I haven't quite had the time (and probably won't have) to get around to rewatching 'The End of the Affair' (1999) as of yet, so I thought just to appease everyone to post something brief I'd worked on a while ago about who, in my humble opinion, the best Batman is. I haven't seen Adam West yet but I'll try to do so ASAP. I have also chosen their best performance/only performance for each Batman/Bruce Wayne (note to Louis: I will probably do Bond in a similar manner) (GM: Sorry I shall do my best ASAP)
The Tim Burton Batman films have always held a special place in my heart. They're most certainly not perfect as I feel he does go overboard with some of his quirks, and some of their stylistic aspects do feel quite dated, but I do rather enjoy them as just plain entertaining comic book films.
'Batman Returns' is a very fine film in many respects and I will defend it to the death. It would be my Best Picture win for 1992 if not for 'Reservoir Dogs' and 'The Crying Game'. Kim Basinger is gone (phew), replaced by Michelle Pfeiffer as the definitive Catwoman/Selina Kyle (sorry Anne), who gives one of the sexiest, sultriest, alluringly deadly, and just plain entertaining portrayals of a villain ever. Also good is Danny DeVito who is every bit as uncouth as you'd expect as the criminal mastermind, although he does certainly overplay some moments; his penguin-isms may not work for everyone but they certainly did for me, and he's also unexpectedly moving when the film requires him to be. Add in a devious Christopher Walken and you might think, where'll Batman/Bruce Wayne end up amongst all this?
Well unlike the first film where he occasionally was overshadowed by Nicholson's incredibly OTT portrayal, resulting in his performance being somewhat bland, here however Keaton seems more comfortable in the role. I won't say he's completely at ease yet in the action scenes as one should probably be as the Dark Knight, but what he does do well is show this very particular sort of Batman, one who's not averse to spilling a bit of blood here and there. Keaton's somewhat distant approach to both Bruce Wayne and Batman does well to emphasise both the quirky but perhaps more disillusioned billionaire, and the cold-blooded crusader.
What I do really like about Keaton's portrayal here is how he differentiates Wayne/Batman's approach to each major character he interacts with. With Michael Gough's Alfred, as always, they share this warm and rather loving bond that I've always thought a welcome respite from the otherwise moribund nature of the film; with Selina Kyle he's actually rather charismatic, and enjoyably deadpan as Batman, the two characters frissoning with sexual tension. With the Penguin I would say he's slightly overwhelmed by DeVito's bombasticness, but he still is good in showing the inherent sympathy for the villain yet also that determination to achieve the greatest good. And with Max Schreck he's just a likably straightforward crusader for justice. All in all while I don't love this performance, I still quite like it even though he is slightly overshadowed by the film and his co-stars.
'Batman Forever' is probably the least 'inspired'out of all the Batman films as it just doesn't seem to really have any sort of style of its own. Which isn't a bad thing I guess if you compare it to the 'style' of say, 'Batman and Robin'. Still it's a pretty bland experience throughout, any sort of potential from Two-Face and Riddler as villains is completely wasted by the rather glitzy, camp approach given to them both, and Robin is one hell of a dullard, Chris O'Donnell's performance doing nothing to help matters.
Val Kilmer follows much in the same vein of his film: uninspired. He's pretty bland and boy can you tell he's doing this one for the paycheck. I like Kilmer enough when he's on form in say, 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang', or 'Tombstone', but here he doesn't show much of the talent he displays in those films. His Bruce Wayne is fairly charismatic, and I guess he handles himself in his fight scenes well enough. I just never feel like he goes that extra mile, or even few metres, for some sort of interesting take on the man and the legend. I can't even really accuse him of being boring because he's not really, but it's just that all he does is be fairly charming and fairly adept at kicking ass, and that's that. So good, but not much to write home about.
'Batman & Robin' is the more enjoyable of the two Joel Schumacher films--and not in a good way. Whereas there was extreme blandness (and some not very effective OTT from Jim Carrey) in 'Batman Forever', everyone seems to have forsaken any sort of self-respect and dignity in this installment. Schwarzenegger as Mr Freeze is unbelievably game to any degree of hamtastically bad dialogue, Uma Thurman is given even more trite lines but doesn't nearly have as much fun, Bane is just a wuss and O'Donnell is this time round bland to the point that he becomes funny.
George Clooney as Bruce Wayne/Batman actually seems to be trying his best to make his way out of the shitfest he's in. I have to give him quite a bit of credit actually for making his scenes with Alfred (Gough again) genuinely heartfelt, but I also have to take some marks away from his failure to make any sort of positive impression in his scenes as Batman. I actually didn't mind his Bruce Wayne at all even though it kinda is Clooney just doing Clooney, I'm no fan of him but hey he's doing it well enough. But as Batman he really is severely lacking any sort of intimidation factor nor conviction. So on one hand I appreciate that he tries to make something out of nothing of the dramatic beats in the film (however few there are), on the other hand he just doesn't really get in on the 'fun' of all the badness around him (which isn't necessarily a bad thing in itself) and can't really find his way into Batman (bad).
