Best Live Action Batman (Remake...The second)

[AgentRedgrave]

So a few months I made a thread list about the best to worst Batman actors, the overall list hasn't really changed much, just new addition, unlike my last list, I'm making it in order from WORST to BEST. I'm making a new thread rather then commenting on the old one because well....it's old, and I'm pretty sure there's a policy against that.

So most of this is gonna be a recap, since I'm basically just adding Ben Affleck, to the list.
And anyone who comments, please keep it to the live-action actors. I love Kevin Conroy's voice and all, but imo, just speaking the lines (no matter how good it may be) just isn't the same, as actually physically playing the character.

Number 6:

George Clooney put no effort in his portrayal of the character.
And in my opinion, there was 0 difference in his Bruce Wayne and Batman

Number 5:

To his credit, I don't think Val Kilmer's that bad, but he's not good, he's just bland.

Number 4:

I've made it no secret that I prefer my Batman dark and brooding, hold the camp, but to Adam West's credit, he at-least puts effort in his performance, and can be entertaining if you're open to it.

Number 3:

Have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne, but his Batman is excellent, and definitely what I consider the standard.

Number 2:

Christian Bale made me a Batman fan again at a time when I was losing interest, in my opinion, he was the first actor to play a great Bruce Wayne AND a great Batman. Not to mention playing all three personas, the billionaire playboy, the vengeful vigilante, and the real man, who only Rachel, Alfred, and Lucius see

Number 1

If you told me a year ago, that Ben Affleck as Batman would be the best thing about Batman v Superman....I'd probably have asked, just how bad is this movie?
All jokes aside, I'll admit, I was one of the many naysayers going "WTF!? DID YOU SEE DAREDEVIL!?"
I even said to myself "Okay people said similar things for Keaton AND Bale and they're the two best Batmen ever"
Or that "People didn't Want Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, or Chris Evans as Captain America"(I was one of the few supportive of Chris, just fyi) even after I saw the first pic and trailer I was like "He looks cool...still".
But no, Ben surprised me so much, I'm actually thinking of making a video, reading an apology letter, upload it to youtube, and tweet it to him on twitter.
Ben's Batman's actually got a lot of things going for him that I liked about Christian's Batman.
But some factors why I like him better
Something that's kinda always bothered me, Christian's Batman, was only Batman for like a year, before he quit for 8 years, Ben's been Batman for about 20 years, and it makes sense why he's just so brutal.
Yeah, Ben's Batman kinda does kill a few people, but see, I'm not against Batman killing if it suits the story or the setting. Like Dark Knight Returns, Ben's playing an older and more war torn Batman then what we're use too, it makes sense.
Other factors, unlike the others, Ben actually looks like the comic book Batman. From the design of his costume, to his physical presence (Batman in the comics is 6'2 and 210 lbs of solid muscle, at about 6'3 and jacked, Ben's the biggest Batman yet)
And the fact he can actually go toe-to-toe with super powered beings.​

 

[DragonMaster2010]

Well since we're talking Live Action Batman favs, I'll put my list in too.

• 6=George Clooney--Like you said, George just didn't seem to really be into being Batman. The costume also made his interpretation even worse. And the way he acted as Bruce was just the same as Batman and no difference. And then there's the.......Bat Credit Card. To this day, he still regrets the Batman role and has actually gone on record to apologize for it. Though he shouldn't since it wasn't entirely his fault.
• 5=Val Kilmer--I did like his portrayal buuut it just wasn't my favorite. I didn't like how the suit was so fake looking. His Bruce Wayne was alright though. A shame what happened to him over the years. I hope he does okay.
• 4=Michael Keaton--He would be higher if not for the fact that I found his Bruce Wayne was a bit boring. He was my least favorite Bruce Wayne portrayal but his Batman was on point. Especially when you realize that Michael Keaton has claustrophobia and wearing that Batsuit was a nightmare for him. Not only did he bring out the fear in his enemies but in himself. Keaton's Batman felt dark because of that.
• 3=Adam West-- I know people like Batman dark and brooding, but to be honest, I liked this Batman for nostalgic sake. He was kooky, cheesy, and just campy, but this Batman series (or at least the first season) was very silver age-like. There was always more Batman then Bruce Wayne though. Of course I watched the series for many reasons.
  
