To me, since the Keaton Batman the BEST Superhero movie I have seen is Iron Man, hands down. Both of my boys left the theatre in awe and sat on the edge of their seats through the entire movie. The only other movie they enjoyed that much was Transformers.

I look at it this way,

West's Batman was very juvenile .... But that's how Superheroes are supposed to be.

Superheroes were MADE for kids .....

It's only this generation that grown-ups starting liking Heroes and demanding they have more character.... Which I think just made them more laughable.

When I see West's Batman I smile and feel good.

When I see newer Batman's I feel like i'm watching a serial killer crime drama.
Isn't there enough serial killer crime drama's out there ?

I miss the days when Hero shows/movies were made for kids --- but adults liked them too
That was their appeal...

Why make a Hero movie that you can't take your kids to ?


Just my opinion

[HardyGirl]

West has always been and will always be BEST.

West IS Batman .... not "the Bat" .... I actual hate the term "the Bat"

I like West's portrayal of Batman because he never played the I'M NUTTY, FEAR ME, I'M RICH, I"M ALSO SENSITIVE card.

When I see modern Batman's playing that card all the time, it's almost embarrassing.

Not being a comic reader, I don't know what Batman was before West ....
Perhaps it was "I'M NUTTY, FEAR ME, I'M RICH, I"M ALSO SENSITIVE" ...
But, I still don't like it .....

West was the coolest Batman ......
He had the coolest criminals ......
God, he had the coolest Batmobile ........

West is best, plain and simple.

WEST IS BEST! Go WEST Bat Fans!

[HardyGirl]

I look at it this way,

West's Batman was very juvenile .... But that's how Superheroes are supposed to be.

Superheroes were MADE for kids .....

It's only this generation that grown-ups starting liking Heroes and demanding they have more character.... Which I think just made them more laughable.

When I see West's Batman I smile and feel good.

When I see newer Batman's I feel like i'm watching a serial killer crime drama.
Isn't there enough serial killer crime drama's out there ?

I miss the days when Hero shows/movies were made for kids --- but adults liked them too
That was their appeal...

Why make a Hero movie that you can't take your kids to ?
And if you did, they'd either be frightened by it, or wouldn't understand it -- or both.


Just my opinion

AMEN!

[megoat]

I look at it this way,

West's Batman was very juvenile .... But that's how Superheroes are supposed to be.

Superheroes were MADE for kids .....

It's only this generation that grown-ups starting liking Heroes and demanding they have more character.... Which I think just made them more laughable.

When I see West's Batman I smile and feel good.

When I see newer Batman's I feel like i'm watching a serial killer crime drama.
Isn't there enough serial killer crime drama's out there ?

I miss the days when Hero shows/movies were made for kids --- but adults liked them too
That was their appeal...

Why make a Hero movie that you can't take your kids to ?
And if you did, they'd either be frightened by it, or wouldn't understand it -- or both.


Just my opinion

Well, the train to Kiddieland was hijacked YEARS ago by comic book/sci fi nerds. Cartoons, toys, comic books and video games have all been converted to adult oriented material--that's why vintage stuff is so much cooler...I prefer this stuff with goofy charm and made for kids!

Sorry for getting slightly off topic.....

[Mikey]

A nutty comparison, but to get my point across ........

Imagine 20 years in the future, suddenly Teletubbies are back in vogue ...

A Telletubby movie ?

Sounds good to me ......

We need to update it though (for the fans who've grown up)

Hmmmm

Remember when Farwell said the Purple Tubby was gay ?
Today, let's make him gay --- as a matter of fact, let's make him REALLY gay...

The Green Teletubby .......
Remember his face was a little darker than the others but nothing was ever said of it ?
Let's make him really black ..... Maybe we'll have him where a baseball cap backwards or something ...

The Yellow Tubby was a girl ...... We should have her get molested .... Perhaps by the vacuum cleaner

The Red Tubby......
The small one ...... Is too active .....
Perhaps she needs a calming drug ....... also, perhaps put her in "special class".

[darklord1967]

This is a re-post from The Dark Knight thread (in case it's missed from over there

Christian Bale IS Batman. Michael Keaton did okay, but in hindsight he comes across as a little man caught in a giant suit. Bale is the first to be able to pull off the depth of the character, AND match the phsyicality. I think his voice works. The whole angle of Batman Begins and Dark Knight (and it should be the angle of every Batman) is to scare the living beejeezus out of criminals. That voice does it.

