While taking a glance back at all the actors to portray Batman on film, there are a couple actors in the early 40’s serials “Batman” and “Batman and Robin” (Lewis Wilson & Robert Lowery respectively) that I didn’t take into account simply based on the limited notoriety and production values at that time that could produce a believable costumed hero. For this specific ranking, I’m looking at live action performances from an actor portraying Batman from 1966’s “Batman: The Movie” all the way up to the soon-to-be-released “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”. For each actor I’ll look at 3 defining categories:
1) Bat-voice, 2) Physicality and 3) Bruce Wayne. Now, from worst to best, here is how I see it…
6. George Clooney- “Batman and Robin”
This first entry might come as little surprise to most die-hard Bat-fans, as even the actor himself has tried to apologize for his performance in the role, as going as far as to comment to Empire magazine that he “…so terribly destroyed the part”. Nonetheless, here is a Bat-breakdown of his defining (or not-so defining) Bat-characteristics.
Bat-voice: Was there even a voice? It was basically just Clooney speaking in a normal, monotone delivery. There was nothing intimidating about his dialogue, either in the way it was written or spoken. Really hardly anything to judge.
Physicality: Clooney, at the time popular in the television drama ER and coming out of the Robert Rodriguez-helmed “From Dusk Till Dawn”, was nothing more than a lean actor in a rubber suit. There were no extreme training montages or elaborate fight scenes that brought any believability to Clooney as a crime-fighter, unless of course you consider ice skating into goons a physically impressive feat for Batman, which it may be in hindsight now that I think about it.
Bruce Wayne: This is one part that Clooney actually could have shined in. His Bruce Wayne had potential, but again, his delivery and the often-ridiculous nature of the script came off like he wasn’t comfortable in the role. Under a better writer and director, he could have put in a solid performance as Mr. Wayne, but alas we’ll likely never know at this juncture.
Grade: Need a refund
5. Adam West- “Batman- The Movie”
The eldest statesman in this collection of Bat-actors, Adam West brought Batman to the big screen in 1966, essentially telling an extended version of the campy television show. Leaning away from any serious attributes in the comics, this Batman series was family-friendly and often a showcase for popular actors of the day to have their turn as the villain-of-the-week. The movie version is more or less the same thing, with a menagerie of villains from the show plotting against Batman and his Boy Wonder sidekick.
Bat-voice: Adam West’s speech patterns and cadence are often imitated now, and for good reason. Whether as Bruce Wayne or Batman, West had the same wink-in-his-eye approach to delivering his dialogue, as if he was in on the joke and not afraid to let you know it. Not necessarily a vocal performance to drive fear into the hearts of cowardly criminals, but that wasn’t really the point of this take to begin with.
Physicality: While not in terrible shape, West’s Batman was nowhere near the build you would envision for a comic book character come to life. The suit didn’t really do him any favors as well, as it was no more than spandex unitard with a satin cape.
Bruce Wayne: This version of Bruce Wayne was not prominently featured, but his few scenes are no more than filler and nothing notable about them to distinguish him apart from how he acts when in costume.
Grade: Corny comic capers
4. Val Kilmer- “Batman Forever”
Having starred in my favorite film of all time (“Tombstone”), I had extremely high hopes when I heard Val Kilmer was cast as Batman. What my then-14 year-old mind did not know however, was that Kilmer would be stepping into the role under the direction of a guy (Joel Schumacher) who just didn’t get what made the character work at all, and was far more interested in selling toys and showcasing over-the-top villains than he was producing a truly impressive version of the Bat.
Bat-voice: Kilmer handled this part of the performance well, doing a similar imitation of the actor who donned the cowl before him. His Bat-voice was effective in tone, but the script was the culprit in having him utter goofy one-liners like, “It’s the car right. Chicks love the car.” Ugh.
Physicality: The choreography surrounding the fight scenes is decent enough, and Kilmer was in adequate shape to wear the suit, but his Batman is hardly a physically imposing figure, even crashing through skylights.
Bruce Wayne: Out of the 3 actors listed thus far, Kilmer’s performance is the best in this area. His Bruce Wayne has a few notable scenes both in public where he’s more carefree and then alone with Alfred or Dr. Chase Meridian where he’s more solemn and true to the actual Bruce behind the mask.