  
  
  Oooh yeeeah~ W-What? Oh right, favorite Batmen, yeah.
• 2=Christian Bale--So after the Batman and Robin fiasco, Batman as a name hasn't been taken very seriously. But luckily Christopher Nolan appeared and decided to take Batman in to a more modern and real life setting. Luckily they got Christian Bale to play him and he really set the standard...in some way. His Bruce Wayne was more grounded and showed his character growth to get to Batman. As Batman, yes the voice can be a bit grading, but I think it was really good in the first movie, but sadly got really bad in the third. His Batman was scary though in the first movie. Like the way he took out those dudes like a shadow was creepy but cool as well.
• 1=Ben Affleck--When I first heard Ben Affleck was playing Batman, I was shocked to say the least, however I was also optimistic that he could very well do a good job as Batman. This optimism mostly came from how I was wrong about Heath Ledger. AS such, I now go into these movies with a bit more positivity. After the first official trailer, I was pretty much sold on him as Bats. But it was the final trailer that had me sold on him as Batman. And now that I've seen BvS, I am confident in my decision. Not only is his Batman brutal, dark, and also a frightening enemy to have, but as Bruce Wayne, he's a detective, his cunning, and can merge into the crowd as a playboy, an intellectual, and an all around cool guy. But you can also see his demons, his anger, and his fears.

 

[Foxtrot94]

Yeah Batfleck was extremely badass but Bale remains my favorite.

Batman has to be three things to me: a detective, a fighter, and the stealthiest human being in the world.

Affleck only really showed in a strong way being a fighter. What's the thing that impressed everyone about him? His physique du role, and the way he takes out baddies.

However, when I look at Bale's Batman, I see all three of those aspects.

We see how much of a detective he is.

In Batman Begins, he investigates the drug deal and finds out it was all a plan for the League of Shadow to destroy Gotham.

In The Dark Knight, he goes out of his way to find Joker through detective work.

In The Dark Knight Rises, he tackles investigation again to figure out Bane and Selina Kyle.

When he's not busy with his brain work, he lets his fists speak.

His style here is not as flashy and slightly over the top as Affleck's, being such a grounded universe, but goddamn it's cool nonetheless as it implies real life moves for the most part, which for me was a plus cause seeing the moves I've been practicing myself done by the Dark Knight himself was such a treat. I only wish the fight scenes were shot better, some of them were unclear as hell, especially in Begins's third act.

But not everything can be resolved through fighting and Batman is a human so he has to imply stealth to get the job done. And holy **** this is where Bale's Batman excels.

I had never seen a live action Batman do it so badassly, and I doubt I ever will. The way he blends in the shadows and just disappears is incredible. Remember in Batman Begins when he gets inside that house and Scarecrow and his thugs come? He goes into the bathroom and LITERALLY becomes one with the darkness. You can see him in the actual shot while he crouches and his outline almost completely disappears in the room's darkness.
Or what about the way he takes out those thugs in Begins appearing as a shadow and scaring the **** out of them?
That kind of stuff is what makes Batman threatening and imposing and the trilogy had plenty.

Not to mention the bat imagery, which in this trilogy is omnipresent. He even uses bats as a tool, for God's sake, remember that awesome bat swarm distraction he uses against the SWAT in Begins. Yeah.

So I'm sorry but Bale's Batman, despite his voice, remains the top notch live action one to me. I didn't go into Bruce Wayne cause otherwise I'd stay here writing all day long and I'm lazy. Maybe I'll do it later.

 

[AgentRedgrave]

Yeah Batfleck was extremely badass but Bale remains my favorite.

Batman has to be three things to me: a detective, a fighter, and the stealthiest human being in the world.

Affleck only really showed in a strong way being a fighter. What's the thing that impressed everyone about him? His physique du role, and the way he takes out baddies.

However, when I look at Bale's Batman, I see all three of those aspects.

We see how much of a detective he is.

In Batman Begins, he investigates the drug deal and finds out it was all a plan for the League of Shadow to destroy Gotham.

In The Dark Knight, he goes out of his way to find Joker through detective work.

In The Dark Knight Rises, he tackles investigation again to figure out Bane and Selina Kyle.

When he's not busy with his brain work, he lets his fists speak.

His style here is not as flashy and slightly over the top as Affleck's, being such a grounded universe, but goddamn it's cool nonetheless as it implies real life moves for the most part, which for me was a plus cause seeing the moves I've been practicing myself done by the Dark Knight himself was such a treat. I only wish the fight scenes were shot better, some of them were unclear as hell, especially in Begins's third act.

But not everything can be resolved through fighting and Batman is a human so he has to imply stealth to get the job done. And holy **** this is where Bale's Batman excels.

I had never seen a live action Batman do it so badassly, and I doubt I ever will. The way he blends in the shadows and just disappears is incredible. Remember in Batman Begins when he gets inside that house and Scarecrow and his thugs come? He goes into the bathroom and LITERALLY becomes one with the darkness. You can see him in the actual shot while he crouches and his outline almost completely disappears in the room's darkness.
Or what about the way he takes out those thugs in Begins appearing as a shadow and scaring the **** out of them?
That kind of stuff is what makes Batman threatening and imposing and the trilogy had plenty.

Not to mention the bat imagery, which in this trilogy is omnipresent. He even uses bats as a tool, for God's sake, remember that awesome bat swarm distraction he uses against the SWAT in Begins. Yeah.

