Arguably the most important Batman actor in history. Batman comics were selling poorly and near cancellation before the Batman ‘66 show was made and rocketed Batman back to popularity.
That show is amazing in all it’s campy glory and was both a product of and way ahead of its time. Its success laid in its superb joke telling. The jokes worked for kids who took it serious and for the adults who couldn’t stop laughing. This show is a solid 10/10 for me and West was a true goddamn superhero.
If the show failed, Batman would’ve been axed. The show is campy but it’s clever camp and Adam sold it so well as a friendly, altruistic, serious Batman- if I’m honest, I think he’s the only one that could’ve succeeded at this particular take on Batman at the time.
The first Batman of any kind I ever saw, and it sure made an impression. The scene where he rescues Vicki Vale from the museum by crashing through the glass has always stuck with me. The most Batman-like moment on film for me.
Very stoic and measured. A nice contrast to the rage you see in other actors. The way he calmly holds that criminal off the building and tells him he’s Batman is perfect. Also, his voice was spot on for a live-action adaption.
Keaton understood the duality of Batman better than anyone else in my opinion. I love how his Bruce Wayne is a guy who tries to navigate in the real world but can’t quite get there. In the “pen is truly mightier than the sword” scene in Batman 89, I love how Bruce just kind of short circuits and falls into Batman mode while bullets fly around him and even graze his arm. He just walks toward Joker seemingly in a trance like he doesn’t know how to behave when he’s not in the suit. Keaton fits Burton’s world like a glove. He has an effortless sense of presence no other actor in the role has been able to capture.
I enjoyed Val in the role and I think he’s pretty underrated. Even though he had some cheesy one-liners as Batman, he still looked great in the suit and I think his Bruce Wayne was very interesting. I like that he was very confidently heroic as Batman, but still doubted himself and struggled with his guilt when he was Bruce. I wonder what it would’ve been like if Val had gotten the chance to play the role again or if Schumacher was able to make the darker Year One Batman film he wanted originally.
He was easily the best of the 90s films. He pulled off the perfect Bruce Wayne as having some charm while still being kind of socially awkward and private. The exploration of his PTSD and dual identity is some of the best live action Batman stuff and he did very well with it.
As much as I like Val, however, it feels like much of his best work in the role ended up on the cutting room floor if some of the deleted scenes are anything to go by. Perhaps the Schumacher Cut will rectify that injustice should said version of the movie ever see the light of day.
George is very 60’s Batman in a lot of ways, but it came on the heels of two previous dark Batman films and one semi-dark Batman film which took a lot of critics, fans and film-goers in general off-guard at the time.
George was a great Bruce, because he basically really is Bruce Wayne, he fits the image of a billionaire playboy and babe magnet like no one else on this list.
He didn’t try to differentiate Bruce Wayne and Batman. He just used the same voice. He’s doing Adam West, who did the same thing.
He is a good Bruce, a really damn good Bruce, His performance and demeanor is on point. What truly sucks about his Batman is the voice. It just damn near kills everything good about his portrayal with how bad and awkward it is.
He’s a much better Bruce Wayne than Batman. And his faults as Batman are the fault of the director.
Christian buying the hotel then getting into the fountain with the models and taking the ballet dancers on the boat was baller, then breaking down when Alfred leaves showed both sides pretty well.
Probably the most physically imposing Batman to exist. Imagine running in the alleyway at night being chased by a man built like a tank in a bat costume.
Ben’s Batman has everything that a Batman fan wants. The charisma, the physicality, the voice (especially the voice, my god), the fighting, pretty much everything.
He’s the perfect broken Batman and Bruce Wayne, if that makes sense, he’s phenomenal as a broken no qualms Batman and a traumatized Bruce trying to be better.
I think he did a great job. Portraying as young Batman, he nailed it. Dark theme, angry and not very stable yet learning to take control of himself.
He played a great investigative, sleuth, type Batman. His fighting style was more grounded and real. Being the vengeful, brooding vigilante solely bent on revenge doesn’t work. He needs to become a hero. He realizes by the end of the movie that he had approached things the wrong way and I think that includes Bruce Wayne. Bruce needs to be seen more in public and be active in Gotham (charity, etc).
His Bruce Wayne was this reclusive and vulnerable person, with so much weight on his shoulders — even more so than other versions. Great job overall.
Fun Facts and Reviews by Joseph Michael Parker 