Ok, I know there are a lot of Keaton Batman haters out there, but here me out. These are the things that promote the fact that Keaton did a great Batman and a decent Wayne, AND was actually a good choice for the role...
Warning: LONG POST
1. His physical appearance... Now before you say "He was horribly miscast for the role", hear me out. When you have a 6 foot something muscle guy with lots of money, and the reports of the Batman's appearance is 6 foot something muscle guy with high tech equipment, you can sorta put the pieces into perspective that he is Batman. With Keaton, the reason he was shunned by many was actually a great cover. I mean, a lot can't imagine Keaton's Wayne being Batman, as the reports are Batman's a "6 foot bat" when Keaton to my knowledge is not 6 foot. It's a different route then the classic "playboy cover up". And to add on it, and so no one can say, "Well, the criminals see that he isn't 6 feet tall." Well, that's true, they did see him, but Batman would own them to the point where they were unconscious and when they wake up they don't remember all that much(the one thug on the rooftop who got kicked) or they were in such a state of shock that they went dillusional and recounted what they thought they saw. (the other thug on the rooftop)
2. His quirkiness as Wayne... He was just so quirky and messed up in the head in 89. The audience can totally believe that Keaton's Wayne is crazy enough to put on a bat costume and fight criminals, but the characters have no clue because Keaton's Wayne doesn't fit the description of the Batman that the papers printed in the movie.
3. His costume. In 89, when the two thugs are on the roof and they see Batman for the first time, and his cape forms into "wings", it is something that can really frighten a criminal, as they are a "cowardly, superstitious lot". And if you make the belt black and remove the oval, he would look like a "giant bat-thing", which would frighten anyone. And if you add all the rumors that circulated during the movie, like "They say he can't be killed. They say he drinks blood." It all fits into something that could very well work and scare most thugs.
4. His attitude. When in the costume, he had an attitude that was perfect for the mood of the film. His eyes were badass and his loner ways all worked well. And his fighting was well thought out, too. I mean, Batman wouldn't overextend himself by attacking first (like in Forever and B&R) unless he had an opening. For most of the fights with Joker's gang, he was on the defensive, waiting for the enemy to attack so that he can see what they are planning before he makes a bold move to go on the offensive. (The only times he was purely offensive was against the two thugs on the rooftop and against the Joker in the cathedral. Everything else was well thought out defense and quick exploitation of weaknesses)
You may feel otherwise, but that's the way I see it...
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I have to totally agree. He had the best look. Its a shame the movie was based more on the joker than batman. No one looked as scary as Keaton. Who would have every thought. but his face just seems to really fit into the batman outfit. Its as if he was made for it. It suited him best. Wish they could combine the Keaton batman look, the Tim Burton Gotham city look and the Nolan story all in one. That would be dam good. All that would be missing would be someone to direct a decent fight scene.
1- if the guy isn't muscly, it makes it harder to imagine him being able to survive being Batman. Being physically unfit is a great cover, until the criminals take advantage of it and kill you with ease....
Bale's Batman did a great job of providing distance between his Wayne and Batman persona's by his acting. (swimming in the hotel, and "drunken" speech at party.) He didn't need to look unlike Batman, because that's what the mask is supposed to be for.
2- Begins shows Wayne's dedication, more than just "quirkiness". I think being a bit eccentric could lead someone to take an obsessive interest in cheese or something, but to dedicate your life to fighting criminals, Bale's portrayal showed more determination and willpower.
3-costume has nothing to do with the actor.
4- To me, Keaton's Batman was pretty good, and I actually really like the first two movies. That said, Bale's voice when he's Batman is perfect. He brings across the cold, powerful force of Batman so well, that to be honest, I dont think there's any real comparison between the two.
Im a fan of the first two, and the most recent Batman movies, but to be fair, Keaton was probably not the best choice for Batman. That said, they could have done worse......imagine Sylvester Stalone in the batsuit.
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If you want to give yourself a headache, try to think of what Stallone would sound like if he was trying to do the "Swear to me!!" scene. The "Batman voice" + Sly's normal voice = ????????
yep that pretty much sums it up for me as well.Keaton actingwise was fine as batman,he just wasnt a very good Bruce Wayne.as we talked about before BatDude,Keaton just tried to copy Chris Reeves performance as Superman being macho and cool as batman but a dork as bruce wayne.That works for superman,that doesnt work for batman.Kilmer played Bruce wayne the way Bruce wayne is suppose to be.Cool,calm and suave with the women and sure of himself.Thats why until Bale came along,Val Kilmer was my favorite Bruce wayne.Keaton I admit was the better batman but Kilmer was the better bruce Wayne.However Bale blows both of them away in the water.He is easily by far the best Bruce Wayne AND Batman.Mercurial pretty much said it best on why Bale has been the best to play the part so far.
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Last edited by Mr Parker on Jul 10th, 2007 at 06:01 PM
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Bale was the best IMO, he had every aspect that Bruce Wayne/Batman had in the comics, I mean, he was psychotic(the way he'd get that look in his eyes like they were just burning with hatred and anger like in Year One), he had the build for it which is very important IMO, you can wear things like a tux as Bruce Wayne to cover your body, and plus, thats what the mask is for as Batman like merc said. If Batman/Bruce isnt in good shape, then hes gunna get his a$$ handed to him every once in awhile: The scene on the top of the tower, where that black dude just owned Batman h2h, and come on, that was just a freakin goon, that wasnt even like a martial arts expert or anything. Now thats embarrassing. Two main reasons I like Batman Begins more: 1. Not having the body and stamina for it and 2. that scene with the goon utterly kicking Batmans butt.
However, I did like the costume and Batmobile on 89/Returns, but not quite as much as the new ones which had a more realistic edge which I liked more.
The problem with the movies before Batman Begins is like sindahouse pointed out. The movies focused more on the villains than Batman himself. It says Nicholson befor Keaton or Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey before Kilmer or Arnold before Clooney. As a matter of fact I believe this is why Keaton quit the role.
well with Batman 89 it was appropiate that it said Nicholson before keaton because Nicholson had the majority of the screentime and Batman was just a supporting character and is much more accomplished as an actor.That changed for keaton in Batman Returns though because even though he again was just a supporting character in Batman-and thats one of the problems with the Burton Batman films,that time he had top billing.
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Spiderman is the worst comicbook movie ever,movie should have been called MAN-SPIDER. Organics are the biggest sin in hollywood history.
I don't mind the heavy focus on the villains. We only get to see them for one movie most of the time anyway. A smart director would be able to develop the Batman Bruce Wayne character over a series of movies while making sure the villains were well known as well. I wish Burton had gotten to do Batman 3
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It sure is funny that back in 89 everybody loved this movie, now all of a sudden there are people that thinks it sucks. I always have and will think that Keaton was Batman. Don't get me wrong this new version is a great move in the right direction and probably needed update for the younger croud but my personal feelings is this new guy wasn't that great ,but he was ok.
the 80s was a long time ago...they thought there would be flying cars and moon people in the year 2000...and this Keaton/Burton thing has been around for a while now, Batman Begins and Nolan put Batman in the right direction, away from the robin, batnipples, away from annoying musical scores and horrible soundtracks of the artist formerly known as Prince. Finally a little dignity, humanity and mercy. Batman Begins is one of my favourite comicbook/superhero movies
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Jul 8th, 2007 01:38 AM