So I'm sorry but Bale's Batman, despite his voice, remains the top notch live action one to me. I didn't go into Bruce Wayne cause otherwise I'd stay here writing all day long and I'm lazy. Maybe I'll do it later.

All fair points, and believe me, I don't love Christian's Batman any less. Another thing I love about Ben's Batman is, I can actually believe he could take on super beings, which admittedly isn't fair due to the grounded tone of Christian's Batman. Also, we did see Ben's Batman being stealth, like the scene near the beginning, when we first see him as Batman, or when he sneaked up on those guys to save Martha Kent, and we saw him investigate the "White Portuguese".

 

[LordOfDarkness]

I'll just give my list on the ones I'm more familiar with.

4: Adam West: This take is clearly cheesy, and definitely doesn't put the 'dark' in Dark Knight. However, if you're okay with old-fashioned camp and silliness, then this is a fun Batman for you. Not my cup of tea, though.

3: Michael Keaton: Don't get me wrong, I thought Keaton did a good job as Batman. A far better job than Clooney or Kilmer, but I do prefer Christian Bale over him. Although it was a good take on Batman for its time, the more modern and darker/grittier version of the character is one that I personally enjoy more.

2: Christian Bale: I think for me, Bale made me genuinely interested in Batman. Whereas before I just watched it because it was a hero with a suit and mask, Christian Bale made me feel like it was more than that. Batman was never a character that I was interested in, and Bale did a good job as both Bruce Wayne and Batman. I enjoyed the trilogy, and I enjoyed seeing him go through different perils. Christian Bale is a close second in terms of my favourite Batman, so who gets my number one spot?...

1: Ben Affleck: My goodness. What a great performance. I didn't know what to expect from the BvS movie. I was aware of all of the criticisms, but I wasn't expecting Batman to be my favourite thing about the movie. This is exactly the reason why I put Affleck at number one. His take on an experienced, dark, doesn't give a **** if he breaks a guy's head through a wall kind of Batman just blew me away. Okay, Christian Bale had the stealth down brilliantly, I'm not denying that. However, this is a Batman that I can believe going toe-to-toe with other super beings. Affleck's Batman has the muscle, he's bulky. He has the costume, it's cool. He has the whole friggin' fighting **** going on. This is "I don't care if I get my hands dirty" Batman. This is brawler Batman. The scene where he fights those guys to save Martha, was hands down one of my favourite fighting scenes. Batman made BvS a great film for me, and I give it 7/10. And for that alone, I can't wait to see Batfleck in a solo Batman movie.

 

[AgentRedgrave]

I think, another reason is, just how much Ben surprised me.

For most of the actors, I was a kid it was "Ohh Batman!" no matter who it was, and I formed an opinion years latter.

Christian? I was a bit older when he first played Batman, 13, and honestly I wasn't hyped for Batman Begins at all, I was literally like "Huh, they're making another Batman movie, that's cool I gu- Oh sweet Star Wars Episode 3!".

But Batman Begins, was the first comic book movie I ever saw, that I thought was more then just a fun comic book movie, it was all around a legitimately great movie, from the plot, to the themes, to how well shot, the acting (Honestly, and I say this as a film school graduate, the fact that neither Batman Begins and The Dark Knight weren't at-least nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, is proof of how biased they are against comic book movies).

A little off topic, but my point is, as much as I loved the movie and Christian, I didn't have any expectations for him at all.

Ben on the other hand? As I said I was one of the many naysayers, and even after all the trailers, and promotion, and the first pic of Ben in costume, even though I myself even said after the final trailer, my doubt was gone, there was that little tinge that told me I'd be disappointed.

But Ben truly did surprise me with how great he was.

 

[Foxtrot94]

Also, we did see Ben's Batman being stealth, like the scene near the beginning, when we first see him as Batman, or when he sneaked up on those guys to save Martha Kent, and we saw him investigate the "White Portuguese".

Yeah but those aspects weren't shown in an extensive way. He mostly came across as an amazing fighter.

 

[DragonMaster2010]

Speaking of fighting, I wonder what kind of fighting style could this Batman be considered?

In Adam West's version, he was just doing random punches and kicks that seemed soft due to it all being an early 60's show.

In Kilmer to Clooney, there was mostly moves of boxing and high kicks. (Then again, Keaton wasn't a very good fighter)

It wasn't until Christian's Batman that there was more focus on fighting style. His used the Keysi fighting style. A new fighting style that is pretty much a mix of other martial arts and is practical in that it uses elbows and such.

As for Ben's Batman, he seems to use grapple moves to break limbs, body slams, and harsh punches and kicks that you'd see from a trained marine on steroids. But since this is obviously more of an Arkham Batman, I rather like that he doesn't rely on a lot of wang chung or kenpo. But I do hope to see those kind of moves in the future,