Is Bale a good Batman?

[The Guard]

He's a pretty good Batman, despite his vocal issues. He gets points for doing something difficult voicewise. I have more issues with his Bruce Wayne than I do with his Batman. His Bruce Wayne, even his real Bruce Wayne, just isn't intense enough. He's very laid back, almost to the point of being boring and seeming disinterested with the role. And I know, I know, that's how Bale is, he's reserved and quiet unless he's yelling, but it doesn't make for an impressive screen presence. Nor does it tend to make for an impressive performance.

 

[ElToro]

Are you kidding ,e...this guy is great playing as Batman.
AWSOME!!

 

[Kevin Roegele]

I am a huge fan of Bale, but Batman isn't his best role.

 

[CFE]

I am a huge fan of Bale, but Batman isn't his best role.

Agreed.

It, like everything, is a matter of opinion...and in my opinion his best is Patrick Bateman.

CFE

 

[Darkfly]

I am a huge fan of Bale, but Batman isn't his best role.

Agreed.

It, like everything, is a matter of opinion...and in my opinion his best is Patrick Bateman.

CFE

agreed, on both Batman isn't his best role & his best is Patrick Bateman.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Agreed.

It, like everything, is a matter of opinion...and in my opinion his best is Patrick Bateman.

CFE

It is indeed a matter of opinion, but <cough>our opinions are more 'right' than anyone else's.

 

[CFE]

It is indeed a matter of opinion, but <cough>our opinions are more 'right' than anyone else's.

lol too true Kev...too true

CFE

 

[Gotham]

I love Bale as both Batman and Bruce Wayne. His Batman in The Dark Knight was.. wonderful.

 

[DACrowe]

I noticed how in TDK since his character shared the limelight with Joker and Dent/Two-Face this sentiment has come up. He was pretty well beloved in BB in which he was the lead character and really everyone in that movie circled around Bruce Wayne/Batman and his arc. HIs arc and growth was that movie, the villains and supporting cast and even macguffin plot in the third act were all secondary.

But now that the story is the main focus of TDK and Batman is a player in it, people aren't as happy with his performance as the newness has worn off, even though I think in TDK he just inhabited the Batman persona and I never once thought "that's Bale playing Batman well," but just thought "Batman."

I think my prediction in another thread will come true. BB3 won't be as good as TDK and even if it is a good movie fans will backlash in disappointment and ***** about Nolan's realism take and how he doesn't get the character and "fantasy" of it. And the things that just are nitpicks now will become full fledged attacks against all the films. They'll turn the bat-suit, the applied make-up, the Chicago-is-Gotham angle and Bale's voice will become huge liabilities to the series. And the fans will turn on Bale and hate him saying he "doesn't get the character."

Look no further than what happened to Raimi and Maguire. Yeah Nolan's Batman movies are better, but they're following the same pattern. Beloved and "flawless" in fan community eyes in BB, even better, but worthy of nitpick criticism in the second and the third will be inferior and then comes the "they don't get Batman, we need a reboot!" threads.

I'm counting on it.

 

[the GRIN Reaper]

I noticed how in TDK since his character shared the limelight with Joker and Dent/Two-Face this sentiment has come up. He was pretty well beloved in BB in which he was the lead character and really everyone in that movie circled around Bruce Wayne/Batman and his arc. HIs arc and growth was that movie, the villains and supporting cast and even macguffin plot in the third act were all secondary.

But now that the story is the main focus of TDK and Batman is a player in it, people aren't as happy with his performance as the newness has worn off, even though I think in TDK he just inhabited the Batman persona and I never once thought "that's Bale playing Batman well," but just thought "Batman."

I think my prediction in another thread will come true. BB3 won't be as good as TDK and even if it is a good movie fans will backlash in disappointment and ***** about Nolan's realism take and how he doesn't get the character and "fantasy" of it. And the things that just are nitpicks now will become full fledged attacks against all the films. They'll turn the bat-suit, the applied make-up, the Chicago-is-Gotham angle and Bale's voice will become huge liabilities to the series. And the fans will turn on Bale and hate him saying he "doesn't get the character."

