Batman/Batman Begins: The comparision

[roach]

Since they restarted the series people have been argueing these two movies worst than Tom Welling vs Brandon Routh. So to start off this comparison thread please note that I am claiming to be the voice of fandom but I am stating my opinion.
So to start this off lets look at the Leading Men....
Michael Keaton
Looking at Michael Keaton one would never in a million years confuse him with Bruce Wayne. However leave it to Tim Burton to see something that many of us at the time didnt see. In my mind Bruce Wayne is a slightly crazy individual. As millionaire there had to be a million other things he could have done other than donning a Batsuit to fight crime. Burton saw that capacity for insanity in Keaton. As he said in the B89 SE they needed someone who could bring intensity and not necessarily the physical because the suit would do all of that. Keaton delivered intensity in spades. He played a BW who is not quite right. A BW who is more comfortable in the cave in his batsuit than at a charity benefit being held at his home. He is thrown a curve ball because he didnt expect to fall in love with Vicky Vale and doesnt know how to fit her into his world of crimefighting. He tries to tell her about his alter ego and can't. He is a man that constantly thinks about that night his parents died. Keaton is my favorite Batman and Bruce Wayne for these reasons.

Christian Bale
What can I say this guy looks like a millionaire playboy. Bale is physically everything that a comic fan would want in an actor playing their favorite superhero. However the thing that made me not really believe his BW was that he seemed very well adjusted. His parents death was not the absolute worst thing in his life and had the judge not let Joe Chill go we might not have had a Batman as it seems he was doing pretty well in Princeton.

So while I do like Bale as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Michael Keaton's performance was better to me.

 

[roach]

Villians
Joker
Batman went to the top of Batman's rogues gallery in adding the Joker to the movie. Joker is Batman's equal opposite. While Batman uses a terrifying guise to bring order to Gotham, Joker uses the guise of a clown to bring about chaos. Jack Nicholson in my estimation was perfect as Joker. Silly one moment and scary the next.

Ra's Al Ghul
In Begins it is Ra's that trains Bruce in Ninjitsu and gives him the idea to use theatrics. Ra's believes in true justice and wants to destroy Gotham to shock the world back into harmony. My biggest problem with Ra's motivation is that he claims to want to save Gotham. Was he not privy to the good Bruce was doing as Batman???? I mean he singlehandedly toppled the top crime boss and brought hope to the streets. Why couldnt he have given Bruce more time???? Yeah Im sure that he was pissed that Bruce burned his home down but still he supposedly serves true justice.

Got to give this one to Joker.

 

[roach]

Leading Ladies
Vicky Vale vs Rachel Dawes

I am gonna do these two ladies at the same time(In my dreams)
While Katie Holmes is an attractive young woman Kim Basinger is the hotness. 9 and a half weeks...nuff said.

 

[Rockbottom]

Batmobiles:
89:
This to me was the most perfect thing ive seen in any Batman movie. We've had a lot of great stuff but this was perfect to me. The design, the gadgets, the overall Badassness of it. I really cant see anything topping this Batmobile.

Tumbler:
This is something i couldn't really get behind in Begins, I mean... I liked it but it just wasn't like a Batmobile to me. However it did look a lot like it had some kind of fins on the back when we see the shot of it from the helicopter and it looks great. But for all its practical uses, it still didn't do much for me.

89 has to take this one.

 

[GoogleMe94]

^same here. Batmobile is the best in B89 IMO.

personally, i thought Begins stole and took ALOT from B89 with the only difference being the origin added in Begins. but the paralells between them are amazing. to me, Begins felt more like a remake of B89.

 

[The Joker]

personally, i thought Begins stole and took ALOT from B89

I would LOVE to hear what exactly you think it stole.

 

[BubbaGump]

I would LOVE to hear what exactly you think it stole.

"I'm Batman."

 

[Rockbottom]

Oh come on, that was homage not stealing.

 

[Superwoman Prime]

I have to agree there.