I love all three Nolan Batman films. 'The Dark Knight' is by far the best made film out of the three, and most certainly my Best Picture win for the year. 'Batman Begins' is also a very solid origins story and contains perhaps the second most rousing moment in the whole series with the first appearance of Batman. I chose not to review Bale in those two though for various reasons. One, though he's solid as always in 'The Dark Knight', he's kinda overshadowed by (naturally) Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, and the film itself which is great in its sheer scope and intensity of vision, but which also at points kind of reduces Bale's Batman into just an action hero (which he's good enough at and does work for the film). He's very solid in 'Batman Begins' particularly in his transition of harnessing the darkness within him, but he's also fairly constant throughout and his arc as Bruce Wayne is kind of overshadowed by the whole Batman-dominant third-act.
'The Dark Knight Rises' is a film that is both incredibly flawed and incredibly well, incredible. A re-watch only solidifed some of the major reservations I have with it, namely: a certain character's death scene, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's pretty uninspired character and performance, that final twist with Marion Cotillard, the bomb...and yet its moments of brilliance are really, really some of my favourite Batman moments ever. Some of the choices Nolan makes aren't necessarily the best ones, but when he strikes gold he really strikes gold with some of the just plain epic moments in the series. I'll be mentioning some of them in a bit, but first off though Bane and Tom Hardy's character creation of him is tremendous. I shall probably be reviewing him some point in the future but there's a reason Hardy is in my opinion the best actor working today; he can make so much out of so very little.
Bale's not far off though (but he really needs to start picking some good films to star in, his recent track record hasn't been very good). I've always found Bale to be an incredibly invested, compelling onscreen presence no matter the role or film. From his masterful, incredibly complex portrayal of genius in 'The Prestige' to his incredibly assured child performance in 'Empire of the Sun' to his terrifyingly viscreal work in 'The Machinist' he's always a wonder to behold onscreen. 'The Dark Knight Rises' is no different as from the outset we are presented with a distinctly different Batman than we're used to seeing; downtrodden, out-of-shape, tired of life and limping. Bale is brilliant in these opening moments in showing how years of inactivity, and the machinations of the Joker, have taken their toll on Bruce Wayne. His very physical creation of Wayne's diminishing physicality works in perfect harmony with the listless manner he carries himself with.
Of course when the baddies come into the play, it's time for Bruce to take up the mantle once more, and Bale is very good in slowly building up to that point. It's not to sudden nor is it out of character, Bale shows it as just being something very natural to him to want to put things right. He merges this very well with a rather moving series of interactions with Alfred (Michael Caine, giving his best performance in the whole series). Both actors are tremendously good as always in showing that father and son bond between the two with hints of frustrations on noth sides; it's the little touches to Bale's performance, like the
Obviously we have badass Batman getting back into action which is all good and swell, but for me the highlights of this point in the film is his chemistry with Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle. Together they're pretty darn entertaining and have wonderful chemistry, making their eventual partnership one of the most winning aspects of the film. Bale is very good in bringing just the right amount of sparring deadpan to his interactions with Hathaway, separating it well from his more understated approach to Levitt and Oldman, and his more straightforward heroic attitude towards Bane.
Bane's breaking of Batman is a great scene for Hardy, but what it sets up makes for the meat of Bale's performance, for me the highlight of the film, and the greatest heights the trilogy reaches. Bale is simply outstanding in the sheer intensity and pain he shows Bruce Wayne to be in, with not a hint of the Batman persona within him; completely broken, Bale conveys the inner turmoil of the man so effectively, that his eventual turnaround becomes all the more resonant. Technically speaking it's pretty improbable how anyone could possibly get back into shape in short span of time after such a heavy beating, but with Bale's excellent portrayal you don't really care. The best scene in the whole series, in my opinion, lies on Bale's shoulders as he escapes the prison; obviously the music, the way the whole scene plays out is incredibly rousing, but Bale's performance is what makes it all work with that understated yet uplifting strength he gives the role. It's this journey he shows in Bruce Wayne within such a short span of time that makes the somewhat messily structured ending of the film pack the emotional wallop it does; as incredulous as you are of Bruce Wayne's survival, you want it to be a reality due to the incredible power of Bale's portrayal.
