In which film(s) was Batman actually the highlight of the movie?

[Skrilla31]

That's a hoot coming from someone who says Kilmer is the best Batman.

I genuinely believe that Kilmer is the best Batman, as unpopular of an opinion as that might be.

But I don't think I've ever seen anyone claim that CHRISTIAN BALE was the standout in The Dark Knight!

If you took the ten best scenes from the entire movie, how many of them in your opinion DON'T include Heath Ledger?

 

[The Joker]

Not only that, but essentially claims he's the live action equivalent of Kevin Conroy without as much as an explanation as to how.

I genuinely believe that Kilmer is the best Batman, as unpopular of an opinion as that might be.

And I genuinely believe Bale is a highlight in TDK.

But I don't think I've ever seen anyone claim that CHRISTIAN BALE was the standout in The Dark Knight!

I've never seen anyone claim Kilmer is the best Batman.

If you took the ten best scenes from the entire movie, how many of them in your opinion DON'T include Heath Ledger?

This is ignorant thinking. Just because Ledger's Joker features in many of the best scenes doesn't mean he is the sole highlight of the movie.

But to answer your question; The finale with Batman, Two Face, and Gordon. Aftermath of Rachel's death and Dent's disfigurement. Batman extracting Lau from Hong Kong.

 

[Skrilla31]

This is ignorant thinking. Just because Ledger's Joker features in many of the best scenes doesn't mean he is the sole highlight of the movie.

But to answer your question; The finale with Batman, Two Face, and Gordon. Aftermath of Rachel's death and Dent's disfigurement. Batman extracting Lau from Hong Kong.

The thread title reads as follows:

In which film(s) was Batman actually the highlight of the film?

Do you believe Bale was the highlight of The Dark Knight and not Heath Ledger? Even though you agree that Heath Ledger is responsible for most of the movie's best scenes?

 

[The Joker]

The thread title reads as follows:

In which film(s) was Batman actually the highlight of the film?

Do you believe Bale was the highlight of The Dark Knight and not Heath Ledger?

I know what the thread title says. I believe he is one of the highlights. I don't believe TDK has one sole highlight. There are several gems in that movie that make it great. Bale is one of them.

Even though you agree that Heath Ledger is responsible for most of the movie's best scenes?

I never said that. I said he features in many of the best scenes. I never said he was solely responsible for them. Ledger's Joker wouldn't have worked if he didn't have great characters/actors to bounce off in his key scenes. E.g. the interrogation room scene, often considered the best scene of the movie, wouldn't have been half as good if Ledger's Joker didn't have Bale's angry desperate Batman to work off with his material.

For me Batman's rage and desperation to get the locations of Dent and Rachel out of the Joker adds immeasurably to Joker's menacing glee in tormenting him and laughing at his brutal fisticuffs methods to get him to talk.

 

[Pennywise]

Mask of the Phantasm
Batman Begins
The Dark Knight

 

[Spider-Aziz]

Batman the movie: Bruce Wayne vs the mischievous misfits and their cronies helped support that.

Mask of the Phantasm: It's all about him.

Batman Forever: He had the most focus here in that series of films.

Batman Begins: Like Mask of the Phantasm.

The LEGO Batman movie

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Batman the Movie
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Batman Begins
Batman v Superman
The Lego Batman Movie

 

[The Batman]

The Dark Knight - I know many people will say it's the Joker's film, but actually IMO this film is the only time Batman shares screentime with the Joker and holds his own.

Can't agree with this at all. Out of 5 theatrical Batman/Joker confrontations, there are only two where Joker arguably outshines Batman. In particular, Lego Batman is so clearly more iconic than Lego Joker.

 

[Batmannerism]

Can't agree with this at all. Out of 5 theatrical Batman/Joker confrontations, there are only two where Joker arguably outshines Batman. In particular, Lego Batman is so clearly more iconic than Lego Joker.

Fair enough.

Batman '66 Batman > Joker

Batman '89 Okay we may disagree on this one, but to me Nicholson owned that film because he steals every scene he's in and is given waayyy too much screen-time.

Bamtan Returns, Forever, B & R, and Batman Begins don't feature the Joker

Mask of the Phantasm ? I'll call that a draw, because the Joker is pretty great in that.


Then we come to TDK where Ledger absolutely kills it, setting the Joker performance for all time. However, Bale stands up to him because he too is a superbly talented actor - and Ledger is given a reasonable but not overpowering amount of screen-time - as such, he doesn't dominate the movie.

Lego Batman, yes I agree, Batman > Joker.

That's how I see it anyway. Agree to disagree perhaps ?

In retrospect I think I would have voted Begins, as it is so clearly Batman's film, whereas in TDK I've underrated the importance of both Dent and Gordon's roles.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Batman Begins
TDKR
Batman ‘89
And parts of TDK

 

[STARMAN]

Batman and Bruce Wayne were the highlights of Batman Begins. It's why it's my favorite Batman film.

 

[jolldan]

Batman Begins - He is the standout in that for me. While Neeson was a great foil for Bale's Batman it was great to see Batman being formed.

 

[Mandon Knight]

For me, it's MOTP & Begins, both the definitive Batman films in animated & live action films.

 

[CLARKY]

I hit BvS but Batman begins and MotP were also right choices.
Although, to be fair with the exact question of your poll, the answer is every movie, excluding bat movies.
And, for me, this is a problem. Batman is always the highlight of the film when it's not a batmovie.

 

[Deck Rickard]

The Honest Trailer guys summed up Kilmer's Batman so well:

"He's not weird like Keaton, charming like Clooney, intimidating like Bale, swole like Affleck... or emotional like a human."

