| Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 09-01-2006 14:39 |
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Gothamite
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I've noticed for some time now, that ever since the DVD has been released, a new breed of Begins-negativity such as 'Christian Bale sucks', 'Michael Keaton will always be Batman' and 'the Tumbler isn't the Batmobile!' and of course, the absolute sin 'I wish this movie was more like Batman & Robin' (I swear someone wrote that on IMDb).
So, I sat down and watched Begins last night and it was just as good, nay! It was better, than before! And here's (part of the reason) why:
Christian Bale !!!
When Michael Keaton said 'I'm Batman' in 1989, everyone thought it was cool. I didn't as a kid. I always just thought it was a very trivial line that Batman only says so that he can introduce himself. As I got older, I came to appreciate it more, because not only was Batman introducing himself, he was stating the fact that he was Batman, and this movie was Batman and that what you had seen on TV was a despicable disgrace of the character (the show's good. Great, even. But it's still not Batman.).
Michael Keaton delivered the line well and so kudos to him. But even still, I couldn't really feel that he was Batman. He was always just Michael Keaton in a Batman suit. This was partly because he was underwritten as Batman. People always say that Keaton had a great Batman voice, but I disagree. I think that he only had a great Batman voice, with very small lines, like:
"I'm Batman!"
"We'll see"
"He's psychotic"
But then, when he's saying lines like 'Have you ever danced with the devil on the pale moonlight?' he just sounds like Michael Keaton. All emotion and passion is gone from his voice. The fact that his suit looks like it's trying to eat him isn't very encouraging either. This is why Keaton is not the ultimate Batman. I don't get that comics feel.
In Batman Begins, Falcone is ripped out of his seat by Batman (Christian Bale) and asks, 'What the hell are you?' and Batman replies,
"I'm BATMAN!"
When Bale said this line, shivers went down my spine. My brother (who is nine) was talking to me afterward and noted how cool this line was, so obviously it's now a line that impresses kids.
This guy IS Batman. For every second of the movie, I believed this. This was never the case with any other actor (other than Adam West, who doesn't count). Even when he laughed or made a joke, Bale still seemed like Batman. Bale's physical status was perfect for this movie as well as he was the only actor that had the good sense to go out and get pumped.
BALEMAN FOREVER!
In the shadows I saw my destiny...
I would seek justice...
I would have my revenge...
Edited by Gothamite on 09-01-2006 14:40 |
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 09-01-2006 15:00 |
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Phil
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woah, u take this stuff too seriously. dang. lol.
but yeah, i like bale.
http://batmanytb.com/pictures/thumbnails.php?album=4 |
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 09-01-2006 15:28 |
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crisis
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bales good. better than micheal keaton
What? |
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 09-01-2006 16:10 |
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spencer1984
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Never pay serious attention to anything posted on the IMDB boards, they're breeding grounds for trolls.
Keaton had some great moments, but I agree: Bale did better overall. |
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 09-01-2006 16:22 |
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Batcroz
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I will agree that Christian Bale was/is the best Bruce Wayne/Batman.
And I offer the following critique of those who came before him...
Adam West - I know the serials came first, but for 2 generations, he WAS Batman. he wouldn't work today but for the time, West embodied the character.
Michael Keaton - Great Batman. He was moody, angst ridden, and changed the public's mind as to what Batman was. But...not the best Bruce Wayne. I never sensed any previous training or playboy persona.
Val Kilmer - My least favorite actually. He was very stiff and was mediocre at both characters.
George Clooney - An awful Batman but he nailed Bruce Wayne. He put on a pretty face in public and found darkness when at Wayne Manor.
Christian Bale - The best all-around portrayal of both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Bale did his homework and it showed. He found the balance that previous actors failed to find. The balance between light and dark and Bruce Wayne and Batman. |
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 09-01-2006 16:41 |
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crisis
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hey! what about kevin conroy!!!
What? |
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 09-01-2006 16:43 |
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batboy99
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kevin is the best voice but bale and keaton are the better batmen i cant decide which is better
Batman YTB is the best site on the net!
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 09-01-2006 17:27 |
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Gothamite
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batboy99 wrote:
kevin is the best voice but bale and keaton are the better batmen i cant decide which is better
I'll make it easy for you...Bale's better!
Phil wrote:
woah, u take this stuff too seriously. dang. lol.
Really? I really just set up this thread because I had nothing else to do. You should see me when I am serious! I'm one crazy ass mother
In the shadows I saw my destiny...
I would seek justice...
I would have my revenge... |
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 09-01-2006 19:01 |
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XforeverXknightX
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Bale is Batman period
"I went around the world, searched in all the shadows. And there is something out there in the darkness, something terrifying, something that will not stop until it gets revenge... Me"
Check out my fan fics!!!
http://batmanytb.com/forum/viewthread.php?forum_id=35&thread_id=219
http://batmanytb.com/forum/viewthread.php?forum_id=35&thread_id=220
http://www.batmanytb.com/forum/viewthread.php?forum_id=35&thread_id=864 |
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 09-01-2006 19:03 |
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batboy99
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Gothamite wrote:
batboy99 wrote:
kevin is the best voice but bale and keaton are the better batmen i cant decide which is better
I'll make it easy for you...Bale's better!
Phil wrote:
woah, u take this stuff too seriously. dang. lol.
Really? I really just set up this thread because I had nothing else to do. You should see me when I am serious! I'm one crazy ass mother well....................ok ya bales better but 1989 batman will always be the best movie cuz its the first
Batman YTB is the best site on the net!