1. Bale in The Dark Knight Rises (4.5/5, verging on a 5)
2. Bale in Batman Begins (4/5)
3. Keaton in Batman Returns (3.5/5)
4. Bale in The Dark Knight (3.5/5)
5. Keaton in Batman (3/5)
6. Kilmer in Batman Forever (2.5/5)
7. Clooney in Batman & Robin (2.5/5) (he would probably a low 2 if not for his scenes with Gough)
Also, my ranking of all the villains:
1. Heath Ledger (The Joker) in The Dark Knight (5/5)
2. Tom Hardy (Bane) in The Dark Knight Rises (4.5/5)
3. Michelle Pfeiffer (Catwoman) in Batman Returns (4.5/5)
4. Cillian Murphy (Scarecrow) in Batman Begins (4/5)
5. Anne Hathaway (Catwoman) in The Dark Knight Rises (4/5)
6. Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent/Two-Face) in The Dark Knight (4/5)
7. Danny Devito (The Penguin) in Batman Returns (3.5/5)
8. Jack Nicholson (The Joker) in Batman (3/5)
9. Liam Neeson (Ra'as Al Gul) in Batman Begins (3/5)
10. Jim Carrey (Riddler) in Batman Forever (2.5/5)
11. Arnold Schwarzenegger (Mr Freeze) in Batman & Robin (2/5)
12. Uma Thurman (Poison Ivy) in Batman & Robin (1/5)
13. Tommy Lee Jones (Two-Face) in Batman Forever (1/5)
Batman Wikia
What I do really like about Keaton's portrayal here is how he differentiates Wayne/Batman's approach to each major character he interacts with. With Michael Gough's Alfred, as always, they share this warm and rather loving bond that I've always thought a welcome respite from the otherwise moribund nature of the film; with Selina Kyle he's actually rather charismatic, and enjoyably deadpan as Batman, the two characters frissoning with sexual tension. With the Penguin I would say he's slightly overwhelmed by DeVito's bombasticness, but he still is good in showing the inherent sympathy for the villain yet also that determination to achieve the greatest good. And with Max Schreck he's just a likably straightforward crusader for justice. All in all while I don't love this performance, I still quite like it even though he is slightly overshadowed by the film and his co-stars.
Val Kilmer follows much in the same vein of his film: uninspired. He's pretty bland and boy can you tell he's doing this one for the paycheck. I like Kilmer enough when he's on form in say, 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang', or 'Tombstone', but here he doesn't show much of the talent he displays in those films. His Bruce Wayne is fairly charismatic, and I guess he handles himself in his fight scenes well enough. I just never feel like he goes that extra mile, or even few metres, for some sort of interesting take on the man and the legend. I can't even really accuse him of being boring because he's not really, but it's just that all he does is be fairly charming and fairly adept at kicking ass, and that's that. So good, but not much to write home about.
George Clooney as Bruce Wayne/Batman actually seems to be trying his best to make his way out of the shitfest he's in. I have to give him quite a bit of credit actually for making his scenes with Alfred (Gough again) genuinely heartfelt, but I also have to take some marks away from his failure to make any sort of positive impression in his scenes as Batman. I actually didn't mind his Bruce Wayne at all even though it kinda is Clooney just doing Clooney, I'm no fan of him but hey he's doing it well enough. But as Batman he really is severely lacking any sort of intimidation factor nor conviction. So on one hand I appreciate that he tries to make something out of nothing of the dramatic beats in the film (however few there are), on the other hand he just doesn't really get in on the 'fun' of all the badness around him (which isn't necessarily a bad thing in itself) and can't really find his way into Batman (bad).
'The Dark Knight Rises' is a film that is both incredibly flawed and incredibly well, incredible. A re-watch only solidifed some of the major reservations I have with it, namely: a certain character's death scene, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's pretty uninspired character and performance, that final twist with Marion Cotillard, the bomb...and yet its moments of brilliance are really, really some of my favourite Batman moments ever. Some of the choices Nolan makes aren't necessarily the best ones, but when he strikes gold he really strikes gold with some of the just plain epic moments in the series. I'll be mentioning some of them in a bit, but first off though Bane and Tom Hardy's character creation of him is tremendous. I shall probably be reviewing him some point in the future but there's a reason Hardy is in my opinion the best actor working today; he can make so much out of so very little.
Bale's not far off though (but he really needs to start picking some good films to star in, his recent track record hasn't been very good). I've always found Bale to be an incredibly invested, compelling onscreen presence no matter the role or film. From his masterful, incredibly complex portrayal of genius in 'The Prestige' to his incredibly assured child performance in 'Empire of the Sun' to his terrifyingly viscreal work in 'The Machinist' he's always a wonder to behold onscreen. 'The Dark Knight Rises' is no different as from the outset we are presented with a distinctly different Batman than we're used to seeing; downtrodden, out-of-shape, tired of life and limping. Bale is brilliant in these opening moments in showing how years of inactivity, and the machinations of the Joker, have taken their toll on Bruce Wayne. His very physical creation of Wayne's diminishing physicality works in perfect harmony with the listless manner he carries himself with.
