Poll: Who Is Your All-Time Favorite Big Screen Batman?

[zexion_armando]

Keaton and Kilmer are neck and neck for me.

Mask of the Phantasm has some of the worst acting of any theatrical bat-movie, and that includes B&R. Well-written Batman/Bruce, but some of those scenes are delivered just painfully.

This post is Sacrilege.

[Aioros22]

Keaton and then Kilmer, if we`re talking live action big screen.

[SiegePerilous02]

Of the live action actors, I'm going with Keaton. He had the most subtle performance while still being pretty menacing. I have a feeling Affleck might beat all of them though.

Mask of the Phantasm is still the best theatrical bat-film, IMO, but I think fans tend to give Conroy way too much credit. DCAU Bats is best Bats, but that has a lot to do with the character designs, animation, writing and directing as it does with Conroy's delivery.

[RobinFan4880]

Conroy IS Batman, in the same way that Mark Hamil IS the Joker. There's no getting around that, at least for me.

For live action, I would separate them into two groups - Serious and Campy.

On the serious side you have Bale and Keaton. Of the two, I have to give it to Keaton because he was better able to sell both halves of the character. Bale was simply Batman. His Wayne mask was all around lacking, especially compared to Keaton.

On the campy side we have West, Kilmer and Clooney. Of these, West has it down pat. He is the living embodyment of campy Batman. Clooney, who is ostensibly a good actor, really phoned it in. Kilmer was good in his role but that movie was far more centered on Jones, Carry and O'Donnell than the role of Batman.

[RobinFan4880]

I like Conroy. I can't vote for him against the live actors. He did a fraction of the work. Not fair to put Conroy nailing a voice over others doing a full performance.

One movie role vs. one voice acting gig definitely favors the former BUT Conroy has been Batman for more than 20 years, with his voice being utilized in 224 episodes, 12 movies and 12 games. He has done far more than any live action actor.

[LoneNecromancer]

At this point I feel Conroy gets too much credit. I don't even particularly care for his recent work in the Arkham games where he sounds so flat and expressionless ("Alfred. I've been poisoned." Ugh). I enjoyed Roger Craig Smith and Bruce Greenwood's work more when it comes to recent Batman voice acting.

So with that I decided to pick Bale.

[nepenthes]

It's all in the eyes.

[Ozymandas]

B:TAS was great but I can't vote for animated Bats against live-action Bats. Keaton got my vote, Kilmer would be my close 2nd. Bale's gravelly voice is just too humorous for me to take seriously, although the movies are great.

Bale & Conroy are currently tied (33.something %) with Keaton at a respectable 24.2% (#3). I wonder which way the animated votes would go if they were not in the poll?

[aveses]

Alfredo Caseros (Juan Carlos Batman) Juan+Carlos+Batman.jpg

[MrStatham]

Yessir. Me too.

And he's obviously the best because he had an oppressive suit to work through. lol

I actually thought the suit worked in his favour; I remember reading an interview where I think Burton said Keaton had kinda-sorta claustrophobia about being in the suit, meaning it made him super-uncomfortable, and that just seemed kind-of perfect in a film where Bruce actively acknowledges that Batman is an insane solution in an insane world. But the movement and the like just really worked for me - the slow stalk of the walk and just the really abrupt, sudden movement necessitated by the costume really works, and I think Keaton being an utterly unlikely choice works too. I like his Bruce, too - unlike Bale's take, who doesn't really seem to have any issues and adjusts to the highlife of being Gotham's golden boy as soon as he returns home, Keaton's Bruce doesn't seem to know how to be rich; He doesn't know how much champagne to bring up, he has Alfred following him around at his charity casino stopping minor disasters here and there, his discussion with Vicki about his feelings is perfect in terms of him not knowing how to deal with that sort of thing at all.

He's naturally overshadowed by the Joker, but then this has proven to be the case across ALL the films, really, and even the comics at this point, where Batman is often the least interesting thing - even in Nolan's films, the most memorable thing about Batman is the voice; Bane, the Joker, they're all more interesting than Batman himself. Burton at least allows Batman some moments of spectacle - the opening, the raid on Axis Chemicals (both times), the Batwing's debut - and even if you throw up the oft-argued 'Batman doesn't kill' point, it's a set of two movies that didn't really impact anything in the 'main' version of Batman presented in the comics.

[sunofdarkchild]

Conroy easily.

With just live action I can't decide between Bale and Kilmer. Those are the only performances that feel anything like post-60s Batman in the comics. West is pretty good too if you like camp. Keaton had a fine performance. He just wasn't playing Batman, so he gets disqualified. Clooney actually delivered his lines well, but he had terrible material to work with.

