Ben Affleck's Batman vs. Christian Bale's

[The Batman]

Does it annoy anyone else when people try to bring up the Batman voice (which honestly isn't even that bad) as an example of why Bale is inferior to Keaton or Affleck? That's really superficial to me.

I'm only slightly annoyed by the idea that Batfleck's lazy, unoriginal voice modulator is supposedly better than what Bale did.

 

[FunkMiller]

I'm only slightly annoyed by the idea that Batfleck's lazy, unoriginal voice modulator is supposedly better than what Bale did.

The concept of Batman physically changing his voice with no electronic assistance to avoid identification is a brilliant one. Bale should have stuck to the way he did it in Begins though. I think he’s admitted as much.

 

[Babillygunn]

Keaton's Batman killed before Batfleck. And talk about those big guns on the Batplane.

Didn’t like it when Keaton did it either. Especially in Returns. Funny, I was in high school when 89 came out and I was really surprised when he blew up Axis Chemicals and dropped the guy off the belfry.

 

[Nemeres]

My favourite movie is The Dark Knight. I think BvS is a garbage fire. Even I know the BvS suit is better than the TDK suit.


...the Begins suit is better than either though.

I'm not a big fan of the big chunky neck on the Begins suit. Feels almost bucket-like. It's a bigger turn-off than the spongy muscles on the BVS suit.

 

[Boom]

The BB batsuit itself is pretty great, but the cowl isn't particularly great, and I wish they hadn't gone with a velvet cape.

 

[Brother Jack]

The concept of Batman physically changing his voice with no electronic assistance to avoid identification is a brilliant one. Bale should have stuck to the way he did it in Begins though. I think he’s admitted as much.

This has been discussed elsewhere, but there was some post-production audio meddling with the voice in Knight that wasn't in Begins (not sure about Rises). So it wasn't entirely Bale's fault in the instances where it went too far.

 

[The Batman]

The concept of Batman physically changing his voice with no electronic assistance to avoid identification is a brilliant one. Bale should have stuck to the way he did it in Begins though. I think he’s admitted as much.

This I agree with, but as Brother Jack said, the TDK/TDKR Batvoice was out of Bale's control.

 

[Awest66]

The concept of Batman physically changing his voice with no electronic assistance to avoid identification is a brilliant one. Bale should have stuck to the way he did it in Begins though. I think he’s admitted as much.

Pretty sure, Bale said doing the voice in Batman Begins actually caused him to lose his voice a few times while filming.

 

[Jekecy]

This I agree with, but as Brother Jack said, the TDK/TDKR Batvoice was out of Bale's control.

This seems like fan speculation turned trivia. I'm fairly certain it was around these very forums that talk first started, or at least when I first took notice of it around TDK.

Has there been any comment on it from the crew or production notes to lead credence to it?

I can point to several scenes in the sequels where all I hear is Bale struggling. I can think of maybe one or two instances where post may have modulated Bale's voice just a tad to hit the right timbre (such as the early TDK bank vault scene with Bale in the BB suit).

 

[Neil McCauley]

Bale by far

 

[Schlosser85]

Bale by far.

 

[KaijuDude1992]

I'd say Bale overall, because he spent way more time in the role and was actually developed as a character, but I've always preferred Batfleck's Batman, although its kind of superficial for me because of how much I loved his Bat suits with how comicbooky and tactile they were.

 

[Frodo]

I prefer Bale's .

Affleck really didn't have much to work with , but given the right script and approach, I think he could have been a great Batman.

As far as suits go, I guess I'm a creature of the 80s. I prefer the all black Keaton, Bale, Kilmer look in terms of live action suits.

 

[Erzengel]

Oh 2020, will you never stop surprising us.

 

[Gothamsknight]

Bales Batman by far. From the character development, to the writing, to the performance, it's all vastly superior to Afflecks.

 

[Filmfreak]

August 26 2020. Didn't last long.

Bale in almost every way imaginable. Other than better fighting choreography and the fact that Affleck looks more like Batman and Bruce Wayne from the comics, he's got nothing. His performance was either wooden or over the top in BvS and in complete autopilot in Justice League. The writing of his character has been both pretty bad and unfaithful and even though we haven't seen him in his own movie to judge better, he has been extremely bland so far. I would probably even rate Kilmer over him.