 

[Noir]

Wow. Burtonians I presume?

 

[El Payaso]

I would LOVE to hear what exactly you think it stole.

Black rubber bat-suit. Ahem.

 

[Axtech]

^same here. Batmobile is the best in B89 IMO.

personally, i thought Begins stole and took ALOT from B89 with the only difference being the origin added in Begins. but the paralells between them are amazing. to me, Begins felt more like a remake of B89.

I know what you mean. Did Nolan really think he could get away with making a movie about a guy who dresses up as a bat to defend a city against villains? Burton did that long before Nolan.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Oh come on, that was homage not stealing.

Nolan had to be argued into including it by Goyer, I believe.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

I would LOVE to hear what exactly you think it stole.

It didn't steal anything, as how can a movie series steal from itself?

It's like saying Superman Returns stole the theme tune from Superman the Movie.

 

[Rockbottom]

Exactly, Begins didnt steal anything from 89, maybe it used it as inspiration for some points but then again, the primary inspiration for both movies is the same... the comics.

Wow. Burtonians I presume?

Just because people think something is better in 89 than Begins doesn't make them a 'Burtonian', if they had said, "Everything in Begins sucks, its all stolen from Batman 89, no one could ever do better than Burton did, and i wont accept anything related to Batman that doesn't have the name 'Tim Burton' on it", then you might have a case.

 

[thejettman]

They both had their strengths. I remember ya'll going crazy when Keaton was chosen!

 

[Mr. Socko]

Bruce Wayne/Batman: Christian Bale>>>Keaton

Villains: Joker>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Ra's

Leading Lady: Vale>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Dawes

Batmobile: 89>>>05(close one)

Alfred: Caine>>>>Gough(close one)

Gotham: 89>>>>>>>>05

Mob Boss: Grissam=Falcone

Cool factor: 89>>>>>05

 

[roach]

I will post more when I get a chance as I will be comparing costumes, Gotham, Batmobiles and gadgets, Alfreds, Mob Bosses, Music and Batcaves

 

[Mr. Socko]

Oh yes, the suits. Not a big fan of either of them but I'll give Begins the vote for that. I didn't like the '89 suit much at all to be honest. But now the Batman Returns suit, that was a work of art, best suit of any official Batman films.

Suit: Begins

Gadgets: B'89. I just love the gadget that Batman locks together and shoots up into the air

Music: B'89(obviously)

 

[Superwoman Prime]

SUIT : Batman 1989 (no question about it)

 

[Superwoman Prime]

BATMOBILE: Batman 1989

I have never been a Tumbler fan, nor shall I ever be.

LEADING LADY: Vicki Vale

VILLAIN: Joker (but I am a HUGE Ra's Al Ghul fan. I liked BB's take on that villain)

GORDON: Oldman

ALFRED: Caine

 

[slave2catwoman]

One thing that makes Begins way better is that everything in Begins was explained. In the 1989 move, we have no idea where or how Bruce got all that stuff (Where does he get those wonderful toys?). In Begins, we see him discovering and fixing up the cave, we know how he gets the car, the costume, the weapons.

 

[Mr. Socko]

That's where I completely disagree.

I have no interest in seeing Bruce Wayne spray paint a suit and forging bat-stars. Batman '89 left us in a mystery, Joker asked "Where does he get those wonderful toys". It's up to you to decide that. As Guillermo Del Toro once said, the fantasy in films is diminishing. Today every film has to explain every little thing to you. Films are already visual, so something should be left to your imagination.

 

[Cyrusbales]

Batmobile - B89

Batman/wayne - B89

Music - B89

Leading lady - B89

Villain - B89

Alfred - B89

Gordon - B89(No by that much, I hated the overly comicall sense in Oldman)

Mob boss - B89

 

[The Joker]

It didn't steal anything, as how can a movie series steal from itself?

It's like saying Superman Returns stole the theme tune from Superman the Movie.

Exactly!