Of course when the baddies come into the play, it's time for Bruce to take up the mantle once more, and Bale is very good in slowly building up to that point. It's not to sudden nor is it out of character, Bale shows it as just being something very natural to him to want to put things right. He merges this very well with a rather moving series of interactions with Alfred (Michael Caine, giving his best performance in the whole series). Both actors are tremendously good as always in showing that father and son bond between the two with hints of frustrations on noth sides; it's the little touches to Bale's performance, like the
Obviously we have badass Batman getting back into action which is all good and swell, but for me the highlights of this point in the film is his chemistry with Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle. Together they're pretty darn entertaining and have wonderful chemistry, making their eventual partnership one of the most winning aspects of the film. Bale is very good in bringing just the right amount of sparring deadpan to his interactions with Hathaway, separating it well from his more understated approach to Levitt and Oldman, and his more straightforward heroic attitude towards Bane.
Bane's breaking of Batman is a great scene for Hardy, but what it sets up makes for the meat of Bale's performance, for me the highlight of the film, and the greatest heights the trilogy reaches. Bale is simply outstanding in the sheer intensity and pain he shows Bruce Wayne to be in, with not a hint of the Batman persona within him; completely broken, Bale conveys the inner turmoil of the man so effectively, that his eventual turnaround becomes all the more resonant. Technically speaking it's pretty improbable how anyone could possibly get back into shape in short span of time after such a heavy beating, but with Bale's excellent portrayal you don't really care. The best scene in the whole series, in my opinion, lies on Bale's shoulders as he escapes the prison; obviously the music, the way the whole scene plays out is incredibly rousing, but Bale's performance is what makes it all work with that understated yet uplifting strength he gives the role. It's this journey he shows in Bruce Wayne within such a short span of time that makes the somewhat messily structured ending of the film pack the emotional wallop it does; as incredulous as you are of Bruce Wayne's survival, you want it to be a reality due to the incredible power of Bale's portrayal.
1. Bale in The Dark Knight Rises (4.5/5, verging on a 5)
2. Bale in Batman Begins (4/5)
3. Keaton in Batman Returns (3.5/5)
4. Bale in The Dark Knight (3.5/5)
5. Keaton in Batman (3/5)
6. Kilmer in Batman Forever (2.5/5)
7. Clooney in Batman & Robin (2.5/5) (he would probably a low 2 if not for his scenes with Gough)
Also, my ranking of all the villains:
1. Heath Ledger (The Joker) in The Dark Knight (5/5)
2. Tom Hardy (Bane) in The Dark Knight Rises (4.5/5)
3. Michelle Pfeiffer (Catwoman) in Batman Returns (4.5/5)
4. Cillian Murphy (Scarecrow) in Batman Begins (4/5)
5. Anne Hathaway (Catwoman) in The Dark Knight Rises (4/5)
6. Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent/Two-Face) in The Dark Knight (4/5)
7. Danny Devito (The Penguin) in Batman Returns (3.5/5)
8. Jack Nicholson (The Joker) in Batman (3/5)
9. Liam Neeson (Ra'as Al Gul) in Batman Begins (3/5)
10. Jim Carrey (Riddler) in Batman Forever (2.5/5)
11. Arnold Schwarzenegger (Mr Freeze) in Batman & Robin (2/5)
12. Uma Thurman (Poison Ivy) in Batman & Robin (1/5)
13. Tommy Lee Jones (Two-Face) in Batman Forever (1/5)
Batman Wikia
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1. Bale - The Dark Knight Rises
ReplyDelete2. Bale - Batman Begins
3. West - Batman (1966)
4. Keaton - Batman Returns
5. Bale - The Dark Knight
6. Keaton - Batman (1989)
7. Kilmer - Batman Forever
8. Clooney - Batman & Robin
Take your time, boy.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy Burton's Batmans (mostly Batman Returns), but I LOVE Nolan's Trilogy, And I agree the best Batman/Bruce performance we find in The Dark Knight Rises.
I pretty much agree with your assessment on all of them even if our ratings might differ a bit. Bale's best work is in Rises, and I feel the flaws of the film make people overlook that. I would agree that it is the best serious live action portrayal of the character, although I have to say I always wished Keaton got to play Batman in a film that actually seemed to care about the titular character. West is a hoot, purposefully, although I can see this as a dramatic Batman ranking.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see there is a general consensus here.
ReplyDelete