Best of' Batman

[Guest JC]

In the past couple of weeks I've managed to watch every Batman movie from 89' to TDK again just in my spare time.

 

I genuinely don't acknowledge Adam West etc as it was more about a fun TV show than a proper gripping story.

 

I think TDK thread showed there's a few folk around here who have opinions on the Batman franchise so it's worth getting a debate going.

 

I've come to realise when you compare them closely, you really get a whole different view on the movies (or at least I did.)

 

I think a lot of hype took peoples view of TDK a bit further than the movie really deserved and as much as I loved it at the time, when you break it all down, it probably owes most of its success to Heath Ledger (his performance, not death.)

 

Another thing that annoys me when Heath Ledger's Joker comes up in conversation is that either someone will say Jack Nicholson's was far much better or else it will be the complete opposite; both answers are bollocks to be honest. The characters are completely different and if anything Nicholson's character is closer to the real Joker, so that would technically make him 'the better Joker' if that was the argument. Ledger simply gave us something new and creepy and it worked..tremendously.

Nicholson's performance is excellent in Batman 89' and I've heard a few mentioning that 'Jack just plays himself in that.' Well maybe that's true but it certainly didn't make the character worth any less.

 

The next one, Batman Return is my favourite of the lot I'm going to admit.

I'm not completely sure why but sometimes a heart breaking love story can make a film pretty awesome and that's what happens with Batman & Catwoman. Like the first Burton movie, Gotham City is brilliant I think in its gothic style and really puts every scene into a sort of dark moment.

Also I'm going to go out and say now that Keaton is the best Batman regardless if Bale's is meant to be different portrayal. Also this movie has Chris *BABEY!* Walken acting a cool, yet evil mother****er; it can't lose.

 

Batman Forever isn't as bad people make out. It's actually some good points and the movie in general is pretty good fun all round.

A good point being Val Kilmer is a better Bruce Wayne. Unfortunately he's a very boring Batman and that's his main problem.

Jim Carrey is brilliant as the Riddler and I'll be damned if anyone thinks another actor will do better if the Riddler is cast in the next Nolan movie.

The story in general is pretty well done with Nygma being the weird stalker dude after Bruce Wayne etc..it works.

Unfortunately Tommy Lee Jones decides to portray the wrong character (Jack Nicholson's Joker) instead of Two-Face, Chris O'Donnell can suck my balls for even auditioning for the part of Robin and Nicole Kidman portrays the worst ****ing psychotherapist I have ever witnessed, "sounds like a real wacko." O does it Dr. Meridian? Nice technical term there!

O and Gotham City is changed from gothic to brightly lit with various lights etc..

 

Batman and Robin is awful and watching again did nothing to dispel this memory..

 

Batman Begins has a very good first half until he actually becomes Batman and then after that Bale has a couple of cool dude lines and then it's over.. really. Gotham City doesn't look right to me but it's not awful or anything. Liam Neeson is a good actor but I just don't buy him as the bad guy. Katie Holmes is a bad actress and does nothing really in the movie.

 

Watched TDK again just to be thorough (only been a few months since I last seen it anyway) and I'd rank it probably either 2nd or 3rd best.

Ledger to me is the best villan with Catwoman coming a close 2nd and his performance is genuinely perfect in this movie. I don't like Bales Batman at all, maybe it's too realistic or something but his voice just sounds like crap and generally he's not too far off being as boring as Kilmer.

 

So a couple of questions:

 

Firstly, which in your opinion is the best movie from Batman 89', Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin (yeah..I feel bad but it was still a blockbuster), Batman Begins or The Dark Knight?

 

Secondly, which is in your opinion the best Bruce Wayne between Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney and Bale?

 

Thirdly, which is in your opinion the best Batman between those above?

 

Fourthly, which is your favourite villan?

 

And lastly which Gotham City do you think works best between Burton, Schumacher and Nolan?

Edited October 30, 2008 by JC

[Guest Inno]

Firstly, which in your opinion is the best movie from Batman 89', Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin (yeah..I feel bad but it was still a blockbuster), Batman Begins or The Dark Knight?

 

Gotta say The Dark Knight JUST over Batman '89. Batman '89 was the kick up the bahookie that the franchise - and the comic industry - really needed, and Michael Keaton was just kick-ass as Batman/Bruce... but TDK has a better all-round cast, not just the main 3 characters, tells a better story and is - mock if you like - a tad more believable for me.

 

Secondly, which is in your opinion the best Bruce Wayne between Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney and Bale?

 

Bale. No question. He has Bruce down to a tee if you ask me.

 

Thirdly, which is in your opinion the best Batman between those above?

 

Keaton. I thought Keaton's take on Batman was absolutely brilliant, and sadly overlooked due to how OTT Nicholson was as the Joker... and Michelle Pfeiffer in skin tight leather...

 

Fourthly, which is your favourite villan?