Sorry. Not for ME it doesn't. It just comes off as a guy with a lisp trying waaay too hard to sound scary. That voice is about as scary as fingernails across a blackboard to me... which is to say not at all. It's more grating and irritating.

The Batman's bizzare appearence is already theatrical, bigger than life, and melodramatic. Having a voice that is that forced only makes things way over the top for me.

With The Batman, less is more... certainly in regards to the voice.

I think Heath Ledger instinctively understood this to be true about his character as well. The understated voice that he developed for The Joker works amazingly well when contrasted against his bizzare appearence. It's eeire. It's dangerous. And it seems psychotically off-balance... perfect for that character.

If Bruce Wayne were portrayed as the chatty, verbose, laughing air-headed playboy that he pretends to be (which Bale handles beautifully), then there would be no need to try to come up with an overly melodramatic voice for The Batman. In fact his silence (punctuated with an occasional raspy word or two), would speak volumes... and would be FAR more un-nerving to a criminal (and to the audience).

I'm kinda thinking along the lines of Michael Myers from the original "Halloween".

There's nothing LESS scary than a guy trying to sound scary.


And just to be clear about one thing: I don't think Michael Keaton was a better Batman by any stretch of the imagination. I couldn't agree with you more that he seemed like a little guy lost in a big Bat-suit.

All I was saying was that his Bat-suit at least had a closer resemblance to the traditional Batman that I prefer to see... and even that one missed the mark.

There are certain things that I prefer to see that I think are essential to the look of The Batman. And not all of them are being applied in live-action versions of him:

1) Some basic design simplicity of the costume is a must. Too much sculpted "designery" crap on the outfit moves away from The Batman's utilitarian no-nonsense approach to crime-fighting, in my view.

2) Some basic contrasting color would be nice. I know that it's fashionable to have The Dark Knight dressed all in black these days like a friggin' vampire or a STAR WARS sith lord or something. But he's The Batman, NOT The "Darth-man" or "Bat-Vader".

3) Shoulders. The Batman's basic sillhouette is far more pleasing to my eye (not to mention more imposing) when he's got broader shoulders. All movie Batmans have had ZERO shoulders making his outline seem awkward. When the producers of the animated Batman put their show together, this was one of the very FIRST things they addressed, and with beautiful results.

4) Bat-Winged Cape. Some super-heroes wear a cape. And some super-heroes wear a cape with character and attitude. By and large I think Chirs Nolan and his team depict The Batman's cape with proper attitude when he's in action. I LOVED the shot when he landed atop the Scarecrow's van for example. Classic Batman!

I would have preferred deeper scallops to the cape's bat-wing design, but that is a minor gripe. Besides which (in their defense), the shallower - wider scallops of the Bale cape design is actually more appropriate, when you think about it. It resembles real Bat wings more accurately.

No, my biggest gripe with the cape is its typical portrayal when it is at rest.

EVERY SINGLE live-action Batman actor since the 1940's Columbia serials (including West, Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney, and now Bale) has worn the cape flipped over his shoulders. To me, that goes completely against the idea of a guy that wants to stick to the shadows and be creepy.

A cape is a very gothic garment, and it should be worn closed in front of the shoulders, certainly for a character like The Batman. There should be very little hint to the shape of a mere man under there until he begins to move into action.

Again, outside the comics, the producers of the various post-modern animated series were the first to understand this, and it worked gloriously when they applied it.

But I guess when you spend 3 or 4 million dollars on an absurdly-sculpted high-tech Bat suit, the last thing you would want to do is cover it up with a closed cape.

[kept back]

Overall, I still think the animated series is the best protrayal of the character. So I gotta give major props to Kevin Conroy.

I think Bale has by far the best grasp on the character. Some aspects of Bale's portrayal are a bit odd(the voice), but I think overall he understands the character far better than anyone else that has played it.

There are aspects of Keaton I quite liked. I think Batman 89 only worked to the dgree it did because of Keaton. It certainly wasn't because of Tim Burton's understanding of the character.

Adam west was...well, that show was the reason I got into Batman. The camp aspect doesn't do it for me today, but for millions West is, was, and will forever be the Caped Crusader. But West is by no means the Dark Knight.

Clooney I still think could have been decent had anyone cared about the film beyond toy tie ins. Sadly we'll never know.