Look no further than what happened to Raimi and Maguire. Yeah Nolan's Batman movies are better, but they're following the same pattern. Beloved and "flawless" in fan community eyes in BB, even better, but worthy of nitpick criticism in the second and the third will be inferior and then comes the "they don't get Batman, we need a reboot!" threads.

I'm counting on it.

Definetely agree, DaCrowe. I might even go to the extent that I enjoyed his performance more in TDK. His Bruce Wayne was just out of this world good. I don't think the focus was directed away from Batman either. TDK was a story about a city, and all the main players share a great deal of screen time. The Burton films get critisized because the villains get more screen time almost exclusively, to the extent that there is virtually no character growth or depth from the main character. Definetely not the case with either BEGINS, or TDK.

I personally never thought Spider-man 3 is as bad as advertised here. Did it meet the monumental expectations? No. Did it fail in some regards? Certainly, but it was hardly a bad film. It was just as good as the first, but it just so happened to follow the best film in the series. Which is why I hope Nolan hangs it up for his series after TDK. I can already sense the attacks on his creation now. The realism of the series is what makes it so vital and enthralling. Just look at some of the comments in here in regards to Bale. I don't think Batman is Bale's best acting job by a long shot. The character doesn't really allow for "amazing performance" but I don't see how he's easily been the best person to take on the role. Comments like he's a bore as Bruce Wayne? His Bruce Wayne scenes are just incredible. The duality between the two sides of Bruce displayed sometimes in the same scenes, but in a subtle way as if he just IS the character are outstanding.

 

[returntovoid]

I noticed how in TDK since his character shared the limelight with Joker and Dent/Two-Face this sentiment has come up. He was pretty well beloved in BB in which he was the lead character and really everyone in that movie circled around Bruce Wayne/Batman and his arc. His arc and growth was that movie, the villains and supporting cast and even macguffin plot in the third act were all secondary.

But now that the story is the main focus of TDK and Batman is a player in it, people aren't as happy with his performance as the newness has worn off, even though I think in TDK he just inhabited the Batman persona and I never once thought "that's Bale playing Batman well," but just thought "Batman."

I think my prediction in another thread will come true. BB3 won't be as good as TDK and even if it is a good movie fans will backlash in disappointment and ***** about Nolan's realism take and how he doesn't get the character and "fantasy" of it. And the things that just are nitpicks now will become full fledged attacks against all the films. They'll turn the bat-suit, the applied make-up, the Chicago-is-Gotham angle and Bale's voice will become huge liabilities to the series. And the fans will turn on Bale and hate him saying he "doesn't get the character."

Look no further than what happened to Raimi and Maguire. Yeah Nolan's Batman movies are better, but they're following the same pattern. Beloved and "flawless" in fan community eyes in BB, even better, but worthy of nitpick criticism in the second and the third will be inferior and then comes the "they don't get Batman, we need a reboot!" threads.

I'm counting on it.

I agree with that.

 

[Crook]

I think my prediction in another thread will come true. BB3 won't be as good as TDK and even if it is a good movie fans will backlash in disappointment and ***** about Nolan's realism take and how he doesn't get the character and "fantasy" of it.

The realism debate has been in effect since BB. Didn't hurt TDK one bit and I don't see how it'd change now.

And the things that just are nitpicks now will become full fledged attacks against all the films. They'll turn the bat-suit, the applied make-up, the Chicago-is-Gotham angle and Bale's voice will become huge liabilities to the series. And the fans will turn on Bale and hate him saying he "doesn't get the character."

These are bold claims. Pretty much everything you mentioned was already being heavily discussed during TDK's production. All the minor quibbles and nitpicks in the world cannot erase what is a good movie. It makes it easier to be forgiving over certain elements that fans may not totally agree with.

Look no further than what happened to Raimi and Maguire. Yeah Nolan's Batman movies are better, but they're following the same pattern. Beloved and "flawless" in fan community eyes in BB, even better, but worthy of nitpick criticism in the second and the third will be inferior and then comes the "they don't get Batman, we need a reboot!" threads.

