As we ready ourselves for an almighty on screen battle in next year’s release of ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’, with Ben Affleck donning the iconic cape, we’ve been inspired to take a look back at some of the best Batman performances ever to have graced our screens.
ADAM WEST
It seems like a very long time ago now that veteran actor Adam West wasn’t just the comedic mayor of Quahog in Seth McFarlane’s long-running animated series ‘Family Guy’. West of course sported the famous bat mask alongside his sidekick Robin for William Dozier’s ABC series that ran during the mid to late 60’s. The often flamboyant duo battled some of the most famous faces from the original comic book series and West himself was brilliant in the title role, offering plenty of tongue-in-cheek fun along the way.
MICHAEL KEATON
Back in 1989 Keaton seemed like a particularly strange choice for the title role in Tim Burton’s newest feature version of the famous crime fighter, especially coming off of the back of a series of dodgy comedy movies during that period including ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘The Dream Team’. However, his superhero debut alongside Jack Nicholson’s villainous Joker role was pure entertainment: Batman at its finest. Somehow Burton’s flick all came together and Keaton’s timeless performance can still be enjoyed with the same sense of amusement to this day.
VAL KILMER
After the success of the first two modern Batman instalments it came as no surprise to see a number of spin-offs and merchandise begin to appear on our screens and on shelves everywhere. The Batman franchise is worth millions, spawning everything from candy bars to a number of Gotham-inspired games featured at slotsites.net. However, with the news that Keaton had opted out of third reprisal of the role, fans were left anxious before the mantle was passed down to Val Kilmer in ‘Batman Forever’. Kilmer did an excellent job in picking up the cowl where Keaton left off whilst giving the character a little more bite and edginess.
CHRISTIAN BALE
The only Batman in the modern era to tackle the role thrice on the big screen was British actor Christian Bale. Method performer Bale assumed the part of the caped crusader for Christopher Nolan’s epic trilogy (that included Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises) and it was undoubtedly one of the greatest on -screen appearances of Batman to date and an incredible selection of remarkable filmmaking. Bale’s interpretation of the character was as subtle as it was menacing and a perfectly executed balance, even in spite of the ridicule he received for his over-the-top deep voiced tone as featured in his second incarnation in the title role as The Dark Knight.
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