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 09-01-2006 19:21 |
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Batcroz
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Well, technically it wasn't the first. But it was the first of the modern era which doesn't necessarily mean it's the best.
Every Bat-film, and I mean every Bat-film, has been a new take on the Dark Knight. And they've all had interesting and redeeming qualities....except "Batman & Robin.":lol:
As for Kevin Conroy, yes he was a tremendous voice for Batman but I'm referring to actual actors who wore the cape & cowl. |
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 09-01-2006 22:25 |
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shadowbat69
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in a sense you cant reallt compare any of the actors with their portrayal of Batman. I t was ll related to how the character was written in each of the movies, and Batman, as well as Bruce Wayne, was written differently in each of the movies. So basically what people are saying who make the comment " Bale was the best Batman" is saying Goyer wrote the best Batman character. My thought on this is that Goyer simply took the most widely accepted version of the comic book character and translated that into his film script. The others took different parts of the whole to use in theirs.
I still think Keaton owns them all. |
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 10-01-2006 10:25 |
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spencer1984
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I think there is more to what makes a good Batman than the writing. They could've stuck Steven Segal in the Batsuit: he can fight, but I don't really see him as the tortured individual who made a vow on his parents' grave. Give him lines from any Batman movie and they'd seem out of place.
Keaton had the perfect "tortured" look, especially in the first movie in scenes where he was reflecting. Kilmer didn't really have that aspect, and Clooney may have been able to pull it off but we'd never know. Bale could look haunted when he needed to, plus he had an intensity that Keaton didn't (compare the scene where Keaton is trying to provoke the Joker at Vicki's place vs. Bale's interrogation of Flass).
Bale was also able to get into the role physically, which is no small part of who Batman is. |
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 10-01-2006 10:50 |
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Batcroz
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I agree w/ spencer. The writer alone can't make a successful flick. There have been flaws in all of the films but the Director's vision combined with the actor's commitment to the role (for me) make the difference. What would the original Batman have been w/o Burton's influence? A film is a combined effort of many people. Some crews have gotten the character, others have not. |
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 10-01-2006 11:13 |
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Darknight
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Spencer and Batcroz really nailed it. For the movie to be really good requires a lot of people putting forth a good product. I read the novelization to Batman and Robin before I saw the movie. It is actually a really good story. The dynamic duo nearly breaking apart. A very tragic villain, who just wants his wife to survive. Imagine how much better B&R would have been if done with the same seriousness that Begins had.
It is funny how the two films that are least liked with the least favorite Batmen probably have the best story. Batman Forever was about duality. Everyone has this dark side that they keep hidden. The story explores how the characters find that dark side or supress it. Batman and Robin is about family. Batman has to realize that Robin is more than just a partner; he is a brother.
Unfortunately between the early story and the final product things really got messed up. If you haven't read the novels, but do what you can to put everything you saw in the movie out of your mind. Then you might see a story that would be good if it was taken seriously.
Sorry to shanghai the thread. I do think that as an overall Batman experience Begins really is the best. Bale has probably done best to show the Batman form the comics than any of the others.
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 10-01-2006 11:35 |
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Gothamite
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I think the Batman Forever novelisation is a must read for all fans. I still think that in terms of the original films, it is second best to Batman 1989. Still, Batman Begins is the best Batman film ever and
as Forever Knight put so perfectly
Bale IS Batman
In the shadows I saw my destiny...
I would seek justice...
I would have my revenge...
Edited by Gothamite on 10-01-2006 14:20 |
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 10-01-2006 15:38 |
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batboy99
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Batcroz wrote:
Well, technically it wasn't the first. But it was the first of the modern era which doesn't necessarily mean it's the best.
Every Bat-film, and I mean every Bat-film, has been a new take on the Dark Knight. And they've all had interesting and redeeming qualities....except "Batman & Robin.":lol:
As for Kevin Conroy, yes he was a tremendous voice for Batman but I'm referring to actual actors who wore the cape & cowl. well in my life its the first 1 i seen so 2 me it is the best
Batman YTB is the best site on the net!
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 10-01-2006 15:41 |
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Batcroz
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Batman Forever and B&R were both great Batman stories....classic Batman stories that shouldn't have been sugarcoated with bright lights and nippled costumes. After Batman Returns, the films became a who's who of Hollywood with every major actor lobbying for a role as a villain. BF was also the dawn of the digital age in cinema.
All of this added up to a loss in character development. To quote a big dinosaur flick from the 90's, "They were so facsinated with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." And thus the failure of those films in capturing "Batman." It became less and less about the story and making a good film, and more about marketing and selling product.
Thankfully Nolan, Goyer, Bale, and all the others got the ship back on course. |
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 10-01-2006 17:28 |
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XforeverXknightX
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couldnt have said it better myself
"I went around the world, searched in all the shadows. And there is something out there in the darkness, something terrifying, something that will not stop until it gets revenge... Me"
Check out my fan fics!!!
http://batmanytb.com/forum/viewthread.php?forum_id=35&thread_id=219
http://batmanytb.com/forum/viewthread.php?forum_id=35&thread_id=220
http://www.batmanytb.com/forum/viewthread.php?forum_id=35&thread_id=864 |
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| RE: Why Bale is Best -
Posted on 10-01-2006 17:37 |
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Phil
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i like kevin conroy better than any one. well not really kevin, but the batman in the animated series and his voice.
he looks like what batman/bruce wayne is supposed to look like and he sounds the best as both batman and bruce wayne. but since hes animated...does it count? lol.
http://batmanytb.com/pictures/thumbnails.php?album=4 |
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