Kilmer. Hated him. Just hated him. There seemed to be no difference between his Bruce Wayne and his Batman. It was just the clothes he happened to be wearing at the time. Batman Forever is by far my least favorite Batman film ever made.

[jemboy2004]

I like Bale but Keaton was good. I actully like Batman resturns 92 over the original keaton 89 film. Kilmer I thought was ok too but Clooney I couldn't stand as Batman.

I was never a fan of West as batman but admit I do watch it all the time with my godson as he loves it. West as batman is kid friendly and I do like that about it. Kids see it as real even if we don't and I find it funny today. I always keep in mind though it's from the 60s, what else could they do? West could never pull off a modern batman movie even if he were young enough to pay batman now.

[kingdom warrior]

1.Adam West- Nothing dark or gritty but has alll the charm of the Silver-age plus has all the Best Villans and The Best BatMobile EVER!!!!

2.Michael Keaton- Without Keaton you wouldn't have Bale's version today as the rubbersuit concept is still being used. Funny the suit worked for Keaton because he didn't fit the Bill physically. But after him ever other actor could have been taken out of the suit. Keaton also had Jack Nicholson in the first movie to play off on.

3. Kevin Conroy- The voice of Batman. i hear this voice when reading the comics. Had a perfect range when playing both characters and his range of expressing emotions is the best.

4.Christian Bale- Owns the part now. but part of his success comes from Nolan's vision to put out a quality interpertation of Batman. The suit is the only down side. Bale is Built he doesn't need the rubbersuit.

5.George Clooney- Has the playboy looks but it's not his fault he was given a crap script and crap director.

6.Val Kilmer- I hate him he's a piece of poop....Batman Forever sucked

[Hector]

I have to go with Hulk's list with one change... taking West Batman off the list completely. As a kid I loved that show, as an adult I can't watch it. SNL's AGD cartoons ruined for me forever. It's just not a Batman I enjoy anymore. Bale has the entire package, the look, the intensity. He could be a little bigger in size, but I'd rather have the look and intensity than the size.

Keaton had great intensity. Kilmer and Clooney can never be judged well since their scripts were soooooo terrible. Clooney had a great look while in the costume. He has the superhero jaw, while a lot of the other guys just look too babyfaced sometimes.

I agree with you and Paul (except about Keaton a bit, no, not his intensity, that was spot on).

People who like West are just being nostalgic...but he ain't NO Batman, he was a clown, a lovable one, but a clown nevertheless, that's for sure.

About Keaton...yes, he brought great intensity as Batman. But you say Bale could be a bit bigger? Dave, Bale is hulkish compared to Keaton, really.

Nicholson towers and looks like the Abomination next to puny-sized Keaton, just look at his tiny shoulders...



Christian Bale OWNS Batman...he is the one!

[Hector]

I HATED Keaton!! Casting Him TOTALLY ruined any chance of Me enjoying that Movie!

I agree with you...I don't like Keaton as Batman either.

[Hector]

Michael Keaton did his best, and it did work, but when I watch those movies now, I still see Keaton in a Batman suit, not Batman. Too slight, and his suit was too clunky (esp. in the first one). His distracted Bruce Wayne was an interesting choice, but overall I don't think those first two movies hold up much.

Touché!

[Hector]

West has always been and will always be BEST.

West IS Batman .... not "the Bat" .... I actual hate the term "the Bat"

I like West's portrayal of Batman because he never played the I'M NUTTY, FEAR ME, I'M RICH, I"M ALSO SENSITIVE card.

When I see modern Batman's playing that card all the time, it's almost embarrassing.

Not being a comic reader, I don't know what Batman was before West ....
Perhaps it was "I'M NUTTY, FEAR ME, I'M RICH, I"M ALSO SENSITIVE" ...
But, I still don't like it .....

West was the coolest Batman .....He had the coolest criminals ......
God, he had the coolest Batmobile ........

West is best, plain and simple.

Mr Nostalgic to the rescue.

You think modern Batman portrayals are too embarrassing???

Good grief, Mike, lol.

Well, take a GOOD look at this...

YouTube - Batman on Drugs:The Remake




No, West did not play the "I'M NUTTY, FEAR ME, I'M RICH, I"M ALSO SENSITIVE"...no, you are right on that one.

HE PLAYED THE BUMBLING IMBECILE, THAT'S WHAT!!!

[The Bat]

Hector...in that Picture You posted, Keaton(5' 7")...is standing on a Box, just so Batman doesn't look shorter than the Joker!