I'm counting on it.

SM3 strained from an overzealous director and studio interjection. All the interviews I've read from Nolan indicate he is not as prone to fall under the pressure of making a bigger, longer, better film just for the sake of a sequel. Not to mention he's infinitely more talented than Raimi is. Unless there is some horrible stroke of faith that plagues the third film's production, I really don't think there's much to worry about.

As for besting TDK, that's arguable. Honestly, I don't even think it has to top it. There's still huge debate of which Godfather is better, the first or second. But I doubt you'll find anyone that'll say that because it's even being discussed, the sequel shouldn't have been made. In such a case of where the films are on an unprecedented level of quality, it doesn't matter which is better.

 

[the GRIN Reaper]

It's just hard to make a great Trilogy under any circumstance. Godfather 3 was terrible, ROTJ is easily the worst film of the series ... it's just such a hard thing to do and its almost inevitable that the 3rd film will be considered the worst of the series. Because for a 3rd film it's so hard to live up to expectations, and usually the story crumbled under that pressure. Name one film in a three part series that isn't only considered the best, but generally isn't considered the worst of the bunch ...

 

[The Joker]

Name one film in a three part series that isn't only considered the best, but generally isn't considered the worst of the bunch ...

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

 

[Crook]

I'll give two in recent years: Return of the King & Bourne Ultimatum

In any case, not making a third film because it's a rare case of turning out to be good is spineless. If people were to stop making decisions in fear of continuing a mediocre trend, we wouldn't even have comic book films today, much less a new Batman series. If there's a good story to tell, then tell it. Why worry about previous misgivings?

 

[the GRIN Reaper]

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

Ok, and we'll even throw in Bourne Ultimatum ... two in about how many major movie franchises?

 

[the GRIN Reaper]

In any case, not making a third film because it's a rare case of turning out to be good is spineless. If people were to stop making decisions in fear of continuing a mediocre trend, we wouldn't even have comic book films today, much less a new Batman series. If there's a good story to tell, then tell it. Why worry about previous misgivings?

That's not the only reason I'd prefer Nolan to walk away ...

I don't feel there is a story to tell with characters, themes, issues, and general relevance that can match the one just told. TDK hits home on so many levels that I highly doubt it can be topped. And I don't want to see these two great movies be tarnished by a terrible or even mediocore 3rd film. If there is a good story to tell, then yeah I'd believe Nolan could do it. But I'd rather him go out on top like this. Like Jordan should've went out. Hitting his final shot, winning a chip. Not coming back to be mediocre and tarnishing the legend. Sometimes you just have to know when to walk away. Alot of times in Hollywood they never know the value of this restraint.

 

[Crook]

The quantity of bad products is always gonna outweigh the good. In ANY medium.

How many truly good comic book films have we had in comparison to the total number of comic book film adaptations?

How many classic action films can compare to the hundreds of crap being released every year?

Oh, and how many skeezers do you meet every day in comparison to those very few special girls that are right for you?

As you can see, the "quality" products are always greatly outnumbered. It does not mean you should stop pursuing them.

 

[the GRIN Reaper]

What exactly are we arguing? This is MY OPINION as you so love to tell me all the time. My opinion is I rather see Nolan walk away, then just make a 3rd Bat-film in his series just to make one. I don't disagree that you shouldn't stop pursuing them. But you know whether or not a concept is intriguing enough to be great to tackle before making said film. TDK and Batman Begins had that ... all I'm saying is I'd prefer Nolan to ride into the sunset on this note, than being forced to make a 3rd movie that won't live up to the two films prior, let alone the ridiculous standards likely to be placed on a 3rd film.

And LOTR ROTK, and Born Ultimatum were based on books where everyone viewed the final piece as the most compelling of the series. The directors jus translated it to the screen. With Nolan, he's CREATING a story. Alot harder to do, and I haven't seen someone mention ONE successful 3rd chapter of a 3 part film series that was outstanding that was an entirely new creation.

