Batman is one of those characters in the world of superheroes that is not a superhero. In point of fact, Batman is a normal person, reliant on cool gadgets, well trained reflexes and superior detective skills. Yet something was lost in the cinematic versions of this character, something that defined Batman as being very different from every other comic book character.
Adam West kicks off this evolution with Batman: The Movie in 1966. A continuation of the campy 60’s TV show but now on the big screen. We all remember this show if you’re of a certain age. Just like the small screen iteration, this was just as camp, just as fun and just as annoying. Why annoying I hear you scream from behind your thinly veiled nostalgia? It attempted to replicate the comic book aesthetic, yet never really found out how to actually do it. Batman was, and is a serious character, and was never meant to be made a joke of. Regardless, our cinematic journey through the history of The Caped Crusader has only just begun.
Next is Michael Keaton as the titular character, and this is where the character truly changed. 1989 brought Batman, directed by Tim Burton. It’s my personal opinion that this singular film is the best in the series but I say this more from a nostalgic point of view, than a grounded one. Speaking in a grounded sense, this isn’t the best Batman film to date. However I will always believe that Keaton is the best Batman to grace the screen. Period! Jack Nicholson played the Joker perfectly, and the story, while flimsy is presented with amazing style. Finally, a Batman that semi-resembled the comic book character, and with a serious yet tongue-in-cheek tone.
Batman Returns, starring once again Michael Keaton as Batman, Michelle Pfeiffer as Cat-woman and Danny DeVito as The Penguin. This is the perfect early example of how a sequel becomes the victim of it’s predecessors success. Filled with too many characters all vying for the same thing, and filled with bloated exposition.
Batman here is no longer the vengeful vigilante the first film gave us, and has accepted his role in Gotham as it’s protector.
Michael Keaton, now tired of playing Batman, is replaced with Val Kilmer, a choice nobody saw coming. Yet his turn as the Dark Knight was actually quite good, but the vehicle propelling this iteration of Batman was pretty awful. With the introduction of Robin played by Chris O’Donnell, this film suffered the same bloating fate as it’s predecessor, but with far worse consequences. Jim Carrey plays The Riddler, but is essentially having fun being himself, and Tommy Lee Jones plays Two Face Harvey Dent, a casting decision that ultimately sealed the film’s fate. It returns in good part to the camp aesthetic of the 60’s, and so started the downturn of the franchise.
Taking the reigns in this instalment as our hero is George Clooney, an actor who was simply chosen for his star power, not if he would be right for the role. He isn’t, and it shows in abundance. O’Donnell returns as Robin, and is even more camp in this effort. Uninspired performances by Alicia Silverstone as Bat Girl and Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy, this film again suffers from bloat, but joining the cast is Arnold Shwarzenegger as Mr Freeze. The plot is terrible, the batman suit has nipples, and Batman even carries his very own credit card! Awful in every sense, and certainly a severe downgrade.
So, it’s here that the series takes a long break. It’s evolution from a camp TV show making it’s big screen debut, to the dark brooding Batman of Keaton, to the overly colourful and the return of the tacky style of the very early Batman. It’s almost as if the studios took something very successful, and decided to destroy it with Joel Shumacher’s overtly kitsch offerings.
Eight years would pass, until one director brought the character back from the brink, and did so in style!
Christopher Nolan, fresh from the success of Momento and Insomnia, brings Christian Bale to the character of Batman in this brilliant origin story. Objectively speaking, this is a great film and gives us a vengeful Bruce Wayne who realises that Batman isn’t the one who wears the mask, it’s Bruce Wayne! Yet it still fails to capture the true essence of the character of Batman, relying purely on brawn and technology rather than intelligent thought. It’s good, it’s enjoyable, and it was a good start to a rebooted franchise.
