My list is much shorter because I don't rank movies I disliked or can hardly remember. I'll stay with this:
Batman 1966
Batman 1989
Those are the only two I own or watch. I've seen all since, but don't care to revisit.
Below is my personal rankings of Batman actors. It may help explain why my list is the way it is.
1. Adam West. My introduction to the character *. He played him exactly as he was portrayed in the comic books at the time. Adam West’s portrayal is credited with not only saving Batman but making him a permanent part of American pop culture, which no doubt helped it eventually become a major franchise. To me, Adam West is the quintessential Batman.
2. Michael Keaton. I thought he was a fantastic choice. He kept the character grounded, brought in a touch of realism, yet he still kept one foot in the comic book world which I think is an absolute must for the character to work. A great addition to the franchise and the mythos. Batman only though. Batman Returns was terrible, but not because of Keaton. Burton ruined it. It seems to be the film where Burton found his one-note signature style; Everyone has dark circles around their eyes, pale skin, and wild hair. I saw the film once in the theater, lost interest about halfway through and never watched it again. I remember nothing other than the fact that I thought it was bad.
*3. Ben Affleck. While I have yet to see him in the role, just from the clips so far he’s better than Bale. He seems more believable. I’m looking forward to a Batman-only Affleck film.
4. Christian Bale. I thought he was a good choice as a modern - what if he were real - portrayal. However, having Batman that grounded in reality took away from his mystique. There were a few scenes in the third film where I felt it bordered on parody. Plus that ridiculous voice. The first of his three is by far the best. The second one gets taken over by Ledger chewing the scenery in every shot. The third one has some great moments, but drags on for way too long and the story is unnecessarily complex. Bale’s performance just hasn’t aged well for me, which I honestly didn’t expect.
The rest are forgettable. Clooney at the bottom, just above Kilmer. Two terrible portrayals in the two worst films in the character’s history. I saw each film only once and have forgotten nearly every moment of both of them. I agree with Sheldon Cooper on Big Bang Theory when he listed his arch enemies; “Joel Schumacher, who nearly ruined the Batman franchise.”
It took Bale going full-on dark to right the ship.
* I should point out that for me, the introduction to a character does not automatically equate to the best ever. To name just a few; Rooster Cogburn, James Bond, Q, Moneypenney, and the entire 2009 recasting of the crew of The Enterprise match or surpass the original portrayals. In fact, Adam West as Batman is probably one of the few times in my world where my introduction to a character remains my favorite version of the character. Cesar Romero as The Joker also remains my favorite version of the character. Truthfully, he's the only version I care for.
For the most part, I agree with Adam West himself when he was recently on Big Bang Theory.
I think it’s hilarious that he places the Lego toy above Clooney.
https://youtu.be/OCHnVjQrsRY
It’s actually kind of funny that he goofs on Affleck because in real life he has been very supportive of Affleck as Batman.
From two interviews after he was announced;
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"I've heard a lot of adverse comments. I think it's ridiculous. He'll be much better than you think. Go see his current movie [Gone Girl] and you'll see glimpses of Batman. He'll be good."
"My feeling is that Ben Affleck will be really good simply because he's a great talent,"
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That’s high praise coming from the person most remembered for bringing the character to life and permanently into pop culture. It's also pretty telling of his importance to the character that several publications interviewed him about his thoughts on the casting 50 years after he brought the character into the mainstream. That in itself shows how iconic Adam West really is.
Now if you'll excuse me, Batman 1966 is queued-up and ready to go. It starts in 3...2...
(Not kidding)
“What's important is that the world know that all visitors to these teeming shores are safe, be they peasant or king.”
