I vote for Michael Keaton in the original Batman movie. He has more dark Batmanish “edge” in his little pinky than Val Kilmer and George Clooney have in their whole bodies put together.
Val Kilmer makes a much better Bruce Wayne, but when he tries to be dark, it’s unintentionally funny (to me).
Guy Pearce as a young Batman. Oh, yeah.
I guess I’ll go with Kilmer, though none of the Batmen have really been that good.
Keaton as Batman is a prospect that will never cease to amaze me - a short ugly guy with stupid hair as not only the suave Bruce Wayne, but also the menacing Batman? Whatever. Carrot Top looks about as much like Batman as Keaton does. His acting in the suit was pretty good, but his Bruce Wayne still makes me cringe (“You wanna get nuts?! C’mon, let’s get nuts…” vomit).
Kilmer at least looked more the part to me (although they should have died his hair black). I think he looked better in the suit than Keaton, and he made a decent Bruce Wayne (besides, he and Chris O’Donnell made a good dynamic duo… OF HOTNESS).
I think Clooney could have been good had he not been working on the Worst Movie Ever. Not only that, but with the two villains, Robin, and Batgirl, he hardly gets any time to be Batman. In fact, compared to Keaton, who gets two movies all to himself (though he’s upstaged by the villains in each one), Kilmer and Clooney have relatively little screen time.
I’ll go with Clooney… he’s got that reserved Batmanny look. His personality and voice match what I feel Batman and Bruce Wayne would possess. But like shy guy said, I guess it’s just tough shit that GC didn’t get as much screen time to himself as Keaton did.
Keaton.
Val Kilmer’s Batman looked like he was surprised, exasperated, and out of his league all the time. The guy ran around with his jaw dropped in a constant “GUH?!?” expression. It was like he was playing Batman as Don Knots.
Clooney’s Batman was just a random shmoe in a Batsuit, trying desperately not to get killed. He was so clumsy and easy to surprise, it was like watching Blankman all over again.
Keaton has his “Beetlejuice” moment (that Shy Guy mentioned), but beyond that, he was the perfect Bruce Wayne. Take the following exchange:
KNOX: “Where do you suppose this one’s from?”
VAIL: “I have no idea.”
BRUCE: “It’s Japanese.”
KNOX: “How do you know?”
BRUCE: “Because I bought it in Japan.”
KNOX: “Who are you?”
BRUCE: “Oh!.. Bruce Wayne.”
He PERFECTLY took the clumsy, awkward, airheaded portrayal of Bruce Wayne. Kilmer’s Bruce was a suave, sophisticated, slick character… one that you would suspect could possibly be Batman, even (which is the exact OPPOSITE of what Bruce Wayne should be!).
I’m with the Val Kilmer as Bruce Wayne, Michael Keaton as Batman.
Another vote for Michael Keaton. If they had kept him, they might have kept the franchise.
Adam West, hands down! I know he started on the TV series, but his 1966 big screen debut in the title role was breath-taking! Or breath-holding. Or something.
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0060153
And don’t forget Jing Abalos in the 1967 classic “Batman fights Dracula” altho for some reason his side-kick was named Ruben.
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0061386
Keaton, both as Batman AND Bruce Wayne. I’ve always imagined that Bruce is uncomfortable with himself, and is only truly at ease when he’s Batman. He’s been Psychologically Scarred For Life, remember? No way he’s gonna be at ease as a “normal” zillionaire. The only thing wrong with Keaton as Batman is that he’s getting a little long in the tooth for the role. Batman does NOT have superpowers, he has honed his body to the finest possible weapon it can be. Plus, of course, he has absolutely marvelous toys.
As a slight hijack, I would have liked to see Tim Curry as the Joker. I think he would have been much better. I’ve never really liked Jack Nicholson, though I’m not much of a movie watcher, so it’s quite possible that he’s marvelous in the vast number of films that I haven’t seen.
Kevin’s is definately the “voice” I associate with Batman from now on.
Keaton was the best movie Batman, but maybe only because he starred in the best Batman movies. His character was, at least, more three dimensional than the others wer
Keaton is Batman (and Bruce Wayne), as far as I’m concerned. He’s got the edge, he’s got the moves, he’s got it all, baby. When he pulls that thug close and hisses “I’m Batman”, I get the sudden urge to jump up and yell: “You tell 'em, Mike!”. I also love how he just got up and walked away when he realized what Schumacher was going to do to “Batman Forever”.
Kilmer is decent enough. In his defense, he signed up for the movie a) without reading the script (because let’s face it, if they ask you to play Batman, you say “yes, please” and pay your own busfare to get to the studio) and b) thinking that Burton was going to direct. Given the material he had to work with, he succeeded in giving both the Wayne and Batman character some sort of depth.
The less said about Clooney, the better. The fact that he was asked to do the part because some assistant of Schumacher jokingly drew a Batman mask on a publicity picture of him, is an embarrassment to all involved.
Don’t forget Lewis Wilson and Robert Lowery.
Surely you remember the Batman serials.
Keaton. If only because he has such a beautiful mouth. You don’t get much face in that mask.
Qadgop the Mercotan - You hurt my mind with these strange batmen movies! Now I feel certain that somewhere, sometime, someone made a Mexican dwarf wrestling Batman movie.
Viva Ruben!
Keaton, then Clooney, then Kilmer.
Michael Keaton is Batman. Clooney was a lot better Batman than I thought he’d be (even now, I find it difficult to picture Clooney as Batman). Kilmer just sucked. I was completely disappointed with him.
Keaton was OK, but his acting didn’t age well with the series. I certainly did like the the second film best, though. However, in all honesty, Kilmer actually seemed to have fun with the role (and they did the “campy” Batman much better then than in the fourth movie. He wasn’t a super-serious batman, but Keaton’s was actually painful to watch sometimes.
slight Hijack here, but I was thinking who made the best Batman big screen villian, and I was having a hard time picking a winner between Nickolson and Walken.
thoughts?
Second that Kevin Conroy is the best Batman. If there is any intention of resurrecting the live-action franchise, he should be given consideration for the role.