 

[Chip Chipperson]

Phantasm, Begins and the Lego Batman

 

[superhero]

mine would be:
batman Mask of the Phantasm
batman the movie 1989
batman forever
batman begins
batman dark night
batman dark night rises
batman vs super man dawn of justice

 

[Matleo]

Im waiting for a better poison ivy, clayface and ,an-bat also maybe a better and more mutated killer croc with long croc tail?
they all in one movie would be fantatic with batman using suit and tech to hunt them and stop them.
Could see even Deathstroke there.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

If you took the ten best scenes from the entire movie, how many of them in your opinion DON'T include Heath Ledger?

Very very late, but I think I have some ideas to answer this question.


"I don't wear hokey pads" scene is one of my favorites, a great way of showing Batman enter the scene to remind us it's his movie, and some of the influence he has on the city.

Courthouse scene with Sal Maroni and his canon fodder on the witness stand is overlooked as one of the highlights of the movie.

"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain". One of the most remembered and quoted lines from the movie, a meme generator, and a good way to introduce Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent to one another.

Lucius Fox deserves to be one of the more iconic characters in the movie, all the assist he gives his boss represent greatness in character, talking to the accountant trying to blackmail him is one of the underrated gems of the film.

"I believe in Harvey Dent", Rachel's doubt in Bruce, and the entire scene is amazing and heartwarming. I'm talking about the penthouse scene before Joker barges in.



List as many scenes as you will from Batman Forever that outshine these moments from TDK.

 

[The Batman]

I hit BvS but Batman begins and MotP were also right choices.
Although, to be fair with the exact question of your poll, the answer is every movie, excluding bat movies.
And, for me, this is a problem. Batman is always the highlight of the film when it's not a batmovie.

The only non Batman film where he completely stole the show was in the Lego Movie.

Many would say that Wonder Woman is the standout character in BvS.

And Batman definitely wasn't the highlight of Justice League.

 

[Skrilla31]

Very very late, but I think I have some ideas to answer this question.


"I don't wear hokey pads" scene is one of my favorites, a great way of showing Batman enter the scene to remind us it's his movie, and some of the influence he has on the city.

Courthouse scene with Sal Maroni and his canon fodder on the witness stand is overlooked as one of the highlights of the movie.

"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain". One of the most remembered and quoted lines from the movie, a meme generator, and a good way to introduce Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent to one another.

Lucius Fox deserves to be one of the more iconic characters in the movie, all the assist he gives his boss represent greatness in character, talking to the accountant trying to blackmail him is one of the underrated gems of the film.

"I believe in Harvey Dent", Rachel's doubt in Bruce, and the entire scene is amazing and heartwarming. I'm talking about the penthouse scene before Joker barges in.



List as many scenes as you will from Batman Forever that outshine these moments from TDK.

How much time do you have?

Seriously though I'm sorry there is no way you can tell me that any of those scenes are as memorable or as enjoyable as any of the big Joker scenes. I'm not one of those people that worships Heath Ledger but it goes without saying that he is the clear shining star in that movie.

And I couldn't disagree more about Lucius Fox. Don't know why his character needed so much focus. I don't care where Batman gets his gadgets from. It's not important.

 

[Strong Browman]

How much time do you have?

Seriously though I'm sorry there is no way you can tell me that any of those scenes are as memorable or as enjoyable as any of the big Joker scenes. I'm not one of those people that worships Heath Ledger but it goes without saying that he is the clear shining star in that movie.

And I couldn't disagree more about Lucius Fox. Don't know why his character needed so much focus. I don't care where Batman gets his gadgets from. It's not important.

It's not about who's the star or not but whether Batman had standout moments in that movie. For some reason people confuse Ledger being the best thing about the movie with "no one else had any memorable moments, everyone else sucked." There were plenty of great Batman/non Joker moments in TDK. Yes he was the highlight but it's not like people were falling asleep everytime he wasn't on screen.

 

[Skrilla31]

It's not about who's the star or not but whether Batman had standout moments in that movie. For some reason people confuse Ledger being the best thing about the movie with "no one else had any memorable moments, everyone else sucked." There were plenty of great Batman/non Joker moments in TDK. Yes he was the highlight but it's not like people were falling asleep everytime he wasn't on screen.

Bolded for emphasis.

Now re-read the thread title.

 

[Strong Browman]

Bolded for emphasis.

Now re-read the thread title.

Read it just fine.

You said none of the other scenes are as good as the big Joker scenes, says who? You do know that some people find the end scene to be the best of the movie. It's obviously not the majority but there are people who enjoy the non Joker scenes the most.

 

[80s Bullock]

I'd say Batman Begins, Bale is so young, enthusiastic and fresh here. Batman 66 because, well, Adam West is Adam West, charismatic as always and commanding. Kilmer isn't bad, but the look of the movie and the dumb villains ruin that. He would have killed it in Batman Begins. The other Batman appearances are a little bit "dull" to me. Bale is so stiff and generic in TDK and TDKR. Keaton is a waxfigure Batman. Clooney needs no words. Lego Batman and Mask of the Phantasm aren't live action movies so I don't consider them.

So yeah, 2.5 movies where Batman is a "highlight" of some sort. But c'mon, I know that comic fans tend to think that Batman is one of the most "interesting" and deep characters when in fact, if you are honest, he is pretty much a non-entity in most stories. There isn't really much authors tend to do, despite some variations of his origin and some psychological derp about his parents. He tends to rely entirely on his villains, great visuals, and good plots, but is hardly ever character-driven. So I'm saying, Batman getting overshadowed by his villains isn't really a fault of the movies per se.