I start with Batman because he's my favorite super hero. My reasoning in ranking the actors was clear. It's not how you portray Batman, but rather how you personify his alter ego Bruce Wayne that defines whether you have the character down or not.
Think about it, Batman is a person with... no emotion right? So anyone can play him when it comes to putting on a cape, but what about Bruce? The "fake" disguise Batman pretends to be? Let's look at that, then the total package.
#5 George Clooney
The first person to play Bruce Wayne as a complete jackass. Seriously, this is the guy who comes to your party and everyone rolls their eyes at him and goes "Ah man, not THIS guy again!"
Clooney has been badgered constantly over how he played Batman but his performance as Bruce Wayne was just as awful.
#4 Christian Bale
Love him as Batman as much as you want but when it comes to playing Wayne, he's terrible. Honestly his Bruce Wayne is the closest resemblance to Batman and any movie. Grimm and moody with a "Don't mess with me" attitude. Bruce Wayne is supposed to be a playboy millionaire, not a guy that would scare half the people fighting in a UFC ring. I love Bale, but his Bruce Wayne just stinks.
#3 Michael Keaton
It's rough rating Keaton this far down, I did a lot of thinking on this but ultimately decided this is where he should be. Keaton played a quirky, socially detached Wayne and it came across marvelously in the films. He had a slight edge of intelligence which let you know he wasn't incompetent. I think Keaton's portrayal of Bruce Wayne is what made the movies so good to begin with.
#2 Val Kilmore
If I had not watched Batman Forever again last year I probably would've had Val behind Keaton, but seeing this film again really opened my eyes to how perfectly balanced Kilmore played Wayne. Playboy millionaire and businessman all rolled into one. Val had complete understanding of what Wayne should be like and executed the performance perfectly.
#1 Adam West
I'm going to hang for this one I just know it. But sorry folks, Adam West did the best!
Sure he's "Bright Knight" Batman closely resembled his Bruce Wayne but we're looking at just Bruce here remember? And by that analysis West pulled it off gloriously! In every episode of the old show what was Bruce Wayne up to? Attending social functions, charity organizations, going bird watching, star gazing, or fishing on his yacht. So uncharacteristic of who Batman is.
I love how West really got into the swing of Bruce and played him as a respectable yet fun loving guy. 2 thumbs up!
Ok, that's all for today. Tomorrow we'll talk about the boy wonder.
9 comments:
I have to disagree with your placement on Bale. I think he did a good job of making Bruce Wayne out to be this oblivious, asshole, frat boy rich kid. Which would definitely throw people off the trail of thinking he was some selfless vigilante. The scene in Dark Knight where he crashes the Lamborghini into the truck to save that one dude, then telling Commissioner Gordon that he was just trying to make the light, was brilliant.
To be honest it has been a while since I've seen the movies. (only saw them once in theaters each) Don't get me wrong here, I LOVED both movies (and own them) I just never got around to watching them again.
Perhaps that should be on my "to do" list in the near future...
So would you say Bale is #1?? Megan argued that Val doesn't beat Keaton but other than that I haven't heard anyone else comment.
You want a comment? I think you're high. Hahaha!
Keaton is #1, no question. He was smart, funny, quirky (as Batman would HAVE to be to live that life), fiercely loyal, and still kicked ass.
Bale is #2. He did a great job in Batman Begins, I'm with Stevil, portraying a spolied brat. Remember, these movies are giving us the ORIGIN of Batman. Of course it's gonna take a while to perfect the "Wayne persona". And as Batman, he's perfectly fine.
Kilmer is #3. That movie was enjoyable, but we didn't get enough of Bruce Wayne to make a full-blown portrayal. And he was only in the one. Plus, he was too dark and brooding with the whole Kidman angle. This movie is more about Carrey's villain than it is about Batman, in my opinion.
Clooney brings up the rear. Terrible movie, and he sucked in it.
As for Adam West, I don't think it's fair to bring him into this. He got hours and hours of TV to cultivate the Bruce Wayne/Batman dichotomy, a luxury that the others weren't given. Since it was a TV show, you can't really compare him to the film actors. I agree, he was very good, but I can't say whether he's better or worse.
I think Megan only ranks Bale #1 because of Newsies :-)
-Melton
I would certainly put Bale as #1 or #2 at the absolute lowest. IF you throw Adam West into the mix, then I would also say you have to add Kevin Conroy from the animated series (and Arkham Asylum/City games) , who I would say is THE #1 Batman/Bruce Wayne
Watch Batman Forever again, trust me Kilmore's performance is a lot better than you remember. I agree Keaton's good and I had a rough time ranking Kilmore's over him but still... Val's better than you think.
I've already spoken about Bale but to add to it he's Batman sucked. But that didn't factor into my decision here. As for Kevin Conroy, I have someone arguing that point right now with me. I like him but I'm not sure I'm ready to bring voice actor's into this yet.
Oh and Adam West did star in the first Batman movie ever made. So he counts. : )
That's true about the 60's Batman movie being the first, but Kevin Conroy voiced Batman in the theatrically released Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. I think do think Val Kilmer nailed the Bruce Wayne aspects of batman, but his Batman was atrocious.
No, you misunderstood, I like Val Kilmer a lot, and I think he was good in the role (just not as good as Keaton). But only giving Kilmer one movie, and with that movie having a different vibe than the others (a lot more like a comic book, instead of a film, which is probably why you liked it more), it's hard to get enough of him to compare to the others adequately.
Bale's Batman did not and does not suck, so we disagree there.
Yes, I know West was in the first Batman, but he was also in the TV show over many hours, so my point stands - it's not fair to compare him to actors that were only given 2-4 hours to play Wayne/Batman, in my opinion.
Also, Keaton is the only one (not including West) that I thought had fun with the role. Probably why I like him more.
-Melton
Okay... Just to clarify this AND if you would go back and rea it correctly from Matts first response it says it there... I do NOT think bale is number 1 as batman/Bruce Wayne. My pick is Keaton and always will be (with the rate they are going). Bale would be my #3 pick NOT #1 and I have no idea where anyone got that!
Megan
Wow! Sheesh, sorry. I did read it wrong, and I apologize. I read this from Matt: "So would you say Bale is #1?? Megan argued that." But there is actually no period there. It was my mistake, because of the line break on Matt's comment. It looked like he was starting a new thought with "Val doesn't beat Keaton..." but that isn't right, now that I look back at it. I was just reading in a hurry, and screwed up his comment, which was one complete thought.
It was actually a joke. My wife loves Christian Bale in Newsies (and other things), and I just put two and two together with your theater/dance background, so I was kidding around. I agree, Keaton is the best Batman.
-Melton
Post a Comment