 

I really liked Scarecrow from Batman Begins... and I'm gonna buck the trend that will no doubt follow and say he was my favourite villain. Ledger's is undoubtedly the best performance, but he was just a psycho with make-up... not the Joker that I would like to see on screen. Cillian Murphy made the Scarecrow his own and I'd really like to see more of him at some point.

 

And lastly which Gotham City do you think works best between Burton, Schumacher and Nolan?

 

Nolan's was the most impressive, especially in the latter part of Batman Begins, when it hit nightfall... but Burton's Gotham in Batman '89 does it for me every time.

[Guest Saz]

I'm sorry! But ignoring the classic that was the Adam West Batman film is a crime! Any film that has a man in a Batman costume hanging off a rope ladder underneath a helicopter with a giant rubber shark hanging off his leg is Oscar nomination in my book!

 

I've never seen any of the others use Bat-Shark repellant!

 

I mean the Joker turned people into coloured powder for God's sake! Heath ledger didn't do anything that wacky in his Joker stint!

[ShaolinHandLock 73]

 

So a couple of questions:

 

Firstly, which in your opinion is the best movie from Batman 89', Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin (yeah..I feel bad but it was still a blockbuster), Batman Begins or The Dark Knight?

 

Secondly, which is in your opinion the best Bruce Wayne between Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney and Bale?

 

Thirdly, which is in your opinion the best Batman between those above?

 

Fourthly, which is your favourite villan?

 

And lastly which Gotham City do you think works best between Burton, Schumacher and Nolan?

 

Firstly: Since I haven't seen The Dark Knight yet, I'd have to say Batman & Robin.

 

Secondly: I have no idea. :lol

 

Thirdly: I have no idea. :lol

 

Fourthly: My favorite Batman villian has to be.....I have no idea. :lol

 

Lastly: I have no idea :lol

 

So, in other words, even though I've seen every Batman film from Batman 1989 to Batman Begins, I have no idea how to answer these questions. :lol

[Guest Nemesis Enforcer]

Firstly, which in your opinion is the best movie from Batman 89', Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin (yeah..I feel bad but it was still a blockbuster), Batman Begins or The Dark Knight?

 

Batman Returns is the best of the 6 movies to me, I didn't like TDK as much as I expected to, Ledger was great but I just didnt think there was enough of him and esspecially not enough Two-Face (he shouldn't have killed Harvey off at the end either as Two-Face deserves a movie where he is the star much like Joker)

 

Secondly, which is in your opinion the best Bruce Wayne between Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney and Bale?

 

Keaton I just love his portrail of both Bruce Wayne and Batman, to me he has been the best yet, the less said about Clooney the better too!

 

Thirdly, which is in your opinion the best Batman between those above?

 

Keaton again for me, Bale just doesn't convince in the role at all, Clooney has nipples on the suit and Kilmer was pretty boring I thought, Keaton outshone them all with ease

 

Fourthly, which is your favourite villan?

 

Penguin I thought Danny DeVito was superb as The Penguin in Batman Returns and just pipped Joker (Nicholson) into second and Joker (Ledger) into third

 

And lastly which Gotham City do you think works best between Burton, Schumacher and Nolan?

 

This is the easiest question and the answer is Burton the Gotham City in Batman '89 and Batman Returns for me was by far the most convincing looking Gotham put on film

[Paul 584]

Another thing that annoys me when Heath Ledger's Joker comes up in conversation is that either someone will say Jack Nicholson's was far much better or else it will be the complete opposite; both answers are bollocks to be honest. The characters are completely different and if anything Nicholson's character is closer to the real Joker, so that would technically make him 'the better Joker' if that was the argument.

 

 

What? Do you actually ever read Batman? Heath Ledgers Joker was almost perfect for Joker post 1973 as well as the origional idea of the character!

[Guest JC]

What? Do you actually ever read Batman? Heath Ledgers Joker was almost perfect for Joker post 1973 as well as the origional idea of the character!

 

:lol Clearly not as much you have. I haven't studied the Batman comics I'll admit but from what I've seen (artwork, various comic strips or even cartoon media) Nicholson's was much closer to what I knew of the Joker.

 

I haven't seen Ledger's version anywhere to be honest.

[Guest Nicole]

Firstly, which in your opinion is the best movie from Batman 89', Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin (yeah..I feel bad but it was still a blockbuster), Batman Begins or The Dark Knight?

 

The Dark Knight.

 

I gotta admit a liking for the Val Kilmer film though, I don't think it's a bad film at all really.

 

Worst batman movie by far is the second. I HATE that penguin character with a passion

 

Secondly, which is in your opinion the best Bruce Wayne between Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney and Bale?

 

I think Bales portrayal of Bruce Wayne is excellent. He properly depicts the struggle between what Bruce Wayne feels he should be - the suave millionaire, with the woman on his arm etc and the Bruce Wayne you see when he speaks to Alfred or Rachel.

 

Thirdly, which is in your opinion the best Batman between those above?

 

Keaton

 

Fourthly, which is your favourite villan?

 

Ledger as the Joker or The Scarecrow. Psychologically frightening.

 

And lastly which Gotham City do you think works best between Burton, Schumacher and Nolan?