Grade: Good, not great
3. Christian Bale- Nolan Bat-trilogy
What??? Number 3?!? Heresy. I know, I’ll probably get flak for this, but Bale is not my ideal Batman, and there’s a few reasons for that. Honestly, after seeing “American Psycho” and “Equilibrium”, I thought Bale would make a phenomenal Batman, and I was 100% on board with his casting. It turned out however, that the idea of him as Batman was better in theory than in execution, at least in my eyes. While he served the character well for Nolan’s vision, it wasn’t what I wanted to see. It wasn’t the comic I’d loved for years breathed to life onscreen. In this case my expectations exceeded reality.
Bat-voice: Probably the single biggest complaint I have about Bale in the role. I know, he was trying to make Batman animalistic, and at times it was fitting, but ultimately it seemed like he was trying too hard to be tough. Not a natural enough approach to projecting fear without it feeling forced.
Physicality: Bale nailed this aspect initially. He was able to get in great shape for the role in Batman Begins and the training scenes were able to believably explain the extent to which he was willing to go to fight crime. The fight choreography itself was muddled at best, but that’s more due to the way Nolan shot action sequences than how Bale commanded the role physically.
Bruce Wayne: Another highlight in this particular series was the multi-faceted take on Wayne that Bale brought. Whether it was interacting with Lucious Fox, Alfred, Ra’s al Ghul or as a socialite, Bale had a different nuance to each side of this character and added a great layer to the persona of Batman.
Grade: Superb, Bat-growl notwithstanding
2. Michael Keaton- “Batman”, “Batman Returns”
Call this my nostalgia-infused personal opinion (which it is), but Keaton has always been THE Batman in my book. I was 8 years old when I went to the theatre to watch “Batman”, and from the second I saw him dangle a thief over the side of a building and utter the now iconic, “I’m Batman” line, I was sold. This guy was the Dark Knight. No questions asked.
Bat-voice: The original. All others are imitations. Keaton figured out that vocally flipping the switch was the key to distinguishing Bruce and Batman. It wasn’t just a costume. It was a deep baritone. Almost a whisper, but commanding and fearsome at the same time. Even watching back the original film, the voice is spot-on.
Physicality: The one area where the internet would have likely attacked Warner Bros. and set fire to the water tower if they had been around back in the day of initial casting. Not a large actor in any way, shape or form, Keaton still managed to believably (with help of a defined rubber suit) pull off the role, and somehow his performance overshadowed his build, and he could be intimidating without being over 6 feet tall. An impressive feat for sure.
Bruce Wayne: His ability to channel light and dark characters was surely a key to securing the role. Keaton was expertly able to bring the duality of Bruce Wayne and Batman to the big screen in a way that no one had ever seen in 1989. His Bruce could be flirty and flippant in a party atmosphere and then introspective and brooding the next when alone to his thoughts. Well played sir.
Grade: Childhood hero
1. Ben Affleck- “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
Having originally thought that Affleck would be a solid choice for the Caped Crusader after recent performances in films like “The Town” and “Argo”, I still remained curious to actually see how he handled the role. Now, a couple days removed from seeing the film, I can say with the utmost confidence that he is the definitive Batman on screen. Here’s why:
Bat-voice: While aided by technology built into the cowl, the voice comes off nether as forced or mechanical. It has a haunting tone to it, and allows Batman’s speech to come off as more horror icon than hero. It works for this take of the character, and makes him all the more believable as a one-man army.
Physicality: No one has dared come close to what Affleck does in the role when it comes to presence or action. He’s a mountain of a man, and has gotten in the best Bat-shape possible to breathe life into this character. Not only do you buy that he can take on a room full of armed henchman, but even going up against a super-powered god isn’t off the table once you see how he commands the role.
Bruce Wayne: This Bruce Wayne is definitely hurt, not only by the loss of his parents as a child, but by years of being Gotham’s protector having taken a toll on him. His brooding Batcave persona and publically-intoxicated billionaire playboy all come off as effortless, and there’s still room to grow another facet of that character once the Justice League rolls around and we see him interact with a stable of heroes.
Grade: King of the Cowl
Well, there it is. I’m sure your opinion is different. If so, I’d love to know. If you agree with me, I’m sure the internet will implode from that much positivity, but I’d love to hear about it anyways.