Within the Nolan trilogy, The Dark Knight is by far the best of the three films. It captures the turmoil of both Batman and Bruce Wayne, finally bleeding into one another. Batman is more unhinged in this film, showing his raw side as the Dark Knight of Gotham. The late Heath Ledger pulls out the best version of The Joker ever committed to screen, and will always remain as the benchmark for this character. In many ways, this film emulates the Keaton era, and it’s a welcome return with added flourish.
What this film does do, is bring the character of Batman back into the light as a vigilante, not a figure who is tolerated by the authorities. It’s a serious left turn for the character, and it’s pure genius. No bat signal, no more tolerance. Batman is now unleashed.
In this final film of the Nolan Trilogy, Batman has faded into the background, now grizzled and suffering the after effects of so many injuries. What we find here is a reluctant Batman, pulled out of retirement by a threat that frankly, nowhere near matched that of The Joker. Tom Hardy is Bane and while he is quite passable as the character, the script seriously let’s this film down. This is the ultimate end of this iteration of Batman, and is the weakest of the three.
Batman has died several times in the comics, each time with the mantel picked up by Robin or Nightwing. In this, Bruce Wayne leaves the job to a willing Robin, and lives in seclusion abroad. It’s just not as impactful as the actual death of Bruce Wayne, and hindered the overall mythology.
Four years pass since The Dark Knight Rises, and it’s Zak Snyder that brings Batman back into the cinematic realm with the long awaited Batman Vs Superman.
While not technically a pure Batman film, this version of a jaded, angry Batman is very close to the Frank Miller version of the comic books. The suit is absolutely spot on, I just don’t think Ben Affleck was the right choice. This film allows very little room for any advancement of the Bruce Wayne / Batman character. It’s only at the end does the character change in any way at all, which is too late for it to be meaningful.
In this version of Batman, he is very vengeful and angry with the world, to the point where killing and branding enemies is acceptable.
This is a massive departure from the original character, who never did any of these things, and Snyder really wanted to make Batman the villain of the piece for the most part. It just doesn’t sit right for me, and I find it difficult to enjoy this. The Ultimate cut is far better, but much longer in duration.
I’m going to skip entirely the Joss Whedon version of Justice League. It’s just not worthy of discussion. After several years, Zak Snyder brings us his finished version of Justice League, and it’s here that Batman takes on the role of leader, no longer jaded and angry. Bruce Wayne and Batman are now one and the same person, not a divided personality that conflicts with one another. And it’s here that I think the character of Batman is lost. It’s the divide between the two personalities that makes the character so interesting. With that loss, he becomes a blurred mess with a singular focus.
I think it’s fair to say, that almost every portrayal of Batman has never focused on the one element that made Batman, Batman! It wasn’t until 2022 when Matt Reeves brought to the screen The Batman. As a lifelong diehard Batman fan, Reeves promised to bring us what he thought was the way to translate the character from comic to screen.
Now, being objective in every way possible, this is by far the best portrayal of Batman committed to celluloid.
Robert Pattinson plays an angry and vengeful Batman who believes the city of Gotham should fear him for him to be successful as a crime fighter. Yet at the end, he steps out of the shadows and into the light to be the saviour Gotham needs, and wants.
What makes this the best version of this character is simple, and the one area that made the comic book character famous.
That is, Batman is the World’s Greatest Detective, and in The Batman, he does exactly that! He acts as a detective, trying to find evidence, follow the clues and solve the crimes of the Riddler, portrayed by a quite scary Paul Dano. Nothing about the characters in this film follow established lore in terms of character dressing, but their actions are on-point to the comic book counterparts. Yes, Batman is a capable warrior in all the entries, but here he is finally, after 54 years on film, established as what he was originally in the comics. The detective we all wanted, and needed Batman to be. This, and only this, is what makes this film the best Batman film ever made.
I know it’s been a long post, but I’m a huge Batman fan and with The Batman Part II on the distant horizon, I thought I would bring this brilliantly flawed character back into the spotlight, and celebrate the phenomenon that is…Batman!
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Until the next overly long post…stay vigilant, Bat-Fans!
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