Christian Bale OWNED Micheal Keaton as Batman.

I wonder what happened to all the people who used to rave about Micheal Keaton as Batman? I see they all had to hide under their rocks and never speak of Keaton again after they saw Bale's far superior potrayal as Batman in Nolan's amazing Dark Knight Trilogy.

Even Keaton admitted in an interview, that Bale got Batman right, and that his potrayal wasn't very good.

I like Michael Keatons version more then Christian Bales. "far superior" is a matter of opinion, so not everyone will think the same as you do.

No hiding under rocks for me. :)

Oh, and I preferred Jack Nicholsons' Joker too.

I actually never really liked Keaton to begin with, love Bale though.

I'm sensing a possible wwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrr!

@thedarkknight9283: Can tell your just going to be a real peach.

I'm with you.

Nah

I don't think anyone would say far superior, they were just different. Bale's gravelly voice gimmick was pretty corny too.

Eh, As Batman? Hell no.

As Bruce Wayne? Sure.

I don't know what the hype is around Keaton. Maybe I need to see it again.

That's an opinion. Though I completely agree with it, it is just an opinion.

Although I'm a huge fan of Bale as an actor, his acting in the batsuit was cheeseball as hell. Keaton played bats as stoic and whispering while Bale was constantly panting with his mouth hanging open and with a ridiculous smoker's voice.

Strictly as Batman, I like Keaton better. His first Batman movie is my favorite Batman movie. Yes, better than the Nolan trilogy. As far as Bruce Wayne, they are equal. Nicholson's Joker was also more faithful to the source material.

Note I said his first Batman movie. The three following BM movies were terrible (although Keaton wasn't in Forever or B&R), and The Nolan movies were better sequels.

This sums up my opinion.

1. I didn't like Keaton that much.
2. I didn't like Nicholson as the Joker.
3. I almost didn't like the movie itself.

@tdk_1997: Nolanite?

@ganon15: Yeah.But even before watching anything from Nolan's trilogy I still didn't like Keaton,Nocholson or the movie itself that much.

TDKR was a disappointment for me though, to me even Batman Begins was better.

I will have to disagree since I didn't like only the deaths of both Talia and Bane.

Yeah, but for Bane to just get blasted in the blink of eye and for Talia to turn out to be the mastermind behind Bane's plan...

All aboard the keaton train!

It wasn't the best thing ever but I still liked it.

But the TDK was the best

And by that you mean he purchased a Keaton-Bats action figure and kept it under his pillow.

Nothing can outmatch it ever.I doubt the fact that in the next few years or at all ever we will get a better Batman or superhero movie.

I like Bale better for one reason:

WHERE ARE THEY!?

The interrogation scene.

Hoping that the MOS sequel would at lest be a level on the TDK

I own Burton's Batman and watch it regularly, and I really don't see what others like about Keaton's Batman so much. He was a mediocre Batman and a horrible Bruce Wayne, they basically made Bruce into a borderline schizophrenic recluse who did nothing but either sit or walk around in deep contemplation, contemplation so deep that he literally walked through gunfire in a dazed stupor. I think nostalgia drives many people to rave about Keaton's performance so much. Bale was far superior.

Naw

@thedarkknight9283: First off, Welcome to Comic Vine! :)

I think you'll find that if you stick around long enough you'll find that allot of people actually preferred Keaton's Batman over Bale's. After all it's just a matter of opinion.

My favorite line in TDK is at the end when Gordon is talking to his son.

Dad, why is he running? Because he can't fly, so he has to run.

I liked Keaton over bale because Bale simply because Keaton didnt talk with throat cancer in his voice. And he played a more believable guy...he wasent a pretty boy like Bale. I also like Jack Nicholson FAR more as The Joker than Heath. Tim Burton should have kept his run on The Batman movies IMO.

I think comparing the two is a bit off since the era's they were from is so different - HOWEVER - the Nolan Batman films were actually doing the EXACT same thing as Burton - taking a character that had been cartoonised in the public eye and going back to the dark roots. Other than that though - the films were very different and had different requirements of actors.

I personally prefer Keaton - IMO he will always be the best Batman/Bruce Wayne combination(in live action so far) - he didn't have throat cancer or say stupid rhetorical crap (that I remember anyway). His Bruce Wayne came off as a normal guy playboy type - whereas Bale for me it felt both forced and he was a complete douchebag to his guests in the 1st film (so why do they even show up for a party of his in the 2nd?) - basically you could tell Bales Bruce Wayne was an act. I never felt like that with Keaton.

This isn't nostalgia - case in point, I prefer Cavil as Superman than Reeve (I'm gonna get flamed for saying that).

Keaton was a horrible choice as Batman and Bruce. Though his movie was the only one that came close to being ok out of that trilogy. Now despite my hate for TDKR. Bale as Batman Begins is far superior to Keaton and his movie. Also Heath >>>>>> Nicolson

Wow...you must not have been on the forums for very long...though I'm not as big of a Bat fan as I used to be, I'm still involved in the Keaton vs Bale debate pretty damn regularly.

So either you don't know about these discussions, which are pretty frequent, or you are provoking people into a debate.

Boo.

But now that I look at your number of posts...what the hell? How can you ask where have all the people gone when you only have 13 posts?

I doubt it.

It wasn't really a competition, but yeah, I'd say he did better.

I didnt like either of them...

Bale was a good Wayne, i disliked his Batman.

Bale made a FANTASTIC Bruce Wayne, wasn't really that good of a Batman. Along those lines Nolan's films are great films but not great comic book movies.

Keaton is the better Batman and I enjoy those films as comic book movies much more than the Nolan Trilogy.

I like the Keaton Batman best. However Val Kilmer played the best Bruce Wayne. Nicholson was the best Joker as in wacky and zany. The best Joker in psychopath murdering was Ledger. Nicholson played best classic Joker, Ledger was best current portrayals of Joker. Bale was pretty decent all around as Batman and Wayne

I personally prefer Keaton - IMO he will always be the best Batman/Bruce Wayne combination(in live action so far) - he didn't have throat cancer or say stupid rhetorical crap (that I remember anyway). His Bruce Wayne came off as a normal guy playboy type - whereas Bale for me it felt both forced and he was a complete douchebag to his guests in the 1st film (so why do they even show up for a party of his in the 2nd?) - basically you could tell Bales Bruce Wayne was an act. I never felt like that with Keaton.

I felt the same. Bale's 'playboy billionaire' act was forced.

Bale was the best as Batman/Bruce Wayne. It was Micheal Keaton that sucked.

Bale forced??? FORCED??? BHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Micheal Keaton's Bruce Wayne was dumb as a rock. Since was does Bruce Wayne sit around in his mansion all day waiting for crime to be done in Gotham. He is supposed to be the World's Greatest Detective! He is supposed to be Batman!!!

I've gotta watch Batman Returns again, but I didn't like that Keaton's Batman killed people

Bale was a better Bruce Wayne, Keaton was a better Batman.

@spideyivydaredevilfan26: Bale's batman was a better fighter, was scarier, was in better shape, and had better gadgets. IMO Bale was better than Keaton in every way.

better fighter-yes. better shape-yes. scarier -how? you mean that laughable throat-cancer voice of his?