Why Christian Bale comparisons to Michael Keaton?

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

Both men put considerable effort into bringing us a unique hero. They both succeeded and I have a lot of love and respect for their hard work. A feat accomplish by about five actors in god knows how many comic book franchises.

I don't think it should be a vs. but rather a "What did Bale do differently to Keaton?" as we should enjoy these two different takes.

Bale & Keaton = Win.

I respect you post more than most I see on this subject! Cheers!

 

[The Englishman]

I respect you post more than most I see on this subject! Cheers!

I agree, we should all be happy that we have got these two brilliant portrayels of a character we all love and we should put a stop to these Childish VS threads and celebrate them both. At the end of the day just think how lucky we are not to just have Kilmers and Clooneys Batman....

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

Im happy some people on here have some brains!

 

[Dr. Fate]

Christian Bale is compared to Michael Keaton because they both played the same character and both made a huge impact on the fans & general audiences, as well as being the only actors to, so far, play the character more than once. Same reason that people compare Sean Connery/Roger Moore/Pierce Brosnan (of the James Bond franchise).

 

[p4poetic]

^True, but the comparisons started since Batman Begins.

 

[Chris Wallace]

The last person that played Batman before him was George Clooney. So why do people only compare Christian Bale to Michael Keaton? That always kind of bothered me. Yes I know, the Batman Forever and Batman and Robin films were horrid, but they were after all, the last memory of Batman until then.

Because Keaton was the first big-screen Dark Knight, (grim, bitter, vengeful, night-stalking vigilante)

whereas Clooney played the Caped Crusader. (light-hearted, police-sanctioned crime-fighter.)

Bale also plays the Dark Knight.

His Batman is feared. He's held in suspicion by the cops. He's more than just an obstacle or an inconvenience, like Clooney & West. Nobody is going to look at the Nolan films & think of Schumacher's version, but many will compare it to Burton's.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Christian Bale is compared to Michael Keaton because they both played the same character and both made a huge impact on the fans & general audiences, as well as being the only actors to, so far, play the character more than once. Same reason that people compare Sean Connery/Roger Moore/Pierce Brosnan (of the James Bond franchise).

Another good point.

 

[metalhead_dave]

Christian Bale is compared to Michael Keaton because they both played the same character and both made a huge impact on the fans & general audiences, as well as being the only actors to, so far, play the character more than once. Same reason that people compare Sean Connery/Roger Moore/Pierce Brosnan (of the James Bond franchise).

I think it goes along the lines of Michael Keaton is Sean Connery, he was Batman first(though I won't say he owns the role the way Connery owns Bond) and he made Batman a badass. And then you have Kilmer and Clooney as Brosnan and Moore... turning Batman into a poncy campy unBatman like character. And Bale would be Daniel Craig(even though Begins came out before Casino Royale) and he turned Batman back into a badass, bringing it back full circle.

On a more personal note, both Keaton and Bale's Batmen have been kind of tainted for me. For Keaton, Batman's debut in B89 kind of kills the film for me, because I see him hold his cape up like wings before getting capped and then getting up and doing it again and he looks so freaking goofy and I roll my eyes whenever I see that scene. Begins had a much better, much more frightening, much more badass debut of our dear Dark Knight.

For Bale, whenever he's private Bruce, I think he talks too quietly and sometimes lacks a little presence in his voice. Both in Begins and TDK. Even when he overdoes the Batman voice, it doesn't bother me as much as hearing him speak as Wayne. Somebody awhile ago on these boards said he sounded wooden and since then that sort of stuck with me and now whenever I watch Begins or TDK, I always have a figurative microscope on Bale's performance as Wayne.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Keaton and Bale both kick ass. FACT.

Keaton was of course the first live-action Batman I was exposed to. Ever since I was five years old, seeing that haunting shadowy first glimpse overlooking the city, the coming down out of the smoke in the background, beating the crap out of the muggers, and then Keaton on that rooftop holding the mugger and saying,

"I'm not going to kill you. I want you to do me a favor. I want you to tell all your friends about me."

"What are you?!"

"I'm Batman."

And jumps off the rooftop, is one of my favorite Batman moments. And B89 is one of my favorite films. Its closest to my heart than any other Batman film. This moment IS Batman. But like I've said, they've both brought something unique and great to the role. But both have done it right at the same time. One or the other does something that the other didn't, and it goes from there. They're evenly matched. And anybody who makes a lame ass excuse about Keaton being "too small or skinny" those are ignorant people.

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

Now that is cool !