 

Burton probably.

[Paul 584]

The Killng Joke

 

A death In The Family

 

Try those ones mate, thats pretty much Ledgers Joker to a tee (from a psychological POV rather than image). If you can hunt them down you will love them. :)

[Guest JC]

No, no I was talking more about the look/make-up rather than the behavior of the character. I accept I'm wrong on that remark.

[Paul 584]

My apologies man, I mis-understood. Again. :lol

[Guest Chriscare]

Jim Carrey is brilliant as the Riddler and I'll be damned if anyone thinks another actor will do better if the Riddler is cast in the next Nolan movie.

 

Just like you said about the Joker, whoever plays the Riddler won't be better or worse, they'll play it different. Just as the 1989 Joker would work in Nolans world and vice versa, the same is to be said for the riddler. And you really can't say that one seems more like the "real" joker/riddler/whoever as there are so many incarnations of them throughout history, all of which are very different. There is no "real" one.

[Guest Al Stevens]

Firstly, which in your opinion is the best movie from Batman 89', Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin (yeah..I feel bad but it was still a blockbuster), Batman Begins or The Dark Knight? For me it was batman and Robin............ :lol sorry I couldn't help myself there. In all seriousness I actually really enjoy watching Batman Begins for me baring Katie Homes (who butchered the character of Rachel Dawes) the cast is faultless and it seemed to flow for me.

 

Secondly, which is in your opinion the best Bruce Wayne between Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney and Bale?

Bale hands down I think there is something about Bale which works as Wanye where you can see what he is thinking before he says it.

 

Thirdly, which is in your opinion the best Batman between those above?

For me it's tied between Keaton and Bale. For Keaton he was able to bring a lot of emotion out of the suit. However I do like Bale's physical side to being batman, he actually acts and looks like a proper mean ass kicking machine.

 

Fourthly, which is your favourite villan?

 

I am going to say Tommy Lee Jones's version of Two Face. I actually like that performance over TDK version

 

And lastly which Gotham City do you think works best between Burton, Schumacher and Nolan?

 

It's tied between all three versions for set design It would have to be tied between Burton and Schmacher. However for physical world usage I think Nolan's feel's more real and grittier

[DC 536]

Another thing that annoys me when Heath Ledger's Joker comes up in conversation is that either someone will say Jack Nicholson's was far much better or else it will be the complete opposite; both answers are bollocks to be honest. The characters are completely different

 

Also I'm going to go out and say now that Keaton is the best Batman regardless if Bale's is meant to be different portrayal.

With the two statements above, aren't you contradicting the former with the latter? You say it annoys you when one Joker is compared to the other as, in your own words, they are different characters, yet you do the exact same thing in compring two different portrayals of Bruce Wayne.

 

How can it annoy you with one, but be acceptable with the other?

 

 

Which, in your opinion, is the best movie from Batman 89', Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, Batman Begins or The Dark Knight?: The Dark Knight just shades it from Batman Returns.

 

Who is, in your opinion, the best Bruce Wayne between Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney and Bale?: Val Kilmer was a really good Bruce Wayne.

 

Who is, in your opinion, the best Batman between those above?: Michael Keaton.

 

Who is your favourite villan?: Jim Carrey as The Riddler was a lose to perfect as you could hope for.

 

Which Gotham City do you think works best between Burton, Schumacher and Nolan? Nolan's from TDK.

[Guest JC]

With the two statements above, aren't you contradicting the former with the latter? You say it annoys you when one Joker is compared to the other as, in your own words, they are different characters, yet you do the exact same thing in compring two different portrayals of Bruce Wayne.

 

How can it annoy you with one, but be acceptable with the other?

 

 

 

Wasn't Bruce Wayne it was Batman. The reason is that people and myself to certain extent would say Bale's is completely different Batman but in my opinion Keaton was the best. So basically I was giving my opinion but at the same time saying 'but I understand that he might not be TECHNICALLY better than Bales version.'

 

The comment about the Joker character was mostly aimed at the amount of bitches/fanboys on the internet who won't accept Ledgers new version or alternatively think Ledgers version is so much better that Nicholson should just quit acting.

Edited November 1, 2008 by JC

[Guest Da Showstoppa]

best movie Batman (1989) Just the best all round one, the brilliant Joker of Nicholson, the dark and brooding tone - Keaton's excellent Batman and the more "realistic" type story. Plus it had the best Batmobile too.

 

Bruce Wayne Christian Bale - simply because the story told for his origins was much more involved and Bruce Wayne was a much more exciting character. Kilmer seemed like a whining bitch at times.

 

Batman Keaton, the original. Kilmer wasn't bad as Batman (he was tragic as Wayne) but Michael Keaton for me was the best.

 

villan The Riddler. Jim Carrey's performance was undoubtedly the highlight of Batman Forever - the origin of the character again was well done and I enjoy the Riddler over the two Jokers (who were both awesome - and it was a tough choice between the three)

 

Gotham City

 

Batman. Dark, gritty and gothic - exactly how Gotham should be.