There have been many actors who have dipped into the subconscious mind of Bruce Wayne and taken on the hero like status of the dark knight. Bob Kane’s Batman is one of the most famous superhero’s of all time, and the transitions to film have been both successful and a complete disaster.
But which ones have taken on the role of the caped crusader the best, Alfred the contenders please….
Michael Keaton
Films: Batman, Batman Returns
Keaton was the first (if you don’t count Adam West) to done the mask of Gotham’s knight in Tim Burtons 1989 classic Batman. The film was a triumph, it was dark, gothic and followed pretty true to the comics. Keaton was brilliant as Batman he played the part (theoretically two characters) exceptionally well, Bruce Wayne and of course Batman himself.
Burton cast him because he thought that Keaton was the only actor who could believably portray someone who has the kind of darkly obsessive personality that the character demands, the fans disagreed and Warner Bros. was bombarded with complaints. However the film was the highest grossing of that year and Keaton’s performance received high acclaim. Keaton then moved onto Batman returns and an equally good sequel again keeping with the dark connotations of the character.
However, he did not return for the third film, Batman Forever, although he did turn up for the fitting of the famous batsuit. Burton had been dropped by Warner Bros., and Keaton was seemingly dissatisfied with the screenplay approved by the new director, Joel Schumacher which he considered to be lighter in tone than the past two Batman movies.
Val Kilmer
Films: Batman Forever
The Batman franchise suddenly took a turn for the worse, well in my eyes at least. Batman Forever did not do Tim Burton’s previous two films any justice at all and it certainly didn’t keep with the dark theme. Kilmer only got the role after Schumacher saw him in Tombstone and thought he could portray Bruce Wayne well.
Sorry Joel but you got that wrong, Kilmer was way off on the dark side of Wayne (he hadn’t even read the script) and thankfully he didn’t return for a fourth installment.
Despite the film doing pretty well at the box office (mainly I think due to the performance of Jim Carrey as the Riddler) the film was relatively a big disappointment.
George Clooney
Films: Batman and Robin
Just when fans of the franchise thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did! With Val Kilmer opting for the role as The Saint it was Clooney who squeezed into the suit next for what can only be described as one of the worst films ever made!
Clooney was awful as Batman and had all the charm and charisma of a man lost in a role that was arguable too big for him. Yet again Joel Schumacher took the helm and injected it with far too much, too many villains and a weak plot.
It also lost all the dark and gothic images and undertones that Batman is all about. I dread to think what Bob Kane must have thought.
Christian Bale
Films: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight
Thank god for Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan!, both men pulled a dead franchise from out of the batcave and injected new life into it.
This was what Batman was all about and it needed a not just a visionary director but an actor that could fill the boots. Bale was superb as Batman and was well on a par with Keaton’s dark and disturbing portrayal of a lost and confused billionaire playboy.
Bale had some reservations about donning the famous batsuit and said that he felt more ridiculous than intimidating in it. To cope with this he portrayed Batman as a savage beast. Bale also read a number of comics to get more of a clear understanding of the character and the results certainly came across in his performances.
And the winner is....
Kilmer and Clooney are nowhere in sight here, it’s a close run contest between Bale and Keaton and for me Keaton nicks it. He displayed everything that Batman and Bruce Wayne were.
He switched between characters well and understood all there was to know about the psyche of both individuals. He looked good in the batsuit, and it was a shame that he didn’t quite make it back for the third film.
Please feel free to comment on this article, I would love to know what you think and I will do my best to respond!
A disappointing effort from director George Clooney, obviously needing to take note of how a romantic comedy should be made, as it certainly shouldn’t have been this way.