 

[The Joker]

Ah yes August 26th........six days after his return to the role for the Flash movie was announced. Sounds like the fanboys had stars in their eyes that week.

 

[Filmfreak]

Ah yes August 26th........six days after his return to the role for the Flash movie was announced. Sounds like the fanboys had stars in their eyes that week.

True. He was really high in the ranks when his first footage arrived before March 2016 and sank extremely low after Justice League and his supposed retirement. Between his reappearance in the Flash and the Snyder Cut it seems that it somehow has reinvigorated his fandom. But even two days later the polls changed dramatically.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

The character Ben Affleck played moved on from some idiot obsessed with killing a very powerful alien to someone obsessed with the idea of resurrecting him to being stupidly suicidal, all that while being careless about the concept of a secret identity.

But hey, he had the warehouse fight, gray and black suit, and quick change ability like in the Adam West show, but all him and the Justice League do it while traveling in the batpod back to the batcave. Absolute perfection as Batman.

 

[Boy Scout]

Bale gets my vote. Not only is his Batman better from a characterization standpoint, but Bale does a better job of playing his Batman than Affleck does his own.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Baaaaalllle. By far.

Bale is a better actor than Affleck. He has everything you need to play Batman. Affleck is very limited and can do a fine job as a certain type of Batman, and he and Alfred are the best parts of BvS, but that's not enough.

****, I like Clooney inherently more as Batman in concept than Affleck in actuality. I wasn't mad at Affleck being cast like everybody else. I was fine with it. He's a fine actor but it was never something I knew he was going to transcend his acting ability for.

Affleck gets above Clooney on principle for just being more well rounded and on point, but Affleck's Batman doesn't really count in my book. That was part of a nightmare lasting for a year and a half. In my mind it goes from Bale to Pattinson. Thank God we never got that Affleck Batman movie. I could have lived with it, but I was never excited about it and the thought of living with Affleck for years.

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

Bale deserves this one.

What is it with the ardent, adoring fans of Bat-Fleck? It's like a religion. Their aggression and revulsion to anything before or after is shocking and these were no doubt the same people that busted a few blood vessels when he was cast in August 2013.

Extremely weird.

 

[Gothamsknight]

I'll never understand the appeal of Afflecks Batman. Acting skill aside (Bale is a better actor than Affleck by far), what exactly is so good about Afflecks Batman portrayal? It wreaks of a contrarians dream version of Batman that goes against everything that makes the character so unique and special. There's virtually nothing about his portrayal that I cared for, and I'd go on the record of saying Val Kilmer was a far better Batman, and i even get more entertainment out of Clooney.

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

A grey/black costume and one half decent fight scene is all they needed.

Good acting and characterization was NOT required.

 

[Doctor Jones]

I'll never understand the appeal of Afflecks Batman. Acting skill aside (Bale is a better actor than Affleck by far), what exactly is so good about Afflecks Batman portrayal? It wreaks of a contrarians dream version of Batman that goes against everything that makes the character so unique and special. There's virtually nothing about his portrayal that I cared for, and I'd go on the record of saying Val Kilmer was a far better Batman, and i even get more entertainment out of Clooney.

In terms of depiction, I guess it's subjective whether you much you care for an older Batman. I like the idea, but it's not something I would have liked to see in that context, especially after MOS. Perhaps Snyder with his deconstructionist sensibilities thought an older, jaded Batman fit into that. And it certainly does, but for the love of God, don't make him a murderer.

An older Batman I can get behind like Keaton coming back or The Dark Knight Rises or Returns, but an older Batman is NOT what I want to see as the status quo live action Batman. I have zero interest in an older Batman series of films. At least build up to it. The Dark Knight Rises may not depict an old Batman, but I connected much, much more to a strung out, retired Bruce because of the writing and directing. And the fact that it's earned.

For the record, Kilmer is my third favorite live action Batman. I'm not saying he's mind blowing, but he does a terrific job of playing a very straight forward, crime fighting, heroic O'Neill era Batman and can play it straight while still doing fun stuff.

Affleck could have been decent as a BTAS type of Bruce and Batman. But in all honesty, that works for me as a cartoon, not in live action. Plus Affleck ain't Kevin Conroy, even if it's just a voice.