 

[TheDarkKnight08]

I am a huge fan of Bale, but Batman isn't his best role.

I agree. That honor goes to Patrick Bateman, with Trevor Reznik coming at a close second.

 

[the GRIN Reaper]

I agree. That honor goes to Patrick Bateman, with Trevor Reznik coming at a close second.

I thought his best character was his potrayl in Rescue Dawn. He studied the hell out of a very unique accent. His performance in that was just crazy. Have you seen it?

 

[Crook]

What exactly are we arguing? This is MY OPINION as you so love to tell me all the time. My opinion is I rather see Nolan walk away, then just make a 3rd Bat-film in his series just to make one. I don't disagree that you shouldn't stop pursuing them. But you know whether or not a concept is intriguing enough to be great to tackle before making said film. TDK and Batman Begins had that ... all I'm saying is I'd prefer Nolan to ride into the sunset on this note, than being forced to make a 3rd movie that won't live up to the two films prior, let alone the ridiculous standards likely to be placed on a 3rd film.

I'm not arguing anything. Just stating that if Nolan were to step away from the franchise, then I better hope it'd be because he feels he's done what he can and creatively doesn't have anything more to offer that would be worthy of another film. Conversely, if he steps away solely because he's scared of the "trilogy pitfall", then that would be a shame and a waste of potential.

No one's forcing Nolan to do anything, and at this point no one would want to. I want more Nolan batfilms, but I wouldn't be angry if there aren't. Just as long as it's for the right reasons.

And LOTR ROTK, and Born Ultimatum were based on books where everyone viewed the final piece as the most compelling of the series. The directors jus translated it to the screen. With Nolan, he's CREATING a story. Alot harder to do, and I haven't seen someone mention ONE successful 3rd chapter of a 3 part film series that was outstanding that was an entirely new creation.

Bourne. Ultimatum.

The only relation it has to the book is it's title. The film itself, and the franchise in general has LITTLE to do with the novels.

 

[the GRIN Reaper]

Then we were essentially agreeing.

 

[TheDarkKnight08]

I thought his best character was his potrayl in Rescue Dawn. He studied the hell out of a very unique accent. His performance in that was just crazy. Have you seen it?

Oh, ****, I can't believe I forgot about that one. Dude, when his friends take him back, and you that hope in Bale's face, it was the inly time I cried in a movie. THAT is my favorite performance, thanks for remindng me.

 

[elgaz]

Out of all the actors who have played Batman - West, Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney, etc - if you asked me who I'd like to see in the next Batman film, the answer would always be Bale.

I've never actually seen the full American Psycho film (shame on me), but after watching Equilibrium my first thought was - that guy would make a perfect Batman. And he did. He brings a certain gravity to the role exactly as it was needed after the ridiculous Schumacher versions. Whilst I always liked Keaton's version and would never run it down, I don't think his Bruce Wayne was as convincing - he came across as a bit of a loner, almost nervous and uncomposed at times. This is the relatively young, un-attached man who's the head of a multi-billion dollar corporation remember - he should be intelligent, cocky, confident, smug even - and that's exactly how Bale plays him.

Bale's take on Batman impresses me just as much as his take on Bruce Wayne. He has a fierce determination in both his look and manner that I never saw in other Batman actors, and that helps convey the single-mindedness that rules Batman's life. His only goals are vengeance and justice. Phsyically he's also very able for the role and he has a naturally more muscular build than previous Batman actors; it's easier to believe he's actually prepared to take on crime than the relatively skinny looking Keaton and Kilmer whose suits were sculpted to convey musculature.

The voice isn't perfect; it's a bit too gruff at times, but I still prefer it to the previous ones. Kilmer's voice was too subdued, it sounded just like his Bruce Wayne persona ............. and Keaton's Batman voice was basically a whisper. Bale's may sound OTT at times, but when you're dangling upside down in the rain from his grappler hook and he's threatening to drop you, I'm sure it's terrifying :P

In short, I think he's the best choice for the role out of today's generation of actors.

Gaz