[Maxpower00044]

Was lucky enough to watch a restored reel of Batman 89 last night at a local theater for the 25th anniversary. While I don't love everything about the movie (mostly Batman dropping a dude from a bell tower and Keaton not having the jawline to play Batman), it was awesome seeing it in the theater. It brough back so many memories and nostalgia, and the movie is the reason an 8 year old me started loving Batman and his mythos. Also, Elfman's score is just amazing on huge speakers. Also, while I give the Joker award to Ledger, Nicholson really did a great job as Joker (I just hate how they tie him into the parents' murder).

There was a great reat Q&A panel with the legend Denny O'Neil who was editor at the time when the movies came out. His stories and insight to Batman and superheroes in general was just amazing. I could've listened to him for hour (and I'm sure if he was allowed to, he would've talked for hours).

Here's a pic of the old coot:

image.jpg


Highlight of the night is when he not only tells us about the racism in the first serial (40's), but he decides to recite a few of the lines. Awwwwkward. Haha

[Metamorphosis]

I went with Conroy. His voice and presence really personifies Batman for me in a way no actor has.

If I were to pick among the live action actors, it's certainly between Keaton and Bale. I think I actually liked Keaton better in the suit and Bale's Bruce Wayne.

Was lucky enough to watch a restored reel of Batman 89 last night at a local theater for the 25th anniversary. While I don't love everything about the movie (mostly Batman dropping a dude from a bell tower and Keaton not having the jawline to play Batman), it was awesome seeing it in the theater. It brough back so many memories and nostalgia, and the movie is the reason an 8 year old me started loving Batman and his mythos. Also, Elfman's score is just amazing on huge speakers. Also, while I give the Joker award to Ledger, Nicholson really did a great job as Joker (I just hate how they tie him into the parents' murder).

This all the way, certainly. The effect that the '89 film had on me in the theater as a kid made me a Batman fan for life. The whole thing was so operatic and over the top, in a way none of the movies have matched since, not even its own sequel that Burton did.

[Marvel_Is]

I actually thought the suit worked in his favour; I remember reading an interview where I think Burton said Keaton had kinda-sorta claustrophobia about being in the suit, meaning it made him super-uncomfortable, and that just seemed kind-of perfect in a film where Bruce actively acknowledges that Batman is an insane solution in an insane world. But the movement and the like just really worked for me - the slow stalk of the walk and just the really abrupt, sudden movement necessitated by the costume really works, and I think Keaton being an utterly unlikely choice works too. I like his Bruce, too - unlike Bale's take, who doesn't really seem to have any issues and adjusts to the highlife of being Gotham's golden boy as soon as he returns home, Keaton's Bruce doesn't seem to know how to be rich; He doesn't know how much champagne to bring up, he has Alfred following him around at his charity casino stopping minor disasters here and there, his discussion with Vicki about his feelings is perfect in terms of him not knowing how to deal with that sort of thing at all.

He's naturally overshadowed by the Joker, but then this has proven to be the case across ALL the films, really, and even the comics at this point, where Batman is often the least interesting thing - even in Nolan's films, the most memorable thing about Batman is the voice; Bane, the Joker, they're all more interesting than Batman himself. Burton at least allows Batman some moments of spectacle - the opening, the raid on Axis Chemicals (both times), the Batwing's debut - and even if you throw up the oft-argued 'Batman doesn't kill' point, it's a set of two movies that didn't really impact anything in the 'main' version of Batman presented in the comics.

Yep, that is what I was referring to.

[Alan2099]

I like his Bruce, too - unlike Bale's take, who doesn't really seem to have any issues and adjusts to the highlife of being Gotham's golden boy as soon as he returns home, Keaton's Bruce doesn't seem to know how to be rich; He doesn't know how much champagne to bring up, he has Alfred following him around at his charity casino stopping minor disasters here and there, his discussion with Vicki about his feelings is perfect in terms of him not knowing how to deal with that sort of thing at all.

There was a certain quirkiness to him that really helped sell the character to me. Almost sort of a self imposed loneliness where he's never quite completely comfortable and doesn't know how to behave. His Batman slips over into his Bruce and there's still traces of Bruce in his Batman.

Dressing up in a bat costume and going out at night to beat people up just feels like it would make sense to the character yet he wouldn't be able to explain why to anyone.

That's something I felt most of the other Batman were lacking. Especially Bale, who seemed like he was just grasping for anything and did whatever anyone suggested to him.